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How to shoot from a 1.54" optic height comfortably? (Page 1 of 3)
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Posted: 6/11/2026 3:57:41 AM EDT
| Crazy. I was trying to shoot my buddy's rifle. I hadnt touched one of these disgusting low height optics since forever. I couldnt find anywhere comfortable to shoot it. I havent used a cheek weld EVER. All my guns are set for chin weld. Yall must be crazy doing all that head gymnastics just to get sight picture. THATS JUST WILD |
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Elsewhere: Originally Posted By KorneoDahGreat: Fully collapsed ONLY but I run vertical pistol grips and shoot with an straight upright stance. Tried with an extended stock but its not the LOP that gets me its the lack of eye relief on my magnified optics even if they're half over the buffer tube. Or you have a "special" head. |
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Cheek weld gives you a repeatable position for shooting small targets at long distance. For close range rifle shooting the high mounts are better imo The optic height mount and point of contact between your head and the gun aren't always the same. You can have a cheek weld with a 1.93 and a cheek riser |
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I bet if you stick to 1.54” for a while you will appreciate the stability your cheek gives you. 1.54” + SOPMOD stock gives great sight tracking and keeps you within the eyebox of an LPVO through recoil. Originally Posted By the-answer-is-42: Take your purse off of your shoulder as the strap is probably in the way. 
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I rock a 1.93 on everything now that’s not a clone. Works great passively under nods and blazing fast during regular drills. |
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You’ve never had a cheek weld ever? 1.54 isn’t ’disgustingly low’ it’s literally the standard AR optic mount height. I can never tell if you’re serious when you post silly things. Either you have a hideously disfigured face or you should invest in some formal training. |
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Tall mounts are for people who shoot rifles at pistol distances. You can manage speed at distances under 25 yards with tall mounts because nothing is hard with a rifle at those distances. If you start to push speed beyond those distances (such as a 50 yard bill drill) you will find yourself abandoning tall mounts for more stability and predictable dot movement. |
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Originally Posted By doty_soty: You’ve never had a cheek weld ever? 1.54 isn’t ’disgustingly low’ it’s literally the standard AR optic mount height. I can never tell if you’re serious when you post silly things. Either you have a hideously disfigured face or you should invest in some formal training. Blatant troll account. |
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Originally Posted By bluedog82: I’m with ya, my face shape just does not agree with low mounts. 1.7” feels low to me too. 1.70" (ADM T1-11) is the lowest I go with red dots on ARs. A Unity Riser with an XPS2-I believe that ends up being 1.93" is also comfortable for me. I only use 2.26 on my 7.5 BO. On my AK, 1.52" (ADM T1-10) works totally fine. |
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Originally Posted By Minnesotadude: Tall mounts are for people who shoot rifles at pistol distances. You can manage speed at distances under 25 yards with tall mounts because nothing is hard with a rifle at those distances. If you start to push speed beyond those distances (such as a 50 yard bill drill) you will find yourself abandoning tall mounts for more stability and predictable dot movement. I'll admit that that I've been shooting rifle at pistol distances but watching people like Nick Young from Velox and Jesse Cinco say this same thing made me start experimenting with lower height red dots. I used to have a Romeo 4T Pro on a 1.93 T2 mount (equivalent to ~2.03, since the 4T Pro sits slightly higher than a T2), but am now trying a 1.7 mount, ~1.8 total height. I need to get good and start shooting rifle at rifle distances. Even with night vision, I can get a sight picture with 1.73 but the tube bumps the rail. 1.8 seems to be pretty comfortable so far. Edit: To address the OP despite it being a troll in tech, the method that Stoeger/Pranka/Young/etc. teach of shrugging your shoulder to bring the rifle up while maintaining a good connection eases neck tension, which is more uncomfortable than simply having a low mount. Using this technique, neither 1.54 nor carry handle iron sights are a problem, though irons do get a bit cramped, at least for me. Prone with 1.93 or above is more uncomfortable while also having a worse connection. If you really want to learn, I'd highly recommend reading Stoeger's book or watching one of his class dumps. Nick Young puts out good videos as well. Videos in spoiler so the post doesn't take up your whole screen: Click To View Spoiler |
