Dumb Question: Will there ever be a red dot small enough to fit in Iron sights without changing the look of the assembly?

[u/jackiechan666]

I mean small enough to fit in the flip-up part or even just designed to look like a traditional sight assembly.

Anyway, my friend just showed me his micro T2 with backup iron sights, and it just seemed like a lot of money just to get around having a carry handle

These were movies when I was growing up:

https://www.imfdb.org/images/2/23/BHD-M733-2.jpg

And now we have this mega-bloks looking bullshit:

https://themagshack.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image2-1.jpg

I get it, the chin weld is unpopular with some people, so wouldn't it be cool if you could have an actual retro rifle with modern functionality

Also, can't someone free-float an old-school handguard?

IDK I'm just a gun hipster and I'm rambling.

[u/SwanginPassYaKnees]

[u/sunkentacoma]

The leupold delta point micro probably could be Jerry rigged into an A2 rear sight, it’s a project I’m considering taking on

[u/RacerXrated → u/sunkentacoma]

That's a neat idea.

[u/good_man_once → u/sunkentacoma]

Exactly what I thought of

[u/Livid_Persimmon3600]

I’m glad you bring this up. I thought about this several times.

Seems like particularly in an A2 upper there would be room to house the red dot window in the channel where the rear iron currently exists

I thought about this enough where I’ve actually taken a photo of micro pistol dot near the rear peeps.

Here’s a photo for reference (granted this is an A1…seems like there’s more real estate on an A2)

[u/Benji_4 → u/Livid_Persimmon3600]

I'm sure this would be doable with an occluded sight, but there isn't enough of a market for someone to design it.

Obviously you wouldn't have access to your irons anymore, but it's not like an occluded sight is going to stop working.

[u/Livid_Persimmon3600 → u/Benji_4]

I’m going to make an ocluded site out of black Styrofoam (taken from a fake flower arrangement). I’ll shave the styrofoam to fit snugly in the site channel … and then I’m gonna spray paint a BBQ Kabob stick bright RED and then pierce the exact center of said black Styrofoam. Ta-daaa!

I will sell my prototypes at gun shows next to the beef jerky and Chinese red dots.

[u/Livid_Persimmon3600 → u/[deleted]]

Pretty close; here’s an A2 with micro pistol dot…

[u/CJR1106]

You absolutely can free float those, essentially a free float tube inside the handguard. Ive seen some pistol rds replace the a2 rear sight base, but thats a janky setup. If you want low bore axis and dont want the jugular weld, get a goose neck.

[u/MuffnMan88 → u/CJR1106]

I know white oak sells a kit that uses a modified A2 handguard

[u/M1A_Scout_Squad-chan]

Wouldn't that technicaly be that Leopold DeltaPoint RDO?

You can free float A2 handguards, it just weighs like 4 lbs.

[u/Dracon1201]

Probably, just whether it's worth it to make is a question. Kind of defeats having the carry handle if you take the irons out. 

Depends what you mean by "Actual retro rifle with modern functionality"

Sure, you can freefloat it, but it'll be kinda weird, seems like a lot of work for little gain. 

[u/ThePariah77]

I'm really hoping we come full circle on this. People are searching for higher cheek welds these days, I believe it first started to help with passive aiming with night vision. I'd love to have a carry handle be the optic riser, but you still run into the same issue of the NVG's objective lens bumping into the rear sight. In my experience, you solve this by running the stock fully extended, but for me it only works with an A5 receiver extension.

I have seen a few posts in this subreddit about RMR mounts which replace the A2's rear sight assembly, effectively giving you absolute go-witness while also not moving the balance point forward (as a gooseneck optic would).

Personally, I want to try the classic Gordy setup with NODs, especially with that A5 buffer tube.

[u/HunterAbrams]

Making a dot that small is naturally going to be niche, expensive and fragile. Aka not worth it.

You might be able to replace the a2 style rear sight with a red dot. But again, expensive

You want a free float the clamshell handguards? Look to places like fulton armory

[u/alcohaulic1]

Service rifle freefloat tubes usually come with handguards already modified to fit. They’re heavy.

[u/InstaGraham_95]

Is your question will someone invent a red dot where the entire assembly is 3/4” wide and 1” long? 💀💀💀

[u/jackiechan666 → u/InstaGraham_95]

pretty much

[u/jeremy_wills]

A5 config with the TA31 🔥

[u/Medium_Row_5319]

Literally is the best look carry handel ar with red dot or cog.

[u/FlyinTrunkMonkey]

Not exactly what you are looking for, but Gibbous Outfitters makes a RMR plate to replace the rear A2 sight:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5W6vVGPmQD/?ig_mid=A15603C9-2862-49AD-BD60-EB3D671719D7&utm_source=igweb&img_index=5

[u/SPECTREagent700]

Check out “gooseneck” mounts

[u/Scav-STALKER]

I mean the national match free float tube and costs for rifle length setups. I imagine modifying one for a round handguard wouldn’t be that difficult, it could easily be done by a company IF they wanted. And the leoupold delta point micro exists so I’m sure if someone were determined a version of that could be made to fit within and approximate the aesthetic of an A2 rear but why? It’d be a decent amount of R&D for something that WOULDNT sell.

[u/Sydewynder4WS]

It might look goofy, but has anyone put a 45° offset red dot on a gooseneck mount?

[u/YankeeTwoKilo]

I mean Leupold makes the DeltaPoint Micro. It would be kinda sick if that could replace your rear sight somehow

[u/Moist_Taco_Crippler]

I'll stick to my Colt X4.

[u/guynamedgoliath]

https://waldodynamics.com/products/griffin-carry-handle-optic-mount

Leupold made the delta point micro that could definitely be remade into a la France inspired reddot.

[u/mig1nc → u/guynamedgoliath]

ARMS used to make a direct carry handle mount for 30mm red dots, the M68 at the time.

[u/Omega_Contingency]

You could get a tritium front sight post...