AR-15 stock question

blindfire

blindfire

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I was at the range today trying to shoot a friend's AR-15.

The problem i was running into is that I cannot seem to get my head low enough to align the sights / red dot scope. Initially, I thought it was my ear protection so I tried dry firing it without my ears on. No luck. I tried one shot without my ear phones (used ear plug instead) and really had to rotate the gun to where I could see sights. That's not optimal obviously.

So, i let my buddy shoot his mags and just sat back and enjoyed the shooting.

So, after all was over, I sat down at the table again and took my glasses off. Bingo, I could see the sights (red dot in this case) fine...but without my glasses, I'm not able to see really anything.

The question I have is this. Is there a rear stock for an AR-15 that angles down more to allow me to get my head lower while wearing glasses? Or am I just SOL?

Thanks in advance.
 
No, because of the straight line design of the AR (barrel, gas system, bolt carrier, buffer tube), having a stock that angles down would be unworkable.

You'll have to raise the scope/sight as MACGYVR suggested.
 
LoginName said:
No, because of the straight line design of the AR (barrel, gas system, bolt carrier, buffer tube), having a stock that angles down would be unworkable.

You'll have to raise the scope/sight as MACGYVR suggested.
Click to expand...

Ah...that does make sense. Thanks to both of you for the speedy reply. I really do want my own AR for when the Zombie Apocalypse comes. [smile]
 
your not alone, I have been fighting a scope/glasses issue for awhile now, raising the scope only means I have to raise the cheek piece which makes me have to raise the scope, which means......

I would like to find a pair of shooting glasses fit me properly. I have tried Home Depot cheap to $50+ and can't seem to get what I need
 
When shooting standing I have my neck craned forward a good deal to get proper sight alignment, but its far from impossible. I have a couple friends who can't seem to figure it out though, even with my coaching, they end up tipping their head almost completely sideways.

Mike
 
Are risers hard to find / install on the AR-15?
Do most gun dealers who sell the AR carry such items, or is it something that I'd have to special order?

At the same time, can you get risers for the iron sites as well? Sorry if that is a dumb question.

I may call Remsport as that is where my buddy got his....but damn...Ludlow is a freakin' haul from where I live.

ETA: This is the AR I was trying to shoot...it belongs to SIBB. I'm stealing the pic from his post.

MyAR004.jpg
 
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blindfire said:
Are risers hard to find / install on the AR-15?
Do most gun dealers who sell the AR carry such items, or is it something that I'd have to special order?

I may call Remsport as that is where my buddy got his....but damn...Ludlow is a freakin' haul from where I live.

ETA: This is the AR I was trying to shoot...it belongs to SIBB. I'm stealing the pic from his post.

MyAR004.jpg
Click to expand...

That scope looks very low, get a riser or taller rings
 
Here is what you need:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=24621/Product/AR_15_M16_FLATTOP_RISER
$44.95

blindfire said:
Are risers hard to find / install on the AR-15?
Do most gun dealers who sell the AR carry such items, or is it something that I'd have to special order?

At the same time, can you get risers for the iron sites as well? Sorry if that is a dumb question.

I may call Remsport as that is where my buddy got his....but damn...Ludlow is a freakin' haul from where I live.
Click to expand...
 
I would just like to add one thing and this may deviate a little from what others have said and they absolutely bring up some great points and alternatives to fix your sight problem and I believe you just may need to consider them. But hear me out on this because I see this all the time with shooters not getting a good line of sight and so many times its this simple fix. This is an issue that I work on quite frequently with many of my Officers.... hope it helps and if not thats ok too.

try to not worry about bringing your head down to the weapon..... work on ALWAYS bringing the weapon up to your head. Your head should not be slanted or sloped as this takes away from your peripheral vision and creates a more "tunnel vision" and sloped line of sight. Bring your weapon up to your head and this means having the stock ride higher up on your shoulder. This should give you a better and more comfortable line of sight and not cause you to sacrifice your tactical vision.

