Magnifier with BUIS = excessive eye relief?

[Arizona_Mike]

I'm 6'3" (and only 29 inseam at that) and prefer a 14" length of pull. I am learning to tolorate 13" max length of pull on my Colt collapable stock.

I have long eye relief 3x magnifier from Primary Arms and have to use the very last rail slot to get comfortable eye relief. I've seen some folks with standard magnifiers mounted forward of the rear BUIS and can't help but wonder if they are really craning thier necks forward.

Mike

 

[Averageman]

Dude you are like a very tall Ommpa Loompa !
I have seen recoil pads for collapsable stocks that may add a bit of length for you. You need to get on Brownells and take a look for them.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Your suggestion would make the eye relief situation worse not better. With 13" length of pill, my eve relief is perfect without a BUIS and the magnifier on the last (closest) slot leaving no place to mount the rear BUIS.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Just to provide more data: They eye relief on the Primary Army Long Eye Relief magnifier is 2.8" which is 0.6" more than the EOTech magnifier for example.

I'm beginning to suspect that those with a BUIS mounted behind the magnifier (and folded underneath) on the rail are using the shorter stock positions.

So what is a tall guy to do?

Mike

 

[rugerdude]

Uhm....not have BUIS? If an extra feature is preventing you from accomplishing your main task, it's really quite useless isn't it?

If you just like shooting with irons, then leave the rear BUIS in your gun case and swap them out with the magnifier when you feel like it, but for the life of me I can't understand why people feel determined to stick backup sights on something with a perfectly dependable primary optic.

 

[MilliradianDOT]

I hear you on that one. I am 6'2" and have all sorts of trouble with eye relief and LOP especially on adjustable stocks. Really all you can do is pick your poison. Rely on the optic or the iron sights respectively. I guess you could put your rear sight in front of your optic. It would give you a sight radius about like an AK and it would be ugly as sin. On second thought, better just pick one or the other...

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I'm thinking of drilling and tapping the top of my EOTech hood for a Burris FastFire III to use as a backup and skip the irons.

Mike

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I've done testing from standing/kneeling/seated/prone, etc and decided that I am going to increase the stock length by 1 inch, and that I will crane my head forward for that rare magnified standing shot. Eye relief will be just about perfect in the non-standing positions where the posture difference seems to steel an inch or so and I will be more likely to want the magnifier.

As far a BUIS or BU*S, I have decided that I need the save your hunt/trip variety of backup sighting/optics and not the save your *ss variety.

Now the question becomes which stock to buy? When I get my SOCOM and Grendel uppers I can put the Colt stock in the kitchen and use it as a meat tenderizer.
I want more length, a good pad, and I want an optional friction lock to use in addition to the position lock.

Mike

 

[dprice3844444]

mike,check these stock extenders
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=ar15 buttstock pad&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:ar15 buttstock pad

 

[ratt_finkel]

Have you considered adding angled or offset irons?

 

[MrCleanOK]

I have a few thoughts.

1. If you want additional length of pull in a collapsing stock, you need the VLTOR A5 kit. It's has a different receiver extension that when collapsed isn't any longer than any other collapsed stock, but when extended gives you the length of a rifle buttstock. It doesn't have a friction lock, but in my opinion it doesn't need one. Both of my AR-15's wear VLTOR stocks, one of them on an VLTOR tube, and they don't have enough wobble to matter (almost none at all on the VLTOR tube).

2. I'd be interested to see your shooting positions. I'm 6'4", and don't have any problems at all with eye relief. I set my stock at the first extended position of a 4-position tube when wearing body armor, and the second position without (never fully extended). I shoot with a nose-to-charging-handle cheek weld.

3. In your other thread you said you are new to AR-15s. It sounds like you are trying to adopt traditional rifle shooting positions and cheek weld to the AR-15. I would recommend trying to get a little more familiar with the rifle before you start trying to turn a carbine into a full sized rifle with extra butt pads and other nonsense.

4. If shorter stock positions help your eye relief problems, but you don't like the angle of the pistol grip, BCM and Magpul (and surely others too) both make grips that are more vertical, for the more "tucked in" shooting positions that AR-15 carbines lend themselves to.

 

[jerkface11]

Or you could just switch to a rifle stock since the carbine one isn't long enough.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Have you considered adding angled or offset irons?

If you mean putting something at the 1:00 to 1:30 position on the handguard for a quick short range shot when the magnifier is in the up positon, yes, I have and may eventually do that.

Mike

 

[Arizona_Mike]

I have a few thoughts.

1. If you want additional length of pull in a collapsing stock, you need the VLTOR A5 kit. It's has a different receiver extension that when collapsed isn't any longer than any other collapsed stock, but when extended gives you the length of a rifle buttstock. It doesn't have a friction lock, but in my opinion it doesn't need one. Both of my AR-15's wear VLTOR stocks, one of them on an VLTOR tube, and they don't have enough wobble to matter (almost none at all on the VLTOR tube).

2. I'd be interested to see your shooting positions. I'm 6'4", and don't have any problems at all with eye relief. I set my stock at the first extended position of a 4-position tube when wearing body armor, and the second position without (never fully extended). I shoot with a nose-to-charging-handle cheek weld.

3. In your other thread you said you are new to AR-15s. It sounds like you are trying to adopt traditional rifle shooting positions and cheek weld to the AR-15. I would recommend trying to get a little more familiar with the rifle before you start trying to turn a carbine into a full sized rifle with extra butt pads and other nonsense.

4. If shorter stock positions help your eye relief problems, but you don't like the angle of the pistol grip, BCM and Magpul (and surely others too) both make grips that are more vertical, for the more "tucked in" shooting positions that AR-15 carbines lend themselves to.

I use a traditional bladed rifle stance (but with a more vertical heads up position and lower cheek weld due to the high comb on the AR). I've never worn armor and the coyotes and paper targets don't seem to mind seeing my arm pit.

I am very comfortable with a 14" length of pull on everything from rifle, to shotgun, and pistol-caliber carbine. I can tolerate as little as 13" on a non-pistol grip stock. I do have a very nice Magpul pistol grip on my AR. I really don't see adding one inch as that drastic and I will want a better stock anyway for the bigger calibers. I also don't see changing the way I shoot and have shot for decades for just one platform.

Mike

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Interesting, my new S&W M&P10 is almost 2" longer. I want to use the second to last notch.

Update: Eye relief is perfect on my M&P10 at exactly 14" length of pull and I am very comfortable. The S&W stock is also a little longer and improves the situation on my Colt as well. It even rattles less.

Mike

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Update: I have put Magpul CTR stocks with the enhanced buttplate on both guns and the length of pull is 14" for the Colt on the furtherst position and on the M&P10 in the 3rd longest position. Perfect. I also like the friction lock on the CTR.

Mike