Grandpa didn't need no stink'n batteries...

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JumboJVT said:
I'd suggest that if at any point our technology leaves us with less capability than Gramps had, then it is we that are unprepared.
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Agreed, but just because we use the better newer technology to do things easier, faster, or better does not mean we cannot learn the old ways as a fall back. But there are something we can't do the old way because the capability did not exist back then. Grandpa did not have the option to measure the velocity of his reloads. We now have multiple technologies to do so at our access from economic to luxurious in budget etc.
 
Rembrandt said:
batteries were dead for electronic ear muffs
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I have two pair of older walker game ears muffs I use for shooting and training. They are hard on batteries. Plus I'm bad to turn them down but leave them on.
Wasnt worth a darn for hunting since I couldn't tell anything about the source of the noise. In front/behind. Over the ridge/over the ocean. snail/moose Lol. I'm sure the newer ones are better.
Another one is my older rangefinder. It takes a 9v and is pretty hard on it if you scan.

Rembrandt said:
trail cameras
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They sure have come a long way. Myself and a couple friends went in together to buy them back in the 90s. Our older ones were 500 dollars IIRC. They took 8 d or c batteries I believe and you didnt have to go check to see if they needed batteries or film, you already knew. Our first one took a minolta 35mm camera. All the "game cam" did was actuate the button on the film camera. All it took was a crow or raccoon and the roll was spent so corn was a bad idea. I still drive a 66 and a 79 truck. I'm all about cursing new technology but the game cams are much better. I bought 4 new ones two years ago around black Friday. They were 13 dollars I think. Take a bunch of AA batteries and last nearly a year. Two years later they still work great.

I have an old 60s wish book that has red dot scopes in it. So as far as "new" problems I dont believe the battery issue is one. Certainly more popular and more of an issue now. Same with flashlights. I had the old military flashlights, big mag lights and those square 6-volt flashlights that took half a car battery. New lights last longer and are exponentially brighter.

Kingcreek said:
My gramps embraced the technology of their day.
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Yep. Mine complained about our bag phones, power windows, and Atari. Yet I spent two days last week restoring an old GE radio of his he bought new in 1939.
 
I replace all batteries in anything I have that's, powered by batteries once a year on my birthday. Unless the device gives me a low battery warning.
 
AK103K said:
Sounds like someone wasnt paying attention and not keeping up on the batteries. :)

I like the Aimponts. Mine are older M2's, but Ive yet to ever find one dead (in about 20 years of using them), and I never turn them off. I change the battery once a year at the time change in the fall.

Other than lights, I dont have to many other things gun wise that require batteries, and the lights are usually good for about 10 years if they are just sitting. I dont wait that long though. I still check them every time I have them out though, just to make sure the batteries didnt start to corrode or go south. Havent found one of them dead yet either.
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Pretty much this.

My red dots have 50,000 battery life.

I still change the batteries every year around Christmas.
 
While I do like using red dot sights, all my firearms that have one on it also have backup iron sights just incase. That way if I forget to check the batteries or something happens to the RDS, I can still shoot. I don't always change out the batteries once a year but do check them regularly.

Along the same lines, I cringed when I read years ago that the military went away from training troops how to use iron sights since everything has some type of electronic sight on it now. Optics are great and make it easier but one still needs to be able to use iron sights proficiently.
 
Only things with batteries I use at the range or field are my muffs and my phone.

I don't think I've changed the batteries on my muffs in at least 5 years. Don't always turn them on anyway. Not even sure I rember what they take or how to change the batteries.

I'd like an aimpoint for one of my ARs maybe, have an EOTEC I never use though and my 1-4 seems to work fine in all light.
 
JR24 said:
I don't think I've changed the batteries on my muffs in at least 5 years. Don't always turn them on anyway. Not even sure I rember what they take or how to change the batteries.
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Whatever kind of batteries are in your muffs, I'll bet they're cheaper and easier to replace than hearing aid batteries.;)
Not that I would know - I don't wear hearing aids. But I should, because in my younger years I wasn't smart enough to make use of the hearing protection "technology" even back then - ear plugs and non-electronic muffs.:oops:
 
.308 Norma said:
Whatever kind of batteries are in your muffs, I'll bet they're cheaper and easier to replace than hearing aid batteries.;)
Not that I would know - I don't wear hearing aids. But I should, because in my younger years I wasn't smart enough to make use of the hearing protection "technology" even back then - ear plugs and non-electronic muffs.:oops:
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My new hearing aids are rechargeable. I just put them in the dock and walk away.
 
The only things I use shooting related with batteries, are a digital powder scale, but I have a beam scale anyways, oh - and a little flashlight to look in the cases, guess I haven't been really interested in many/any of the things that have been invented or become common the last 70-100 years. That doing it the way it's always been done appeals to me, but I should venture into some modern things soon, this thread makes me feel outdated.
 
I participate in .22 steel plate competition every other Monday at my local club. It is one of my favorite shooting activities - excellent for proficiency , and great fun. There is always a contingent with electronic optics ; I stick iron sights.
For me , looking at the target through a little red dot screen makes the experience seem sort of like a video game ; I feel removed from the target field. With my iron sights everything I am seeing is in "real time" , if that makes sense. Also , I like the unobstructed field of vision I have with my open sights ; I feel that is an advantage when working through a field of multiple targets.
Then there is the sunlight factor - late in the day the sun is at our backs on that range. Very advantageous for me with my open iron sights , drives the red dot guys nuts with the direct sun hit on their little screens.

My iron sights have never failed due to low battery.
(My "bio optics" seem to be in need of calibration however...)
 
Electronic gizmos are fun, but iron sights are your friend all the time, not just when convenient for them.
 
Olon said:
Unless it's too dark or too sunny, depending on the finish of the gun.

as much as I love irons, there are some visibility issues for me depending on the lighting.
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Yes lighting may be an issue, but fiber optics and tritium lamps can help that.
 
Olon said:
Good point I guess in my head I was categorizing those a technological doodads as well though they don't require batteries.
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Exactly. I like night sights, and actually find I'm a much faster shooter with a 3 dot setup. If I want precision, I go for black on black. No batteries needed, just new lamps once a decade or so.

doubleh said:
I don't know your age but I'm old enough to assure you that will change with time. A perfectly focused little red dot on a perfectly focused target beats a blurry mess any day although I much prefer scopes.
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I don't disagree, but like I said, I like night sights for exactly that reason. They are usable in the dark, need no batteries, and if I can see well enough to shoot a bad guy coming at me, then I'm happy.

Consequently, I have a slight astigmatism in my dominant eye. This leads to red dots being somewhat blurry and with a star burst pattern. I do better with iron sights. I've learned to push through the issue and simply accept that my sight picture is weird while using my one electro optic, but it's not ideal.

I am middle aged, but accept that at some point I may have to go with a red dot sight. I'm actually very interested to see what new design come out in the future. I'm also looking into Lasik surgery, and to see if there's any corrective action that could make electro optics more useful to me. Not sure if you can compensate for an astigmatism though.
 
(Not sure if you can compensate for an astigmatism though)

Apparently you can. My daughter is near sighted and has astigmatism and has worn either contacts or corrective lenses since she was a child and has no problem.
 
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