Posted by on 9/8/2021 to
You can think of Flip Up Iron Sights as an analog backup to your digital red dot or magnifying scope. And like many things analog, they are simple to use and still deliver in the way they were meant to. They should still work if your main optics fail. Although you don’t need to learn how to use iron sights before you learn how to use more modern sighting systems, it might be a good idea, if only to realize just how good the red dot or other advanced scopes are. There are cases in which iron sights are preferred over the more high-tech options. Iron sights don’t run into problems such as fogging up, in fact, they don’t really seem to be bothered by moisture at all. They can be completely submerged in water with no ill effects. They are generally lighter than the red dot or scopes, easier to clean, and are less likely to be bumped out of place so that they need to be zeroed again. On top of all that, they are less expensive and they don’t require any batteries. Given all of these advantages there is little reason not to have iron sights, even if like many these days, you have them in addition to a red dot or scope.
One of the best ways to have the best of both worlds is to have Flip Up Iron Sights in addition to advanced optics. These are sights that remain attached to your gun but can be folded down out of the way when not in use. In this case, it may be a good idea to find one that is low cost, yet still does what you need it to. That is where Trinity Force Aluminum Flip-Up Sights come in. These sights can be a great addition to your AR build.
Iron sights these days are not actually made out of iron. Instead painted steel, aluminum, or polymer are going to be your options. The Trinity Force Flip-Up Sights are made out of corrosion-resistant aluminum. They are painted black to match many AR’s. These are aperture sights which means the rear sight is a circle rather than two posts or a notch. Aperture sights tend to work better at long distances and on rifles in general. The front sight is adjustable for elevation. The rear sight is adjustable with a large and small aperture as well as a click dial to adjust for windage.
Some people use these sights to co-witness with their scope or other high-tech optical. There are two types of co-witness: Absolute and Lower 1/3rd. Let’s say you are using a red dot sight along with your iron sights to co-witness. Absolute means that your front sight is in line with your red dot so that they both agree you are on target. Lower 1/3rd means that your sight is lower horizontally, but is lined up with the red dot vertically, that is, exactly below the dot. If you lower your line of sight to use the sight, the red dot will still line up with it, just in the lower third section of the red dot sight. So absolute co-witness has your red dot sight at the same height as your iron sights, where lower 1/3rd has the red dot sight installed a bit higher than the iron sight. It has been recommended that flip-up sights are best to use in an absolute co-witness situation whereas fixed sights are good for the lower 3rd.
So whether you want to use iron sights as a backup, or to co witness with your other optics, hopefully giving you greater accuracy, these sights are a good place to start. Their low cost makes it an easy decision.