desert_rat

Didn't see a thread purely about accessories for our beloved black rifles on here so I'd though i'd post one up.

Gottn good advice on here and for some reason I like discussing ar15's on here more than on ar15 forums...


Feel free to post up pics of new parts or discuss any accessory stuff in here.... share your new modifications with us!!

desert_rat

I got a dilemma....

I appreciate the reliability of a fixed iron sight, but I love the aim point red dot so much... I am converting one of my ar15's for home defense and am seriously thinking about having my gunsmith remove the fixed front sight so I can put on the red dot and some troy flip ups....

I've gotten mixed answers so far... 'don't remove fixed sight'... 'use a spacer on red dot'... don't use a spacer on red dot & remove the fixed sight'....

anyone with experience, id appreciate some feedback or advice before I move forward.

tia

Imrahil

in my experience co-witnessing is always best, however i doubt that you will ever see combat with your firearm so it really doesnt matter if you have flip up sights, fixed sights, or no sights. if it takes you an extra 38 .6 seconds to change your batteries it probably wont be that big of a deal. that being said though it probably wouldnt hurt any to just dremel down your front sight and have a gas block that is pinned in place.

desert_rat

thx Imrahil... i respect your opinion.... & of course, you are correct... no plans for combat (only tac classes)!

so keep the front sight, add the red dot & co-witness them.... the thought of putting a dremel to it sounds scary...


& btw... 38.6 seconds sounds like a life time if there ever would be a need for it!!

JeepApex

What type of co-witnessing are you looking for? Absolute or lower 1/3rd? Co-witnessing isn't as easy as just lining up a dot and smashing the trigger down. I'd STRONGlY advise reading this for a TEASER of information:

UNDERSTANDING CO-WITNESS

As for dremeling the FSB, I'd say that's something you'll most likely regret later down the road. However removing the FSB and replacing it with a lopro gas block is actually pretty easy and you don't need a gunsmith to do it. If you can work on a Jeep, you can remove the FSB. Matter of fact, I removed my FSB and replaced it with a gas block IN a Jeep recently... not advisable, but hey.. I was bored.

As for optics, I can't say enough good stuff about Aimpoint. Eotech is "alright" at best. In my "office" I've seen WAY too many Eotech's go down due to dead batteries, lost battery compartments, and lost tiny little rubber grommets that are necessary for the funcionality of the sight. That said, our department beats the hell out of the sights and they fail quite often... doubt your Eotech will see this kind of abuse.

Aimpoint, you can turn it on and leave it on for anywhere between 3-5 years (yes, you read it right... YEARS)... Eotech simply can't tough that number. In all my carbine and advanced carbine classes as well as time spent on the range instructing, I have yet to see an Aimpoint permanently break... I CAN NOT say the same for Eotech.

Happy shooting.

Imrahil

Just curious, why would you regret cutting down the FSB? A pinned gas block is much more stable then one that is simply held in place by set screws.

desert_rat

Jeep Apex, thx for the link and tips.... yes I researched red dots before going out to retailers and looking at them. After reading many reviews (much like yours) I decided on the Aimpoint CompM4s

I googled pinned gas block removal & I guess it shouldn't be that hard to tap out the pin. Also, I'm 5'8"... so i would assume absolute co-witness would be ideal for me, but have not confirmed that yet.



Imrahil, so you mean actually trimming down the fixed sight point that would theoretically aling w/ red dot in absolute co-witnessing? if so how much? all the way? 2mm's?


Initally i put the aim point on my 6.8 that has no sights on it, i loved how clean my FOV was with only the red dot on the rail.... I put the aim point on my .223 and the fixed sight is kinda drivin me crazy... is that something you get used to?

thx guys

wewpzee594

Been shooting military m4's and CQBR with a aim point for a few years and yes you get used to shooting with the front sight post and aim point. It took maybe a day and I began to not even notice. Plus it's always piece of mind knowing if the red dot fails for any reason u still have fully functional front sight. CQB is probably one of the only times you wouldn't truly need a front sight based on using natural point of aim and the proximity of threats. But just like tactics everyone has there own way of doing stuff, so it's solely what the shooter likes and doesnt like. Not sure if you have rails but you could always remove it and get a flip up, and see if u like it better without a front post. Hope this helps. Btw we shoot the aim point comp m4 and eo tech. Both are solid but the reliability with aim point has been proven solid with our teams. We grapple and fight hand to hand so they get beat on pretty hard and we've yet to break one. Good luck with your build.

WSU 5.9er

In classes, you won't notice the FSB when using the red dot. You will be more focused on finding the dot and putting it on the target than you will be with noticing the FSB.

If you really wanted a folding front sight, I would recommend cutting down the FSB to just leave the gas block, adding a rail system and then a folding front site. Rainier Arms makes a good rail system that uses the stock barrel nut. It's also very afordable.
Rainier Arms™ | Browse | Rainier Arms | Rainier Arms Evolution Free Float System - 11.0
I just did this on my 5.45 trainer/plinker AR and am very happy with it.

For a red dot, I would recommend the Aimpoint Micros. Been very happy with mine. They are smaller and weigh less than the M4s. I also like the Aimpoint Pros. For $400, you get the Aimpoint and a decent mount for the AR15.

thedrod

I'd definitely keep the sights and just add a red dot.

Aimpoints are nice but expensive. The rugged dependability is what you are paying for.

A good low cost alternative to the aimpoints is the Vortex Sparc. It's around $199 and is a high quality optic. It's not a cheapo Red Dot like you'll see for $99 or less. It comes with a good mount and spacers depending on how you want to co-witness. Their ruggedness is not proven as its relatively new but I got one for one of my rifles and since I am not running around and falling down rocks in Afghanistan, I notice no advantage of my Aimpoints over the Vortex Sparc.

Check it out. See what you think. Plenty of reviews on youtube.

Here is a link to one.