lets see if i can put this in the right place this time, lol.
so i have an ar with the optic mounted something like an inch up off of the rail. i’ve been told that that’s so it can co-witness with the irons. my problem though…when i shoulder the rifle, and get a nice cheek weld, i feel like my eyeball’s too low for the sight. i actually have to pick my head up a little. so…presuming that i don’t give a dam about co-witnessing the irons…is there really any reason why i can’t just mount my optic directly to the rail? rather than propping it up higher?
i really feel stupid asking this one. but…sometimes i’m a dumbass, lolol
What kind of optic and what mounts? Co-witness is ~1.42", lower 1/3 co-witness ~1.57 and high rise is like ~1.9"+. 1" seems low already so I suspect you have 1.42" height? Pics would help
And you want to make this lower? Functionally, it’s fine. Just don’t let the optic itself touch the rail making sure there is a little clearance. Keep in mind anytime you change the height over bore it will change your trajectories/point of impact.
Apparently I have weird cheekbones so I had to go hunting for a riser that was comfortable and worked for my face (in my case a few tenths of an inch HIGHER). I have no irons to cowitness.
So, yes, it’s reasonable that you’d have to do some work to get a good repeatable cheek weld. Mounting the optic to the rail would be REALLY low (assuming your optic is essentially a straight tube and even fits that way) but if it worked for you at least you don’t have to worry much about holdovers lol
Generally the reason that AR optics have a riser is that the comb of the stock is in line with the barrel vs. a drop on more traditional rifle stocks. Traditionally, a riser will move it to 1.54" above the rail for co-witnessing with irons, 1.93" for a lower 1/3 co-witness, or 2.26" which is becoming more and more common with night vision.
That said, you may simply need a shorter riser, but there’s no reason that you can’t mount directly to the rail IF that allows you to get a consistent cheek weld.
Show us pictures of what you have and we may be able to offer some more specific guidance.
