bluedevil
.224 member
Reged: 02/12/04
Posts: 40
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Help! I've noticed in the past couple years that my eyesight is starting to compromise my ability to shoot a double rifle. I'm 52 and I'm quite sure many of you may be experiencing a similar problem (those of you under 40 can quit reading and go to hell -- just kidding). Obviously, the lens has hardened progressively, making it impossible to close focus and at the same time see the target. Going to scoped sights is out of the question -- to my mind, there's nothing more ugly than a scoped double -- and I really dont mind restricitng shots at game to close range. However, I would like to shoot more accurately and wonder about paste-on fiber optic sights or some kind of glowing paint under the rear V and on the front bead. Any thoughts? Thanks, Keith
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500Nitro
.450 member
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
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bluedevil,
I don't know what type of double you have but to make the sights much more visible, get a gold or Platinum line inserted vertically on the rear sight.
On the front sight file the Brass bead at 30 - 45 degrees and make sure it stays polished so it stands out more in the bottom of the V.
Alternatively, get a diamond inserted in the foresight which will always "gleam" and easily allow you to see it.
IF the rifle fits you well, you shouldn't need to use the rear sight, the gun shold line up automatically and just make sure the foresight is on the right spot of the animal.
Hope this helps.
500 Nitro
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510Wells
.275 member
Reged: 16/11/03
Posts: 62
Loc: Gold Bar, Wa.
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Keith,
Bad news, it doesn't get any better as you get older. I'm 63 and you can trust me on this For some good news keep reading ;-)
I found I couldn't shoot a 1911 anymore because I couldn't see the rear sight. So I started looking for alternatives. On my pistols a dot sight works great. Not so good for a DGR :-(
A peep sight doesn't require your eye to focus on it, you just center the front bead in the fuzzy ring thats close to your eye. While it's not a good as a scope, for close (100 yard) range it's pretty darn close.
I (somehow) convinced Butch (Searcy) to modify and install a Talley peep sight on the 500NE I bought from him. It works very well and (at least for me) is MUCH quicker than an express rear sight.
Hope this reply helps.
Roi
-------------------- The only constant is change.
Member DRSS
Edited by 510Wells (27/08/05 02:14 PM)
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bluedevil
.224 member
Reged: 02/12/04
Posts: 40
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Thanks Guys, Your help is appreciated. We band of (older, wiser, grayer) brothers. Have any of you experimented with glue-on fiber optics, not the insertable ones that take the place of the sights, just a few dots to perk up the express sight and front bead? Keith
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k80
.333 member
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 314
Loc: San Antonio ,Texas, U.S.A.
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The see through ones like on the Krieghoff work well for my 57 year old eyes. You just line up the orange bead at the front and the orange post at the rear. NEGC sells the sights. Peeps work well also. I found that without glasses I can see the sight ;but not down range so I better keep them on.
-------------------- Ken
San Antonio
Welcome to South Texas
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DarylS
.700 member
Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27481
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
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BlueDevil- my eyes were giving me fits on iron sights, as your's seem to be doing. : I finally went to an optomitrist and got glasses - WOW! : Now, both sights are crystal clear - only the target is now a bit blurry as I concentrate on the sigths. They are progressives - took a bit of time to get used to, but now, I'll not be without them. I can seeeeeeeeeee! : I'm a bit older than you - not much, but know of what you speak.
-------------------- Daryl
"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V
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MauserRifle
.300 member
Reged: 15/03/05
Posts: 153
Loc: U.S.A.
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Bluedevil
The problem you are experiencing is called (BEING LONG OF TOOTH) I know, as I am 59 and have been going thrugh it for several years. About the only choices you have are:
1. The above mentioned options by previous posters.
2. Contacts, which work the best if you can wear them or glasses.
3. Eye surgury, they are doing wonders in that area now.
Good Luck
Mauser Rifle
Everyday is a great day, some are just better than others.
-------------------- Mauser Rifle
Everyday is a great day, some days are just better than others!
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rgp
.333 member
Reged: 17/06/04
Posts: 373
Loc: TX & VIC
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The other option is a proper set of eye exercises done daily to reduce and in some cases eliminate the problem. NASA does this and it seems to work nicely (notice even the elderly space cowboys don't seem to wear glasses). Try those methods for about 6 weeks first. Unfortunately to do it via the convenience of home will cost some money but if you skip the exercises and start on the path of using glasses and contacts or RKT procedures you may be screwed.
Richard
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AR2201
.275 member
Reged: 31/08/05
Posts: 57
Loc: Oz
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I sympathise, I have a sight defect that debars me from the reliable use of either cross hairs or iron sights, bummer. I had resigned myself to shotgun shooting (yawn) and short range work with a 5 moa dot point sight (and you think scopes are ugly).
But, I discoverd another alternative which permits both eyes open (that's my option and a bloody good one, I can reccommend it) shooting with rifles, a Holosight. Bushnell, Eotech and I think Doctor have offerings.
You would still have to bolt a lump onto your rifle and that may not suit (they are considerably more compact than a scope, but, a lump none the less), but, I can reliably hit rabbits out to 80yds with the one on my 303.
They are far from perfected as yet, but, stick one on something that won't make you (or us) cry to drill holes in and give it a work out. If it suits then I will forgive you for having your DR taken to with the power tools necessary to fit it with one.
You may be pleasantly surprised, given my shooting a whole new lease of life.
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clark7781
.375 member
Reged: 28/10/04
Posts: 612
Loc: Fairfax County, Virginia, USA
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In reply to:
(somehow) convinced Butch (Searcy) to modify and install a Talley peep sight on the 500NE I bought from him.
That does not surprise me one bit. Butch is in a league of his own.
