And the older you get, the more important optics become.
I switch between an EOTech and a fixed 4X Burris.
I have both with the red dot co-witnessed to the iron sights, and zeroed at 100 yards.
The sights used by the US Military have a much broader field of view and better illumination than most of us are willing to afford. Additionally, most of the time they fight at greater distance than an individual or family is likely to be forced into.
If you can hit a chest-sized target while standing at 100m, you have 99% of your combat scenarios handled.
West Texas, hell yeah I want a 10X scope - the better to see the opposition while they're still looking for me.
East Texas in the woods, a red dot might serve better for the 25-50 yard offhand shots.
I'm in Central Texas with 4X fixed and iron backups.
ACOG
Illuminated Scope is designed to be as durable as the legendary ACOG. The RM08 is a battery free sight, featuring Trijicon fiber optics and tritium. Housed in rugged forged aluminum, the Trijicon RMR Dual
Get an Eotech holographic sight and a 3x magnifier. Works AWESOMELY. And just buy a ton of batteries. I have a several year supply...
Holographic sight. EOTec.
If you can shoot accurately with iron sights, then using an ACOG should be a piece of cake. Take time to practice no tech. It may save your life.
I was just thinking, for food purposes only, to get a good BB gun and pellet gun. It is easy to kill dove with a BB gun and you can buy BB’s and pellets cheap and not hard to find like so much other ammo.
Some rifles don't easily accommodate the installation of scopes and optics. For instance my FN-FAL is probably the most reliable detachable box magazine fed weapon I own. No provision was made by the designers for installing optics, but the iron sights are excellent.
When I used to shoot it a lot I was able to hit 20 out of 20 rounds on a 500 yard gong at the local long distance range.
I think this would be much more difficult with an Eotech than with iron sights.
And of course at shorter ranges iron sights are fast to acquire, and can also be used with both eyes open for those who prefer that aiming style.
The point of your article seems to be that battery powered aiming devices (which are, admittedly very nice for many scenarios) now have batteries that last a long time. OK, fair enough. I think they are a great choice for mounting on some rifles.
Something like a simple 2.5X fixed power scope doesn't require any batteries at all (unless equipped with illuminated reticle), and would be another excellent choice for a defense oriented rifle.
And, at the other extreme, for night work some night vision scope would be ideal, regardless of how many batteries you need.
Still: if you need sights that work in rain or sun, night or day, close or far and are extremely robust iron sights might still be your device of choice. Albeit they do require a little more practice time than an Eotech, so not a great choice for the "wife rifle" unless she's an avid shooter herself.
I found a place that makes a quick-release adaptor for the Bushnell TRS-25 red dot. That modded red dot works great on a 10/22 Takedown (fits in the tote bag), just have to use a picatinny rail with a groove down the center so the factory iron sights aren’t obstructed.
I have a Trijicon ACOG on my SCAR 17.
Of course, just how many current shooters are competent with iron sights? Damn few I suspect, unless trained by the Marines. Does the army even use iron sights for marksmanship training these days?
Bookmark
ACOG and iron sights as backup. It’s not always about batteries—sometimes they break.
Hell, you can get an Aimpoint holographic sight that runs on AA batteries. Nothing more common than AAs!
I think the proper setup depends on your location and terrain.
If you’re in an urban/suburban area, in a Zombie apocalypse, you will be shooting close range. I like the EOTech that uses AAA batteries at those ranges, and I get mine (more than one) at a great price on Black Friday a couple years back. If you’re rural with woods, I still like the red dot sight. If you’re rural with clear lines of sight, I like a scope. Either way, I like iron backups, and I approve of training regularly with electronic and with iron, or with scope and with iron.
For everyone on FR, I strongly recommend waterproof sights. We tend not to be as skilled on the water as we are just about everywhere else we operate.
Aimpoint PRO and Magpul MBUS sights on my AR.
Even an ACOG can get broken by a bullet hit, so I’m of the opinion that iron sights are a must.