Sights: when to bother, when to not

[Floperator]

So I lost the rear sight leaf from my WE Galaxy G at the weekend - fuck knows how - and while searching for a replacement unit yesterday and contemplating ordering from yet another obscure Hong-Kongian airsoft site, I kind of had the epiphany that I never use the sight on the pistol when skirmishing anyway, I'm generally just point-shooting inside buildings with it.. So I removed the front sight and what was left of the rear, and not only does the pistol look very cool and sleek, almost welrod-esque, it goes in and out of the holster so much easier now. So I'm pretty sure that's staying as is and I won't miss it. And I've saved £20.

 

That said I've heard a bit of talk about people not bothering to use sights on long arms and just walking the BBs in, and while yeah, you can do that, it doesn't work in all light conditions. And you're missing out on precision that can make the game a lot more fun IMO. I love having magnification (though that's a separate thing), and I like being able to take longer shots without having to  spam BBs to get on target. But maybe this is just because I like a DMR style of play?

 

Does anyone not bother using sights on long arms? Anyone love using the sight on their pistols?

[Crazy_Crystal]

23 minutes ago, Floperator said:

That said I've heard a bit of talk about people not bothering to use sights on long arms and just walking the BBs in, and while yeah, you can do that, it doesn't work in all light conditions. And you're missing out on precision that can make the game a lot more fun IMO. I love having magnification (though that's a separate thing), and I like being able to take longer shots without having to  spam BBs to get on target. But maybe this is just because I like a DMR style of play?

I always use optics on my rifles and SMG's but I should caveat that I also mostly use gas rifles and when you're talking about 35 rds in a mag walking rounds on target doesn't work. I'd also say that allows you to indulge in some sneaky shooting... there is something fun about quietly working through some bushes to take a couple of shots and disappear again before they can identify where you were firing from. (Quiet easy to do with a gbbr as the sounds a bit harder to locate from just a few shots.)

Having said that I am pretty similar to you with regards to instinctive point shooting with a pistol. although at more open sites you do need to aim a bit more due to longer distances and smaller targets, for that reason I'd never not have the sights on my pistol. 

[Steveocee]

Indoors I use a tracer so no sight needed.

Outdoors, you can eye it in to a degree, a red dot can help with rough location of target.

 

It's airsoft though, engagement distances are rarely where you need that kind of precision.

[Ebeneezer Goode]

I never use sights, a scope looks cool but learned very early on that a) I can see where my shots are going anyway, so no need, b) my face pro gets in the way and c) it's additional weight.

 

I just point n shoot now, and I'm not half bad at that.

[SussexMatt]

Realistically most people who don't run a DMR, sniper or a GBB RIF there's not much point other than looks. 

[Rogerborg]

Allan loves wonderous variety.

 

I run everything from zoomy-scoped sniper and DMR, 3x, red dot, reflex, iron sights, tracer, to crudely hacked out foam sights and point-and-spray-pray.

 

It all works to some degree, and it's all fun.  The harder the shot, the greater the God-like feeling of satisfaction from making it.

[RostokMcSpoons]

I do like using my Kobra on my DE906.  It's zeroed in nicely so I can pre-aim and get a one-shot kill at medium distance. 
It adds something to the feel of the thing.   Watching the stream of plastic and walking it in is 'all airsoft and no realism'.   I know talking about realism is a bit silly in this context, but we enjoy good quality webbing, camo, boots, and realistic looking guns, so why compromise on the shooting bit, the bit that ought to be the most important?

If I can't get the sight zeroed properly though... 

 

Edited May 24, 2022 by RostokMcSpoons

[JimFromHorsham]

Scopes on scopes here ? 

 

[Floperator]

4 minutes ago, JimFromHorsham said:

Scopes on scopes here ?

 

It's had a lot of hate but I do rate the stacked optic setup!

Got a fake vism folding dot sight on top of a facog and it just works for every occasion, and also looks cool as all balls when you flick it up.

 

If it wasn't for hop-up I'd probably have a set of canted iron sights too, for full redundancy.

[JimFromHorsham]

34 minutes ago, Floperator said:

It's had a lot of hate but I do rate the stacked optic setup!

Got a fake vism folding dot sight on top of a facog and it just works for every occasion, and also looks cool as all balls when you flick it up.

 

If it wasn't for hop-up I'd probably have a set of canted iron sights too, for full redundancy.

Pesky hop-ups ruin all the fun ? 

[Tommikka]

A core part of airsoft is dressing up to play soldiers 

If you want to play ‘most effectively’ then watch the speedsofters and aim for practicality & effectiveness

 

But there will be the larping side of dressing up and having the ‘right’ equipment,the streamlined quick & efficient speedsoft and somewhere in between 

 

With pistols it’s hard to bear the natural

pointing capability.

At playable ranges the slightly experienced player should be able to point approximately where it’s going to hit without great use of sights

If you are going to try and be the great one shot ninja then you should put the time in with practice under various conditions to understand the relationship between weapon, sight, bb and weather

 

 

But the important part is fun - ensure that however you play that you can leave smiling 

[Emergencychimps]

I always have a red dot on my rifs and generally a good one (vortex, holy warrior or eotech). 

