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what flip-up sights are we running in 2026 (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 9/7/2026 10:52:43 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Jonboyhst][Edited]
| What are you running on your rifle in 2026 |
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In 2026 we're no longer using flip up iron sights. Flip up red dots are the future  Attached File |
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Polymer MBUS Gen2. Tool free zero of elevation and windage. Lighter. Shorter. Lower profile. Still tough enough. Cheap. Same plane aperatures. Fast to deploy. Don't bend if you run into a door frame or fall with the rifle. They are a backup. They dont need to be great. They need to be functional at inside 50y with a large aperture in low light, and out to 200-250y in bright light with the small aperture. I'd rather spend more money or weight on an optic, mount, a weapon light, etc. I have Troy, MBUS Pro, etc. and all my high end builds just get the Gen2 MBUS polymers now due to the low bulk and weight. |
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Originally Posted By tet493: Interesting to see MBUS 2’s still being used. Matech and Troy. They can’t be accidentally flipped down. I’m comfortable using them as mains. Seeing how the whole point of the thread is FLIP UPs.... OP, Magpul Pro, KAC or (rear only) I still like Matech. |
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Originally Posted By NotIssued: Seeing how the whole point of the thread is FLIP UPs.... OP, Magpul Pro, KAC or (rear only) I still like Matech. Matech and Troy flip… up….  The Matech literally flips up with spring action and you have to very deliberately lock it down. Troy locks in the up position, to not get knocked down. Desirable attributes when they are actually being used. |
Exceptionally Thick Member
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Mbus Pro on .308. Midwest Industries are great sights. I have the old Geissele flip ups on a 12” Geissele upper & they were spendy but small and underrated. Era Tac on a Larue upper because evidently I like to spend money on sights. (Just noticed they have a low profile fixed sight… hmm). I am happy with all but tbh the MI sights are great. Midwest Industries products are really underrated. |
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I sold all my Troys for MBUS pro years ago... still have them on some rifles where space isn't any issue. But in 2026, I've bought my last set of iron sights, flip up or otherwise. Since they are literally zeroed once and never used again, I only see the downsides of cost, weight, and rail space that could be allocated to something useful. |
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Same as others Magpul metal ones mostly. I still have Troy on the gun I'd grab if the world was ending. Red dots have gotten so good that they're practically unnecessary. With only a handful of extra batteries my T2s will outlast my lifespan. |
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Originally Posted By tet493: Interesting to see MBUS 2’s still being used. Matech and Troy. They can’t be accidentally flipped down. I’m comfortable using them as mains. I have MBUS offsets on my truck gun. It is kind of annoying that they can be flipped down in the case. |
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Originally Posted By tet493: Interesting to see MBUS 2’s still being used. Nothing changed to make them no longer work and optics have gotten durable and reliable enough that a BUIS is nearly nugatory; thus any that work will do. Plus, if they ARE working, there's no need to replace them with anything newer. |
Vintage Ain't Retro.
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Most of mine wear Troy flip-ups. Whether you hate the company or not, their flip sights are among the best. Iv'e got old PRI flips on 2 rifles. They work well too. Hell I still have a couple ARMS 40 flip sights. They're spring-loaded so pretty nifty. |
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."-Abba Eban
"I like it both ways, but still mainly mouth it" -gonzo_beyondo
"I like it both ways, but still mainly mouth it" -gonzo_beyondo
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Mbus Gen2s are great for the money. Mbus pros are great lo pro option. I use a KAC 2-600M micro. One of the USMC marked ones from the EE. I think i bought a used Troy micro off the EE forever ago too. |
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Originally Posted By Z09SS: I've got, installed: 2x MBUS3 1x MBUS2 2x KAC micro 600m 1x YHM 9680 1x Matech One of the KAC and the Matech are because I was making a clone of an issue gun. I wanted a Mactech on my Mk18 clone build but I just couldn't do it with the MBUS3 1/3 the price. |
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Originally Posted By Z09SS: I've been liking the MBUS 3 lately. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53643605976_483ceed393_b.jpg My rifles that have low profile gas blocks and longer rails I don't even bother with flip up sights anymore. |
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| None at the moment. If I have to use it at home, it'll be too dark for irons, and I have spare batteries in my range bag and grip. In the past I had Magpul's on everything, and never used them after sighting the things in. I had an Aimpoint on my patrol rifle that I never turned off, and still never needed irons. |
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Originally Posted By Freyja_75: None at the moment. If I have to use it at home, it'll be too dark for irons, and I have spare batteries in my range bag and grip. In the past I had Magpul's on everything, and never used them after sighting the things in. I had an Aimpoint on my patrol rifle that I never turned off, and still never needed irons. Agree but at the end of the day, all rifles should have secondary sight system, whether thats a dot or irons. With irons, it makes sense for a tool to live in the pistol grip for removing the primary optic. |
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I'm not sure why anyone would put time / effort into 'seeing if there is anything better'. BUIS are backups. Find some that work, test them, and then forget about them other than to check zero occasionally. MBUS Pros, either normal or offset are what I choose. Offsets on rifles with larger magnified optics, normal on RDS rifles. |
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Today I’d probably buy Magpul Pros for a personal rifle. Many years ago I bought a shitload of MBUS 2 for the agency, and we still issue those. I’m still running sights from 20 years ago: ARMS 40L KAC GG&G MAD Troy Matech on a clone (wouldn’t recommend) I did buy a set of Troy Micros a few years ago for a Caracal 816 A2 since the rail sits higher on it. |
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Originally Posted By JamesAR: I'm not sure why anyone would put time / effort into 'seeing if there is anything better'. BUIS are backups. Find some that work, test them, and then forget about them other than to check zero occasionally. MBUS Pros, either normal or offset are what I choose. Offsets on rifles with larger magnified optics, normal on RDS rifles. IIRC, loss of zero is exactly why I dumped some old YHM sights. I'd zero them, fold them down, and when I used them the next time I was off half a foot horizontally. Even for backups, this was unacceptable. |
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."-Abba Eban
"I like it both ways, but still mainly mouth it" -gonzo_beyondo
"I like it both ways, but still mainly mouth it" -gonzo_beyondo
what flip-up sights are we running in 2026 (Page 1 of 2)
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