Ever had to use BUIS? Are they neccessary?

[doktarZues]

I myself nor do I know of anyone that has had to 'in the field' use their BUIS, for whatever reason. I'm curious to hear any stories you guys might have (or first hand knowledge) of where your optic failed to function and you carried on with your bu irons. Let's try and focus on eotech/aimpoint failures, though any thing forcing you to use your irons is worth mentioning.

Ofcourse none of us would get caught allowing the battery to die, so that doesn't count. Anything out of the ordinary, from an unexpected battery(equipment?) failure at the range to flying debris from a mortar damaging it.

I handled a stag at a gunshow a couple weeks back with an eotech on it and railed gas block (no front sight was attached) and I really liked the clean sight picture. What would your comments be to someone choosing to forego BUIS, wether it be they haven't got around to them yet or have no intentions of having them?

If something crazy happened and I had to bug out on foot across the state, I would want a BUIS, though I would trust my eotech w/o BUIS for about any standard data situation -- Range, camping/hunting trip, investigating what I swear heard like someone shooting at my house, etc... Would you? -dok

[goblue]

no BUIS is a bad idea.

I had a brand new EO 511 start to go on the fritz after about 800 rounds on the range. Dot would blink away and come back on after a few shots. With my ARMS flipped down, and no dot, I could not hit anything. I now run co-witness all the time for just such an event. Would hate to lose the 1-2 seconds if it were a real life-and-death. Now I always run co-witness.

[MrMurphy]

I know several guys from Iraq who had dots die (mostly Eotechs but also some Aimpoints) due to battle damage, battery drain (extreme cold in the mountains of Afghanistan sucks batteries dry) etc. So yes, BUIS is a very good idea.

[RMTactical]

What if this happens to your optic?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/mwirig79/acogshot.jpg

[USMC03Grunt]

Don't the statics say that you are most likely to get into an accident within 5 miles from home? Now if you look at not bothering with a BUIS when you are not expecting trouble, IMHO, this is the same thing as thinking that you're not going to get into a wreck just running to the local store for a minute and therefore don't bother to buckle up. Out on the range just as an example, I found that the M68's dot starts to cover up a lot of the targets at farther ranges. No big deal since it was designed as a close combat optic. I just turn it off, raise my BUIS, set the range (we use the Matech BUIS on the M-4) and engage longer range targets with my iron sights.

[Yojimbo]

IMHO, every AR should have some type of irons sights...

[Stickman]

Yes, I have had my optic go dead in a real world event. Switching to a BUIS was second nature, and there were no issues aside from my optic.

There is another LEO/ Instructor here who I believe has also had his optic go down. He will post it if he chooses, but that is up to him.

Adrenaline is a funny thing, and any BUIS that allows you to raise it by pulling on an adjustment knob is an item looking for trouble. I moved mine 3 or 4 clicks openeing it, and I had drilled with it hundreds of times without ever doing that before.

[Sierra]

I transferred my Eotech to another rifle and went to a friends house in the country with the BUIS only AR. Once there two feral cats appeared. Without the BUIS the cats would still be killing chickens.

[Critter]

I've seen several Dot's go TU during matches, so I certainly wouldn't trust any of them as my sole source of sighting for the real world.

A couple of weeks ago I ran a three-gun event. One of the rules was you fight through any equipment problems, no re-shoots. Way too time consuming, especially for those of us who take the care and time to show up to a match prepared and with sound equipment. A fellow shooters EOTech crapped out on the long range stage and he had no BUIS. (cheap batteries/hot day) Couldn't complete the stage. Saw him today with a new set of irons on his rifle. Lesson learned.

I'll second Stickman on the full time co-witness. I use a RRA dominator with my EOTech and it's a real charm. Never have had troubles with the EO, but still practice using the irons through the EO.

[mell]

Never had my Aimpoint fail but I like to co-witness my iron sights in case it does. I also like to use my iron sights for shots over 100 yards since my Aimpoint dot is 4MOA and in my opinion too large for long range shots.:)

[MusingDaddy]

I encourage you to take a different track and see for yourself. Take off your iron sights and try to hit targets with a dead red-dot.

You can use a dead Aimpoint as a large ghost ring and you'll be surprised at what you can hit without the red dot, as long as it is not too far away.

But, having tried this, it sucks. The whole idea of an AR is accuracy, and co-witnessing BUIS isn't that difficult.

[Eric911]

Yup, had my EOTech die on my duty weapon. BUIS were in place and life went on. It's foolish to have a defensive weapon without BUIS in place. Not that big of a deal on something you don't bet your life on.

