It sucks to get older...

I was near sighted for most of my life wearing glasses. I wore contacts for a while until I started to need bifocals at about age 40. All during this time, I could shoot fairly well and see the sights.

At about age 60-61, I had cataract surgery with distance implants installed. I need to wear readers for close work and I have progressive readers for driving (no correction for distance, correction for seeing the dash board). I have not found a good combination of glasses to wear for shooting iron sights on rifle or hand guns so I have mostly have fun. I have some full lens safety glasses readers that do ok for handgun, but I have to remove them to see distance. At times, the Dillon catalog has some shooting glasses with the bifocal lens at the top of the glasses instead of the bottom. I think about trying them but have not gotten around to ordering a pair.

I shoot skeet fine as sighting is primarily distance and rifle optics can be adjusted see everything clearly. I use non-corrective safety glasses.

It all just adds to the fun.

Weird double post...

Yep my eyes have gotten so bad that I can't focus on the front sight & back sights at the same time, so most of my guns have scopes on them.

Shipwreck said:

I appreciate the offer. My girlfriend actually lives in San Antonio - so I go there a lot. I have tried it before. I just keep reading so many issues with the life of many of these red dots not being that great. I even see this mentioned about the Trijicon SRO.

One day, it is on the horizon, I know. For now, I generally prefer to shoot with sights. I do have two Gen 5 Glock 34s, and they have the MOS option already on them. More than likely, I'll give one of those a shot 1st.

I used to collect all sorts of guns. Now, for the most part, I only buy carry guns.. At least guns I carry occasionally. I'm not ready to transition to a red dot on a carry gun. I'll probably start it on a G34, and give it a shot as a range plinker one day.

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Is it the life of the optic itself or the battery life? Most I’ve seen discuss battery life.

If you are a first responder or vet, look at www.swampfox.com and their discount program. I’ve bought 9 red dots from them. None have failed. One had a funny distortion that was only visible in direct sunlight, but I sent it in and had a replacement in under two weeks. But they are made in China and I’m becoming against spending on them more and more…so there is that.

Halosun, Leupold, Trijicon, Vortex, Burris, Sig all make good dots and have good warranties. I think a lot of the early kinks have been worked out.

I prefer the auto on/off models personally. Less battery issues.

Good luck

I've worn eyeglasses since grade school for astigmatism, but my corrected vision was always great. At around 44, things went downhill quickly, so quickly that my eye doctor initially thought I had diabetes. After a thorough exam, however, he simply told me "the vision of your youth is no more," and he prescribed progressive lenses. They have worked pretty well, but I really miss having good vision. Like the OP, I find I need bigger, more prominent front sights like the Ameriglo oranges. For competitive shooting, I mostly use carbines with red dots. I sometimes use iron sights on pistols, as I've not yet mastered the "Where's Waldo" aspect of rapidly finding the dot when presenting a red dot-equipped pistol from a holster.

I shot three Glocks today at 25 yards doing a video on recoil distances. Using cheap factory ammo, two of the Glocks did about 3.5" with both pistols having Dawson Precision fiber optic sights. The third Glock had a Burris Fastfire III installed using the MOS system. It did under 2". Nearly half the group size using a red dot.

I am currently building a P80 G23 that will have a slide milled for a red dot. I plan on shooting it without the optic to establish an accuracy baseline with open sights, then shoot it with a Halosun 407c installed to see how tighter the groups get.

I'll be 70 in two months and I can tell that I'm wearing out. First I went blind in my left eye. Not a problem, I'm right handed. Next I had to have a caterac (sp) removed from my right eye. I then had the left eye done and my vision is back to 20/20.

Arthritis kicked in about a dozen years ago. After a day at the range I have to spend a day laying in bed. Better than a few years ago when I weighed just about 400 pounds and was wheelchair bound. Now I'm down to 250, feeling much better. I'm riding my bike anywhere from 16 to 35 miles a day depending on how I feel.

I'm no where near when I was in my 40s. Back then I was a Master Class shooter with my revolver and my Glock 17L. I'm a lowly C class now but I'm happy.

AzShooter1 said:

Better than a few years ago when I weighed just about 400 pounds and was wheelchair bound. Now I'm down to 250, feeling much better. I'm riding my bike anywhere from 16 to 35 miles a day depending on how I feel.

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Wow! That's awesome! I'm at 310, and am in the middle of changing jobs and shifts in an effort to get serious about weight loss. I'm hoping to lose around 90 lbs, which at 6'2" and 52 years old, should jput back around my ideal weight. When you sit at a computer for 12 hours a day, from 6 at night to 6 in the morning, then sleep during most of the day, it leaves little time to exercise, or live.

Curious as to what approach you took. I've done the low carb thing and it worked great, but it sucked. Now, I try to avoid unnecessary carbs and rarely have deserts or sweets. I've heard the fasting thing works, so might try that along with a LOT more exercise.

Trey Veston said:

Wow! That's awesome! I'm at 310, and am in the middle of changing jobs and shifts in an effort to get serious about weight loss. I'm hoping to lose around 90 lbs, which at 6'2" and 52 years old, should jput back around my ideal weight. When you sit at a computer for 12 hours a day, from 6 at night to 6 in the morning, then sleep during most of the day, it leaves little time to exercise, or live.

Curious as to what approach you took. I've done the low carb thing and it worked great, but it sucked. Now, I try to avoid unnecessary carbs and rarely have deserts or sweets. I've heard the fasting thing works, so might try that along with a LOT more exercise.

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I had gastric bypass in November of last year. Before that I had to prove that I was really working on getting the weight off. The VA put me on a very low calorie diet, about 700 calories per day.

Most was 1/2 protein bar for breakfast, the other half for lunch and a small dinner with chicken, pork or fish and veggies.

I managed to lose 40 pounds that way in 6 months. Now I eat yogurt ( which I really shouldn't) for breakfast and try to stay at 1000 calories per day.

I also work out on my recumbent bicycle for 1 - 2 hours a day. I try to get in over 20 miles at a time. I'm retired so I have plenty of time. Normally starting at 4 a.m.

The hardest part is to not eat just to eat. Only eat 3 meals a day and up to 5 snacks of less than 100 calories. Cut out bread, soda and red meat.

Good luck.

Riding a bike is a great way to lose weight and stay in shape. Easy on the joints and body, and great for your head too.

Plus you get to see and enjoy the countryside and all sorts of critters and other things.

Put in 30-60+ minutes a day (take it easy and work up to whats comfortable), and eat sensibly, and youll see the weight just fall off. Once you get there, and keep riding, youll have to eat well to keep the weight on.

Get yourself a decent bike though, if youre riding them all the time, the Walmart bikes wont last long.

I can’t do bifocals either. My solution is to practice point shooting more.

I hate talking about old age. Every time I brag about how old I am, there's always some ancient geezer who moves in and tries to steal my thunder. It goes something like this: Me; well now that I've reached 100 years old, the front sight on my flintlock is getting kind of fuzzy around the edges. Maybe I better get my cataracts removed.

Old Codger: well, old timer wannabe, just wait 'til you get to be 101. That's when I had to get one of them newfangled red dot scopes. When you get a little older and wiser, you'll see the light.

Shipwreck said:

I like the idea of the larger glass on the SRO, instead of the RMR. But, I've seen many posts of people sending in their optics numerous times. So, I am hoping they get more reliable by the time I go down that road.

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Shot USPSA with a DeltaPoint Pro on my 320 Legion and never had problems, it's built to be durable. Have a Holosun 507C as well, no complaints. I just got the one from Primary Arms with the "vulcan" reticle instead of a dot. Some dots really show my astigmatism, but the chevron is crystal clear.

Before the 320 Legion, I shot a Canik TP9 SFX w/ the Vortex Viper it came with and it too never gave me trouble. For a defensive gun I prefer a shake awake w/ auto off function.

Shipwreck said:

No, life of the optic. I see countless posts on various gun forums of people having them break quickly, and then ship them back to the factory. Sometimes ex in a year.

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Its going to be a consumable item, like mags. Unless it's frame mounted.

Trijicon, Delta Point Pro and Holosun are the only ones serious shooters swear by.

Shipwreck said:

Man, it sucks to get old... It really gets harder to use handgun sights as you get older. ...

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As Andy Sipowicz remarked on NYPD Blue ...

I hope I got that quote right. Y'see, I'm old, so ...

Zendude said:

I can’t do bifocals either. My solution is to practice point shooting more.

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Me as well! The older I get the harder it is to see irons. At some point I'll probably get a red dot. But I'm fighting that urge right now!!! Hard to let go!!!

Wear contacts, have for over 50 years, still no problem with the sights on my 22’s, or others.

Other day told my wife I fee like a 40 yr old. She said “and if I catch you with one, you are in big trouble!”

SwampWolf said:

I hate talking about old age. Every time I brag about how old I am, there's always some ancient geezer who moves in and tries to steal my thunder. It goes something like this: Me; well now that I've reached 100 years old, the front sight on my flintlock is getting kind of fuzzy around the edges. Maybe I better get my cataracts removed.

Old Codger: well, old timer wannabe, just wait 'til you get to be 101. That's when I had to get one of them newfangled red dot scopes. When you get a little older and wiser, you'll see the light.

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No one is holding a gun to your head grampa. You can stop any time you want.

Jack Ryan said:

No one is holding a gun to your head grampa. You can stop any time you want.

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Stop what?

"I hate talking about old age."

I was at the range today, and had to sit on a stool to shoot. And I was not even there long. But the epidural is wearing off, and the lower back pain returns when I stand… Not a pretty picture.

BOARHUNTER