Iron Sights

With modern technological advancements, people tend to focus on more advanced and fancier things, like red dot scopes, forgetting the old pal that stood at the origins of all aiming devices - renowned iron sight. Don’t let the luster of new things cloud your mind though, even now iron sights are as good as they have ever been. Adopting some of the modern sights’ traits, but remaining true to traditions, these sights will carry you through all hazards and hardships, should you ever face one. Meanwhile, iron sights are still a viable choice for hunting purposes, so consider getting one if you are only beginning your journey as a hunter or if you’re used to relying on your own marksmanship. Gritr Outdoors offers a great choice of the best iron sights.

Traditional iron sights consist of two parts: the first one is an eyepiece, that focuses on the target, and the second one is a spike, located closer towards the end of the barrel.  First iron sights, the simplest ones, were fixed. As the name suggests, fixed iron sights couldn’t be adjusted, depriving the shooter of the opportunity to change front and rear sights’ position to compensate for misses. This situation changed over time, resulting in the appearance of adjustable iron sights. Such sights allow the shooter to adjust the front sight for elevation and the rear sight for windage independently of each other. Such versatility comes at a price, for a solid piece of steel is naturally more durable and less susceptible to damage than moving parts, which are more likely to be displaced. For that reason self-defense and military guns have fixed iron sights installed.

According to their form, iron sights are further divided into open and closed (aperture) sights. The rear piece of the open sight (the one closest to your eyes) might have a number of shapes: U-notch, V-notch, or a rectangular-shaped notch, whereas the front piece is usually a square post or a bead. Aperture sights are different: the rear piece is shaped like a ring or a peephole, and the front piece has another ring. 

How to aim with iron sights?

First-timers may be confused about how to use iron sights, but the basic principles are quite easy to grasp. Moreover, mastering the iron sight aiming might be of great help if one decides to move on to other types of aiming tools. The sequence of actions is as follows: first, you need to get a clear view of your target through either the ring or the rear post. After that, you need to align both pieces to make a clear shot. If it’s a closed iron sight, place the tip of the front piece in the center of the rear piece aperture. If it’s an open one, place the tip of the front piece between the two rear piece notches, with the height of the tip not exceeding the height of the notches. Once you get all pieces aligned, take a few shots to see where bullets land and make further adjustments if needed. 

Here, on Gritr Outdoors, we have a vast collection of iron sights, suited for all kinds of weapons. AR iron sights, rifle iron sights, pistol iron sights - everything your hunting heart desires can be found here.