Gun sights are critical if you want to be as accurate as possible while shooting your gun.
Having the best sight for you might be somewhat dependent on which firearm you choose, in this review we compiled a list of our favorites.
Be sure to check the manufacturer information to see whether these sights have a good fit with your gun.
Here’s Editor’s Pick For The Best Backup Iron Sight
Magpul MBUS Backup Sights
Why is it better?
- Impact resistant polymer construction
- Spring-loaded flip up sight easily activated
- Very light
5 Best Iron Sights
With that in mind, let’s now take a closer look at our top picks.
Let’s dive into the specifics and review each iron sight individually. You can use the list below to jump and review specific models, or you can read along and go through all the information.
Magpul MBUS Backup Sights
Impact resistant polymer construction provides light weight and resists operational abuse.
Spring-loaded flip up sight easily Activated from either side or by pressing the top.
Detent and spring pressure keeps sight erect but allows for unobstructed folding under impact, etc. NOT for railed gas Blocks.
Clamps to any MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny/STANAG 4694 receiver rail and provides the same height-over-bore as standard A2 irons.
MaTech Backup Iron Sight
- Adjustable up to 600 meters
- Spring loaded sight aperture
Impact resistant polymer construction provides light weight and resists operational abuse.
Spring-loaded flip up sight easily Activated from either side or by pressing the top of the device.
Detent and spring pressure keeps sight erect but allows for unobstructed folding under impact, etc.
Clamps to any MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny/STANAG 4694 receiver rail and provides the same height-over-bore as standard A2 irons. NOT for railed gas Blocks.
Troy Industries Iron Sight
- Each click equals . 50 MOA of adjustment
- MIL-SPEC Type III Hard Coated
- T6 Aircraft Aluminium construction
Each click on this iron sight equals .50 MOA of adjustment.
MIL-SPEC Type III Hard Coated.
T6 Aircraft Aluminum construction insures the devices good looks and design.
Made in the USA. It comes with the lifetime limited warranty.
OZARK ARMAMENT Iron Sight
- FUNCTIONAL, PRACTICAL, AND FULLY ADJUSTABLE: Our flip up iron sights...
- HEAVY-DUTY METAL CONSTRUCTION: Each iron site set is constructed of...
- ADAPTABLE, MULTIFUNCTION USE :These aluminum rear & front sight pop up...
Milled Aluminum Flip Up Front and Rear Sight Spring Loaded for Quick Deployment.
Fully Adjustable for Windage and Elevation.
Co-Witness with Standard AR Optics when Flipped Up Low Profile and Out of the Way When Down.
Both Precision and CQB Apertures on Rear Sight Standard AR Front Sight Post on Front.
Backed by Our US Support Team and Full One Year Warranty
Feyachi Iron Sight
- Machined from lightweight and extremely durability aluminum, Mil-Spec...
- Calibrated and matched together as a set, Designed for same plane with...
- Flip-up design with spring load push button, allowing for quick...
Machined from lightweight and extremely durable aluminum, Mil-Spec hard anodized.
Calibrated and matched together as a set, Designed for the same plane with low profile rear sight.
Flip-up design with spring load push button, allowing for quick deployment Rear sight Windage adjustable.
Rear sight: micro style windage knob features the same MOA adjustment as standard sight.
Front sight: A2 post Elevation adjustment (Adjustment Tool no included, you can search front sight adjustment tool on Amazon to get one), 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed.
What To Look For When Buying A Gun Sight?
Warranty
Warranties are common, it’s just a matter of finding one that includes manufacturer defects. For the most part, that’s going to be a limited lifetime warranty, or it’s going to specify it in the description.
While it’s hard to imagine that anything would go wrong with an additional sight without any electrical optics, it’s possible. This will cover the next feature to look out for flip-ups.
Flip-Up
Some of these sights very simply just flip up. Springs loaded into the sights give them the ability to just pop up with a single motion, making them easy to store so you don’t have to actually remove the sight.