[TimP]

My truck AR does have BUIS, my 3 gun stuff does not.

[Panzerfaust]

No BUIS?

If you've never had to switch over, that's because you've never been there when the SHTF. Most of us, if not all of us here probably have never had this problem. Does it hurt to be prepared for when that day might arrive?

[Stickman]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
No BUIS?

If you've never had to switch over, that's because you've never been there when the SHTF. Most of us, if not all of us here probably have never had this problem. Does it hurt to be prepared for when that day might arrive?


Did you read the responses? Two of us have alread told you that we have had our optics go down in real life. Not on a range, not in a match, and not while clearing our houses or playing paintball. MrMurphy commented that he knew people it had happened to as well, and his comments are pretty legit in my book.

Evidently you have never had it happen, but you may want to watch the comments that include "all of us".

[Panzerfaust]

Did you read the responses? Two of us have alread told you that we have had our optics go down in real life. Not on a range, not in a match, and not while clearing our houses or playing paintball. MrMurphy commented that he knew people it had happened to as well, and his comments are pretty legit in my book.

One more time:



Most of us, if not all of us here probably have never had this problem. Does it hurt to be prepared for when that day might arrive?

Perhaps you'd like to amend your comment....

[PlasticGuy]

I have compromised on my rifles. I have pefectly sighted in BUIS on my combat rifles, but I do not have them set up in co-witness configuration. I prefer a clean sight picture without the co-witness thing going on, and have instead opted for quick release mounts for my optics. I know that some of you will have a coronary, but it has worked for me through a lot of classes, hunting, and training sessions and I plan to stick with it.

[RMTactical]

Originally posted by Stickman
Did you read the responses? Two of us have alread told you that we have had our optics go down in real life. Not on a range, not in a match, and not while clearing our houses or playing paintball. MrMurphy commented that he knew people it had happened to as well, and his comments are pretty legit in my book.

Evidently you have never had it happen, but you may want to watch the comments that include "all of us".

I think you misread his statement.

[MrMurphy]

Just remember if it's realworld and the dot goes down, you might not HAVE time to quick release. In my case I just go "flick" rear is up and keep on shooting. Takes me less time to do that than reload.

[Panzerfaust]

I know this...

My Aimpoint is scout mounted and detachable. When it comes off, I have a carry handle sight on mine, and I use it.

Whether mine ever goes down or not doesn't mean I can't make it go down thru training on the range. Until the SHTF, that is as close as I will get to it, but that's still better than never at all so I can face the confusion that may happen later.

[PlasticGuy]

Originally posted by MrMurphy
Just remember if it's realworld and the dot goes down, you might not HAVE time to quick release. In my case I just go "flick" rear is up and keep on shooting. Takes me less time to do that than reload.
No point in arguing, because there's no such thing as a co-witness set up for my Daewoo AR's anyway. Quick release is as good as it gets.

[Panzerfaust]

Originally posted by PlasticGuy
No point in arguing, because there's no such thing as a co-witness set up for my Daewoo AR's anyway. Quick release is as good as it gets.

A DR-200? I have one of those.

These, I think, make excellent ACOG recipients.

[PlasticGuy]

I've got an AR-100 and a DR-200. Both are excellent rifles -- top half AK and bottom half AR, and better than both. My AR-100 has the edge in accuracy, so it gets my Leupold 2-7x. The DR-200 is the workhorse, and will have my Trijicon Reflex II on it as soon as the mount arrives.

[dctag]

You never "need" a BUIS until of course your primary optic goes down. You never need jumper cables except for when your car dies. You don't need savings until of course you have an emergency. You don't need body armor until of course you are shot. I can go on and on. Every AR with an optic should have a BUIS.

-David

[GackMan]

One word: rain.

kneeling behind cover for 4 hrs at low ready is no bueno for your sight picture. ;)

Another time, at the range the back stop was muddy... the mountain started shooting back and it was a good shot. Got a big blob of mud right on my optic.

I have a Yankee Hill Front Flip Sight Tower as my front sight/gas block: http://www.yankeehillmachine.com/store/sights.html I relly like it.

kind of the best of both worlds. It gives you a nice clean sight picture that you were talking about and it keeps the optic closer to the bore than with a spacer/riser installed under it for a lower 1/3 co-witness/sight picture. down side is you have to deploy both front and rear iron sights if TSHTF.