 

I do so for a couple of reasons: 

 

1. It looks right

2. I get more 1st shot hits than without them, so I have fewer of those occasions of shooting at a player at 40 metres plus, only for them to turn, matrix the bbs (if that's even needed) and return fire/get into cover with my position given away. I often spend more time than most other players at the sites I attend going the longer route, pulling off those unexpected flanking moves. If that takes me 10 minutes of a 60 minute game it's pretty annoying to waste it with the above scenario. 

3. I run a mix of black and white bbs, the white bbs act as a tracer in the day but the black ones force me to use the red dot which I find more immersive (you can't really see where your rounds land/go on a a real one, you have to aim and irons on a n airsoft aren't great.)

4. At night or low light conditions, knowing whether you're shooting them or the wall next to them can be quite important, in the dark or under night vision it's amazing how off point shooting can be. 

5. Firing at an enemy with the sun behind them makes tracking bbs almost impossible, the first time I had a zero'd red dot I had this exact situation and scored a couple of hits, without the red dot I didn't have a clue where my bbs were going. 

6. I know that some of the shots I have managed to hit have only worked out due to having a red dot that was zero'd in. 

[Floperator]

49 minutes ago, JimFromHorsham said:

Pesky hop-ups ruin all the fun ? 

 

Only another 700 FPS or so and I wouldn't need it!

 

24 minutes ago, Tommikka said:

 

If you want to play ‘most effectively’ then watch the speedsofters and aim for practicality & effectiveness

 

 

Well the speedsoft thing is a bit situational I think. I'm sure it works very very well in CQB, but in woodland or open fields a lycra-clad guy running around like Lance Armstrong on PCP is going to be at a disadvantage to a patient hedge monster like me, or at least that's been my experience so far. Sometimes the Guts or Glory charge works wonders, but it didn't work out well for the 8-10 guys I ambushed on sunday.

I'm all about practicality though, not least because I'm fat and lazy and don't carry anything I don't need to ...

[Guest JinxDuh]

Accuracy through superior firepower is the way to go! 

[simonp]

Spent years with out one, then got a good one and will never not have one going forward

 

It may be purely psychological but.....

[Tommikka]

3 hours ago, Floperator said:

 

Only another 700 FPS or so and I wouldn't need it!

 

 

Well the speedsoft thing is a bit situational I think. I'm sure it works very very well in CQB, but in woodland or open fields a lycra-clad guy running around like Lance Armstrong on PCP is going to be at a disadvantage to a patient hedge monster like me, or at least that's been my experience so far. Sometimes the Guts or Glory charge works wonders, but it didn't work out well for the 8-10 guys I ambushed on sunday.

I'm all about practicality though, not least because I'm fat and lazy and don't carry anything I don't need to ...

The all the gear no idea speedsoft run is a bit of a losing tactic 

 

But as we don’t die, but just have to walk back a bit, there’s method in the madness —— if they are running around with some purpose of course 

 

If eliminations matter then you won that engagement 

If someone gained some ground, or finally stoped you dominating an area then they won the engagement

But if they enjoyed the exercise and you enjoyed eliminating them then everyone’s a winner 

[EvilMonkee]

Given the ballistic qualities, or lack thereof, of a 6mm BB; scopes and sights only function is to look good. 

Edited May 24, 2022 by EvilMonkee

[Adolf Hamster]

whilst you can run without sights, having a repeatable point of reference really helps for anything beyond a few feet.

 

needless to say proper irons are better than barrel sighting, red dots better still.

 

magnified optics are tricky, they're useful for shot tracking (ie verifying your pew is shooting where you think it is) at extreme range, and checking target honesty but at the cost of speed in terms of getting into the eyebox and onto the target.

 

as a general rule i tend to stick to red dots on rifles and irons on pistols, not a fan of pistol dots as the few times i've tried them it seemed to be no better than irons by the time you've used them to find the dot anyway.

[SBoardley]

In lo light cqb situations, red dots on both primary and pistol are invaluable; in a darkened room you cannot aim either  correctly without one. 

Edited May 24, 2022 by SBoardley
In my most humble opinion….

[Lozart]

5 hours ago, JinxDuh said:

Accuracy through superior firepower is the way to go! 

 

Spoken like a true M60 gunner!

[Skullchewer]

It's so nice that everyone is honest about it in this thread.
I chuckle so much when people get all fussy about their scopes.

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

I find that I can honestly snap shoot just about far enough to get away with move, mount, shoot style with a primary.  But throw in darkness, adrenalin shakes or glare and a set of irons is useful.

 

That said, I do enjoy an annual weekend with the DMR and period Tasco Wide Angle.  Enjoyment is tempered when younger players ask what the 'cool finish' is on the glossy scope.  

[Skullchewer]

Damn them youngsters.

[Floperator]

[Badgerlicious]

I got a magnifier to see where my bbs were truly going and never looked back! Granted I play the sneaky role, hiding in a hedge and popping people through tiny gaps in the foliage ? But even playing assault I find a red dot invaluable to landing the bbs right away. You say they are pointless given the "ballistic properties" of bbs, but honestly a bb's relatively flat trajectory makes a sight pretty ideal. So long as you account for height over bore you can put a zeroed scope on a fairly consistent shooting pew pew and you can be hitting targets with the first bbs 10/10 times. No need for good light conditions to know where you're pointing.