You’ve probably heard it or read it on social media: folks saying you NEED backup sights on your AR-15. Really? Steve and Caleb get on target with the truth about backup sights. Both guys put backup sights on their ARs, but it depends on the situation. A range fun / plinking gun doesn’t need backup sights, but they’re handy if your main optic’s battery gives out and you forgot to bring a spare. Under some conditions, you can actually shoot better with a traditional “iron” sight. Install a set of inexpensive low-profile backup sights, like the Magpul MBUS, on your rifle and you have cheap insurance against your range day getting cut short.
Backup sights are critical on any AR-15 you might need to protect your life or somebody else’s. In a life-or-death situation, you want that extra level of, well, backup in case your main optic gets broken or fails. And in competition, if your optic conks out, backup sights will keep you in the game.
Should your backup sights co-witness with the main optic? Co-witnessing only works with non-magnifying red dot sights, not with an optic that has magnification. Co-witnessing the backup sight in the lower 1/3 of the red dot’s field of view keeps the two sight pictures from interfering with each other. But there are plenty of absolute co-witness backup sights available. Some folks like the dot and the backup front post on top of each other. The backup sights don’t have to co-witness at all. It’s really a matter of personal preference.
So the myth is NOT busted. Affordable, low-profile backup sights are readily available, so you really can’t afford not to have them on a serious self-defense / competition gun.
NOTE: Products in this video are to be used only for lawful purposes, including hunting, self-defense, and competitive or recreational shooting. If you purchase any of them, you are responsible for understanding and complying with all federal, state, and local laws that apply to the purchase, possession, and use of these products.
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If it is for defense, yes you need back up sights.
Not everybody has an aim point that has a bazillion hours of battery life to leave on all the time.
Caleb has the best hair on the tube
If your rifle is a range toy, no.
If your rifle might be between you and death, there better be irons.
Not gonna lie he got me with the co witness joke
The British Army doesn't issue non-optical back up sights to infantry. The rifles have an Elcan optic and a piggy back red dot. If you torture your rifle enough for something like an Elcan or an ACOG to break the rifle probably won't work anyway. It's not like you ever had backup sights for your iron sights back before optics. At close range an AR with a fixed front sight will work fine without a rear sight and it will be a lot quicker.
For everything needed and electronic, I think there should be a back-up, then there is glass which can get spotted (in rain) or fogged. As a former Infantry Marine, I only had iron sights '81-'85 and we shot in all conditions for the experience of knowing how to deal with them.
As for fun guns, I still like etched reticles so if the batt fails, or a malfunction occurs, it still works.
My go-to, has EOTech/G33 combo with flip-up Meprolight (Tritium at front post and four dots around rear peep sight) which work very good. I just flip the G33 out of the way, pop-up the back-ups and go to town, night or day.
No Caleb, I thought we just went through this.
I put them on all my ARs. And BTW…..we don’t care if we’re called ‘Boomers’…..just don’t call us late for dinner.
It’s irresponsible not to learn to shoot iron sights. Put them in your range gun and practice with them first. Then go to the optics. Could save your life
Id like to see a Smyth buster episode addressing this:
Do you need ginormous ears to be on Smyth busters?
If your going to have back ups use fixed irons not flip up ones.
If you end up in a struggle and have issues with sights at that point, then you have bigger issues. With that being said, it's better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them. Yeah, it's overplayed, but it's true.
I would love to hear steve and calab in a podcast just talking about random stuff 😊
Iron sights always function.
All my rifles have them. Anything can fail, even my backup irons can
I was hunting on Saturday. I misstepped and fell down a hill head first. Nearly broke my arm. Busted my scope. Took my scope off and took a doe an hour later (yes I hunt for meat). If I didn't have backup sights I would have lost that ability to provide for my family.
It's important to have the best sights available on your AR15, or you might miss some of the children in the classroom!
Batteries die. Glass breaks. Optics can loose zero.
Do I really need to say more?
Hell, I still use the Carry handle and FSP but I LOVE the gooseneck mount lower one third cow-witness with my Meprolight M21. That set up is the bees knees.
Offsets anyone?
Just because your optic goes down or the battery dies doesn't mean "you're done" per se. You just lose a refined sighting solution. You can still fight or compete, but now you're using the window of the optic as a large ghost ring. Good shooters will be able to limp along. I have a friend who has killed so many pistol optics in USPSA but he still manages to finish matches OK.
I was thinking about this the other day, my scope does not have quick detach mounts so i would need to go home and get a tool to take it off to use my Back up sights. Where I could just reach in my gun safe and pull out a gun with functioning sights.
2 is 1 and 1 is none lol. Such a true saying
🤣🤣 Boomer, did you see his face 🤣🤣
I'll be sure to keep using my KAC/USMC Back up sights
I have my scope on top and my back up sights set off set 45° . Love it.
Went to the range. Forgot I took the batteries out of my EO Tech. Popped backup irons. Still had fun.
My AR doesn’t, but I do. 😂
I have the Brownells Retro scope on the "carry handle" on a Stag 15 M4 carbine with the iron sites still on it. I then have a red dot reflex on a 45 degree offset for CQB. I set this up for anything but long range.
I have shot in 3 gun competitions for many years in a wide variety of conditions. I do not recommend backup sights if you use a LPVO. I works regardless of illumination as you always have the black cross hairs and it works at both short and long distances. Save your money on both the red dot and iron sights and go with a good quality LPVO like a Trijicon.
Off set irons!! Scope or dot goes out tilt and shoot right away!
No one was putting two sets of irons on their guns before the dot took off, and I trust dots to be more robust than irons 🤷♂️