[Panzerfaust]

Originally posted by PlasticGuy
I've got an AR-100 and a DR-200. Both are excellent rifles -- top half AK and bottom half AR, and better than both. My AR-100 has the edge in accuracy, so it gets my Leupold 2-7x. The DR-200 is the workhorse, and will have my Trijicon Reflex II on it as soon as the mount arrives.

I love my DR-200, but it could be improved on.

Ways I would do it would include:

1. A 1-7/1-9 rifled barrel.
2. A threaded muzzle.
3. A trap-door in the rear.
4. A bayonet mount.
5. A flat top receiver directly ahead of the rear sight.
6. A regulated gas tap in front of the gas tube.

My DR has a 2.5-10x 34mm scope on it. It is quite a tack driver.

[Skintop911]

Another vote for the Larue.

Cowitnessing is the way to go. Those that fancy themselves able to QD an optic or flip up some irons when the heat is on are either top-tier performers, or delusional.

[PlasticGuy]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
I love my DR-200, but it could be improved on...

1. A 1-7/1-9 rifled barrel.
2. A threaded muzzle.
3. A trap-door in the rear.
4. A bayonet mount.
5. A flat top receiver directly ahead of the rear sight.
6. A regulated gas tap in front of the gas tube.

My AR-100 has a 1:7.4" twist, threaded muzzle with flash hider, and a bayonet lug. No flat top reciever, but Stormwerkz makes a great low-profile rail. The only thing missing is the true FAL style adjustable gas system, but I've yet to have a problem with the factory system.

[Panzerfaust]

Originally posted by PlasticGuy
My AR-100 has a 1:7.4" twist, threaded muzzle with flash hider, and a bayonet lug. No flat top reciever, but Stormwerkz makes a great low-profile rail. The only thing missing is the true FAL style adjustable gas system, but I've yet to have a problem with the factory system.

That's fine, dude, but does your DR-200 have any of this? Mine sure doesn't.

[PlasticGuy]

The DR200 is 1:12 and has no bayonet lug. There's no reason why you couldn't add the compliance parts from ACE and then have the barrel threaded for a flash hider, and the top rail will still work. You'd end up in the same place, it would just cost you a few hundred dollars. The only thing you couldn't fix would be the twist rate.

Really, that's why my DR200 is used for running intense drills and attending tough classes (using 55 grain ammo), and the AR-100 is treated a bit more gently and fed 62-77 grain match ammo.

[Michigun]

On a VERY hot, muggy day last summer I was just getting out of the bathroom when I heard the side door to the house fly open & my wife yell in for me to come outside quick & to bring my gun. (I live smack in the middle of nowhere, by the way.) I grabbed my AR as I ran by it... as I was zipping through the house to the door I chambered a round & flipped down my Aimpoint’s covers. I was just turning on the Aimpoint when I hit the side porch. My wife told me that she had heard my mother screaming for help (My parents are our neighbors (a few hundred yards behind us back in the woods)... when my wife & I moved back we built our house on some acreage that my parents had given us out of their 60... Hey, what can I say, it was free! ;)) & that when she (my wife) had yelled down to find out what was the matter that my mom had requested me & my gun. As I headed that way running I peered through my Aimpoint to make sure everything was on & bright... this is when I noticed a MAJOR problem... it would seem that the sudden temperature change from our nice & cool central air conditioned house to the hot & muggy weather outside that my Aimpoint fogged up good. As I was running I tried to wipe off the back lense with my t-shirt, but it just fogged right back up... I couldn’t make out anything useful through that Aimpoint so with a flip of a LaRue lever off it came. I was now in business with my irons.

For me BUIS’s are VERY important & so is having a quick release optic mount!

Oh, & the screaming mother? It turned out to be nothing more then a VERY ugly ankle-bitting, 6-pound, neighborhood dog with an attitude (I found my mom standing outside on her patio table with that little dog just going nuts)... and no I didn’t shoot it much to my mothers objections. :)

[Panzerfaust]

If it had been me, the dog would have died.

The last dog to attempt to hurt one of my family members was killed by me.

[Critias]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
If it had been me, the dog would have died.

The last dog to attempt to hurt one of my family members was killed by me. So every little yappy dog that gets excited at every member of your family, ever, you're gonna shoot?

[Razoreye]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
If it had been me, the dog would have died.

The last dog to attempt to hurt one of my family members was killed by me. I have a Yorkie that will possibly nip your ankle and not break skin. Actually, she is more bark and very little bite - ever. Would you shoot it?

