Editors Note: On Target would like to introduce our newest contributor, Paul Panella. A former editor at the San Francisco Review of Books, Paul is a long time firearms enthusiast and a welcome addition to our staff. Based in San Diego, he is a freelance writer and NRA Highpower F-T/R competitor.
by Paul Panella
Whether or not you were ever a Boy Scout, their motto “Be Prepared” is a sound one. Troy Industries has applied that sentiment to the sight system on a modern AR type rifle sporting optics. Today’s rifle scopes may be technically advanced, but they can still fail. More often than not, internal mechanisms like elevation and parallax adjustments can go south. There’s never a good moment for that to happen, but having an option if it does occur is something Troy Industries has addressed with their front and rear back-up micro sights.
A supplier of OEM parts for such companies as Smith and Wesson, Sturm Ruger, LaRue Tactical, HK and others, Troy offers battle sights in a variety of configurations, but the DOA irons differ from regular sights in an innovative way. DOA stands for “Di-Optic Aperture”. It’s a system that uses a diamond shaped rear aperture instead of the usual round peep sight.
When coupled with a traditional AR front post, it’s intended to draw the eye naturally to a proper, more precise alignment. The idea being that it’s easier to line up a post with the two notches, top and bottom, of a diamond then it is to approximate dead center of a circle. Coming from years of using standard AR sight systems, I found this to be surprisingly true. The di-optic aperture seemed to require less effort to align while keeping target acquisition just as fast as regular irons.
Troy DOA sights are designed for picatinny rails and attach quickly without special
tools. Robustly constructed of aluminum and steel, they’re less than half an inch high when collapsed. This makes them handy, but unobtrusive when mounted under a scope.
Raising and lowering of the sights can be done easily with one hand. A reassuring audible click tells you the sights are locked solidly into place. There’s absolutely no play and they feel rock solid so you can trust that they’ll still hold zero between usages. The front sight uses a standard M4 post and adjusts for elevation. The rear sight has easy windage controls. All Troy back-up micro sights are designed to sit at the same height as standard M4 carbine irons so there are no surprises if you have to depend on them in a pinch.
And that’s what having back-up sights is all about isn’t it?
For those who like to “be prepared” for the unexpected, Troy DOA sights deserve some serious consideration.
- Troy back-up DOA micro sights are U.S.A. made and sold as a pair. They retail on Troy’s site for $199.00 per set. If DOA isn’t your thing, Troy also has the tried-and-true HK circle-in-circle. You can find them both on Amazon.
Photos courtesy of Paul Panella.
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