Eyeglasses with peep sights?

W

Willie D

New member
I'm mildly nearsighted and need to wear glasses for clarity at a distance. The one time I went to the 100yd range without my glasses I could barely make out the target (I also learned not to put a bunch of bullseyes near each other as they make it doubly hard to focus).

Since then the general rule has been prescription glasses for rifles, regular old safety glasses with pistols.


Last week I took out the new mid-length AR, which is my first rifle with peep sights since I was a kid and I couldn't get decent groups at 50m until I took off my eyeglasses. With glasses the peep ring was so blurry it might as well not have been there. I know it's not supposed to be in focus but with it so far out of focus I had way too much opportunity for wiggle in the front sight.

The front sight itself was hard to keep in focus and caused significant eye strain. Even with the mid length gas tube the front sight on the AR probably ends up close to 10" closer to my eye than on my AK so maybe it's simply too close for my prescription.

I also feel like I might be getting an optical offset with my face so close to the rear peep that I dont get with rear sights place in front of the bolt.



After writing all this I'm not sure what sort of responses I should expect besides "try contacts", which I might eventually. Has anyone else had a similar problem? Is this something specific to peep sights?

Like I said, I had no problems without the 'specs with a 12" bullseye at 50m but I'll wager I'd be SOL at longer ranges or with smaller targets.
 
W

wjkuleck

New member
Here's the deal.

You need not be, nay, you should not be concerned with the appearance of the aperture. The aperture works on a priciple of physiology, that is, the pupil is naturally drawn to the brightest point in the visual field. For an aperture sight, that's the center of the peep. Look through the aperture, ignore it, and focus (sorry :eek: ) on centering the front sight in your visual field.

If your glasses correct your vision is such a way that you cannot focus on the front sight, you can either get "blended" bifocals, which will likely have a point in their correction that's right for the front sight, or trifocals, with the center focal area optimized for just past arm's length.

Keep in mind that should be concerned only with the front sight. The aperture will disappear in the periphery of your visual field, and the target will be necessarily out of focus as you focus on the front sight. (The eye, as will all lenses, can focus at only one distance at a time, though young eyes can shift focus so quickly as to give an illusion of simultaneous focus.) Put the post in the center of your visual field and in the center of the blur, and press.

Regards,

Walt
 
H

homefires

New member
Yep! I put a set of Tech Site Peeps on my model D SKS. I need the small aperture. My eyes are most near sighted.

Just look at the tunnel of light and post it!

I got so I could not see the blades on the rear any more... I can shoot this really well!:eek:
 
C

carpfisher

New member
You might want to try one of the aperture's that suction cups on to your glasses lense. There are various models available at Champion's choice and other target shooting web sites. I have a similar problem as you do and these things work great. The iris adjustable model is fantastic but it is a little expensive. I have also tried the fixed one and it worked. The advantage of the adjustable pone is that you can vary the size of the aperture based on the lighting of the day. Brighter day, smaller hole, darker, cloudy day, you'll need to open the iris more.
I won't go to an open sight shoot with out mine.
 
T

tc556guy

New member
I wear glasses, so I can relate to the OPs plight. That being said......there may be something else going on if the OP could not get the front sight to come into focus at all. Maybe the OPs script is such that its difficult to focus properly on the front sight.....but I would think that issuewould have manifested itself while the OP was shooting other long guns as well. If it was this weapon and this weapon only that the Op experienced a problem with, I'd be looking at other issues. In my case, I am thinking of the last time I took my M4 to the range to zero. I couldnt get the front sight to come into focus to save my soul on the zero range. Finally I stopped to think things through, darkened the front sight post which was particularly bright on that sunny day, and had no further problems. Sometimes its the simplest thing, you know.......
 
J

jrfoxx

New member
You need not be, nay, you should not be concerned with the appearance of the aperture. The aperture works on a priciple of physiology, that is, the pupil is naturally drawn to the brightest point in the visual field. For an aperture sight, that's the center of the peep. Look through the aperture, ignore it, and focus (sorry ) on centering the front sight in your visual field.
Click to expand...
Yup.I have no idea if my rear aperature is blurry or not with my glasses (I'm nearsighted BADLY myself), as I dont see anything at all, even when using the smallest one on my M4.You just dont need to see it at all.its only there to "trick" your brain/eyes into naturally centering the post, like others have said. Try to just ignore the rear aperature alltogether, and your groups should improve without having to do anything else IMHO.

That being said......there may be something else going on if the OP could not get the front sight to come into focus at all.
Click to expand...
Could be with his eyes/prescription, the front sight just by bad luck is in an "in-between" zone of nearsighted vs farsighted, and that was part of the issue issue. the peep sights on a rifle with a longer or shorter barrel may fall out of that zone.Just a guess.I'm no optometrist, nor do I play one with the girls, or on tv.

as an aside, I intend to get some prescription safety glasses in a couple months, as the safety glasses ove regular glasses thing just stinks in general, and no safety glasses is just too risky.
 
T

tc556guy

New member
T

TimRB

New member
Walt has it right. Measure the distance from your eye to your front sight, then go to your optometrist. Tell him to write you a prescription that optimizes your vision for that distance. When you get your prescription, send it to these guys:

http://www.sportglasses.com/

Then you'll never have to screw around with your glasses again (well, unless your prescription changes.) You can't possibly shoot well if you can't see your front sight.

Tim
 
W

Willie D

New member
Can you be too close to the rear peep sight?

I've heard you should have your nose near the charging handle. I've been setting the 5 position stock at hole #3 but I noticed today in my bedroom that the peep (small aperture) narrows considerably if I move one more click out on the stock.
 
W

wjkuleck

New member
Can you be too close to the rear peep sight?
Click to expand...

No.

You are not looking at the peep sight, but through it; the closer your eye, the less visible the perimeter is to your peripheral vision.

Back in the 1870's Lyman, who invented the aperture as we know it, fought the good fight to show that the closer to the aperture the eye, the more accurate the eye's placement. Lyman had to fight the fallacy that a small hole you looked at was "more precise" than a big hole you look through. He was right then, and he's still right almost 150 years later.

Regards,

Walt
 
T

TEDDY

Moderator
peep site

most people dont know how to use a peep site.they try to focus on the front and rear.no no no.look tru the rear and focus on front .I wore glasses all my life from grade school on i'm 84.I shot compitition in high school and was a top shooter distinguised.my eyes have now been fixed.and I see better than ever.I still like a scope.:rolleyes:;):cool::D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top