Magpul MBUS Review

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Magpul MBUS Pro Iron Sights Review

In 2009 Magpul released its first generation of MBUS polymer since iron was basically absent from the layout backup sights aptly named MBUS for Magpul backup Sight. Calling them iron sights would be beguiling specially when it was found that some polymer front sights melted down when attached directly to other gun parts that got a little toasty during sustained fire.

The Gen2 MBUS sights arrived in 2011 farther shoving the design and the approval of the public of vital gun parts made of polymer. When the US Air Force first embraced it back in 1962, coincidentally a number of the exact same criticisms about plastic pieces on military guns echoed the issues with the original Stoner M16 design. Now nearly every rifle has a thermoplastic, fiberglass or polymer variant, but maybe not a wood stock one.
Nevertheless, there was the melting problem. And, obviously, the engineering restlessness we have come to adore from Magpul. Nothing is off limits and nothing is off the table. Although the Gen2 MBUS was arguably the most famous branded back-up “iron” sight in history, it had its limitations. MBUS gained strength through size along with temperature sensitivity. Polymer can turn, and there’s one thing we don’t accept from our sights; its movement so the sights needed to be bigger than aluminium brethren or their ferris.

Precious Real Estate

Railing space was another concern. We looked for methods to squeeze every slot out of our Picatinnys as aftermarket accessories began to crowd the top railing of our rifles. The MBUS wasn’t huge by any measure, but other choices did free up an additional rail slot. The metal layout of the MBUS Pro did lift the weight a little with the difference between the back sight about the weight of a single .223 round, as well as the difference between fronts sights about half that.

The rear MBUS Pro, like its predecessor, is a typical AR height so it totally co-witnesses with the A2 front sight post along with many red dot and holographic sights. Also like its polymer associate, the Pro has same-plane double apertures for far and close shots. Peep or aperture sights are significantly superior to open sights, particularly as back-ups. Painting the target with your front sight post is a lot easier when peeping through a tiny hole than lining up a row of columns expecting the centre one is the front one. Add the strain of losing your principal targeting system and now having to decide which of the sight-post isn’t exactly like the others and you have got the makings for a missed shot.

However, unlike its forerunner, the deploying of the MBUS Pro sight isn’t spring loaded. The Pro demands the user to transfer the sight into its vertical softly locked position like its early ancestors. Manually lifted aperture sights of the ladder and tang variety have been trivial since the late 1800s. Honestly, I favor the more straightforward layout because the sight will not loudly snap to focus with an errant push. While I understand the help the Magpul spring offers me deploying the routine MBUS, I always dampen the snap with my fingers anyhow so I am glad of the replacement.

It has been reported that a loose hold on a .308 or bigger rifle using the MBUS Pro sights might let the recoil to transfer the sight towards its stowed position, but I could never get anything like that to occur. Nevertheless, I do enjoy the fact that if I focus the end of my rifle into a thicket of branches or an immovable object, the sight will fold back instead of fighting with the obstacle.

Home on the Range

Since the MBUS Pro sights are highly conventional at targeting, the primary things to note are how good and simple the sights fix for windage and elevation. The rear sight has a relatively big knob on the correct side that twists the aperture right or left with 12 favorable clicks per spinning. In comparison with the MBUS, the windage knob of the Pro is smaller but thicker, and undoubtedly less difficult to turn. However, in case your hands are wet or cold, turning either knob is really an accomplishment of finger strength.
Another significant design difference of the Pro sight over the polymer MBUS is that the rail clamp on the Pro could be attached without sliding the sight onto the railing just like the first layout. This shouldn’t be an issue, as the sights are often the bookends on the top railing, however, drop-on placement is unarguably better.

A small but welcome difference when comparing the rear Pro to the polymer is the dearth of impediment that is peripheral to the left and right of the peep-hole. Moreover, with the MBUS Pro, all the parts are included in a triangular casing while the Gen2 MBUS has secure extra wings, which even though is not big, do somewhat reduce a number of the situational awareness since the sight is really close to your eye, while concentrating in your goal.

Cost vs. Worth

A peculiar thing about BUIS is the BU component. The sights won’t ever be needed, if everything well. Nevertheless, you’re maybe interested in outfitting your back-up systems with exactly the same care as your main ones. As you can get an extremely pleasant survival knife for the exact same price or less, the MSRP of a pair of MBUS Pro sights appears high. However, in the world of functionality backup iron sights, the cost of the MBUS Pro is similar or less than other popular choices.

There are lots of BUIS choices flying about in the rarefied atmosphere of high quality (Troy Battle Sights), and the MBUS Pros fit right in. Each brand has options, attributes, and colours that go past the functional facets of backing up the main sighting system. However, as signs for our collective quest for something better, an intriguing occurrence took place reminiscent of Apple Computer’s new product announcements in that between Magpul’s press release about the upcoming MBUS Pro sights as well as their real shipping to dealers six months after, I found myself in more than several conversations about what the sights would offer over the standard (and quite wonderful, I might add) collection of BUIS already on the shop shelves. To put it differently, Magpul had created a significant buzz for a product that was common and which they are yet to sell.