Anyone who knows me knows that I am somewhat of a student of the psychology of perception. How the brain sees things and organizes shapes, lines, colors and even how it makes assumptions. It is a fantastic science. One thing that is science fact is the brain has an easy time lining up circles or determining if the circles are in alignment. I was cutting washers to cap the barrel shrouds on the S2s (something that customers seem to want) and something looked off. The center hole was not quite right. I examined the cutting program an sure enough it was cutting the inner hole offset 0.05 inches from the center. I could see that tiny difference. This is not a skill I uniquely have, it is biological – something all people can do to some extent.
This fact is why I like diopter sights; sights like the MP5, the HK416, the Troy Back up Iron Sights (BUIS) etc. A circle aperture lining up with an encircled front post. They are the fastest sight to line up and they blow the traditional rabbit ear sights (like the AR15) out of the water. People who try diopters seldom, willingly go back.
Diopter sights do not need a full circle to work, having a break in the top still allows the principle to function. The 416 sights are an example of this.
So I have this article who’s title suggests I am going to talk about Magpul back up sights. Now that I have the science out of the way, I will get to it.
I had the chance to examine the Magpul Gen 1 and Gen 2 sights mainly because most retailers are dumping their Gen 1 sights to make way for the Gen 2 sights.
The Gen 1 sight posts curve inwards around the front post creating a quasi-circular bracket. I say quasi because the bottom is squared off. The front sight reminds me of the PPS-43 front sight. Combined with the rear aperture it makes a damn fine sight, using the human brain’s natural ability to line up on the target.
The Gen 2 sights have the outer posts curving in but on the vertical plane, the sight area is very shallow creating a frame that is rectangular and obviously so. The brain does not line up rectangles very well and it certainly does not line up rectangles inside circles so you are left with that is essentially a traditional American style sight where you line the post up in the middle of the rear sight. Despite a few pluses that the Gen 2 has, I feel it is a step backwards.
With the rush towards, “Combat Sexy” where only the latest trend will do, I have found that wholesalers and retailers are letting their Gen 1 sights go at criminally low prices. If you are looking for a BUIS, go out and get a Magpul Gen 1.
