Been looking at some Sports lately and I have a question regarding the rear sight. Is there any consensus as to which rear sight (old style dual aperature or more recent style folding sight) is preferred. Was there a problem with the original sight or was the change made for other reasons (such as cost or to better clear a scope).

Cost and availability.

Any thoughts on either of them being "preferred".

I prefer the older style detachable carry handle with the dual aperture, particularly if they are on the same axis. The larger aperture is great for close in shooting or shooting in near darkness, while the smaller one works better for long ranges and better accuracy. There are times when the handle just flat out comes in handy.

I'm just old fashioned enough to believe people should be trained in iron sights before they switch to scopes. As a civilian, I can't imagine a scenario when I'd be using BUIS immediately if my optics failed anyway. If they did, there would be plenty of time to remove the optics and replace with irons anyway.

Personal preference. Folding sights are in vogue right now. Being able to fold the sight down out of the way gives a cleaner sight picture through your optic. Personally, I do not like the Magpul sights and I know I am in the minority on that. I replaced my Magpul rear sight with a Matech sight, but I also have a LMT A2 style sight for the rifle as well. If I am shooting with irons, I prefer the LMT, same style sight as the original that came on the Sport.

I would agree that cost played a big roll, as it has been reported that S&W was getting their sights from LMT prior to moving to Magpul. A rear Magpul sight can be had at $45 retail, where the LMT sight was over $100 retail.

thanks for the responses. I wanted to make sure there hadn't been any problems with the early sight before making my purchase.

I like the flp sight. I had the old style and it came loose and got lost

It's nice to have a flip up sight for a back up just in case the optics fail.

I use the Magpul sight with the large apeture co- witnessed with an Aimpoint red dot. Cuts down on the field of view but allows me to get on target rapidly and accurately. Several of my AR's have Matech rear sights and red dots that I use in the same fashion, may not be for everyone but works for me as I have used iron sights all my life for shorter distances.

Personal preference.