Month: July 2022
I guess that he was not told to swing around a cocked pistol? Grumpy
Though many shooters these days use some sort of optic on their AR-15 as their primary sight, having a good set of backup iron sights is still a really good idea. However, though they are similar in many ways, the backup iron sights on an AR-15 are slightly different from iron sights on many other rifles.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to zero the backup iron sights on an AR-15.
Many of the “flat top” AR-15s on the market today come ready to accept a backup iron sight (BUIS) to use in case something happens to the optics on the rifle. While they come in a wide variety of configurations, the basics of how to use them remain pretty much the same.
First, ensure that your backup iron sights are properly installed and mounted securely to the rifle. If you are able to wiggle the sights with your hand, they are not secured properly.
Second, mechanically zero your backup iron sights. For the rear sight, ensure that the aperture is exactly centered in the housing. To do this, adjust the aperture until it is all the way to one side. Then, count how many clicks it takes to adjust the aperture until it is all the way on the opposite side. Divide this number by two, then move the aperture back that number of clicks.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to zero the backup iron sights on an AR-15.
Many of the “flat top” AR-15s on the market today come ready to accept a backup iron sight (BUIS) to use in case something happens to the optics on the rifle. While they come in a wide variety of configurations, the basics of how to use them remain pretty much the same.
First, ensure that your backup iron sights are properly installed and mounted securely to the rifle. If you are able to wiggle the sights with your hand, they are not secured properly.
Second, mechanically zero your backup iron sights. For the rear sight, ensure that the aperture is exactly centered in the housing. To do this, adjust the aperture until it is all the way to one side. Then, count how many clicks it takes to adjust the aperture until it is all the way on the opposite side. Divide this number by two, then move the aperture back that number of clicks.
Assuming that you have a standard front sight, adjust the base of the front-sight post until it is level with the sight housing in order to mechanically zero it. To do this, depress the detent on the front side of the post and turn the post at the same time. You can use the tip of a bullet, a multitool, a nail or a specially designed front-sight adjustment tool to accomplish this.
After mechanically zeroing the backup iron sights, you’re ready to start shooting. I like to shoot at 25 yards, then move out to longer ranges after I adjust my sights. This saves time, ammunition and frustration in the long run by ensuring that my shots are at least on the paper. Don’t worry too much about the type of target you use. Almost any target will work, as long as it has a distinct aiming point.
Just like when zeroing any rifle, it is important that you shoot using a stable, supported position when zeroing your backup iron sights. Try to avoid supporting the rifle with your muscles and use a stable object like a sandbag instead.
From a steady shooting position, fire three shots at the center of your target at 25 yards (or whatever range you are shooting at). After firing your first group, check the target. Measure from the center of the group to your aiming point, and adjust your sights accordingly.
For most sets of backup iron sights, you must adjust the front sight to move the impact of the bullet up or down and adjust the rear sight to move the bullet impact left or right. As you can see in the photo above, turning the front-sight post clockwise will raise the point of impact of the bullet. On this same rifle, turning the rear-sight adjustment knob clockwise moves the bullet point of impact to the right.
However, different AR-15 variants will often have different MOA adjustment values. On some rifles, one click on the front sight will move the bullet impact 1.2 MOA (about 1.2 inches at 100 yards), while others will move the bullet impact 1.5-2 MOA.
The same goes for the rear sight, and you can expect one click to move the bullet impact .5-.75 MOA, depending on the rifle. The only way to be 100 percent sure with your rifle is to take it to the range and experiment with it.
Also, don’t forget that when shooting at 25 yards, you will need four times the number of clicks (4 MOA equals about 1 inch) to move the bullet impact the same distance at 25 yards as you would at 100 yards.
For example, assume that I shot a group at 25 yards that hit 1 inch high and 2 inches to the left with a rifle that has 1.25 MOA elevation and .5 MOA windadge adjustments. Since I need to move the bullet impact down and to the right, I’d rotate the front sight three clicks counterclockwise (round to the nearest whole number) and adjust the rear sight 16 clicks clockwise.
After making the required number of adjustments, shoot another group. If that group hits where you’re aiming, your AR-15 is now zeroed at 25 yards. If not, make the necessary adjustments to your sights and continue shooting until you have a good 25-yard zero.
Using the same techniques described earlier, you can now start shooting at longer range, if desired. Since you zeroed the rifle at 25 yards, it should be at least hitting the paper at 50 or 100 yards. The only difference now is that you need to remember that the number of clicks necessary to move your bullet impact at 50 or 100 yards is different than at 25 yards. At 50 yards, moving your sight 2 MOA/inch and at 100 yards 1 MOA/inch.
There is a lot of debate in the shooting community about the best distance at which to zero your AR-15. The correct answer all depends on the specifics of your rifle and ammunition as well as the typical distances at which you plan to shoot your rifle. For most people, a 50- or 100-yard zero for their back up iron sights will work great.
Regardless of what range you choose for your final zero range, after you’ve made your final adjustments, fire one last group to confirm your zero. If your group hits where you were aiming, you’re done. While you hope to never have to use it, a good backup iron sight will hold a zero for a long time.
Introduced by Remington in 1906, the .32 Remington was marketed as an alternative to the .32 Winchester Special. Hunters seeking a good bullet for hunting deer and bear that could be found in an auto-loading rifle were presented with a nice choice in the .32 Remington.
