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Are Iron Sights Outdated?

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member
Some folks swear by the rugged reliability of the age-old system, while others think that modern optics have made iron sights an archaic practice.

Are Iron Sights Outdated?

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Both the long & short answers are no.

IMO, each as it's place, and no batteries are needed for irons.

I only use battery-operated optics (MRDs) on a limited number of long-arm CQB platforms.
 
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No. Is there some relevance to red dots? Yes.

There are some phenomenal Red Dot shooters. I love them on a rifle. I do not use them on a. Handgun as they don’t make me any faster up close. And unless you are shooting gun games the 25 (or 50 yard for us former PPC shooters) are up to the individual.

And while the church of the Red Dot folks argument is speed and or accuracy at range. In an application of self defense you will be fine if you are proficient and aware of surroundings

Probabilities vs Possibilities!

That said you do you
 
I don’t have a problem with iron sights or red dot, but I need readers to see iron sights and I don’t think I’m going to have time to put my readers on before I draw my gun, so most of my guns - including carry guns - have red dots on them. Not worried about batteries, my point shooting out to 15 yds is pretty spot on. My FNs have big old suppressor height sights with a super visible front dot that I can see without glasses. And they cowitness with a DPP. They’re almost as good a a red dot. Best of both worlds.
 
I don’t have a problem with iron sights or red dot, but I need readers to see iron sights and I don’t think I’m going to have time to put my readers on before I draw my gun, so most of my guns - including carry guns - have red dots on them. Not worried about batteries, my point shooting out to 15 yds is pretty spot on. My FNs have big old suppressor height sights with a super visible front dot that I can see without glasses. And they cowitness with a DPP. They’re almost as good a a red dot. Best of both worlds.
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Yep, if I were these I would use a dot more often too....................:):):):)
 
I like my iron sights on both pistols and rifles. I also scopes on some rifles, but not others. Same for the lone red dot i have that i run on a .22 plinker (because it’s fun).
For my hd pistols i prefer iron sights. Although the new red dots claim 50000 hour battery life and durability, i prefer low tech irons that are less likely to technically brain fart.
So no, i don’t think they’ll go the way of the dodo bird.
 
Outdated is not the word I would use for irons. I actually run irons on my AR, it helps keep the weight down and the 300 blackout has been fun to use for deer in the thick mountainous woods. However it’s really fun to run them on the pistol. Irons will remain king of reliability but that’s not to say optics are not useful. Not to mention for those that struggle to see irons or In my case deal with being cross eye dominant. I have found red dots on my pistol much faster to pick up
 
Never trust your life to anything that requires a battery.
I guess all those spec ops guys and other operators over in the sand were all just stupid ?

I have BUIS on every rifle and shotgun I have. All my pistols have iron sights, except that I am in the middle of setting a VP9 up as a carry gun with a Holosun 507C. Leaning toward the Vulcan reticle. I bought an optic ready slide for it with suppressor height sights.

So while I have no problem trusting my life to optics which I have tested and thoroughly abused in training and which I know what the battery life is like ( and most of them have solar backup anyway) and I change the batteries routinely whether they need it or not, I have BUIS on every gun that has a red dot except one match gun.
And for the record, it is a match gun, but I do not shoot competitively. It rarely leaves the safe and is very likely to be an extremely rare case where I sell a gun, most likely to purchase a different gun.
 
I guess all those spec ops guys and other operators over in the sand were all just stupid ?
They change batteries almost daily. Plus they don't have to pay for them either.

So you ride a bicycle to work instead of a car.
Good for you
I'm retired. 😁

I'm going to give Gray the benefit of the doubt and assume he meant running one with a dot and no back up. Which Is legitimate enough.
Yup. (y)

Batteries have a very annoying habit of going dead at the worst possible time. Murphy was an optimist.
I do have a couple of electronic sights on target pistols. But not on my carry guns. I have an EoTech on my Socom 16. But its on a quick release mount. If it goes dead, flip a lever and it comes right off.

Tough crowd here. Oh well, this old fox has a pretty thick hide. ;)
 
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They change batteries almost daily. Plus they don't have to pay for them either.


I'm retired. 😁


Yup. (y)

Batteries have a very annoying habit of going dead at the worst possible time. Murphy was an optimist.
I do have a couple of electronic sights on target pistols. But not on my carry guns. I have an EoTech on my Socom 16. But its on a quick release mount. If it goes dead, flip a lever and it comes right off.

Tough crowd here. Oh well, this old fox has a pretty thick hide. ;)
It is a tough crowd. Whatever you do, don’t bad mouth a hi point.
 
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