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Bear in mind that this means you are also increasing the height over bore (HOB) of your primary sighting system.įor rifles that don’t have stocks in line with the bore, such as with some Sig rifles and the FN SCAR, a Lower 1/3rd Cowitness can be accomplished through the use of a optic meant for 100% Cowitness on an AR-15 but run in conjunction with slightly shorter sights such as Troy Micro BUIS. With AR-15 style rifles, a lower 1/3rd Cowitness is achieved by slightly raising the optic, either through a mount or by design of the optic itself. While the term, “Lower 1/3rd” is often used, exactly how much of the optical window the iron sights reside in largely depends on the combination of optic, mount, and BUIS used. With Lower 1/3rd Cowitness the point of aim with the iron sights falls in the bottom third of your optical window, taking up less space. Of course one can also run both flip-up front and rear BUIS for maximum use of the optical window with your primary optic. With this setup, if the optic goes down, one can flip up the rear sight and continue as normal, or also very common, use the optical window itself as a giant rear sight (this is especially effective with smaller tube sights, such as the Aimpoint Micro). This is especially popular when used in conjunction with a fixed front sight on an AR-15. One common method to reduce the amount of space the BUIS resides in the optical window with a 100% Cowitness setup is to utilize a folding rear sight.
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If your BUIS are zeroed at the same distance as your red dot, when you look through your BUIS the dot should very closely align with them. Since modern, quality red dots have minimum parallax ( noneof them are parallax free) one can look over the top of the iron sights and still acquire the dot relatively unobstructed. With 100% or Absolute Cowitness, the point of aim with the iron sights bisects the middle of your RDS. With that said, there are a lot of nuances at play. There are two main types of co-witness that are normally referenced: 100% (or Absolute), and Lower 1/3rd. However, some aspects absolutely apply to pistols equipped with a RDS. As LPVO’s (Low-Power Variable Optics) increase in popularity and red dots get more reliable, conversations about the importance of cowitnessing have waned, but it’s still important to know the ins and outs. Into the Weeds: This Language Lesson is primarily focused on use with 1x red dot sights (RDS) on rifles.
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Why it Matters: If your red dot breaks, runs out of batteries, or otherwise becomes out of commission, cowitnessing sights allow for nearly instant transition to a secondary sighting system. Language Lessons: Window-Licker’s Guide to Sight CowitnessĪpplications of Use: Shooting rifles or pistols that are equipped with both iron sights and optics in-line with each other.ĭefinition: The ability to align and use your iron sights or BUIS (Back Up Iron Sights) through the lens or body of your primary optic. Getcha some good stuff now (unless you’re someone who needs a trigger warning you get bent).
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