I wouldn't shoot at toy breeds. Maybe a chihuahua cause they're damn freaky... :supergrin: :freak: :supergrin:

[PlasticGuy]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
If it had been me, the dog would have died.

The last dog to attempt to hurt one of my family members was killed by me.
Shooting an aggressive Rottweiler is one thing, shooting a toy terrier is pretty tough to explain to 12 grandmas who have identical toy dogs at home. Good luck with that legal battle. :upeyes:

[Rob96]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
If it had been me, the dog would have died.

The last dog to attempt to hurt one of my family members was killed by me.


OOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! What a man.:upeyes:

[PlasticGuy]

Despite the change in direction of the last few posts here, that was a great story, Michigun.

[Skintop911]

Excellent info for optics users.

Fogging effect can be mitigated somewhat.

Add now the effects of cold ambient temperatures on fogging and condensation, and you have yourself a real mess, and real need for redundant systems and techniques.

I have not observed such concerns when running straight irons, however. :clown:

[Panzerfaust]

The dog I shot was a pit-bull. Had I not shot him, my step-daughter would have been seriously hurt (at least as far as I could see).

A little dog? I would take it back to its owner. It better not bite me.

[Razoreye]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
A little dog? I would take it back to its owner. It better not bite me. That's what I'm saying. Don't kick them or throw them. At an average of 5 pounds you could devastate their internals. Not only are you hurting someone's financial stake but their emotional one as well. True, they should have watched it better but c'mon... 5 pounds is nothing and, if you had to, you could chase it away until the owner came. I'm just saying (I have a Yorkie, btw) that there are WAY easier ways to handle something as small as that. A bigger dog (20 pounds and up) is a risk and would be handled accordingly.

[1811guy2]

Originally posted by GoreLicks
I think you misread his statement.

He did. But in Stickman's defense, the quality and aesthetics of his AR pictures more than compensates for his harried reading.

[Rob96]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
The dog I shot was a pit-bull. Had I not shot him, my step-daughter would have been seriously hurt (at least as far as I could see).

A little dog? I would take it back to its owner. It better not bite me.

Viscous pit would get put down, no doubt. I would not draw on a 5lb rat.

I have not observed such concerns when running straight irons, however.

I have been in this quandry of trying to decide on what I want to do with my AR. During this thinking process, I do nightly drills of shouldering my AR. I am now at the point where that AR hits the shoulder my cheek hits the same spot on the stock and I consistantly get the same sight alignment without thinking. I do believe I have found my comfort zone. Until my eye sight goes, irons it will be. Red dots are out of the equation do to astigmatism. Now if I should happen to find a smokin' deal on an ACOG.;)

[Critter]

Originally posted by Michigun
this is when I noticed a MAJOR problem... it would seem that the sudden temperature change from our nice & cool central air conditioned house to the hot & muggy weather outside that my Aimpoint fogged up good.

I've had this happen to my eyeglasses, but never gave it a thought on my optic's. I wonder if there is a way to stop this from happening? I remeber seeing stuff years ago to put on windshilds to stop this effect, but I cannot remember what it was or if it would work.

[Rob96]

Originally posted by Critter
I've had this happen to my eyeglasses, but never gave it a thought on my optic's. I wonder if there is a way to stop this from happening? I remeber seeing stuff years ago to put on windshilds to stop this effect, but I cannot remember what it was or if it would work.

I think that stuff for windshields was more that the rain would just sheet right off. No wipers needed. I believe some glass cleaners on the market help prevent fog up, but don't know if it would do anything to the lens coating.

[Michigun]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
If it had been me, the dog would have died.

Being a dog lover myself it's gonna take more then that to get me to squeeze the trigger... sorry. (Now, if it had been a cat....... :supergrin: )

Originally posted by PlasticGuy
Despite the change in direction of the last few posts here, that was a great story, Michigun.

Thanks PlasticGuy, I thought it was a fitting tell... I know before that moment it had never dawned on me as that being a REAL problem!

(I don't know why... being a hunter here in Michigan I know about fogging optics... going from a warm house/vehicle to outside temperatures in the minuses...)

Originally posted by Critter
I've had this happen to my eyeglasses, but never gave it a thought on my optic's. I wonder if there is a way to stop this from happening? I remeber seeing stuff years ago to put on windshilds to stop this effect, but I cannot remember what it was or if it would work.

