During my career in the military I was fortunate enough to use a wide variety of optics on the M-4 weapon system. While all of these generally performed well, each was built with a specific purpose and I routinely saw optics being mounted and employed incorrectly, and improper optic use quickly became a personal pet-peeve. Consequently, I’ve put together a list of considerations, tips, and TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures) to help you decide what kind of optic to place on your AR, and some things to keep in mind while you are training.
Purpose is paramount when deciding what type of optic to use, and most AR15 optics can be grouped into these two categories:
For the purposes of this article I will give a quick rundown of the background, purpose, and correct employment of each optic, followed by a few tips, training TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures), and lessons learned from my experiences with these optics.
Apparently the Ulyanovsk ammunition plant located in Russia had an explosion as soldiers were trying to decommission munitions in one of their arsenals by means of controlled detonations. The Ulyanovsk plant is the manufacturer of Brown Bear and Silver Bear ammunition. This is not supposed to disrupt the manufacture of ammunition because the plant was in the process of being shut down as part of a planned decommissioning. One person was killed and 35 injured in the blast. 3,000 people were evacuated form the area. RTE news has an article on the event.