Iron sights

Uncommon card · No. 140430

Iron sights are a system of physical alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist the accurate aiming of ranged weapons such as firearms, airguns, crossbows, and bows, or less commonly as a primitive finder sight for optical telescopes. Iron sights, which are typically made of metal, are the earliest and simplest type of sighting device. Since iron sights neither magnify nor illuminate the target, they rely completely on the viewer's naked eye and the available light by which the target is visible. In this respect, iron sights are distinctly different from optical sight designs that employ optical manipulation or active illumination, such as telescopic sights, reflector (reflex) sights, holographic sights, and laser sights. Iron sights are typically composed of two components mounted perpendicularly above the weapon's bore axis: a 'rear sight' nearer (or 'proximal') to the shooter's eye, and a 'front sight' farther forward (or 'distal') near the muzzle. During aiming, the shooter...

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