LivewireBlanco

I'm looking for iron sights for this particular AR http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...layErrorView_Y

Preferably the handle style back site and a good front sight. Any suggestions?

Snake45

The very best carry handle/sights are made by Colt and will run you $100-$125.

Cast alloy Chinese-made copies are available as cheap as $25. These work just fine but aren't nearly as tough or durable as the Colt units. I have two of the Chinese ones on .22 ARs and they work just fine. I wouldn't want to take them into combat in the sandbox, though.

LivewireBlanco

I found some at Cheaper than Dirt, but I'm just looking for some recommendations and good places to buy from. I'm a noob at all this AR stuff...

LivewireBlanco

This is what I've found so far. Not the best but do you think they would work for plinking/varmint hunting?

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ARR119-7.html

I think this is the right front sight for my rifle. http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ARR153-7.html

Snake45

That rear should work fine for you. It got good reviews on the website. I wouldn't leave it on a rifle that's rattling around all the time in the trunk of a car in a soft case, but it'll work for your varminting and plinking.

I have no experience with detachable AR front sights, so can't speak to that.

Snake45

BTW, if you DO plan to let the rifle rattle around in a trunk in a soft case, you can take that cheap Chinese carry handle sight off, wrap it in a rag, and put it in a separate box; it will be much better protected that way than on the rifle. Don't worry about return to zero--I've found that if you put it back on exactly the same way every time, it returns to zero perfectly.

LivewireBlanco

Would it be worth the extra cash to go with a set like this? http://www.armalite.com/ItemForm.asp...9-15fac1afdf18

As it is, the sights I put on are probably going to stay on there a while.

Snake45

That looks like a quality rig, and Armalite is one of the top names. Better than the $25 Chinese sights? Prolly not in function but definitely in strength and durability.

Oh, if you think you might EVER want to swap in a NM or offset peep, go with an American made quality sight. The Chinese ones have a weird thread on that screw that won't work with quality US parts.

All I can tell you is that I bought a used forged Colt CH sight for my Rock River SHTF midlength "go-to" rifle, and two of the cheap Chinese sights (I cut one down) for my DPMS .22 M4. All three sights are doing exactly what I've asked them to do.

ArmyCPT

OP, if you want a set of fold downs, try these by Troy Industries - they're awesome:

http://store.troyind.com/BattleSights_s/3.htm

Lots of options here. Do you eventually want to add an optic?

ArmyCPT

^Dadgumit. Walked away in mid-edit and lost edit priveledges....oh, well

DD makes something that might interest you:

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/Daniel-D ... -04013.htm

Combined with:

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/Daniel-D ... -11002.htm

I'm running a fixed rear BUIS/fixed front sight base on my carbine. To me, it answers the mail on what irons are supposed to do, and at the same time allow for an optic to be added later. With proper mounts, you can have these sights index in the lower 1/3 of you optic, allowing you to shoot irons through your optic if your optic battery goes down for whatever reason.

Snake45

OP stated he wanted a carry handle type rear sight.

ArmyCPT

"Preferably."