Back Up Iron Sights: Do You Need Them?

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The MagPul MBUS front and rear sights are inexpensive and functional for almost all purposes.

There was a time when optics were not nearly as dependable as they are today. Nowadays, non-magnified sights such as the Aimpoint Comp M3, M4 and T-1 have battery lives more easily measured in years than hours. The durability of modern optics have also improved to the point where in hundreds of thousands of rounds fired downrange, I have yet to see an Aimpoint fail (though I have heard of it from trusted sources.) But, that does go to show that even though it happens, it is a fairly rare event. I have seen iron sights get damaged or knocked out of adjustment more often than an Aimpoint lose zero or stop working.

So, do back-up iron sights (BUIS) still have a place on your carbine? Over the past decade, despite the tedious process of zeroing the RDS and backup irons, I have yet to need to deploy them. Not to say I will never need them, but with the cost of many quality sights sets exceeding $200, outfitting every training gun I build can get expensive. I have had great success with the MagPul MBUS sights. They hold zero inside of 100 yards, and for a CQB gun they are an excellent choice. For a dedicated range gun, I may just go without the BUIS.

The point is this: examine the purpose for which the gun you are setting up, and don’t just accessorize based on what your friends on Facebook tell you. If you’re building a precision or 7.62 caliber rifle for extended ranges, perhaps a set of quality iron sights like the offset Knights or Troy Industries flip ups will be worth the additional cost. For most purposes, the Magpul MBUS is the most economical and functional solution. And don’t feel bad not running one at all on a range-only gun unless you have a specific training purpose for it.

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This entry was posted in Gear, Long Guns, Weapon Modifications by Tim Lau. Bookmark the permalink.

About Tim Lau

Tim Lau has over a decade of experience as an end user, armorer and instructor. He has worked for several well known firearms training organizations, and holds multiple firearms instructor certifications. He owns and operates 10-8 Consulting, LLC, which provides industry consulting services as well as marksmanship and specialized firearms training to qualified civilian, law enforcement and military personnel.

9 thoughts on “Back Up Iron Sights: Do You Need Them?”

  1. Agreed. I always thought the way the Europeans where doing them (Sig 551, even the Steyr Scout) was the best. Fold-away and simple, unobtrusive.

  2. I haven’t had a flat tire in years, but I still want a spare onboard. I also like the ability to verify that the red-dot sight has returned to zero if dismounted/remounted by looking through the BUIS and seeing the dot atop the front post. Still, like Tim, I wouldn’t worry overly much about the lack of them on a range-only gun. I don’t run any on my varmint AR either.

  3. I think it was Gear Locker last year that did a nasty drop test of erected BUIS ranging from high end (Troy) to low end (Magpul) and then shot them and the Magpul performed as well or better than any.

  4. As noted, I like having the BIS available as a simple check to ensure the dot has not shifted/lost zero. Also not bad to have on a working rifle if catastrophic damage occurs the the optic, but the fight has yet to conclude…

  5. 2 weeks ago on a SWAT callout my Aimpoint crapped out on me. Fortunately I had a back up set of irons. Any rifle I use for work will have BUIS.

  6. Agreed. Work guns need a BUIS. But for range training I find them optional. I always have spare range guns with me.

  7. call me old school, but I consider buis as a necessity and red dots as a luxury..

    • I agree. While my defense carbine has an EOTech (along with BUIS), most of my range guns just have irons.

      I have a cheap RDS on my rimfire AR, along with a Magpul BUIS. Due to the short battery life of the cheap RDS, the BUIS gets used quite a bit on my rimfire.

  8. A co-worker put a set of Magpuls on a nee Colt flat top.that didn’t come with sights and came.out to zero it. It took only three rounds cause the sights were dead.on out of the box. I was impressed.

    My employer has issued EOTechs for the past ten years. While they are generally reliable, I have seen them quit and a set of BUIS are a must-have.

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