In this episode of the New AR-15 Owners Guide, we tackle the topic of Optics. This is the final part in the series put together by Travis Haley of Haley Strategic. It is by far the longest video in the series with a total running length of 18:47 but it covers one of the topics that frustrates many new shooters, Optics. It is nearly impossible to find an AR-15 today without some sort of red dot optic on it. That being said I will ask you a question that was posed to me recently “How do you know your optic is set right for you ?” That question has rattled around in my brain ever since, and these videos from Travis and Nate have helped me to review my rifle set up and go back to square one and start from the beginning.
Properly setting up an optic to run on your particular rifle and match your shooting needs is one of the most basic steps in marksmanship. You have to be able to see your intended target accurately and correctly to know where the bullet will impact. Improper position and zeroing of any optic will have negative effects on accuracy and your ability to engage your target with follow up shots. When setting up your optic there are a lot of words and gun industry jargon that gets tossed around. These phrases such as: Absolute Cowitness, Lower 1/3 Cowitness, Low Mount, Mid Mount, and others are enough to scrabble the brain of new AR-15 owners when they are at the gun counter looking at optics. Standing at the counter of your local gun shop listening to the sales pitch of the salesperson behind the counter is not the time to try to decipher fact from bull crap.
If you are new to the AR-15 world or you just want to refresh your existing knowledge base I would advise you to take the 20 minutes out of your day and watch the video below. Haley Strategic‘s whole series is a must watch for AR-15 owners, and I find it particularly useful because it is not a sales pitch. Travis doesn’t offer to sell the viewer anything, yes his companies gear is on display in the background but he put this video out to give back to the gun community. He helps cut threw the jargon and delivers the information straight and to the point. It’s great to see an accomplished combat Veteran and successful trainer such as Travis putting out videos that help shooters rather than pimp gear.
