Q about red dot with a fixed front sight AR-15

[winch]

Hey guys,
I'm looking at a Windham HBAR carbine and it has the removable A4 carry handle and what appears to be a fixed front sight. How does it work with the front sight when you use a red dot? Do you have to take off the front sight? Does the red dot have to be mounted high? Or am I overthinking this?
Thanks!
Winch

 

[U4U]

I think that taking off that carry handle may have been the only time in my life that I ever grabbed a carry handle lol
Yes you will need a riser or a red dot that will cowitness.
It’s a great rifle …. You will enjoy it

I’m adding a link so you can see what you need to do. You have a bunch of options for the site itself.

https://www.western-rivers.com/truglo-trutec-xtreme.html

 

[hdatontodo]

You might need a short picatinny riser block but you should be able to have the red dot appear over the top of front sight (cowitness). You would not be using the carry handle in this configuration.

Look through the barrel at something 25 yards away and compare to where the sight is pointing.

Other ppl here know more than I.

There are also carry handle mounts.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk

 

[outrider58]

What dot are you using? Many come with the proper riser.

 

[alucard0822]

Couple options. You can co-witness with a rear iron sight, something compact like a MBUIS, and the dot will line up with the sights. This works better with some apartures that are thicker around the sight hole. You can lower 1/3 it with a taller red dot mount, basically look through the irons and the dot speeds up targeting, pick your head up above the sight line, and less obstruction. This works best with notch/post or thinner ghost ring sights. You can run without a rear iron, and use the sight tube kinda like a big ghost ring. I personally like an unobstructed view, so i'll swap for a lopro gas block and run flip ups if I want irons, but that is based on my own prefference and experience

 

[smokedog]

When you buy your red dot look for co-witness in the description.
It will line up when installed if you already have one there are mounts and riser blocks to make it work for you.
The dot should appear above the front sight post when done right.

 

[winch]

Thanks everyone. Just to be clear, I have not purchased the rifle or red dot yet lol. Your input helps me to decide.

 

[calicojack]

Hey guys,
I'm looking at a Windham HBAR carbine and it has the removable A4 carry handle and what appears to be a fixed front sight. How does it work with the front sight when you use a red dot? Do you have to take off the front sight? Does the red dot have to be mounted high? Or am I overthinking this?
Thanks!
Winch

You can use a red dot or a scope on a flat top AR with a fixed front sight tower. You just need the correct height riser. There are two heights for a red dot, absolute and lower 1/3 co-witness. See http://garandthumb.com/co-witiness-absolute-lower-13/

I personally like a fixed front sight tower on my AR's. Some guys don't.

 

[Biggfoot44]

To put into really basics :

AR pattern rifles have straight stocks

Because of said straight stocks , when shouldered in firing position , the shooter's eye will be more or less at the level of the original iron sights .

To allow for eye alignment while shouldered ( Whatever optic like device) will by necessity need to be at approximately same height .

Some people like for the actual dot or whatever to "seem" to sit exactly on top of front sight pin , some prefer slightly higher , so that actual dot or what ever appears to hover above the front sight pin ( aka " Lower 1/3 ) . Personal preference .

Somewhat related , with 1X or other low power optics , the original front sight will be a blurry blob in lower part of FOV . ( Likewise some 2.5X or lower power scopes on conventional rifles ).

Doesn't bother me , shouldn't bother you . But people so inclined will remove , or use a fold down front sight to eliminate that .

 

[winch]

Thanks again guys!

 

[erwos]

Mark me down as team "lower 1/3 with a fixed front sight". Drives me crazy to have that front sight in the middle of my optic. (Yes, yes, should be shooting both eyes open and it matters less...)

 

[outrider58]

Mark me down as team "lower 1/3 with a fixed front sight". Drives me crazy to have that front sight in the middle of my optic. (Yes, yes, should be shooting both eyes open and it matters less...)

I keep telling myself I need to try lower 1/3, but A) I'm not bothered by the dot being a little off and B) I'm too lazy to change my optic mount(not hard with Romeo5s), and C) I still use Eotechs on several guns. One-o-these days...

 

[U4U]

I just changed my Windham set up yesterday.
I put a 1-6 scope on the flat top with a flip up behind it and a reflex on a 45 degree off set.
I took the the quad rail off and put the original hand guards back on. I might take it to the range today and see how I like it. Lol, if I don’t like it I am going to buy the carry handle back on it and go old school with it…. But keep the reflex site. The Windham HBAR has been a great gun for me.