Material
For these affixed and flip-up sights, you need something sturdy that’s going to withstand the test of time, or you’d might as well just hold onto your money.
Look for high grades of aluminum, such as aircraft grade or forms of steel. These need to stay in position during use, and you don’t want to rely on a flimsy material that isn’t going to have any weight to it.
Installation
Sometimes the sights that are the hardest to install are the most worth it. You can gauge that for yourself, of course. You want an installation process that ensures your sight will be permanently affixed to your gun, not something that’s just simple or easy.
Don’t worry about the process, just how sturdy and reliable the installation end result will be.
Zoom
If you’re getting an optic, it should have some sort of zoomed-in display or variable zoom function.
Today on this list, we’re overshadowing iron sights with flip-up or affixed sights that don’t require lenses or electricity (red dot) to operate from, but if you’re searching for optics with enhanced images, look at the zoom rating.
This will be displayed in a specific format. For example, a 2×25 scope means that it has times two magnification, and a 25mm lens (important for allowing light into the prisms).
Types Of Gun Sights
Holographic Sight
These sights use two pieces of glass that are pressed together with an image in between them. Most commonly, it is a red or green reticle that’s specific to gun that the sight was designed for.
These are often bigger than your standard red dot sight, and cannot be used as anything else. Red dots are technically add-ons to preexisting gun sight types, but a holographic is what it is.
Prism Sights
If you’ve ever used binoculars in your life, then you’ve used a prism sight. These use objective lenses to filter in light, work through a prism, and then display a zoomed-in image on the back lenses where your eyes go.
Prism sights are most commonly used for sniper rifles, though you may find some ACOG prism sights for assault rifles.
Reflex Sights
Reflex sights use single-layer mirrors or materials to display a reticle.
Gun Sight FAQ
WHAT DOES REFLEX SIGHT MEAN?
It often gets confused with red dot sights, but they’re entirely different things. Reflex sights are any sight where you have a mirror-like sheet, like a lens on the end of sight (without having a colored LED optic point in the center).
You will see a crosshair or other form of reticle that is physically a part of the lens or mirror. No electricity required. That’s a standard reflex sight, but then you run into a tube-shaped reflex sight, which operates differently.
Tube-shaped or standard reflex sights don’t require you to squint, aim, or do anything other than look through the lens from any angle. Unlike a handgun scope, reflex sights clarify what you’re looking at, but don’t require a specific position in order to be viable. Use one eye, two, doesn’t matter—you’re clearing up the picture with a reflex sight.
WHAT IS THE RED DOT?
A red dot sight is any optic that includes a red dot (usually LED) in the center of a lens, or mirror. Technically, any single sight on the market can be a red dot sight, so long as it has that colored LED center to it that requires some form of power to operate.
If you have a reflex sight, but the center of the physical lens has a red dot in it that doesn’t require power, it’s still considered a reflex sight. If you put an LED or IR dot in the center of a mirror or lens, it becomes a red dot sight, regardless of what sight type it began as.
Quite plainly, if it’s creating a dot through some form of laser or IR technology, it’s a red dot sight.
WHAT EXACTLY IS AN IRON SIGHT?
Iron sights refer to the built-in sight system that’s already part of your gun. These are usually created alongside your gun and permanently attached to the top of it, which can later have augmented sights attached to it.
They’re standard, and almost every gun manufactured today will come with iron sights in one form or another. Thing is, this is just for basic aiming, and isn’t really designed for long-range accuracy or for a firefight. It’s more of a courtesy from the manufacturer.
The only way you’re going to get any decent aim out of your gun is with an additional sight, especially if your targets are 50+ yards away.
One Shot, One Hit
Gun sights are designed to help you hit your mark without having to rely solely on your own ability to judge depth perception and distance.
They’re an absolute necessity. A one-up from your iron sights. If you’re not currently using one, you should be.
References:
