It is far too easy to be drawn into the hype of everything that’s new. This doesn’t just apply to technology, but to gun parts as well.
Just think about how shooting as a skill has changed over the decades. Only a few decades ago, shooting offhand over iron sights was considered a basic skill.
Now, how many shooters that you know are proficient in such? An increasing number of shooters rely on advanced optics, like scopes, red dots, and reflex sights for target acquisition.
This is a blessing and a curse. Advanced optics can reduce the learning curve and make even novices more accurate in a shorter window. But that bypasses a far more fundamental shooting skill.
The following reasons will expose this conundrum, and serve as a reminder that offset, backup front and rear AR15 sights are not a suggestion for your build. They really are a necessity.
No Batteries
First and foremost, offset, backup AR15 sights - or any iron sights - are more reliable than any other optic. Red dot sights and other optics that take batteries, despite being long-lasting, can die when you need them most. Iron sights never will. They are, by their design, impervious to this fault.
Dust Proof and Fog Proof
Dust or moisture on the lens of a red dot, holographic or reflex sight can cripple their functionality just as they would a scope. You can coat flip-up iron sights in spray or dust and they will work just fine.
Waterproof
Get water inside the tube of a scope and that thing is probably ruined. Water can also short the electronics inside of other advanced, modern sights - but it is utterly toothless against iron sights.
Shock Proof, Drop Proof
You shouldn’t need us to remind you that if you drop a scoped rifle, or a rifle with a red dot or holographic sight, you’re probably going to need to replace it. At the very least you might need to re-zero the sighting system. Iron sights are made of iron (figuratively, actually they’re usually aluminum) and are the toughest of the bunch. Do your worst, you’ll come up for air before iron sights do.
They’re Far Simpler Than Other Optics
While you technically do need to calibrate iron sights, that process is far simpler and much more straightforward than zeroing a scope or a red dot sight. This makes iron sights easier to use, and much more intuitive.
They’re Affordable
Scopes and red dot sights can quite literally cost thousands of dollars. Even an expensive pair of offset backup AR15 sights is going to be a fraction of that cost, and many are far, far more affordable than that.
They Don’t Malfunction
Red dot sights can be shorted out by moisture intrusion. A scope can be knocked out of alignment, or the lenses can shatter. Water can get inside and create a permanent fog on the lens. This is just a snapshot of the things that can go wrong with other optics. Iron sights are affected by exactly none of these shortcomings - or any other.
They Work Under All Ambient Conditions
Red dot sights may have an advantage at night, and scopes may reign supreme under adequate ambient light conditions, especially at greater ranges - but if it’s a matter of balancing the best attributes of either, iron sights win out. They work in the dark as well as during the day, especially with a WML.
Two Is One and One Is None: They Work with Your Other Optics
The great thing here is that the whole purpose of this post is not to convince you that you need to throw in the towel on your other optics. Far from it. It is simply to convince you that you also need offset, backup AR15 sights.
You know the expression two is one and one is none? Well, if you just had iron sights, you might not be well-equipped to shoot in the dark, or at greater ranges. If you just had a red dot, and the batteries failed, you’d be SOL.
The point is that you need the backup because it is a backup, and having one of anything is never a good thing. That’s why offset, backup iron sights are so valuable. They leave the rail space over your upper clear for other optics, the way it should be, and provide a valuable alternative if or when your main optic fails.
Shooting Over Iron Sights Is a Fundamental Skill
Finally, learning to shoot over iron sights, even if you are genuinely no good with them, is as fundamental to the shooting sports as learning how to change your car’s air filter or wiper blades. Sure, maybe you’ll pay someone else to do it because it’s easier, but it’s still something you should know how to do.
Everyone needs the experience, and the truth is, being an experienced shooter over iron sights is a worthwhile skill to have, if only for all of the benefits explored here that other optics simply can’t offer.
Gear Up with New AR15 Sights
Hopefully you’re convinced by this point to carve out some rail space for offset, backup AR15 sights - it won’t take much. Check out our full collection via the previous link and make the upgrade today. Maybe you’ll never need to use them, but if you do, you’ll be glad they’re there.