First, Watch This Video:
Yes. I’m a strong believer in having an optic on your rifle…
But that doesn’t mean I’m against iron sights…
I actually really enjoy shooting irons.
I just think that the main purpose of irons, in this day and age, is to back up your red dot or scope.
Currently, my favorite choice for backup iron sights (BUIS) are the polymer sights from magpul.
So in this Magpul MBUS sights review I’m going to touch on the following points:
- Durability
- Ease Of Adjustment
- Sight Picture
- Ease Of Installation
- Affordability
We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s jump into the review.
Durability Of The MBUS Sights…
The Magpul MBUS sights are made of polymer, which for many people is controversial…
The basic concern is that a polymer sight will break if you accidentally drop your rifle or mistakenly bump your sight…
…and the usual conclusion is that you should only mount steel backup iron sight on your rifle.
I understand that type of thinking, and there are some really fantastic all-steel flip up sights out there.
The problem is they’re going to cost you a lot of money, and to be honest, I don’t think a you need to stick to steel sight.
I’ve been extremely pleased with the polymer sights from Magpul…
I have owned several pairs of these sights, and they’ve easily handled being mounted on multiple AR-15s and my M&P 10.
On top of that, I’m embarrassed to say that I did drop one of my rifles one time (or rather it slipped off of a shooting bench).
Surprisingly, my rifle was fine, my red dot was fine, and my back up iron sights, which were a pair of FDE Magpul MBUS sights, were fine.
Any concerns I had about the durability of these sights were put to rest after that incident.
In addition to that, I’ve owned Magpul sights for many years now, and I’ve never noticed any cracking or problems with the springs.
So I think if you’re a civilian gun owner, these sights are plenty durable for anything you’d need them for.
Ease Of Adjustment…
The Magpul MBUS sights are also easy to adjust…
The rear sight is windage adjustable, and it has a simple knob on the side that you turn.
The front sight is adjustable for elevation…
…and you get an included polymer tool that allows you to easily move your front post up or down.
This is an extremely important feature to me. The reason why is because I tried testing out a cheaper pair of flip up sights in the past…
…and a major problem I ran into was that the front post would not adjust properly.
I would basically screw down the front post as low as it could go and that still wasn’t enough zero my rifle.
Since I couldn’t zero my rifle, those sights were completely useless.
I’ve never ran into that issue with the Magpul sights, and I’ve mounted them on AR-15 rifles and pistols.
Sight Picture Of The Magpul Sights…
Even though I prefer shooting with optics…
…it’s super fun to shoot with these iron sights…
The front post seems to be the standard size you’d find on any AR-15…
…which is not a problem for me, and the rear sight actually has two sizes of apertures you can use.
The small aperture allows you to be really precise when you take aim…
…and the larger aperture is kind of a ghost ring that allows you to acquire a really quick sight picture.
Personally, I prefer to use the smaller aperture because it’s always been pretty quick for me and I like that it allows me to aim more precisely.
Ease Of Installation…
These sites are also really easy to mount on your rifle. To install them you simply:
- Slide them onto your picatinny rail.
- Position them exactly where you want them.
- Insert the screw, which already has a thread locker on it.
- And tighten it down.
It’s all very easy to do, and I doubt you’ll have any problems if it’s your first time mounting these sights.
Affordability Of The Of The MBUS Sights…
The MBUS sights are pretty reasonably priced…
You will be able to find flip up sights that are much cheaper than the Magpuls, but in my experience, the cheap sights will often times:
- Fall apart
- Not fit on your rails
- Not adjust properly (you can’t zero your rifle!)
That’s a fairly quick summary of what always seems to happen when I try out the $20 sights that you find on Amazon.
They simply aren’t built with any real quality, and they end up being a waste of money.
At the same time, there are many companies that make insanely expensive back up iron sights…
We’re talking $200 bucks for a set… and these are BACK UP sights.
That’s too much money for me…
I usually spend around 200 bucks on my red dots, and I’m just looking for something more cost effective when it comes to BUIS.
That’s why I like the Magpuls. They’re well-built and it’s gonna cost much less than $100 for the set.
I also like the fact that they come in some really cool colors:
- FDE
- Black
- Gray
- OD Green
Some guys like to stick to black, but I feel like the colored options just add a little extra character to my guns.
Magpul MBUS Sights Review Conclusions…
In the end, I think the Magpul MBUS sights are a fantastic choice for back up iron sights because they’re:
- Strong
- Easy To Adjust
- Give A Great Sight Picture
In addition to that, they come in at a reasonable price point, and in my opinion…
…they’re the best bang for your buck if you’re looking to outfit your rifle with BUIS.