Have the bottom of the stock ride in the little notch just down approximately an inch from the top of your shoulder. It feels weird and strange at first but it creates and amazing pivot point from a tactical perspective and will become very comfortable over time. This will make it so your head does 0% shifting. The weapon becomes the pivoting tool. If you train to use this style of sighting you wont have to change when you start to work on tactical movement etc. Always try to find something that works from a universal perspective. Stance, grip and sight alignment are good examples.

check out this vid that a LE dealer friend of mine shot of me testing out some of his comp / suppressors with my M16 and various uppers. As you can see the weapon comes to my head and not my head going to the weapon and the rifle becomes nothing more than a tactical tool that pivots in that little notch in my shoulder. I dont care what sights I am using (iron, optical, red dot, EOTech, Aimpoint, Trijocon) it all works the same from a sight alignment and comfort perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGhNCfD5yhk

hope this helps and if not I am sure some of the items the guys have mentioned will be good choices.
good luck.

Rob
 
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You are dropping your head down to the rifle and it looks like your head is canted in to the rifle, it definitely not square to the target.

Some people are nose to the charging handle shooters, some are not. You need to see which way produces the best results
 
Ok, this is just plain great stuff guys. I was seriously worried that it was me and that I'd not be able to enjoy an AR-15.

I will keep this thread bookmarked for when I "pull the trigger" on my AR purchase.

Thank you all SO much.
 
Just look at the difference in optic sight height between Sibb's ultra weird setup and what everyone else runs:

pic008.jpg


That's mine, btw
 
blindfire said:
Are risers hard to find / install on the AR-15?
Do most gun dealers who sell the AR carry such items, or is it something that I'd have to special order?

At the same time, can you get risers for the iron sites as well? Sorry if that is a dumb question.

I may call Remsport as that is where my buddy got his....but damn...Ludlow is a freakin' haul from where I live.

ETA: This is the AR I was trying to shoot...it belongs to SIBB. I'm stealing the pic from his post.

MyAR004.jpg
Click to expand...

Like everyone else has said, that's an odd set up for an AR. The sight(s) on an AR should be about 2.5-3in from the centerline of the bore, which puts the rear sight about 2in above the top of the stock.

If you get an AR with fixed sights, you probably won't have a problem. If you go with a flat-top/scope, most of the big ring/mount companies make something which will put your scope at the correct height.


ETA: Risers are easy to find (midway, brownells), and easy to install. They clamp on the Pic rail just like anything else, and have Pic rail on top, to mount your rings to.
 
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It puts the scope about 1" higher. The scope does not have to be that far back, that is just where it was comfortable. The 1" brings it to about the stock iron site height.
Got it cheap to try it out, if I continue to like it I will buy a expensive version when/if this one breaks.
 
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I have the same problem. Don't care for the integral carry handle,but flat tops set the sights way too low. I've used the risers from Brownells,the 1" high version seems to work well for me. due to several eye surgeries iron sight are useless so I use low to moderate power scopes. I have 1 AR,a DPMS that the riser is a integral part of the upper,with medium to high scope rings it works like a charm.
 
I bought a set of rings at the Marlborough show for $17 that bring the scope up 1". Have had no issues with failure unlike the ones I bought from *****ort that had stripped screws and ZERO warranty replacemnt because they cost over $100 allegedly. Not that I'm still bitter over the whole fiasco.[thinking]
 
Jose said:
Just look at the difference in optic sight height between Sibb's ultra weird setup and what everyone else runs:

pic008.jpg


That's mine, btw
Click to expand...

That's perty...may I ask the specifics on it and how much it ran you? What power scope is that also?
 
blindfire said:
That's perty...may I ask the specifics on it and how much it ran you? What power scope is that also?
Click to expand...

The rifle's a mutt that I assembled out of a hodgepode.

Upper is from Lewis Machine & Tool. Bolt and carrier and complete lower are DPMS. Trigger group is from Rock River. Rear sight was a Midwest Industries folder, replaced by a fixed rear sight from Larue after the MI sight fell apart one day. The scope is an Aimpoint CompC (zero magnification red dot) with a Larue Aimpoint mount.

I can't recall what it all cost.
 
Going to ask another stupid question.

I assume our troops using the M16 or M4 wear ear protection when in combat? God I hope so, cuz that sucker is way louder than I expected.
 

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