flip up sights...magpul or diamondhead?

speedyquad

speedyquad

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
1,918
Reaction score
1,125
Location
Oil City, PA
I'm thinking i need some flip up sights. i'm wanting to stay around $100ish so i'm leaning towards either the Diamondhead polymer with nitebright, or the magpul mbus, gen II...thoughts why one over the other? I like the nitebright(cheap version of tritium, according to diamondhead). both are polymer, and that really is my concern with either. thoughts on which way i should go? these are going on my first build/first ar. they will be backing up a bushnell trs-32 until my wife finishes her build, then the bushnell will be moving to that.
 
Register to hide this ad
Plastic sights can break... just a couple weeks ago somone reported here his MBUS cracking off the rifle from just a fall off a shooting bench. Hardly worthy of a battle rifle. But for just a range toy either would be fine IMO. I have MBUS mounted on my 15-22.
 
Last edited:
I think it may be the diamondheads with the

i did also find the Mission First Tactical sights. The are designed to shroud the sights from debris in the down position. i have the mft minamalist stock. it's a quality piece.


This is mainly going to be a range toy unless teotwawki happens...so it is mainly a range toy...lol
 
Waywatcher said:
The two tested alongside the MBUS were DiamondHead and Troy, so mainly aluminum with some steel hardware.
Click to expand...

I use all steel sights. Hopefully they will hold up better than plastic and aluminum.
 
Last edited:
So, one person says the MBUS are no good, another says they're the only way to go and a third says he's never had any trouble with them.

I have a MaTech on the rear:
41-79576VzL._SX425_.jpg


On the front I have a Troy:
1245.jpg


I like the MaTech because it has a really small aperture. With my eyes not being what they used to be, this makes it easier to use.

While I have not intentionally dropped my rifle from 5 feet, it has been knocked around somewhat. I have intentionally whacked the front sight pretty hard on a table. The "wings" did their job and protected the front post.
 
Be careful about where you buy the sights from, a lot of cheap knock offs are floating around especially magpul. You wouldn't believe how many people think they got a good deal on mbus sights only to find out they overpaid for cheap airsoft junk. The real ones are great and will last.
 
yeah, i'll be careful. i've been "taken" on good deals before...knowing i was buying a knockoff thinking how bad could it be...not realizing how bad it really could be...lol...

rastoff...that look interesting...they may be a little out of the price range for what i want to spend...but thanks
 
tbgunner88 said:
Be careful about where you buy the sights from, a lot of cheap knock offs are floating around especially magpul. You wouldn't believe how many people think they got a good deal on mbus sights only to find out they overpaid for cheap airsoft junk. The real ones are great and will last.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have discovered this the hard way. Magpul stuff is faked probably more than any other AR accessory.
 
speedyquad said:
rastoff...that look interesting...they may be a little out of the price range for what i want to spend...but thanks
Click to expand...
Yeah, I thought of that after I posted. I got the MaTech for free and the Troy was part of a trade. So, I didn't spend much on my setup.

Even so, it's worth it to spend a little more. If you really need back up sights, you really want them to work. If you're just shooting at the range, I'd skip the back up sights all together. They will just sit there unused because you'll use your scope or red dot all the time.
 
Waywatcher said:
...and metal ones can bend and be rendered useless.

http://kitup.military.com/2012/07/back-up-iron-sight-drop-test.html

I'd go with the MBUS.
Click to expand...

That drop test is such a croc, imo. Guys drops a rifle three times with a different buis on it each time and the results are treated as gospel across AR-InternetLand ever since.

Will metal sights bend/break when dropped? Sure. Every time...maybe, maybe not.
Will poly sights break/snap when dropped? Sure. Every time...maybe, maybe not.

Just because he got the results he did after ONE drop for each... meh. Something like that needs to be repeatedly tested to present any useful data.

Disclaimer, I'm no sight-snob. I have sight sets costing anywhere from $40 to $300. Basing a sight choice based on that flawed blog test is a mistake, imo.
 
i enjoy shooting with iron sights as well as red dots. there is also still the possibility that once the red dot moves to the wife's, i'll put a traditional scope on it, which os one reason why i don't want spend too much.

i also don't want to go too cheap either. it has a set of metal flip up sights that my wife lovingly bought me that maybe cost $20. i put them on, knowing they were junk because she bought them. i could immediately tell the post on the front sight was to the right of center.
 
I run Troy folding battle sights front and rear on my modified 15-Sport. They work well. On my home built, I run an carry handle. I can not tell you how convenient it is to have both windage and elevation adjustment at the rear sight. :)
 
What are you mounting the front sight on? A rail or the railed gas block of an M&P OR?
 
78Staff said:
That drop test is such a croc, imo. Guys drops a rifle three times with a different buis on it each time and the results are treated as gospel across AR-InternetLand ever since.

Will metal sights bend/break when dropped? Sure. Every time...maybe, maybe not.
Will poly sights break/snap when dropped? Sure. Every time...maybe, maybe not.

Just because he got the results he did after ONE drop for each... meh. Something like that needs to be repeatedly tested to present any useful data.

Disclaimer, I'm no sight-snob. I have sight sets costing anywhere from $40 to $300. Basing a sight choice based on that flawed blog test is a mistake, imo.
Click to expand...

Better go back and read again. MBUS sight was dropped twice.

The MBUS is such a standout because it is also the cheapest BUIS.

For the record, I have no ego invested in any of this; my AR has A3 sights.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top