There are a myriad of options available for rifle accessories, including sights. How do you narrow down what will best suit your rifle? That all depends on what you’re looking to get out of your build. Whether your interest is long distance shooting, quick target acquisition, or just some plinking, the aim of this post is to discuss some of the basic options you may want to consider for your rifle sight needs, starting with iron sights.
Iron Sights
. Pretty slick for iron sights, no? Image courtesy of troyind.comAs the oldest form of rifle sight devices, there is a vast wealth of options for iron sights, from the most basic notch and post, to windage- and elevation-adjustable flip up aperture sights with Tritium inserts.
Advantages:
- Unaffected by inclement weather.
- Reliable.
- Affordable.
- Simple.
Disadvantages:
- No lenses to increase depth of view for distance shooting.
- Some (fixed) are not adjustable.
- Difficult to use in low light conditions (sights with tritium inserts, or other low light augment are an exception).
Summary
Iron sights are generally easy to operate, reliable, and durable. They never run out of batteries or become difficult to operate when dirty or wet. There exists a wide variety of different sight picture options that can aid in quick target acquisition, accuracy, and sight alignment in low light conditions (e.g., aperture or “peep” sights aid in quick target acquisition because they are easy to align, some sights employ tritium posts in a three dot configuration integrated into the existing sights to aid in low light use, and target shooters who need extreme precision may use target aperture sights). Flip up or “back up” iron sights (BUIS) can also function in conjunction with additional sighting devices. However, they are limited in ease of use with distance shooting. That’s not to say that feats of accuracy cannot be accomplished when using iron sights. However, there are other rifle sight options that can contribute to making long distance shooting less challenging.
Destinee is also a vlogger. She publishes videos on weapons, gear, and fitness on her YouTube channel every Tuesday and Thursday.
