These comments from a LEO: “Doesn’t anyone practice with iron-sights anymore? And, how many times have you stressed the point of keeping to the basics by using your iron sights?”
Hard to dispute! In my Urban Rifle Courses, one drill I always try to include is:
During a Movement-and-Cover Exercise, stop the student mid-way. Turn his Aimpoint, EOTech, Z-Point, etc., off, and then invite him to continue the drill. We call it the “Battery-Failure Simulation.”
Of course, he must deploy his iron sights sand use them to hit all remaining targets.
All rifles equipped with optics need:
1.) co-witnessed iron sights, or
2.) need a way of getting the optic off the rifle entirely, and quickly, so that “non-co-witnessed” iron sights can be employed.
Sometimes, we find “co-witnessed” iron sights to be way off. The student has them, but has never sighted-in the rifle with them!
This drill opens a few eyes, to be sure!
A solid foundation in the effective use of iron sights is essential for anyone claiming to be a competent rifleman and operator.
Red dots are surely helpful, but we need to be careful with the overdependence that will inevitably creep in with over use! Indeed, some red-dot users have forgotten entirely what a consistent cheek-weld is, or they never knew in the first place.
If nothing else, competent operators don’t paint themselves into corners!