Images by the author

I wish I had invested in sights for AR-pattern rifles years ago… I could’ve retired all over. There is a vast ocean of sights, both iron and electronic, for the AR owner to choose from. I have reported on many of them over the years, especially those of the red dot variety, but there’s something special about “plain” iron back-up sights. If your optic fails at a critical moment, whatcha gonna do, to use the vernacular. If you have this set of sights, just flip them up, and you’re good to go.

XS is a sight company known for its “big dot” tritium pistol and revolver sights. I reviewed one such sight set for a Diamondback SDR .357 revolver… You can read that here. That big, bright front sight just pops. But what if you wanted the Tritium advantage on your AR? No problem – XS has you covered.

I found out that they made AR irons, so I requested a set. They sent a set of flip-up backup sights…  You can see them here if you’re interested. 

XS includes a small tool for adjusting your front sight height and an Allen wrench.

I know, it’s not centered, but this is close to what your eye sees. You have a choice between a large or small aperture… I flipped the large one up for the photo. The Tritium stripe on the front post definitely sticks out.

Flip ‘Em Up!

Flip-up sights are not new, but they are sure useful. You can leave them on your rifle and still use a high-mounted scope or red dot. Once zeroed, the sights can just live on your rifle, ready to be used if your optic fails or is damaged. That’s a comforting thought. 

Here are the sights, folded down. I mounted them on my HM Defense Stealth suppressed AR… that is one handy rifle! 

If you need to add some very decent backup sights to your AR, you might want to give these a look. XS is known for sights, and these sure work as designed. The sight set retails for $350, or you can buy either sight separately. That’s a good investment, in my opinion… you’d rather have ‘em and not need ‘em, rather than the other way around!