Unfortunately, the cartridge never really caught on with the shooting and hunting public and has since fallen out of favor. Though it is a great choice for hunting under certain circumstances, the .32 Remington is now rarely found outside of old gun collections or the collections of people who specifically look for rare and obsolete cartridges like the .32 Remington.
When the Remington Arms Company introduced the Remington Auto-Loading Rifle (later known as the Remington Model 8) in 1906, they introduced four new cartridges: the .25 Remington, the .30 Remington, the .32 Remington and the.35 Remington.
The .32 Remington was specifically designed to be a competitor to the .32 Winchester that was offered in the popular Winchester Model 94 lever action rifle. The original load of the cartridge propelled a 170-grain, .321-caliber bullet at just under 2,200 feet per second, which generated around 1,700 foot pounds of energy.
Since Winchester pretty much had the lever-action rifle market locked down with the venerable Model 1894, Remington decided to produce rifles chambered in roughly comparable cartridges that were either auto-loading (Model 8 & Model 81) or pump-action (Model 14 & Model 141). Among several other cartridges, all of these rifles were chambered in .32 Remington in an effort to stake out a portion of the market of hunters and shooters who wanted a medium-bore auto-loading or pump-action rifle.
Though the .32 Remington is a decent cartridge and is quite capable of taking a wide variety of game under the right circumstances, it never was popular. In fact, of all the cartridges introduced by Remington along with the Model 8 rifle, only the .35 Remington is still in regular production today. For one reason or another, all of its sister cartridges have gone by the wayside over the years and fallen out of use in the general hunting public.
Unfortunately, the cartridge never really caught on with the shooting and hunting public and has since fallen out of favor. Though it is a great choice for hunting under certain circumstances, the .32 Remington is now rarely found outside of old gun collections or the collections of people who specifically look for rare and obsolete cartridges like the .32 Remington.
When the Remington Arms Company introduced the Remington Auto-Loading Rifle (later known as the Remington Model 8) in 1906, they introduced four new cartridges: the .25 Remington, the .30 Remington, the .32 Remington and the.35 Remington.
The .32 Remington was specifically designed to be a competitor to the .32 Winchester that was offered in the popular Winchester Model 94 lever action rifle. The original load of the cartridge propelled a 170-grain, .321-caliber bullet at just under 2,200 feet per second, which generated around 1,700 foot pounds of energy.
Since Winchester pretty much had the lever-action rifle market locked down with the venerable Model 1894, Remington decided to produce rifles chambered in roughly comparable cartridges that were either auto-loading (Model 8 & Model 81) or pump-action (Model 14 & Model 141). Among several other cartridges, all of these rifles were chambered in .32 Remington in an effort to stake out a portion of the market of hunters and shooters who wanted a medium-bore auto-loading or pump-action rifle.
Though the .32 Remington is a decent cartridge and is quite capable of taking a wide variety of game under the right circumstances, it never was popular. In fact, of all the cartridges introduced by Remington along with the Model 8 rifle, only the .35 Remington is still in regular production today. For one reason or another, all of its sister cartridges have gone by the wayside over the years and fallen out of use in the general hunting public.
.32 Remington loads
As stated earlier, the .32 Remington is no longer in regular production by any major ammunition manufacturer. It is possible to occasionally find loaded ammunition at gun shows and on the Internet, but the supply of factory-loaded .32 Remington ammunition is sporadic at best. When it is available, it is usually pretty expensive. The most common load is still a 170gr soft point traveling between 2,000 and 2,200 feet per second.
If you have a rifle chambered in .32 Remington that you really want to shoot or hunt with, hand-loading is probably your best bet. There is still a fair amount of reloading data out there about the cartridge and .321 diameter bullets aren’t too difficult to obtain. Brass is occasionally available from major distributors, and it is even possible to resize brass from a couple of other cartridges to the appropriate dimensions to work in a rifle chambered in .32 Remington.
When shot from a good rifle by a competent shooter, the .32 Remington can be an accurate cartridge. Back when I still had it, I shot many groups around 1-2 MOA with my old Remington Model 8.
That being said, one of the biggest shortcomings of the .32 Remington is its limited range. It fires bullets with a relatively low ballistic coefficient at a relatively slow velocity, which makes for a trajectory that is the opposite of flat. With this in mind, the maximum effective range for the .32 Remington is about 200 yards. However, for most shooters and conditions, 100-150 yards is probably more realistic.
Hunting with the .32 Remington
Even with all of the shortcomings inherent in the cartridge, the .32 Remington is still a great round for use on big game such as deer, feral hogs, and black bear. I’ve hunted pretty extensively with a Remington Model 8 chambered in .32 Remington, and I’ve used it to take my biggest trophy white-tail deer, a couple of feral hogs and even a Corsican Ram with it.
I can attest that with proper shot placement and when used at close range (where bullet drop is minimal), it is an absolutely deadly cartridge on medium-sized big game. As long as the range is short enough, it can even be an ethical cartridge for hunting elk (though it wouldn’t be my first choice). Additionally, since it fires a moderately sized bullet at a moderate velocity, the .32 Remington does not produce large amounts of ruined, bloodshot meat like high-velocity cartridges do.
Though it has largely fallen into disuse by most of the American hunting community, the .32 Remington can still be a great cartridge for hunting deer and other big game. As long as you can get enough ammunition (often easier said than done) and take only shots at close range, the deer and feral hogs in the area should be wary of a hunter armed with an old Remington Model 8 or 14 chambered in .32 Remington.