-------------------- Clark
Double Rifle Shooters Society
.500 NE and .577 NE
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unspellable
.300 member
Reged: 06/03/04
Posts: 187
Loc: Iowa
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I know of several methods for dealing with presbyopia that do not involve modiifcations to the rifle and a few more that involve minimal modification. I'm sometimes surprised they are not better known.
In my own case I have a pair of glasses made up for shooting doubles. They allow me a sharp view of both the front sight and the target. The prescription scared the counter girls at the eyeglass store but we're not all that worried about what they think.
I have another pair made up for use with a handgun.
if there is interest here I'l lgo into detail.
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mickey
.416 member
Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho
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I'm interested.
-------------------- Lovu Zdar
Mick
A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.
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nopride2
.300 member
Reged: 03/01/04
Posts: 108
Loc: Seattle, Wa.
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Me too.
Dave
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510Wells
.275 member
Reged: 16/11/03
Posts: 62
Loc: Gold Bar, Wa.
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Me three!
Roi
-------------------- The only constant is change.
Member DRSS
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JPK
.375 member
Reged: 31/08/04
Posts: 734
Loc: Chevy Chase, MD
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I'm interested...also.
JPK
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SeekHer
.224 member
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 17
Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
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I'll be the fourth...who deals?
-------------------- There is a certain type of mentality that thinks
if you make certain inanimate objects illegal
their criminal misuse will disappear!
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atkinson6
.375 member
Reged: 26/01/04
Posts: 678
Loc: Idaho
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Im coasting to 71 years old, wear bifocals and still shoot iron sights on my double and many of my bolt guns are iron sighted...
The simple answer is get a good pair of glasses and correct you vision...
A good ghost peep is nice...
Remember these words of wisdom: Don't use waning eyesight as a crutch, fix it an go shoot, your still a pup.
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JPK
.375 member
Reged: 31/08/04
Posts: 734
Loc: Chevy Chase, MD
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I had an eye exam on Thurs and brought this topic up with my eye Dr. Possible fix "Multi-focal" gas permeable contact lenses. I already wear gas permeable contact lenses since my eyes just don't correct well with softs. Apparently these contacts will go a long way toward eliminating the nescecity of choosing which one or two of the rear sight, front sight or target is out of focus. I've got a set on order and should be able to report result in a week.
JPK
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unspellable
.300 member
Reged: 06/03/04
Posts: 187
Loc: Iowa
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Sorry for the slow reply, been away for a while.
There are several approaches to the problem of presbyopia and iron sights.
0. The obvious, a scope: But we are trying to avoid that here.
1. The peep sight: This takes advantage of the fact that the apeture on the peep sight rather than the apeture of the eye becomes the effective apeture of the total system. This increases depth of field and allows improved sharpness of both the front sight and the target at the same time. One does not focus on the rear sight at all. Drawbacks are that it requires the addition of a peep sight to the rifle and does not work so well in poor light.
2: Apeture on the glasses: There is a device on the market that attaches to one lens and provides a variable apeture like the one in a camera lens. No modification to the rifle. This is also a means of obtaining more depth of field, but requires being able to see the rear sight although it does not have to be overly sharp. Also poor in low light.
3: Shooting glasses with extra lens: I have an acquaintence who uses this one. He has a pair of shooting glasses that have an auxiliary lens mounted on a swing arm like you used to see watch repairmen with. the auxilary lens allows sharp focus on the front sight while the rest of the main lens allows sharp focus on the target. Works much better in poor light than an apeture. Drawback, it isn't cheap and easy, the glasses came from Germany.
4. Cheap way to do the above. Go to the drugstore and buy a pair of stick on lenses meant to go on the bottom of sunglasses for reading. You will want about +1 diopter for long guns, +1.25 diopters for handguns. Find the sweet spot on the sighting eye lens and add the stick on lens.
5: Purpose made glasses: this is the one I use. For handguns, I have the eye doctor add +1.25 diopter to the main part of the sighting eye lens and subtract a corresponding 1.25 diopters from the add on that side. This makes the target sharp to the off eye and the front sight sharp to the sighting eye. At the same time, the close up portion on both sides is set for the same distance so reading is no problem. Drawback, there are a few people that this does not work for. It depends on the brain fusing the two images to make one sharp one. If you are using contacts of the type where one is for distance and one is for reading, you are already using this trick. For long guns it's a tad more complicated. I have +1 dipoter added to the sighting eye and 1 diopter subtracted from the add. So far simple, and you might be happy with that. To go one step further, I have prism added to both lenses to shift the optical center towards the upper left since I am looking through the upper left part of the lens when sighting. (I shoot right handed.) This puts the optical center closer to the line of sight. This is the part that scared the counter girls since prism is normally used in only one lens to correct for misalignment between the eyes. In spite of the name, they do not actually add a prism component, they just shift one lens off center by the appropriate amount and direction. This leaves me with a pair of glasses that are a bit funny since the best view is shifted somewhat to the left and up when walking around but its nice when aiming.
6. Dominant eye problem: I have this problem, I am right handed but left eyed. This is said to be a good thing for hitting a base ball but it's not so hot for shooting. It's at its worst with a shotgun where you are pointing rather than aiming. If you find you are often shooting to the left of the bird (For a right handed shooter.) you should suspect this problem and take the test for it. Hold your shot gun in the correct shooting position and find the spot on the off lens where you see the bead. Cover this spot with a dab of vasoline. Once you have the spot well located, clean off the vasoline and put a little peice of the frosted translucent semi transparent type tape over this spot. I've known people who have had this spot permanently frosted on the lens.
7. Go back to being 21 years old. If you figure out how to do this, let me know.
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