Best battle rifle sight.

What is the best iron sight for the main battle rifle.

  • Ghost ring(large apeture)

    Votes: 32 34.8%

  • Peep(small apeture)

    Votes: 47 51.1%

  • Notched blade

    Votes: 13 14.1%
  • Total voters
    92
  • Poll closed .
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T

texgunner

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Location
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I have recently become interested in military surplus rifles and I thought a poll on the best iron sight for the main battle rifle would be interesting. This question concerns such classics as the M1 Garand, M1903, M1917, Lee-Enfield, K98 Mauser, Mosin-Nagant and similar.

Tex
 
the m1 has the best battle sight all around. It is hard to beat apeture sights. However, there are currently companies who make apeture sights for just about any rifle.
 
The G3/HK91's iron sights are the best all around combat sight going. They offer the best of all worlds, large notch and post for fast, close up shooting, with fast change peeps and a fine post for longer, precision shots.
 
I voted for the small aperature, best for accuracy work. The sight on my M1A I just love. I think the best combination for a battle rifle is that on my AR, large and small for both close up and distance. From the 03A3 to present, the US has been ahead of the curve with regards to sights on our rifles.
 
I've never actually been in battle but I have used all of these styles of irons and I like the smaller aperature that is on my M1A better than the ghost ring type that is on my M1 Carbine.
 
The small peep like on the Garand or M14 is best for longer range and for accuracy. The Garand and M14 also have excellent elevation and windage controls. Since you didn't define what you plan to do with the rifle, I voted for that. The Garand sight is certainly good enough for civilian all purpose use and that rifle has "been there done that" in more difficult circumstances than any of us can imagine.

If you want even better target accuracy, a smaller hooded peep and a thinner front sight can help a lot. The Garand and M14 National Match sights are good examples of these.

A ghost ring like on the Enfield Jungle Carbine would be better for snap shots, close range (better field of view) and low light.

The best compromise would be a sight like the M16A2 flip sight with the elevation wheel. It gives you both the large ghost ring and a small peep. With the M16, they are on different planes, but twisting the elevation wheel two clicks up puts the lower ghost ring at the same elevation plane as the peep is when it's bottomed out.

I don't know of any "battle rifles" that have sights like the M16A2, but I just put DSA's Hampton lower receiver, which has such sights, on my FAL so it's possible to add it to at least a FAL with an aftermarket upgrade.
 
For my theres just something about the notch and post of the mosin that i like. i cant say its BETTER than anything else. but i just seem to prefer it
 
Apertures are best for target rifles, a deep v notch and post front would be ideal for a "battle rifle." Say what you will, but apertures are worthless in low light. Others aren't much better, but at least you can get a half arsed sight picture.
 
Peeps are definitely more accurate when slow-firing, but I have gotten so used to wide apertures since I got out of the Corps, that I even had trouble using an AR on the "Day" peep setting, and if I am shooting offhand, I usually set it on the "Night" ghost ring. That puts me at minute-of-bad-guy instead of MOA, but it still seems to make it into the black at 100 yards or less.
 
No_Brakes23, did the 0-200 aperture work worth a darn doing night fire?
 
I've used several rifles in combat, including the M1, M2 Carbine, M14 (pre-M21 Sniper version), M16 and AK 47. The sights on the M1 and M14 are as close to ideal for combat as you're going to get.
 
Peeps are great for target, or slow precision shooting, but come up lacking in a number of situations.

As was mentioned, darkness, or low light, can be a big issue, as can moving from bright or daylight into dark rooms or shadows.

Another downside is bright light from behind. It makes it almost impossible to see the front sight as the whole face of the rear sight is illuminated, making it very difficult, if not impossible to see through the aperture.
 
Personal preferance is always a factor, and that's all this thread is. As a matter of fact, I love the carbine, or A-2 rears. I just hit the apertures with a triangular file and call it a day. And to be honest, I pulled the aimpoint off when I was in Iraq, and made due with irons. The darn thing had a bad habit of turning itself on and sucking batteries.
 
Peeps are great for target, or slow precision shooting, but come up lacking in a number of situations.

As was mentioned, darkness, or low light, can be a big issue, as can moving from bright or daylight into dark rooms or shadows.
Click to expand...

As I said, I've fought in low-light level conditions with the M1 and M14 and never found that to be true. Let me point out that in my day, the Army taught troops how to see and shoot in the dark.

Another downside is bright light from behind. It makes it almost impossible to see the front sight as the whole face of the rear sight is illuminated, making it very difficult, if not impossible to see through the aperture.
Click to expand...

If you're using the rear aperture right, there is no room for the sun to shine on the rear aperture -- your head is in the way.:p

Seriously, I used to always have a bloody cheekbone after continued shooting of the M1 or M14 -- my face almost touched the rear of the receiver when shooting.
 
Let me point out that in my day, the Army taught troops how to see and shoot in the dark.
Click to expand...
As of 2002, the Marine Corps still required night fire as part of annual qualification. IMVHO, the 0-2 wasn't that great.
 
The Aimpoints are the greatest thing since sliced light bread. I cant imagine a set of irons being better.

I leave my Aimpoints on 24/7 and change the batteries once or twice a year, depending on if I forget to or not, and have yet to find a sight dead. The M2's have a 1+ year 24/7 battery life, and the M3's have a 5+ year, so why bother turning them off.
 
Perhaps we were given crappola jiang nan battery factory products for ours. But I managed to kill two within 3 months.
 
If you're using the rear aperture right, there is no room for the sun to shine on the rear aperture -- your head is in the way. :p

Seriously, I used to always have a bloody cheekbone after continued shooting of the M1 or M14 -- my face almost touched the rear of the receiver when shooting.
Click to expand...
Vern,
I learned to shoot on the M1's and M14's, and have quite a few rounds down range with them. I've also shot them in all sorts of light and have on numerous occasions had light from behind interfere with and make shooting very difficult. Your head isnt always in the way, unless maybe if its REAL big. :)

I shoot like you, head forward, never got a bloody cheek bone, but I have had a fat lip or two from a missed placed thumb. :)
 
I whole-heartedly endorse optical sights -- including aimpoint. Why we failed for so long to make them general issue is beyond me. But if the issue is iron sights, I'll take those on the M1 and M14 every time.
 
Another downside is bright light from behind. It makes it almost impossible to see the front sight as the whole face of the rear sight is illuminated, making it very difficult, if not impossible to see through the aperture.
Click to expand...
Some flat black paint on the rear arperture helps out a lot. On most of my rifles, I Gunkote the arpertures and sight posts flat black then keep oil off of them.

Obviously, guys using Uncle Sam's rifles can't do this, but you can carbon them up with a match or charcoal.
 
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