finding peep sights a negative.

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76shuvlinoff

76shuvlinoff

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I gotta ask, does anyone else struggle with a peep sight? I have a skinner on my Marlin 39A I am slower (and less accurate) getting a good sight picture than I am with the factory irons. I tried different rear apertures but no earth shattering improvement. I am not a mile off but my patterns are a least 2 to 3 inches shooting off a card table at 30 yards. I am under an inch with irons.

Enter the Colt M4 I bought a couple weeks ago. Flip up peep at the rear and post in front. I can not bring it in tight. I spend too much time trying to get a clear view. I think looking thru the top edge of my glasses is coming into play.

Dunno, both of these issues are probably all me and I hate to scope a lever but I'm about there. I am saving for a red dot for the Colt carbine.

Mark
 
Are you near- or far-sighted?

The operating mechanism of an aperture sight is to focus on the front sight post, and let the aperture blur, so that you will naturally center the front sight post into the center of the aperture circle. Try focusing on the front sight without glasses on, to see if that helps. A tight aperture will improve your raw vision markedly, to the point where you may not need your glasses to adequately focus on the front sight post.
 
Everybody is different on how they aquire there target and it can be different with different weapons. I have always shot with both eyes open. Usually the left sees the whole area and the right sees through the sight or scope. I do have a few I do the exact opposite with. It might help if you do allot of different targets instead of focusing on one. Start very slow then increase the speed you aquire you targets and it will train you for that weapon and help with eye dominance.
 
Master Eye

Have you checked to see if you are using your master eye?

My daughter-in-law was having issues and found out she was shooting left handed, but her right eye was her master eye. Switched to her right hand and accuracy became much better.
 
my favorite long range rifle is an M1A with peep sights (match sights), shooting pigs at 300 yards is no problem, I am 58, near sighted. mini 14, tactical with ghost ring works good for me too.
 
If you can shoot open sights, you really should be able to shoot an aperture sight.. very often much better.
Perhaps you're paying too much attention to centering the front within the aperture. Don't do that. Look through the hole and your brain/eye will automatically center it. Your eye can only focus on one thing at a time. Focus on the front sight only. The target and the aperture will be a blur. You will hit the target and have good groups.

M1Asights.jpg
 
What he said. If you can shoot open sights, you can certainly shoot apertures. I've shot High Power with guys that are both near and far-sighted and they all shoot 2" or smaller groups @ 100 yds. with aperture sights. You can do it too. Just remember: the rear sight does not exist...look through the hole and put the front sight on your target. It really IS just that simple.

35W
 
I believe most people who have trouble with peep sights are overthinking it or trying to focus on too many things. The aperture should not be a concern. You simply "peep" through it and your eye automatically centers itself. All you should be focusing on is the front sight and it should be easier with a peep than with open sights.
 
Nearsighted - It Depends on HOW Nearsighted!

I am also nearsighted, and at age 66 I find that with or without glasses (blended bifocals) I can no longer focus on the front sight. It's too close for the upper part of the lens, and a little too far for the lower part. If I focus using the lower part of my lens, the target is only visible as a whitish blur - no markings discernible at all!

Years ago as a defensive handgun instructor I regularly addressed the issue of keeping focus on the front blade with students, so it's not that I've never had a good sense of sight picture; I was pretty good with all of the handguns I owned at the time....

While I can print 1/2 moa with a scope, at 100 yds and open sights my groups are 4-5". I am thinking of trying to find an Optometrist who shoots or understands shooting to see if a special lens grind might be an answer. Meantime, I found a pair of clip-on (flip-up) sewing glasses that I think might have promise - will likely try this on the range in the next week or so.
 
I have Skinner Sights on my tow Marlins and I love them. I can place a 1.5 inch group at 100 yards from the bench. Takes a bit to get used to, but works well once you do.
 
I shoot only for fun. And for me using a scope seems a little too much like "cheating". Although I do have a couple of rifles with them.

For my rifle fun I vastly prefer peep sights. But not the large aperature peeps found on some military style sights. Instead it's all about the small aperature target peeps.

