Three choices of configuration for a combat rifle:

1) Standard carry handle upper with a heads up sight such as an OKO
2) Flattop upper with Elcan sight and stripped gas block
3) Flattop upper with Elcan sight and standard A2 sight gas block.

Weapon should be dead reliable, lightweight; versatile under CQB and close range marksmanship.  Comments, please.

shooter

For a real life gun?standard rear sight with big aperture up.Tritium front blade in the stock gas block.Have a dot on my three gun rifle,its wicked cool,very fast and dead nuts accurate,but then they give you a minute or so to turn it on and select dot size and brightness,and if the battery is dead you dont actually end up bleeding.

Quoted: For a real life gun?standard rear sight with big aperture up.Tritium front blade in the stock gas block.Have a dot on my three gun rifle,its wicked cool,very fast and dead nuts accurate,but then they give you a minute or so to turn it on and select dot size and brightness,and if the battery is dead you dont actually end up bleeding.

LMAO.  You just described my current rifle.  Every once in a while I try to fix things that aren't broke, and I was wondering if this was one of those times.  I appreciate your input; I have a natural aversion to all things battery powered or electronically activated; I have the Elcan, and its a nice sighting system, but I have questions about how well it will hold up in intense field use.  

Anybody want to buy it?

shooter

My preference would be a carry handle with a trijicon sight.  The trijicon, of course, has no batteries so you have nothing to worry about replacing or being dead when you need it most.  The reason for keeping the carry handle is simple: if the sight is damaged or malfunctions, you just remove it(with the QR mount you bought) and use the standard sights.  I'm all for KISS but optical sights are damn nice.

I still like (and one day will have) the goose neck mounts(like an ARMS 39) in front of the carry handle.  I know with the flat top scopes work better (they're not mounted too high), but to me it an AR just doesn't look right without the carry handle.  Put some sort of aim poit/redot/reflex on the front for quick accusitions while still having the iron sights for longer range shots (or incase the optics fail), plus you still have a rail on top for a scope/night vision.

1) Flat Top 16in M4
2) A2 Front Sight
3) ACOG TA11 (w/ quick release mount)
4) Flip up iron rear sight

1.  Standard handle with Aimpoint CompM2-XD on a forward mount over the handguards.  My #1 setup on a handled M4 Carbine.

2.  Why would you remove the front sight?

3.  The setup on my lightweight Dissipator upper.  ELCAN is pretty heavy, but on a carbine with a light barrel it balances very well.  Elcan sight just stays set for 200 meter zero and there are no confusing aiming points in the reticle, just put the top of the fence post on the point you want to hit.   There are some ELCANs advertised for $450 including Gen4 mounts, a bargain if you have a flattop.

A Gen0 night vision sight.  Try it on a dark night.

-- Chuck