Well, if there’s a sure way to stop this I’m all ears as I know that the stuff I’ve tried/been treating all of my optics with only helps with mild fogging cases... it sure doesn’t stop the extreme fogging as that day last summer proved. (I’ve got these neat little glass wipes that have anti-fog stuff in them that I use to clean my optics with every time... I’d say that each of my optics get treated with some form of anti-fog at least 20 to 30 times a year... it’s better, but they’ll still fog with the extremes.)

Originally posted by Rob96
I think that stuff for windshields was more that the rain would just sheet right off. No wipers needed.

Ah, you're thinking of Rain-X for the outside of a vehicle's window(s) which does exactly that... however, Rain-X (along with a few other companies out there) also makes (or at least they used to) an anti-fog for the inside of vehicle windows. (For the record, I've tried the Rain-X anti-fog without total success on my optics... NEXT!)

[DreamWeaver88]

Originally posted by Skintop911
Another vote for the Larue.

Cowitnessing is the way to go. Those that fancy themselves able to QD an optic or flip up some irons when the heat is on are either top-tier performers, or delusional.

If I won't be able to flip up my ARMS #40 when the heat is on, then I probably won't be able to turn on my EoTech in the first place, so I guess I'll just dump them both.

DW

[epsylum]

So while we are on the optics BUIS subject and some people mention a quick release style mount for the optics. How is the Aimpoint throw lever mount? Mine came with a big knob mount and that big knob is well..... too big. The throw lever looks like it would be easier to mount/dismount and won't get caught on things.

My S&W M&P15T came with Troy BUIS front and rear, so I am keeping it that way.

[RM]

I carried one on my carbine in Iraq, but would have felt fine without it. Getting the RCO off the top would have been pretty hard under fire and in reality without it the weapon was in the degraded mode.

[dwestfall]

.

[racer11]

rain X works for me....

[Mnukedude]

IMHO, optics of any description on guns are like pocket calculators: Great tools to have that can help you get the job done better and faster, but you had better be able to do without them if you must and make do with pencil and paper, or in a rifle's case, iron sights.

[DaBigBR]

Originally posted by Mnukedude
IMHO, optics of any description on guns are like pocket calculators: Great tools to have that can help you get the job done better and faster, but you had better be able to do without them if you must and make do with pencil and paper, or in a rifle's case, iron sights.

Except that I don't think that anybody has had to worry about getting shot if they couldn't do long division. ;)

[RM]

Just an observation, iron sighted rifle fire is extremely inaccurate in a fire fight.

Prior to OIF The Marine Corps found that with optics the same shooter normally were in worst case two times and best case 6 times as likely to hit on both know and unknown distances courses.

Tested were TA31Fs, but post OIF/OEF experience has shown it true of any type of optic. Additionally on the Marine Corps assessment of weapons effects, small arms, in OIF/OEF they found the probability of hitting a target dropped drastically once range to target went beyond 75 or so meters.

[Mnukedude]

Originally posted by RM
Just an observation, iron sighted rifle fire is extremely inaccurate in a fire fight.

You are probably right, and optics can certainly help make the troop more efficient in applying their shooting skill in a real world situation. I do not suggest that irons be used to the exclusion of optics, but if it is all you have because your optic failed for whatever reason, iron sighted rifle fire is much more accurate than UNSIGHTED rifle fire.

[Rob96]

Originally posted by RM
Just an observation, iron sighted rifle fire is extremely inaccurate in a fire fight.

Prior to OIF The Marine Corps found that with optics the same shooter normally were in worst case two times and best case 6 times as likely to hit on both know and unknown distances courses.

Tested were TA31Fs, but post OIF/OEF experience has shown it true of any type of optic. Additionally on the Marine Corps assessment of weapons effects, small arms, in OIF/OEF they found the probability of hitting a target dropped drastically once range to target went beyond 75 or so meters.

I would never doubt that optics are better than irons. For me right now, irons are the only option. The dot sights don't work for me because of astigmatism, and the ACOG is just out of my range. So until then, I NEED to be proficient with irons.

[Critias]

Originally posted by RM
Just an observation, iron sighted rifle fire is extremely inaccurate in a fire fight.
Right. But how does iron sighted rifle fire stack up compared to "rifle fire from a rifle that hasn't even got iron sights on it," I wonder?

[Panzerfaust]

Originally posted by Rob96
I would never doubt that optics are better than irons. For me right now, irons are the only option. The dot sights don't work for me because of astigmatism, and the ACOG is just out of my range. So until then, I NEED to be proficient with irons.

I'm going to bank on the skill of the rifleman over either in this example. In the hands of a skilled rifleman, put either in their hands, and they are extremely dangerous, being only marginally more or less dangerous with the other option.