Why? Because a small rear aperature, when used correctly, deepens and sharpens the vision of us folks with bad eyes. So suddenly I can see my target AND my front sight with more clarity than I can with large aperature rear peeps or with regular iron sights.

CraigC above hit the nail on the head. If the rear tang style peep sight is not working for you then your eye is not in the right position for the sight. Or you are using the sight incorrectly by thinking that it has to act as a rear sight rather than simply a spot to put your eye to look through to the front sight and target. You simply do not actually "sight" with the rear peep. You just look through and use the front sight only.
 
Marlin 39A I am slower (and less accurate) getting a good sight picture than I am with the factory irons
Click to expand...
Me too. I finally put a scope on my 39.
I have more than enough experience with open sights, aperture sights, and telescopic sights to know that peep sights are my least favorite.
 
1. You focus on the front sight (you already knew that).
2. A smaller aperture should help a great deal.
3. Any decent eyedoc can grind you a set of glasses that will work. You need to know the distance your front sight is from your eye in a shooting position.

Good luck.
 
They're natural and instinctive for me, and I have terrible vision.

But then I'm not using them to shoot off of a bench (or a wobbly not-a-bench like a card table)
 
Period correct? Less-scope is only period correct if you go back to the earlier examples of the 39A, like pre-1950. Putting a scope on any rifle is period correct as long as the two items were made within the same decade or so.



....
 
Last edited:
76shuvlinoff said:
Enter the Colt M4 I bought a couple weeks ago. Flip up peep at the rear and post in front. I can not bring it in tight. I spend too much time trying to get a clear view. I think looking thru the top edge of my glasses is coming into play.
Click to expand...

Mark, when you say you cannot bring it in tight, what do you mean? How far from your eye is the rear sight? Peeps should be nice and close to your eye. With the M4, they should go as far back on the rail as possible and put the tip of your nose on the charging handle. Too far out and peeps do become an obstruction.
 
Actually never had a problem. I find them way easier than regular iron sights. Of course it could be related to your vision, but I have known people (friends, family....) that have issues with it as well, and they have good vision. I think some people's brains just function different, and they try to focus on too many things at once, or else their eyeball tries to focus on the rear and not the front.

Try this to "train" your eyeball. It kinda-sorta worked for my friend.

1. Put a target on the wall as far away as you can, or just use an object outside off in the distance.
2. Hold out your left thumb at arm's length. Thumbs up! Make your thumb be like the front sight. With both eyes open, focus on it. For like, a full minute. Use all your willpower not to get distracted or focus on your target. Just remain focused on your thumb.
3. Make an A-OK sign with your right hand, and while maintaining focus on your thumb (maintain focus!) slowly bring your a-ok circle in front of your eye, about 2-4" in front of your eye, until you are looking through your a-ok.
4. Remain focused on your thumb for another minute, and slowly remove your a-ok.
5. Repeat, using smaller and smaller a-ok signs until it is second nature and looking through a peep is no problemo!
6. Profit!

Just kidding about #6. But I think if you follow the steps 1-5, you will be able to get behind your rifle and find your sight picture much much faster. Good luck!
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by 76shuvlinoff View Post
Enter the Colt M4 I bought a couple weeks ago. Flip up peep at the rear and post in front. I can not bring it in tight. I spend too much time trying to get a clear view. I think looking thru the top edge of my glasses is coming into play.
Mark, when you say you cannot bring it in tight, what do you mean? How far from your eye is the rear sight? Peeps should be nice and close to your eye. With the M4, they should go as far back on the rail as possible and put the tip of your nose on the charging handle. Too far out and peeps do become an obstruction.
Click to expand...

I meant I was not able to tighten up my groups. The aperture sight is all the way back on the rail and I have been adjusting my stock back and forth looking for a sweet spot but I have not been so close as to have my nose almost touching the charging handle. I will give that a try.

For what it's worth I am left handed and left eye dominate.

I think I made some progress tonight with the M4. I don't have a bench but setting the carbine on something solid with me in a chair while focusing on my breathing and trigger pull of course the groups were a lot better. The front sight is clear but nearly everything else including the target is a bit blurry. The majority were coming in about inch low at 25 meters and not spread out all over hell's half acre.

I will beat the peep!
 
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