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Looking to put some sort of optic on an AR.
Removable carry handle, fixed front sight post.
I want to leave the front sight post so please don't suggest I switch it out.
I am looking at the following options.
Option 1. Typical red dot setup on flat top, co-witness w front sight
Question 1. How far can I expect to be able to shoot accurately with a red dot (Vortex Strikefire or similar)?
With iron sights, I'm a decent shot out to 300 meters.
RDS sights are like magic iron sights that don't require you to light up a front and a rear. You just put the dot on the target. Whatever you can do with iron sights you can do with a RDS but now you can do it at night/low light and from weird positions and on quickly moving targets easier than you can with iron sights.
Option 2. 3X or 4X scope (Nikon AR M223 or similar) on flat top, set for proper eye relief
Question 2. I read some guys saying the front sight disappears at 1.5X, others at 4X. What determines when the FSP disappears? The distance between the optic and the FSP? The objective size? It must be something more than simply the power of the scope in order to cause such a variety of answers.
Where the front sight "disappears" depends on the point in space where the focal point of the lenses are. The higher the magnification the further forward that point is. It also depends on where the objective of the optic is and how close you put your eye to the optic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_length
This can vary between optics brands and types. Honestly you will have to try it for yourself. I have tried it with a Trijicon TR24 and a TA33 and both of them had a visible FSB to the point that it annoyed me. The TA33 did not have one visible if I shot the rifle nose to charging handle. (But I find shooting like that uncomfortable)
Option 3. Mount a scope (3x9 or similar) on the carry handle.
Question 3. This seems to be met with near universal disdain. Are there any setups like this that do work well? I hear everyone talk about cheek weld being poor, but I looked at an ACOG carry handle mounted setup and I liked it.
I tried this one time. I set it up to mimic a Colt Delta H-Bar like Sarah Connor used in Terminator 2 because I thought it was cool. I WAS NOT cool to use. It was hard to get to the charging handle, you couldn't use the iron sights in the see through mount because the Delta cheek piece got in the way. The offset to the bore was so high that it was something like 6-8" under POA at close range with a 50m zero. (I don't remember for sure, I know it was off the target I was using when I moved up close after I zeroed it.) I used it only one time. I took it all off the rifle when I got it back home, it was terrible.
I'm sure I'm missing some option I've considered but these seem to be the main ones. I know many of you will question what I want to do with the rifle, well that's what I'm trying to figure out, what I can set it up to do well and not try to make it fit something else.
Thanks for the input as always.
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Personally, for my shooting, and my anticipated emergency use and hunting use of the rifle, I prefer the RDS. It is a great reactive optic. Very quick and easy to make shots at 200 yards and in, good at night and low light, I don't have to worry about eye relief or cheek weld, very good for making shots on moving coyotes as I usually make the "anchor shot" when I go coyote hunting with my friends and they miss.
But it doesn't make a good target sight or hunting optic for very small critters where I am doing "ambush" type shooting. For those types of shots, I prefer a magnified optic. So I would make the decision based on the type of shooting I was doing.
Reactive/defensive shooting and practice - RDS
Ambush/target/hunting shooting and practice - Magnified optic
Then I would try to figure out a way to work/train around the FSB if needed.