AR Front Sight Question

[MedicMonty]

Hi all, looking for some wisdom...

I recently purchased my first AR and after several trips to the range, feel good about shooting with irons. I wanted some glass for it and after talking to a couple guys at my LGS, bought a Guntec Prism 1, which I think I would be pretty happy with. Unfortunately, I either didn't ask enough questions or didn't do enough research (or both)... and realized after getting it home that the front iron sight is, obviously, in the way now (in my defense, I had looked through other optics in the store that the front sight didn't bother - i just didn't take the time to put this particular sight on a similar weapon before i bought it - lesson learned...)

When I spoke to the salesman at the store about it, he said a popular option would be to mill off the front sight.... I'm a little hesitant. One, because I know I'm not mechanically inclined enough to even think about doing it myself despite being told it's "super easy." Two, because it seems like a mod that there's kind of no going back from (except to order and replace the part) and three because..... it just doesn't sit well with me.

In doing a little more research, it looks like my other options are: replace with a low-profile or rail-height gas block, raise the sight, get another optic, or suck it up and live with an somewhat bothersome but not terrible obstruction in my sight picture. Any wise words or horror stories? Something I'm not considering?

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[sloughfoot]

LGS?

Guntech Prism 1?

Lots of red dots can be co-witnessed with the iron front sight.

 

[netsecurity]

Oh, I think you are saying you bought a scope with a low mount and now your reticle/dot is in the middle of your FSP , is that right? If so, you just need to elevate the scope to "cowitness", so that your riticle/dot sits on top of the FSP. You can simply buy a riser, but that could be difficult to get the exact right size. You're probably better off buying a mount made for the AR15, like the Aimpoint QRP mount. In fact, I'd just recommend buying a real Aimpoint that comes with the mount, and not fussing with it!

 

[indykid]

What's said above, many people install their optics to line up with the iron sights (cowitness). If your iron is in the way, you can buy a scope raiser, or you can remove the front sight block and install a flat top one.

 

[MACHINEGUN]

 

[birdwing]

Looks like that optic has a built in mount. You'll have to find a riser that works or swap your FSP with a railed gas block.

 

[MtnBiker6510]

Before you hack off or remove a perfectly usable FSB, have you looked at the reasons you want "glass"?

Do you want magnification for target or range shooting?
Do you want a red dot to assist in target acquisition for CQB?
Do you want a mix of both for general purpose range or competition?

Before you modify your rifle make sure the sight you purchased meets your current needs. I think thats where you should start. Congrats on your first AR and hope you find the solution you need.

 

[MedicMonty]

Thanks so much for the responses so far - and I'm glad to see I was right to not be I. A hurry to get my hacksaw out. I'd really like to end up with something that doe's a little of everything, although I understand the trade off that means it probably won't do anything exceptionally well. I would definitely like something that extends the range a little bit. I'm not against the idea of a riser (actually, that's what i asked the salesman about), but I've been looking at other relatively cheap options too, like some of the NC star optics that seem to get pretty good reviews for the money. Any more thoughts or opinions are more than welcome.....

 

[direland]

Contact "Litlratt" on this site, he lives in Terra Haute and can really help with all types of sighting systems on AR's

 

[MedicMonty]

Will do. Thanks!

 

[42769vette]

but I've been looking at other relatively cheap options too, like some of the NC star optics that seem to get pretty good reviews for the money. Any more thoughts or opinions are more than welcome.....

my opinion is run away FAST. ncstar does not bask the warrrenty they claim to, does not have enough clarity to use at top magnifications, does not track at all. the ncstar reviews you are reading are from folks who have never looked threw anything but ncstar. quality magnified optics start at around 150, some ncstar scopes cost 2x that and are the farthest thing from quality.

brands to steer way clear of

ncstar
barsaka
osprey

shoot me a pm and i can make sure you get the best bang for your buck in optics