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Magpul announced this week (just ahead of the NRA Annual Meeting) that they have a new line of flip-up backup sights. This time, they’re made of steel rather than plastic. That plasticity was the main complaint about the previous sights, and it doesn’t hurt that the new versions have a new look to them as well. They’re slated for a late summer 2013 release, with the front sight retailing at $84.95 and the rear at $104.95. Make the jump for their PR reps’ pitch . . .

The new MBUS Pro. The all-steel back up sighting solution that delivers maximum functionality and strength with minimum bulk at a price that’s even smaller than its size.  The dual aperture, windage adjustable rear and no-tool, elevation adjustable front excel in all 1913 Picatinny rail mounting applications, including rail-height gas blocks.

Positive detents keep the MBUS PRO front and rear at standard AR sight height when deployed, and so low when they are stowed that you’ll never notice them until they’re needed. Narrow width front is compatible with most IR aiming laser and light installations for the professional user.

  • All steel construction
  • Elevation adjustment knob – no tools required
  • Positive detents in both the up and down positions
  • .432” height above rail at tallest point when stowed
  • Standard AR sight height when deployed
  • Stowed footprint covers less than 1 5/8” of rail

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38 COMMENTS

    • You’re not kidding about the counterfeiting. I was at the gun show a month back and it was open season on fake goods. Especially knockoff Tango Down and grippod products. I took a cell phone picture of each which was promptly followed by a nasty “no photogrpahy” warning.

  2. Possibly stupid question alert:

    Anybody know if there’s a way to put these on a Bushmaster M17S bullpup? I’ve got an EOTech Holosight on it, but the fixed sights on the thing are so bad, it’s questionable if you could call them “sights” at all…

    Or is there another option with another such sight? I’ve been looking for something to remedy the sight situation.

    • Sadly, without a full length rail, your options are limited. I would talk a local gunsmith. You’re talking about a lot of work on that rifle.

    • i might have a cheaper solution for you. maybe try an 45 degree offset mount or offset iron sights to provide a quick set of back up sights incase your eotech goes down. but being a eotech owner we both know that will be hard to make them go down.

  3. I didn’t mind the plastic ones. They are “back-up” sights after all, and are good out to 300 even after a beating. Seem to me if you are wanting to use them instead of an optic they might be a decent investment though.

    • I think the primary issue w/ the plastic ones is that you can’t put the front one on a gas block rail. It gets too hot and the sight will melt. I would have purchased the Magpul set for one of my rifles if not for that…

  4. Flip-up sights are ridiculously expensive for the amount of material and machining necessary to produce them. It’s not just Magpul, either — everyone is making serious money selling flip up BUIS units.

    • Troy is making a lot of money – and Magpul was a decent plastic alternative. Hey, capitalism. Now we’ll probably have at least one new decent alternative.

  5. For about the same price ($0.04 more) for the rear, you can get a Matech that has windage and distance adjustments.

  8. Nice I guess but I like my fixed font sight tower and the only reason I havent gone with a fixed rear yet is money.

  9. meh, there are many more proven options out there, troy among others, and yes troy is expensive option but if you get them on black friday you are good to go (that’s what i did, got the ones with the tridium too).

  10. Kitup did a 5 foot drop test on concrete between Troy, Diamondhead and MBUS. MBUS were the only ones that didn’t lose any functionality and had only 1 MOA POI shift (and were even dropped twice). I’m perfectly fine with my MBUS.

    • Ding! Like I said earlier, they can take a beating and still hit @ 300 yrds just fine. And worst case scenario, are easier and cheaper to replace. If you were a real nut-job of a prepper you could buy a spare set, sight them in and pop them into your go bag – and if you shopped around you could do it for less than a sing pair of Troy sights. That’s the very definition of “back-up”.

  11. The downside here is that they have a detent locking system so they won’t stay up if you brush the gun up against something. I’d like to know how much force it would take to fold them back down. I like the profile of the rear sight and how, in the folded position, it tucks up nicely with the charging handle in their photos.

    The nice thing about the Troys is that they will lock up and require pressing a release button to lower them back to the folded position.

  12. I’m sorry, but this seems pretty pricey for a set of sights. Just becuase they’re steel? I’m sorry, that’s a pretty penny.

    • The cost is a function of the tooling – they need to amortize the cost. These look like either a cast or MIM (metal injection molding) part. The tool would be relatively cheap in China, but it’s ten times more expensive to do it in the USA. That being said, I think these would destroy the competition if they priced them more aggressively – I think $75 – $80 apiece would be a great price point for these. More expensive that the standard plastic MBUS, but still undercutting the competition (which is a large part of why the MBUS are so popular in my opinion).

      The biggest thing I will miss with these new sights is the spring loaded flip-up action that the plastic MBUS has. I love that feature, even if it is one more part to fail. I will still likely try a pair of these at some point though. I particularly like how the rear sight narrows so that it fits nicely in on the landing in the center of the charging handle.

      • Yes that price is average for metal sights. People should not be surprised because Troy and Midwest Ind are priced the same way.

        These new MBUS are a great option for those that want Magpul sights and can afford the extra $$.

  13. Magpul? That used to be a Colorado company, right? Oh, wait. It still is.

    I thought that they were leaving CO. I think I read that somewhere.

  15. not needing a tool for adjustment is going to be the big sellin point, besides the fact that its magpul. lazy people like me just use a knife to adjust the front

  17. Oh Yes ! !… I just place my order.. For the New Magpul MBUS Pro front and rear sights, got them at Brownells they have them in stock for less, got them for $177.94 with shipping, so now I can replace my old MBUS Magpul Gen 2 sights, now to cancel the order I have with another web site that didn’t have them available ..

    AR15/M16 MBUS Pro Backup Sight Set : AR15/M16 MBUS Pro Sight Set | Brownells
    http://www.brownells.com
    AR15/M16 MBUS Pro Backup Sight Set The MBUS® Pro is a Melonite-finished all-steel back up sighting solution that delivers maximum functionality and strength …

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