Ok, so I just got a Burris 332. The eye relief is fairly short so when I put the rifle up to my shoulder and I get a cheek weld in a natural position I get the black doughnut in the optic. If I move the optic all the way reward I can get a semi-natural head position and no black doughnut. But the problem is then I have to take off my backup iron sight and move it in front of the optic. This makes using the iron sight weird since the front post takes up almost all the peep sight.

So my questions are.

1. Is it normal to have these kinds of issues with an optic on an AR?
2. Whats the better solution. Screw up the iron sights so the optic works a bit better? Or make the optic a bit awkward to use but allow the iron sights to function properly?

Thanks for any help or advice guys.

Let's start with this. Does your setup look like this as far as the placement of your burris goes?

confused.

The Burris 332 has an eye relief of 2.5"... anything further will start to get the "Doughnut" that you are seeing. Proper placing of the scope will be determined by your cheek weld in a natural shooting position. IF for example that means it is too far back for you to have the MBUS or whatever backup iron sight installed on the rail as it wont flip up, look into getting a quick disconnect mount for your sight. That way if something fails on it... you can remove it, pop up the irons and go to town.

If eye relief isn't right your optic is little more than a decoration, so I'd get that sorted first. Not every optic is going to fit every person and from what you posted it sounds like this one's a NG for you: "semi-natural head position"  Burris is good stuff but 'doesn't fit you' - IDK...

I wouldn't be afraid to have someone look at your grip / weld and advise in person TBH...

Hey guys thanks for the responses, sorry it was so confusing it was pretty late.

Yes my rifle looks like the one pictured.

Basically if I move the optic all the way back on the rail I get a decent sight picture. But obviously I can't have a back up iron sight then. I do have QD for the Optic already, because the way it is positioned right now I have to take the optic off to flip up the iron sight.

I do think it has a bit to do with how I hold the rifle. Most guys seem to have their heads a bit more forward than I do. I'm used to more conventional rifles and moving the scope back far enough to get a perfect picture but I'm basically out of real estate on the upper rail to move optic back any further though.

Sorry I don't have any pictures it would probably make this all a lot easier to understand.

This is also my first AR. I built it from scratch, and I'm trying to get it setup in a way that is natural to me, that is the reason for the silly question. I don't know if ARs have special rules as far as form and holding positions go, or if my problem is just the short eye relief on the optic. I'm fairly tall at 6'4"  so getting things setup comfortably for my monkey arms is usually a chore.

Thanks again guys.

OK - first regarding hold / weld etc do as the Marines train it - a search here and on the web in general will tell you way more than I can.  My background is in tropical calibers and shotguns - I had to make adjustments.  When I did the different was immediate, noticeable and repeatable.  It isn't about being a 'born good shot' - BS (though there are some) - it's about doing what they train.

if you must shoot that AR with that optic on it, leave the BUS at home if that's what it takes until you get it RIGHT.  Hopefully after adjustments you'll find you get one notch of rail you can use for a BUS; you may find even then that the one you have isn't workable.  Thankfully the Equipment Exchange great!

Agreed... check up on the youtubes for some videos on how to do cheek weld. There's a good one from the army that has a lot of the positioning for marksmanship and it has a good bit on getting the proper cheek weld. Essentially your head should slide down the jaw on the stock...leaving a fat cheek weld... not leaning way forward. Leaning forward can put strain on your neck.
I'm 6'3" too so I know all about getting these monkey arms wrangled around the gun haha.

Apparently someone else has the same issue.

Op:

This is what your doing: your using the toe of the stock to keep your head erect and thus you have to mount your optic way back eliminating the slots you need for a buis.



You want it mounted forward as so to a) give you more effective recoil management by dropping the stock deeper into your shoulder pocket and b) to develop a nose to charging handle habit for consistent cheek wield / eye placement. This will require you to mount the optic forward thus giving you slots back for a buis.

Thanks knife sniper! I have been doing some research on stance like suggested and found what you have suggested.

While practicing I noticed my nose wanted to touch the charging handle but I wasn't sure this was right. So thank you for clarifying that!

From another noob, Thanks for the pics an OP thanks for asking the question.  Never got around to asking myself just figured I would have to learn to live with the conflict.  Not any more.  Lead Foot

Try NTCH
Try squaring shoulders to target

No problem guys.

This is the reason I started my blog, to learn the art of marksmanship and to teach others along the way. The New Rifleman