I am old enough to remember when all rifles came with iron sights and later on as scopes became more and more prevalent you started seeing rifles come standard without iron sights. Of course between this time was the age of scope rings that were raised enough with an opening that you could use the scope or iron sights. Some folks said rifles will always come with and need iron sights but as scopes became affordable and common that is no longer the case. Now almost all guns come factory without iron sights. Some like African hunting rifles and certain .22 rimfires like the Chipmunk may always come standard with iron sights.
Same for the AR carry handle. Initially all ARs came with them and then the special scope mounts that worked with the handle and now almost all ARs come as standard as flat-tops with Picatinny Rails on top. I remember when this was new and companies came out with ORC (Optic Ready Carbine) rifle models.
I know some police departments are testing pistol optics and looking to switch to optic only duty pistols which would obviously come from the factory without iron sights. They say with practice it's much easier to be accurate with the optic over iron sights and helps people with aging eye issues.
More and more pistols are coming manufactured with slides that are optic ready, most have an indention cut out of the slide and holes for screws. Some pistols like the Luego Alien already come without iron sights from the factory.
Will Pistol Iron Sights go the way of rifle sights and AR carry handle?
The next big change could be if suppressors become legal to purchase over the counter with a background check like buying a rifle, I bet you start seeing a lot more rifles and pistols coming factory standard with threaded barrels.
This article below shows quiet a few new pistols at the SHOT Show that come optic ready.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/guns/the-best-new-pistols-at-shot-show/
Same for the AR carry handle. Initially all ARs came with them and then the special scope mounts that worked with the handle and now almost all ARs come as standard as flat-tops with Picatinny Rails on top. I remember when this was new and companies came out with ORC (Optic Ready Carbine) rifle models.
I know some police departments are testing pistol optics and looking to switch to optic only duty pistols which would obviously come from the factory without iron sights. They say with practice it's much easier to be accurate with the optic over iron sights and helps people with aging eye issues.
More and more pistols are coming manufactured with slides that are optic ready, most have an indention cut out of the slide and holes for screws. Some pistols like the Luego Alien already come without iron sights from the factory.
Will Pistol Iron Sights go the way of rifle sights and AR carry handle?
The next big change could be if suppressors become legal to purchase over the counter with a background check like buying a rifle, I bet you start seeing a lot more rifles and pistols coming factory standard with threaded barrels.
This article below shows quiet a few new pistols at the SHOT Show that come optic ready.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/guns/the-best-new-pistols-at-shot-show/
Last edited: