Video Transcript
Solid Primary Sights Option (00:08):
These are the Daniel Defense Fixed Iron Sights. There's not a lot to say about them. They are just a very solid set of adjustable fixed-front, fixed-rear. And Daniel doesn't even give them some crazy name; they're just a set of iron sights. But if you're looking for a more budget option for your gun, maybe you've purchased a rifle, such as, maybe this BCM or even something like a PSA. And it didn't come with iron sights as a lot of guns don't come with nowadays. This is an awesome option if you aren't gonna be able to get a red dot in the near future, but you wanna have something a little more durable than polymer backup sights. These are more like… Not really backup sights. These are primary sights if you're gonna be running iron sights on the gun.
Simple Design (00:50):
So let's go ahead and show you guys what's inside and then we're going to mount them to this BCM. So front sight post. Very simple. There's not a lot of parts. It is literally just adjustable front sight, like a traditional A1 front sight post. And then it is a simple flathead installation to remove the bolt. And then you're gonna slide that onto the gun.
How To Adjust the Rear Sight (01:15):
The rear sight is also very simple in its design. The rear sight aperture is adjusted typically with a 5.56 round. There's a small detent right here on the wheel. And you are simply going to detent that with your round, and then you are going to twist the dial based on what direction you need to go for windage and elevation—or for windage, I should say. Elevation will be adjusted on the front sight post. But that's more or less how you're going to adjust the rear aperture. And there's also a small peep sight and a large peep sight. So if you're shooting up close and fast, you probably want the large, and if you're shooting a little further away, you'll run most likely the smaller peep sight.
Rear Sight Installation (01:58):
So let's go ahead and install these on this BCM. So the first thing we're gonna do is we are going to remove the bolt… Threaded bolt. The rear sight, in order to be attached to the rifle, will need the charging handle pulled all the way to the rear so that there is room for the rear sight to clear. So obviously it's not gonna work with the charging handle in the way. And then that is simply gonna slide on. And typically speaking, you will want it as far back on the upper receiver as possible. If you do run it further forward—you know, LR-300 style—it does actually provide for very fast sight acquisition, which is kind of nifty. Although, it doesn't necessarily produce the best results for marksmanship, but for speed, it is pretty cool. So, all the way to the rear. Insert the bolt. And we're just gonna get that nice and tight.
Front Sight Installation (03:02):
Front sight post—more or less the same thing. It's going to… You're gonna put it on by sliding it on from the front. And then as you can see, it can travel anywhere on the rail it needs to. If I push the sight all the way to the end of the Picatinny slot on the rail, it will be overhanging as you can see here, but I want the sight to be firmly on the rail, so I'm gonna bring it back one slot. Just like so. And there we go. So we have a nice set of iron sights on this 11.5" BCM ready to go. If I can't afford an optic these things aren't going to break off very easily. They will also hold zero much more reliably than a set of polymer sights.
Mounting with a Laser (03:52):
And as far as mounting lasers, there's a couple of considerations that I want to go over with these sights. If you're running a traditional PEQ 15 laser or other lasers that have the laser diodes fairly far apart, they will get past the front sight post on the Daniel Defense front sight post. Now, if you're running something a little bit newer, like some of the Wilcox lasers, or even the NGAL, that is not going to work. You are gonna have to position this iron sight—if you were to use it on a gun that high speed and modern—behind the laser in order for the laser to get past it.
Another thing to think about is if you are running a DBAL—something that is much more available to regular folks—a mistake that I see a lot of people make is they take it, they throw it on the gun, they have their iron sight right here, and you're not gonna be able to change the battery on it, cuz the battery is changed out through the front. And that's why you see experienced night vision folks, if they're running these lasers, typically putting their front sight posts, if they're using them, in the rear of the laser, spaced enough they could still articulate the controls on the DBAL but also leaving room in the front, so the battery can be removed. If you are placing your iron sight behind a laser also make sure that it is not so close that you can't remove the battery. Again, another mistake I see night vision users making. Make sure it is bumped back enough to allow easy change out of batteries. And you'll be good to go.
Optic Recommendations (05:13):
As far as running optics, if you're running a set of fixed irons, what I recommend is running something like an EOTECH that has a much larger field of view. So you're not taking up a whole lot of the field of view of the glass or just the view of the window that you're looking through with the iron sights themselves. Now, if you're just running a fixed front and maybe you have a folding rear and you still wanna run your T-2, your micro optic, it's not too bad. But if you are wanting to run a super foolproof you know, fixed-front fixed-rear, I would recommend something like an EOTECH that's a little bit larger.
Now, if you're buying a rifle that already has a fixed front sight post, a lot of the sort of budget guns out there—this is a Ballistic Advantage mid-length with an FSP—all you might need to buy is the rear sight. In this case, I've got one positioned here on the rifle and that makes it just a really solid combo as far as, I only have to buy one sight on the gun. But now I have a set of essentially primary irons. You're not gonna have to worry too much about them breaking or having any major issues and I will be good to go.
And this is what it will look like if you have something like an Aimpoint PRO on the gun, which is another good option if you are running a set of fixed front and rear, because the window is a little bit larger than something like a T-2 or another one of those micro style optics.
How To Adjust the Front Sight Post (06:32):
As far as adjusting the front sight posts on the Daniel sights, it is going to be using a traditional front sight post adjustment tool. This is one that I have on my key chain that's made by Wheeler. And so that is simply, the four little prongs are simply going to index, hit the detent and then you'll twist away to adjust your elevation. And you will be good to go. If you have any other questions, go ahead and email us [email protected].