[veeklog]

I am buying a MR556 upper with my tax return, and wanted to know if it is worth buying a 33mm folding front sight tower. Are they durable and worth the money? If not, i will either buy the fixed H&K front and rear sights or KAC folding sights.

 

[dms16]

IMHO: They are absolutely NOT worth it.

First, the 33mm tower can only work with the rear folding sights. Together from HKParts, that will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $475-500 shipped if you get the German rear. That makes KAC irons look cheap. And you can't mix and match with any other sight options and you will have trouble finding cowitness mounts if you ever want to run a red dot sight. The front sight is really thin, and with the post and protective sides, it looks like a tiny pitchfork and offers a rather poor sight picture. If you ever run a magnified optic, you have several hundred dollars sitting there doing nothing (the front sight if folded is taking a bunch of heat and carbon off that gas block bleed off valve port. You are also stuck using the short factory handguard otherwise the front sight is stuck under the rail and isn't usable.

Regarding robustness...I've had these sights before, but not long enough to put them through hard use. However, I saw areas on both the front and rear where I questioned their robustness.

But hey...It's your money

 

[veeklog]

IMHO: They are absolutely NOT worth it.

First, the 33mm tower can only work with the rear folding sights. Together from HKParts, that will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $475-500 shipped if you get the German rear. That makes KAC irons look cheap. And you can't mix and match with any other sight options and you will have trouble finding cowitness mounts if you ever want to run a red dot sight. The front sight is really thin, and with the post and protective sides, it looks like a tiny pitchfork and offers a rather poor sight picture. If you ever run a magnified optic, you have several hundred dollars sitting there doing nothing (the front sight if folded is taking a bunch of heat and carbon off that gas block bleed off valve port. You are also stuck using the short factory handguard otherwise the front sight is stuck under the rail and isn't usable.

Regarding robustness...I've had these sights before, but not long enough to put them through hard use. However, I saw areas on both the front and rear where I questioned their robustness.

But hey...It's your money

Thanks; think I will stick with KAC's.

 

[RegularGuy461969]

I am buying a MR556 upper with my tax return, and wanted to know if it is worth buying a 33mm folding front sight tower. Are they durable and worth the money? If not, i will either buy the fixed H&K front and rear sights or KAC folding sights.

Are talking about the one that attaches to the gas block and flips down or are you talking about the new ones shown on the 416F that are now available from GGW?

If it's the one that attaches to the gas block, dms is dead on (as usual). I have RAHGs on my rifles and can't use any of the 4 of them that I own.

But the new one looks kind of interesting. It too only works with rear NFS.

Heckler & Koch Abklappbares Korn 33 mm Visierlinie German GunWorks

 

[Mr.Maim]

IMHO: They are absolutely NOT worth it.

First, the 33mm tower can only work with the rear folding sights. Together from HKParts, that will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $475-500 shipped if you get the German rear. That makes KAC irons look cheap. And you can't mix and match with any other sight options and you will have trouble finding cowitness mounts if you ever want to run a red dot sight. The front sight is really thin, and with the post and protective sides, it looks like a tiny pitchfork and offers a rather poor sight picture. If you ever run a magnified optic, you have several hundred dollars sitting there doing nothing (the front sight if folded is taking a bunch of heat and carbon off that gas block bleed off valve port. You are also stuck using the short factory handguard otherwise the front sight is stuck under the rail and isn't usable.

Regarding robustness...I've had these sights before, but not long enough to put them through hard use. However, I saw areas on both the front and rear where I questioned their robustness.

But hey...It's your money

Damn. That has got to be the most thorough "let me tell you why you don't want this" description of a product and its pitfalls I have read in a long time. Bravo @dms16 , great answer!

 

[gopherboy128]

You want the 28mm folding front sight, that works with the corresponding rear diopter drum sight. Co-witnesses with my Aimpoint CompM4 and correct-height LaRue Tactical mount.

Quick cellphone pic- not the best quality (sorry)

 

[dragnet]

Did they move from the "traditional HK" drum diopter sights to these modern flimsy-looking flip-ups for the cost savings or because everyone has all manner of optics these days making irons mostly redundant?

I was looking at an MR556 at the LGS and I was really tempted but I really dislike the aesthetics of the flip-ups it had and those classic diopters aren't cheap.

 

[Sextus]

To give my honest feedback on the sights. The look great! I personally like the sight picture that is provided by the flip up set. HOWEVER, I couldn't get an absolute co-witness mount and that to me is a deal breaker. I'm not into lower 1/3. I have since moved on to a the original diopter sights as I am expecting a geissele rail soon. if interested my front and rear sight are up on the marketplace for a stupid low price.

 

[dms16]

To give my honest feedback on the sights. The look great! I personally like the sight picture that is provided by the flip up set. HOWEVER, I couldn't get an absolute co-witness mount and that to me is a deal breaker. I'm not into lower 1/3. I have since moved on to a the original diopter sights as I am expecting a geissele rail soon. if interested my front and rear sight are up on the marketplace for a stupid low price.

Interesting...

 

[Sextus]

My MR556 isn't a "go to" rifle (yet) so I have been experimenting with the aesthetics. I used the closed loop from sight with the 3mm rear and it looked good on my 10.5" upper. Again, the biggest draw back was the lack of absolute co-witness. I spent TONS of time looking up everything just to realize that there is nothing that would work with these sights properly. your opinion of the sights due have merit, if you have a vented gas block you will have them get carbon, and it could even lead to them seizing up. I don't regret buying the sights, however I do regret not doing my homework before hand.