Most serious shooters, marksmen, and hunters will take the time to learn how to shoot using iron sights. While BUIS (back up iron sights) may not the primary method used for sighting a target, it is a skill to have that will see you through if optics fail or if you are ever without a scope.
Adding BUIS
Depending on the age of the AR15, it may or may not come with iron sights. If the sights are on the gun, you may still want to switch to new options in flip up sights that give your weapon a unique look.
Before starting to work with the newly installed iron sights, it is important to have them correctly sighted in. If you are not familiar with the procedure, or if you are not sure how to correctly sight in the weapon, seek assistance from a gun club or a gunsmith to avoid a lot of stress and frustration.
Trying to See Everything in Focus
One of the most common mistakes when using BUIS is the thought that everything seen down the sights should be in focus. In part, video games that provide shooting scenarios provide this depiction which looks great in the game, but it is not accurate when using a real weapon on the target range.
The correct sequence in shooting with iron sights is to make sure the front and rear sights align, the sights are aligned with the target and the front sight alignment, and target focus is maintained as the trigger is squeezed.
The front sight has to stay clear when in alignment with the target, which will cause the rear sight to look slightly fuzzy for distance shots. For close shots, the rear sight ghost ring can be used, which makes the front sight look slightly fuzzy.
Knowing the shooting conditions and choosing the right focus for the eye but not trying to keep everything in focus is a critical skill to learn.
