BUIS elevation knob

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • raptrbreth

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Feb 20, 2013
    684
    18
    New Palestine
    I searched and didn't find this but I might have just missed it. Why do most of the buis not have elevation knobs? INGO opinion, does it not matter? My experience only comes from the Marine Corps and I just bought my first flat top AR.
     

    kawtech87

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Nov 17, 2011
    7,100
    113
    Martinsville
    My guess would be because of what the BU stands for in BUIS. Back UP. They are not meant as a primary sighting system. But that's just a guess.
     

    jonny4523

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    26   0   0
    May 26, 2009
    805
    34
    Lafayette
    My guess would be because of what the BU stands for in BUIS. Back UP. They are not meant as a primary sighting system. But that's just a guess.

    I would second this as a guess. Sights that are meant as primary, such as A2 carry handle style have the elevation adjustment on them.
     

    DanVoils

    Master
    Emeritus
    Rating - 100%
    43   0   0
    Feb 20, 2010
    3,098
    113
    .
    I must be missing something. All of my BUIS have an elevation adjustment in the front sight.
     

    jonny4523

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    26   0   0
    May 26, 2009
    805
    34
    Lafayette
    I must be missing something. All of my BUIS have an elevation adjustment in the front sight.

    Yes, but they probably aren't meant for quick adjustments like the old A2 style knob. Most of my experience is with Troy and Magpul MBUS. Both use the special little tool for elevation adjustment. You can use the tip of a bullet or a ball point pen, but it's very tedious. The newer Magpul MBUS Pro has a knob up front, but it's very tight. I imagine the idea is still that you only need to set it once, then prefer that it keep that adjustment.
     

    raptrbreth

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Feb 20, 2013
    684
    18
    New Palestine
    I have a attached/permanent front sight that has the little pin one would push down to adjust the front sight. Not exactly a quick adjustment. I understand that they are back up sights but back to the old saying, "need it but don't have it." I have never used a red dot, correct me if I am wrong, but red dots are only good for 300 yards or less. Aim higher, I know. I easily hit 10 out of 10 at 500 yards with iron sights and would like to keep that capability.
     

    kawtech87

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Nov 17, 2011
    7,100
    113
    Martinsville
    I have a attached/permanent front sight that has the little pin one would push down to adjust the front sight. Not exactly a quick adjustment. I understand that they are back up sights but back to the old saying, "need it but don't have it." I have never used a red dot, correct me if I am wrong, but red dots are only good for 300 yards or less. Aim higher, I know. I easily hit 10 out of 10 at 500 yards with iron sights and would like to keep that capability.

    Just out of curiosity, are you looking for folding sights or fixed? I've not seen one folding rear sight that has an elevation knob, I would imagine it has to do mostly with the mounting system and then secondly would be a height issue. To make the mount work and have an elevation knob on a folding sight would cause it to sit to high to properly co-witness the front sight. Thirdly would be the idea of them being back up sights meant to be used in conjunction with an optic of some kind.

    There are some detachable fixed sights that do have an elevation knob. Like this one from DPMS:DPMS Detachable Rear Sight AR-15 Flat-Top Matte or you can get a detachable carry handle and have standard A2 sights but I'm not sure if that is what your looking for.
     

    raptrbreth

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Feb 20, 2013
    684
    18
    New Palestine
    I would like a folding sight ideally but not a deal breaker. Again it is ignorance on my part but I assumed one would have to have a folding sight to pair with a red dot.
     

    jonny4523

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    26   0   0
    May 26, 2009
    805
    34
    Lafayette
    I have never used a red dot, correct me if I am wrong, but red dots are only good for 300 yards or less.

    I think this would come down to more so the shooter rather than the red dot. Older eyes will probably have a harder time using a red dot at distance. Also with red dots, different manufacturers use different size dots. Probably the most common is a 2 moa dot. So at a 100 yards, the dot covers up 2" of target space. At 300 yards, the dot takes up a 6" diameter area. At 500 yards, 10" diameter. I'm typically happy any time I can shoot "under the dot", meaning at 100 yards, my group is less than 2".

    But you also need to look at the purpose of the sight. A simple 1x red dot is designed with closer shooting in mind and fast target transitioning. So the design intent isn't to be a sharpshooter sight at 500 yards. That's what they make magnified optics for. With that said, I use a red dot for 3 gun. But I've also hit up the occasional NRA High Power match using it and can shoot ok with it (I don't get last).

    I would like a folding sight ideally but not a deal breaker. Again it is ignorance on my part but I assumed one would have to have a folding sight to pair with a red dot.

    No. You could easily pair a fixed set of irons with a red dot. Red dots don't typically take up a lot of space. The only time when folding sights would be mandatory would be running a red dot with a magnifier.

    Examples:

    LAV_2645.JPG vs
    IMG_0384.jpg
     
    Top Bottom