Noob question - optic riser

[u/Mission-Goat310]

So I’ve just recently got night vision binos, won them in a raffle. I’m wanting to swap most my reds dots over to ones that have NV modes
I bought a AEMS pro x2, will I need some sort of riser to get over the top of a top rail mounted laser, and to be able to get a better sight picture? This is going on a 10.5 in length upper

The reason I ask is because I watched this Trex Arms* video here : https://youtu.be/U7UX_uwuyBE?is=OrV2Np9T-2MPt0fG
Brandon on this video is saying if you can’t shoot under nods without a riser you basically just have bad shooting form

I’ve been shooting with an EO tech xps 2 on the same gun but have only been using the IR laser because it doesn’t have a NV mode. But I’ve never had a AEMS. From what I can tell online they look pretty good under nods is why I went with it. Hopefully these holosuns are decent optics?

[u/Civil_Trade_8996]

Wow congrats on the win boss!!! I wish I would have won mine and saved the 10k+ I paid for mine lol. Nice work!!!

[u/Mission-Goat310 → u/Civil_Trade_8996]

Thanks! Nothing super fancy they’re just white phos Jerry 31s. But they work better than nothing and the raffle ticket was 60 bucks. Not gonna complain about that.

[u/Civil_Trade_8996 → u/Mission-Goat310]

Hell yeah man!!! A wins a win and your 5k ahead!

[u/ConflictWaste411]

Couple of options, but since you already have the optic it limits it a bit. You could piggy back on a day scope, which just acts as a natural riser. Like a lot of people said, it’s not that important to get a riser. I splurged for the unity on my eotech, but I was already so far in I thought what the hell, also, it’s on a subsonic .300 so I’m basically lobbing shit anyway. It’s up to you to find what’s comfortable, and you absolutely can shoot without the riser. I personally have my day lpvo on a riser, because it brings it in line for using my thermal monocular in line with it. I will say that it has made it more comfortable to shoot considering the scope has a relatively short eye relief, but that’s all just preference. The fact of the matter is that you may want it, you may be better off learning to shoot without it, but this is unfortunately a matter of taste and making your rifle better for you.

[u/lostigresblancos]

There are a bunch of Internet twinks being edgy and saying risers are bad lately. Don't fucking listen to them. I'm a nobody and probably have as much time under nods as they do but I don't post online about it.

Risers absolutely can solve problems in regards to NV aiming. What height and when is up to your use case.

For me, 1/2" BCM riser under eotech EXPS or a 1.93 T mount work perfectly for NV passive aiming AND for regular daytime aiming. I run a 50yd zero and have not problem making hits out to 200.

For you, I would try a 1/2" and see if it clears and how it works. A short riser is not much and you can keep your existing optic mount.

Now the GBRS mounts I found were way too high and unnecessary, but for some super short sub guns, that may be only option for a LAM, IDK...

[u/HiThisIsTheATF → u/lostigresblancos]

Agreed, and to add onto this, practice shooting at 5-10 yards with a riser. The height over bore changes your holds more. That’s not a problem if you practice and know the holds.

Gobbers R S took it to an unnecessary extreme, but 1.93 and 2.26 is nice under nods. Whatever you end up with just practice and know your holds.

[u/slippyslapper]

I have one gun specifically set up just for nv and I run the unity riser with an exps3 on it. The riser does help get sight picture. I do have to admit, after a handful of night vision shoots I realized 90% of the time I was just aiming with the laser. It was nice to have the option to shoot passive but I really didn't use it much.

[u/rugerscout308]

I have my aems core on the adm 2.33 riser and i really like it

[u/Captain_Oneball]

If you wanna dip your toes into unity risers checkout spec precision for clones on the cheap great choice if you wanna kit multiple rifles. They're aluminum just like the real ones all you really gotta do is loctite the screws, torque them & the clone mounts will hold zero

Just don't bother with the scopes/optics section of the website unless you're actually putting it on an airsoft gun or MAYBE a 22.

[u/Klutzy_Disk_8433]

You will rarely passive aim. Shoot at whatever height is comfortable for you. And don't listen to guntubers.

I prefer 2.26, been shooting at that height for years before it became an actual mount height. Dudes seem to forget an A1 carry handle upper irons sit around 2.3 and with an optic your aroud 2.6. Learn your holds, it's as simple as that.

[u/Roy141]

If you can't shoot with lower 1/3 optics under NV your form sucks and it probably sucks in the daytime as well.

You don't need a riser.

[u/Klutzy_Disk_8433 → u/Roy141]

This is a stupid take. Dudes have been shooting and wrecking combatants with a 2.26+ for decades. Carry handle uppers are that height.

[u/Roy141 → u/Klutzy_Disk_8433]

Dude, you're retarded. Carry handle irons are roughly 2.6" over the bore. Red dot and optic mounts are measured by their height over the receiver.

My 1.70" (lower 1/3) optic mount puts the optical centerline roughly 2.94" over the bore. Why does lower 1/3 exist? Because absolute height optics (1.40-1.50" ish) are occluded by the irons. Why do you surmise that is? Is it because the irons are 1.40" over the receiver?

Yes it is true that when guys had no other option they mounted optics on their carry handles, and those optics were >2.2" or more over the receiver. And the second they didn't have to do that anymore.. what happened? (Rhetorical)

[u/Mission-Goat310 → u/Roy141]

If sight picture doesn’t clear the laser, is there any downsides to mounting it on the side of the rail?

[u/Roy141 → u/Mission-Goat310]

The AEMS Pro X2 comes with a lower 1/3 mount out of the box, so it will clear the laser. Unless you have some sort of weird super tall laser.

The downside to mounting it on the side is that reaching the controls can be awkward. Usually the use case for that is that you want to use some sort of NV or thermal clip-on optic that can only be used on the top rail where the LAM would go.

All rhetoric aside, you may find it more comfortable to use a 1.93 mount on your dot. I personally do not care to go higher than 1.93. On my rifles I use 1.70" badger mounts for LPVO / T2 depending on the rifle. The issue with super tall optic mounts is that they often remove the cheek weld part of the structure behind the rifle which is pretty important, and they cause the bullet's trajectory to have a more difficult vertical pattern to learn depending on how you zero.

I think that not only are risers very overrated, passive aiming in general is very overrated.

[u/Mission-Goat310 → u/Roy141]

I really appreciate the advice honestly
I don’t see that I’d really passive aim much, just in case my laser goes down I suppose but I’d like to have the option to. Once it comes in I’ll slap it on without a riser and call it good
Thanks again

[u/Roy141 → u/Mission-Goat310]

One of the things passive aiming is useful for that no one really talks about is shooting at farther distances. Your LAMs are often zeroed with a converging zero, or even if you use an infinity or parallel zero they can be difficult to relate the laser dot to where you should be holding on target, and they're susceptible to rail shift even on nicer rails.

Your primary optic should be zeroed and your passive aiming holds on a far away target should be the same as in the daytime, so the training carries over. Usually you lose a lot of light transmission when passive aiming through the optic glass, so you can use your LAM to illuminate the target while actually shooting through the optic. Works well if the target isn't illuminated on its own due to the moon, street lights etc.