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Originally Posted By Just10mm: Fundamentals… Unless you have a fat face. Then work on not having a fat face and then apply fundamentals. Easy peasy. I didn’t want to say it, but I’ve only seen people running nods and dudes with blob bods think it was actually a problem. If you want more heads up shooting style, sure. But for it to be that big of an issue? Eh….. |
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Originally Posted By King_Mud: This passes for tech now? Tech has been a joke for a while now. More than one active thread on the first page of main that wouldn’t be here up until recently. I don’t get it. This account specifically should have been banned a while ago. |
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Originally Posted By BFskinner: I learned to shoot with fudd guns long before I ever picked up an AR so set up all my AR's with a similar optic height. Ditto. Head lift is anathema to success......so I was taught. Might look up Joseph Fanizzi tho. Looks like he rests his chin on the comb. And he's in the top tier of NSCA. Anyway, the OP has given me a good laugh. I wondered if I could manage anything over absolute cowitness, but am now happy at lower 1/3. Whatever works, I suppose. |
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You put your cheek on the stock and line up your eye. You know, shooting correctly as opposed to not. The only reason to use a high mount is if you are running NVG’s. The stupidity of “iT iNcReAsEs SiTuAtIoNaL aWaReNeSs” is just that, stupid. |
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Originally Posted By Minnesotadude: Tall mounts are for people who shoot rifles at pistol distances. You can manage speed at distances under 25 yards with tall mounts because nothing is hard with a rifle at those distances. If you start to push speed beyond those distances (such as a 50 yard bill drill) you will find yourself abandoning tall mounts for more stability and predictable dot movement. I shoot to 200 regularly with tall mounts and occasionally even further. |
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Originally Posted By fadedsun: I shoot to 200 regularly with tall mounts and occasionally even further. Originally Posted By fadedsun: Originally Posted By Minnesotadude: Tall mounts are for people who shoot rifles at pistol distances. You can manage speed at distances under 25 yards with tall mounts because nothing is hard with a rifle at those distances. If you start to push speed beyond those distances (such as a 50 yard bill drill) you will find yourself abandoning tall mounts for more stability and predictable dot movement. I shoot to 200 regularly with tall mounts and occasionally even further. I shoot my Glock @ 100, and it too is a suboptimal tool for the task. |
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Originally Posted By doty_soty: I shoot my Glock @ 100, and it too is a suboptimal tool for the task. My rifle at 200 is a perfect tool for the task. |
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Originally Posted By mcantu: how are you zero'd? what's your optic's height over bore? 1.93 scalarworx leap 01 mount with a t2, 50/200 zero, 14.5” lw mid gas. |
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Originally Posted By fadedsun: 1.93 scalarworx leap 01 mount with a t2, 50/200 zero, 14.5" lw mid gas. |
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1.5 is the absolute lowest that is comfortable to me anymore. Been gravitating towards higher mounts over time. Something to be said for squaring your face and eyes up a little more straight / head-on instead of scrunching / jamming / smashing / contorting into a tightly locked cheek weld. Also kinda depends on some different factors - rifle, stock, optic, style of shooting etc Running around shooting with lower-power optics vs hunting with high-power scopes is a different deal and my body is doing different things. Two things can be true at the same time. |
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Originally Posted By hoody2shoez: It doesn't matter at all. choose what you like train a lot you'll be good. Honestly this. People make mountains out of mole hills in the name of justifying their decisions on gear. That insecurity of wondering if your set up is the best really drives people crazy, when they should be running their shit and instead asking if it’s the best for them. Time, money, and practice is the only way to ever fully justify guns and gear, and only for you. Talking trash on what other people run on the internet is much less effort though. |
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Originally Posted By Minnesotadude: Did you include the speed part? What's your 50 yard standing bill drill time vs 200 yard prone bill drill? My 7 yard bill drill time is in the high low 2s on a good day. Never thought to do a 50/200 yard bill drill. |
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How to shoot from a 1.54" optic height comfortably? (Page 1 of 3)
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