is there a "best" iron sight for aging eyes ???

M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
was talking to my buddy the other day, he has one of those take down 10-22's, & was commenting that he had a hard time using the iron sights ( which IMO, are pretty poor on that gun ) I mentioned I had a set of Tech Sights on my 10-22, that I put on there, specifically for Apple Seed shoots... I thought that the rear aperture sights might be better for our aging eyes, but I guess I have no proof, only that I like my sights better than his...

perhaps it's the fiber optics, I have several sets of those, & they seem OK...

so what are your opinions... best "type" of iron sights for aging eyes to use for shots between 50 - 150 yards, for just shooting targets ???
 
S

salvadore

Moderator
I have Lyman's reciever sights on two of my lever guns (66?) and a Marble tang on another. I shot this 50 yd group about a week ago, a cast gc over a moderate amount of 5744



My eyesight sucks but can occasionally shoot an iron sighted group that doesn't embarrass me.
 
S

SerenityNetworks

New member
Any peep sight is going to be better than any "open"set of irons. There is an optical advantage (think how pinhole cameras actually focus images onto film). Adjustable irises, such as a Gehmann 510, will give even a greater advantage. There are also models that have colored inserts, polarized inserts, and even slight magnification. There are several makers.

I use Tech-Sights on my Marlin 795. (And I got my Rifleman patch with the setup.) I use a BRNO with a Gehmann 510, eye cup, and sun shield on my CZ 527 Ultra Lux. I believe both sets would be considered "entry level" for their style, but they serve my 58 year old eyes well for my level of ability.
 
R

rfd

New member
peeps are generally best for iron sights. i use a smith ladder rear peep and a globe front for my buff classic 45-70 ... works best for my aging 68yo peepers.

1XgaFVG.jpg
 
M

MrBorland

New member
SerenityNetworks said:
I use a BRNO with a Gehmann 510, eye cup, and sun shield on my CZ 527 Ultra Lux
Click to expand...

I have this exact setup on my CZ452 UltraLux. I agree peeps & apertures are far better than standard irons, and the Gehman adjustable iris is very nice to have. A front aperture is good for a specific target (e.g. smallbore @ 50 yards), while a front post would be better for all-around work.
 
W

wogpotter

New member
I like the RED fiber optic front with a fairly large peep aperture on the rear. The eye will automatically self-center on the big peep & then you just put the "red dot" on the target as you view it.
 
4

40-82

New member
When the light is right a good aperture sight will make you wonder why you ever thought you might have needed a telescope. Yet, for very close and fast work on moving ame or in poor light I do much better with the old Winchester sporting sight. The problem with both of these sights is that they are large and delicate and for a working gun in rough country I have gained a lot of affection for the much smaller sights typically found on a '92 Winchester carbine. I shoot the smaller sight well enough for most conditions and a sight less likely to suffer damage has much to recommend it.

A look through a source such as Nick Strobel's book on old gun sights shows that before the age of the telescope that hundreds of variations were available. I'll probably never get to try most of them. Arguments as to which was best and different opinions must have raged. I also suspect that people with different vision problems will find different sights easier to use. Most of them require a little adaptation and you may not do your best work the first time you try a particular sight. I wish I could just pick out a sight and say that, yes, this one is best, but I can't. It varies with the person and the conditions. For me the best sight for the conditions is usually not the one I have on the rifle, but the one left at home sitting back in the safe. With iron sights there is a certain amount of--this is the one I have--I will make the best of it.
 
S

skywag

New member
I had troubles until cataract surgery. Now I see better than at 13yrs old.


EVERYBODY gets cataracts..........
 
T

TRX

New member
I've been using a peep for a while. Now I'm moving from a blade on front to a globe. The globes are big and ugly, though.
 
C

Cowboy_mo

New member
Starting about 10 years ago, I could no longer use 'iron sights' without having poor results. Then a friend of mine brought over his Springfield (looks just like an 03A3 in .22 cal with a peep sight set up a couple years ago. My old eyes suddenly could locate iron sights again. That was even 2 yrs before my cataract surgeries.

I haven't tried any iron sights on rifles since the surgery but I can now see my pistol sights like I haven't seen them in years and years.
 
J

Josh Smith

Moderator
Hello,

I guess I might know something about sights.

Though I've been running Smith-Sights at production speeds, it was originally, and remains, a custom sight shop focusing on Mosins.

Because of that custom background I received a lot of requests. Most were from folks older than 40 or 45 requesting higher-visibility sights, both brass bead-style and red fiber-optic.

This lead to the development of two sights which are currently in my lineup. I added green fiber-optic later.

It appears that what works for most folks is fiber-optic (red, orange or green) and brass, if they have trouble seeing the flat black sights.

As well, I've found that with myself, as my eyes change (I'm 36) a slower-taper front sight works for me. The slow taper sort of guides my eye to the tip of the front sight.

TandemKross is marketing a new type of sight

demo_zps67bf5147.gif


I've never used one of these but the principle seems sound. It looks interesting to me.

Tech-Sights are good. Any peep sight which places the hole further than a few inches from your eye, however, are not much better than open irons. I therefore question whether Arisaka-style sights are really better than standard open sights. They are certainly not better than the ones fielded on the 1903a3 or M1917 "American Enfield".

Regards,

Josh
 
W

wogpotter

New member
I saw those at a gunshow last week.

They seem to be a re design of the old (1970's I think) mirror sights that bulls-eye pistol shooters used to used to get round the sight radius rules.
The front sight is a mirror & the "fake front sight" is actually a reflection of the "real" front sight which is on the front of the rear sight!

Once you get used to the exaggerated movement of the reflected view they look interesting.
 
B

bamaranger

New member
peeps

Yeah, peeps will allow aging eyes to pick up the front sight a bit better for a while.

One thing I've noticed is that the dia of the peep effects this as well. I ran "ghost rings" on about all my rifles with peeps...then the eyes changed again.....and I found that a smaller aperture will bring that front sight back into focus a bit longer.

Barrel length will come into play as well. I still manage pretty well with my Garands and the Moss M44, which have long tubes. But a short sight radius like on my lever Marlin, or an AR/MR type rifle with 14-16 inch tube is a struggle.
 
D

darkgael

New member
apertures

As the diameter of the aperture decreases, so does the amount of light that gets to the eye; the gain is that the depth of field increases toward infinity.
Pete
 
G

gyvel

New member
As the diameter of the aperture decreases, so does the amount of light that gets to the eye; the gain is that the depth of field increases toward infinity.
Click to expand...

That's basically true; An old trick is to put the thumbs and first fingers of both hands tightly together to make a tiny hole and look thru it. I'm nearsighted and it actually works to help bring distant objects into focus if I don't have my glasses on.
 
B

boltomatic

New member
Aperture

I would guess that an aperture would be ideal, you only need to focus on the target and the front sight instead of the target, front, AND rear sight with the other type.
 
W

wogpotter

New member
Not just really old sights either. Parker-Hale & A.J. Parker sights had both adjustable irises & rotating eyecups with different size holes.
DSCF1028_zps9a20725b.jpg
 
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