Recently I have had a chance to check out the Magpul Back-Up Sights also know as MBUS. There are a lot of companies out there that make flip-up sights but the majority of them are made out of metal and cost anywhere from $150-300. The MBUS are injection molded polymer back-up sights that are lightweight and very cost effective at only $98 for a front and rear pair.
Their low profile size allows you to keep them mounted to your rifle even when you have a scope mounted as well. Take the scope off and you are ready for some CQB.
One of the many cool feature of the MBUS is that it locks in the down position but is spring loaded to flip up by pressing on either the ambidextrous flared tabs located on the sides or pressing down on the Magpul logo toward the front of the sight. Imagine you are sitting back, relaxing and all of the sudden your thrown into a situation where you need your rifle. As soon as you put your hands on the rifle you can press both release levers at the same time and then you are ready to go. Your trigger hand activates the rear sight and the forward hand activates the front sight.
Obviously, Magpul makes some awesome stuff but I was really surprised to feel how sturdy/robust the MBUS’s are. These aren’t some toy sight designed to go on a BB gun. They are legitimate, tactical ready, Back-Up Sights.
They are very easy to sight in. The rear sight has a click-wheel windage adjustment and two different aperture openings. The larger aperture is for engaging closer targets and the smaller aperture is for farther away targets. The front sight is a standard A2 front sight which uses a normal 4-prong A2 front sight adjustment tool.
As much as I like my more expensive metal back-up sights, the Magpul MBUS sights will be what I choose to mount on my rifle. Anyone looking for a nice set of Back-Up Sights can’t go wrong with the Magpul MBUS. They are just as nice, if not nicer, than many other back-up sights that will cost you quite a bit more. You can purchase either the Gen I or Gen II model. The Gen II model is a bit smaller to accommodate more optics. Check them out at Magpul.com .