Strike Industries came up with the new and improved version of their Sidewinder back-up iron sights. The second generation of these sights is called Sidewinder 2. The improvements are incorporated into the design based on the feedback from competition shooters and military customers. The Sidewinder 2 now has a more robust construction compared to its predecessor and can handle larger than 5.56/223 calibers as well as provide a better performance in harsh environmental conditions.

The Strike Industries Sidewinder 2 sights are made of steel and aluminum. This is a 2-in-1 back-up iron sight system that provides both normal iron sight picture and a 45-degree offset one. Both the rear and front sight can be easily flipped back and forth between these two positions. These are also folding sights and feature a tool-less adjustment of the windage and elevation. The SI-Ambush mounting system is really low profile and doesn’t protrude over the Picatinny rail. As you can see, the Sidewinder 2 is literally packed with features. I can’t think of any other feature that I would need in a set of BUIS.

The rear sight of Sidewinder 2 has two aperture size options.

The installation of these sights is a really straightforward process requiring clamping them on the top rail and tightening the hex screws. Here is a video showing the installation process.

The Strike Industries Sidewinder 2 sights are available in black or red color options. The MSRP for the set of black sights is $169.95 and for the red one, you need to pay a couple of bucks more – $171.95.

Here is also a set of images showing the Sidewinder 2 BUIS from different angles and in different positions.

It seems that when it comes to discussing the back-up iron sights, there are two camps of people: those who think BUIS is a must on any weapon and those who consider them useless because of the reliability of the modern optics. I think that the use of BUIS largely depends on the applications you are going to use the weapon system in. Tell us in the comments section what do you think about the Sidewinder 2 and back-up iron sights in general?

Images from www.strikeindustries.com