I am starting this thread to respond to the discussion that grew out of the Bushnell Holosight thread.
There are some that feel that the M16 (which we shall use to designate all of the myriad variations of the weapon) should not even be available with the A3 removable carry handle, as it is redundant. The opposite extreme loves to hang everything on these guns, and are probably seen with one of the Reed Knight Rail Interface Systems (RIS) on their gun.
I'm against hanging 8 extra pounds of high speed lightweight gear on a 7 lb carbine, but do feel that a white light system and electronic optics mounted in line with iron sights make for a versatile system. Beyond that is a waste. I don't favor the use of the A3 flat top upper or relevant mounting systems to swap out a million different gizmos. This runs the risk of forgetting what you have mounted on the weapon, enhancing the likelihood of operator error.
As for the Mark Brown mount, which places an Aimpoint Comp in front of the A2/A3 rear sight assembly, it seems to be the most elegant of the various designs. The A2 mounting system seen in the Gunsite catalog looks robust, I only hope the A3 version is as good. The next best thing is one of those SWAN or GG&G rails with the flip up rear sight. Both sighting systems require that the scope be mounted on top of the bolt on rail, but I haven't heard of too many problems with the stacking of the rails (as far as structural integrity issues). If I recall, there may be one or two flip up sights available that will attach directly to the receiver rail, but then you need to flip them up before you can use them (they're a little flimsy to be up all the time).
[This message has been edited by Hilton (edited 10-28-98).]
There are some that feel that the M16 (which we shall use to designate all of the myriad variations of the weapon) should not even be available with the A3 removable carry handle, as it is redundant. The opposite extreme loves to hang everything on these guns, and are probably seen with one of the Reed Knight Rail Interface Systems (RIS) on their gun.
I'm against hanging 8 extra pounds of high speed lightweight gear on a 7 lb carbine, but do feel that a white light system and electronic optics mounted in line with iron sights make for a versatile system. Beyond that is a waste. I don't favor the use of the A3 flat top upper or relevant mounting systems to swap out a million different gizmos. This runs the risk of forgetting what you have mounted on the weapon, enhancing the likelihood of operator error.
As for the Mark Brown mount, which places an Aimpoint Comp in front of the A2/A3 rear sight assembly, it seems to be the most elegant of the various designs. The A2 mounting system seen in the Gunsite catalog looks robust, I only hope the A3 version is as good. The next best thing is one of those SWAN or GG&G rails with the flip up rear sight. Both sighting systems require that the scope be mounted on top of the bolt on rail, but I haven't heard of too many problems with the stacking of the rails (as far as structural integrity issues). If I recall, there may be one or two flip up sights available that will attach directly to the receiver rail, but then you need to flip them up before you can use them (they're a little flimsy to be up all the time).
[This message has been edited by Hilton (edited 10-28-98).]