Gorelicks and I have went round and round on this topic, but we both find that a true rifleman should be competent in both irons and optics, and this was hard for me to come to grips with, since for 9 years, I was intensely trained to use MBR rifles with no optics, and larger bolt action rifles with 4-10X optics and built-in rangefinder reticles for the longer shots. Switching to shorter carbine rifles with red dot optics was a larger jump for me than one might expect.

[RM]

Originally posted by Critias
Right. But how does iron sighted rifle fire stack up compared to "rifle fire from a rifle that hasn't even got iron sights on it," I wonder?

Don't know if it is even testable, because the dynamics that occur in a fire fight. However those same dynamics are such that most who state "a good riflemen should" or "could" don't really understand or appreciate what happens when the adrenaline gets going.

Having been in quite a few small and large exchanges of fire in the last 3 years with both optics and irons, I can honestly say an optically sighted rifle is an order of magnitude more effective than an iron sighted one.

[Mnukedude]

Originally posted by RM
Having been in quite a few small and large exchanges of fire in the last 3 years with both optics and irons, I can honestly say an optically sighted rifle is an order of magnitude more effective than an iron sighted one.

I can agree with this, but I think what the other poster is saying is that if you have optics, that's great, but if they ever fail, it is better to have irons than nothing at all. Thus, a well prepared rifleman has and can use both. He will use the optics when possible, and the irons if neccesary

[RM]

I understand that, but as I said I don't most really understand the dynamics of a fire fight.

If anyone has access to the SIPR they need to look the Center For Marine Corps Lessons Learned, there are quite a few studies on weapons employment in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Panzerfaust]

In simple retrospect, a computer with a hole shot through it is a paperweight. A map with a hole shot through it is still a map.

Being recently one who went to an Aimpoint, I can say it makes me quicker on sight acquisition, without a doubt, but really does not increase my overall ability to shoot accurately. Now I'm not going to brag on myself and say some retarded crap like "when you have perfection, how do you improve on it", because that's not it. I use paper plates for my targets most of the time, and for me, a hit is anywhere in the paper plate. Doesn't matter where it is on the plate, it is a hit. I used to shoot glass bottles in the beginning, and let's face it, if it broke, it was a hit. When the thrill of watching the bottle break got old, and I got tired of cleaning up the glass, I went to watter-filled milk jugs further away. I would even go so far as to color the water inside red, and that never got old. Now that I am training my daughter to shoot, the jugs can wait, because a .22LR does not make the dramatic impact of a .223.

[Seabee]

My Aimpoint has never went TU on me, but I know that it's only a matter of time until it does. For that reason, I have an A.R.M.S. flip up BUIS. I shoot equally well at short range but at 100+ yards, I am more accurate with the Irons.

[Panzerfaust]

Originally posted by Seabee
My Aimpoint has never went TU on me, but I know that it's only a matter of time until it does. For that reason, I have an A.R.M.S. flip up BUIS. I shoot equally well at short range but at 100+ yards, I am more accurate with the Irons.

When I'm shooting at longer distances where speed is not so critical, I switch to irons.

[Sierra]

Originally posted by Panzerfaust
When I'm shooting at longer distances where speed is not so critical, I switch to irons.

Same here.

[Seabee]

Maybe it's because I have more practice with Irons, because my Aimpoint only has a 2 MOA dot and it does not cover all that much, but the irons (for me) are dead on at anything over 100 yards (within reason, of course :supergrin: )

[Panzerfaust]

I've found that having a 4MOA dot 8-9" away from my eye gives me a nice target area.

[dbrowne1]

I've never had my Aimpoint die, although the hardest use it has seen is multi-day courses at ~500 rounds/day.

Stickman mentioned the issue of inadvertantly moving windage on the a folding BUIS during hurried deployment. That is one of the reasons why I bought the SKD version of the Troy rear BUIS for my main carbine - you can't move the windage by accident on it, because you need to use a bullet or tool to depress the detent before it will move.

As far as folding vs. fixed, I see tradeoffs and I think it's personal preference. I prefer the unobstructed view that a folding piece offers, and within 25 yards or so, I have two viable options available if my Aimpoint dies - use the Aimpoint tube as a ghost ring (I have trained that, it works) or transition to a handgun. Beyond that distance, I should have enough time to flip up the BUIS while keeping my head down.

With a fixed BUIS, you simply shift focus immediately and you have your long gun back in the fight at full power. Certainly something to be said for that.