Age and shooting

My biggest issue as I age is my eyesight.
I still shoot better than a lot of younger people, but I've been doing it a long time.

At 56 o still shoot pretty good. Still can get 1 hole 5 shot groups with rifles capable of that accuracy, but my eyesight started diminishing at about 40. I compensate by using highr magnification optics for longer distances.

Most of my shooting is done at 200 to 300 yds.

Some interesting comments here. I'm 71 and seem to still shoot pretty well. Granted, I no longer hunt deer, elk or pronghorn, just desert plinking with lever action .357 and .45 Colt and SAA revolvers in same calibers. Do wear glasses for both near and far, no shakes, so, good there. Just load and shoot when I can. Going again in a couple days. Keep shooting guys!

I'm 56 and fighting to maintain.

I still seem to be able to hang in there in my late 50s- what I have noticed is that some of the guys I have shot with and hunted with are better "shots" .....but not necessarily better killers... I have several buddies that consistently beat me at sporting clays by 3-4 birds.....but can't hit pheasants or ducks worth a hoot! .....same on the rifle range...maybe they shoot a bit tighter groups especially with open sights....
.....but shoot AT deer and not to kill deer!
Age maybe steadies the inter nerves...and makes us more deliberate.
......still....aging is better than the alternative!

I'm 69 and in general, i do not see the sights and targets as well as in the younger years.

With optical sights on my rifles, I can tailor the sights where I see things fine and I shoot fine. But, with iron sights on handguns, not so much. I where full lens readers and I do OK with the handguns but when I have to shoot without the readers things are not so well.

I had cataract surgery on both eyes a few years ago and had distant implants install. It has had good and bad benefits to shooting. For Skeet, I like not having to wear any corrective lenses any more.

But, in general, there are other factors besides eye sight that have affected my ability to shoot accurately as I have aged.

Getting old sucks

I can still see well enough to get out to 250yd, but my days of shooting 600/1000 are long over.
Is what it is

I was fortunate enough to be able to retire in my 50's. I'm 64 now. Since retiring I've had more opportunities to get out and shoot; and have been able to acquire better gear. I've gotten better, at least for now and if I can use optics. I've needed readers since I was in my 40's and am borderline on needing glasses all the time. But I struggle with iron sights unless I'm wearing my readers while shooting.

I can still do OK without any help with a handgun and don't normally practice while wearing my readers since I figure if I actually need to use the gun, I won't have them on. If shooting for pure accuracy to see what a gun or load is capable of then I'll put them on. I can still see the front sight of a handgun reasonably well. But with a rifle, the front sight is just too far away to see clearly enough to shoot well.

I'm going to try out my computer glasses next time I go shooting and see if that helps.

I'm nowhere near as good a shooter as I was 30+ years ago, but by the same token I'm not all that bad right now. And I'm speaking of typical range shooting, or even squirrel hunting, not as someone who shoots competitively.

Last October I shot the best 5 shot group I've ever shot at 100 yards with a rifle.It measured .103.The two before it were .211 and .185.I turned 60 last May.My offhand shooting with heavy rifles is very bad right now because of a torn tendon in my left shoulder that makes it very painful to hold one up for any length of time.My pistol shooting is getting a little better than it's been in the last couple years because I've learned a different sighting technique to make up for a blurry sight picture that's been getting worse.I changed my focus from the front sight to the target.This gives a sight picture that's just a blur.All I do is look at the target and bring the sights into my line of sight and shoot.I've been improving with practice,and pistol shooting is fun again.One of my shooting buddies is 72 and I still get a charge out of watching him shoot rings around the younguns at the local range.His secret?Practice and a genuine love to shoot well.

To all you kids out there, i am 84 and don't hunt anymore BUT, I have a 25 yard backyard range and shoot my revolvers and auto's. Doc said i need to have cataract surgery soon. Now i am nearsighted. I see the front sight good but at 25 yds the 8 " paper plate with a 3" bullseye not so much. I'm getting by and when i have a bad day i don't blame the gun. Off hand is a chore as i'm not as steady as i once was. I can still hit a 4" gong at 25 yds from a rest no problem. I still ride my Harleys a lot too.

These old eyes are enjoying the new micro dot sights on pistols. Takes practice but has me going to the range with more frequency.

Since aging eyesight has come up frequently on this thread, I'll add a couple more comments.

Presbyopia (far-sightedness) is a fact of life as eyes age. In my own case, I can no longer achieve sharp focus on objects within about 24" under typical indoor lighting. The cause has to do with the gradual lessening of flexibility in the lens of our eyes:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/presbyopia/symptoms-causes/syc-20363328

In bright outdoor lighting I can focus much closer -- 'depth of field' increases with decrease in pupil diameter:

https://www.nfi.edu/depth-of-field/

Corrective lenses do just that: correct the focus at a more comfortable distance. The problem for shooters is that both correct focus and broad depth of field are desirable with open firearm sights.

I tried a couple pairs of conventional Rx glasses without much success, mostly because I shoot indoors a lot where the lighting is relatively dim. They'd be fine for the sights, but make the target too blurry to center on. I even tried bifocals with plain glass on top, but no joy -- at least for me.

After I bought my Wehrmann target rifle and found I could not see the Lange Visier sight's rear notch, I decided it was time to invest in real shooting glasses (see my avatar at left).




You'll see these at the Olympics: an open frame with an almost unlimited variety of positions for mounting a corrective lens, adjustable iris and/or blinder. The blinder just serves as an aid to keeping the non-shooting eye open; the real benefit is the combination of iris and lens. I bought a kit made by Jaggi, but there are several other brands available. They are expensive!

https://freelandssports.com/product/jaggi-nova-shooting-glasses-for-rifle-shooters/

When I took the frame to Kaiser Optometry to have a corrective lens for my prescription fitted, the clerk said it was a first for them. The difference these made to my shooting (with the iris stopped down fully) was night and day. That is to say, I could finally see the sights and the target with enough clarity to make shooting with open sights fun again. I remain a mediocre shot, but at least you can now tell which target I'm aiming at.

irishlad said:

I was curious if anyone got better in their late 60s or older. Thanks

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It would depend upon how good or bad you were to begin with. I would say there is less upside and more downside.

3C

I wear progressive bifocals these days. Last couple visits to the eye doc I've asked for a prescription for computer glasses, as well, because the glasses suitable for normal everyday use elsewhere now make it difficult in front of a computer. My work computer monitors are set significantly further back on my desk than for other people because of this.

So my written prescription actually has two prescriptions written on it. The normal one I order from the eye doc, because one pair is covered by my insurance every year. At work, however, they will provide me with free prescription safety glasses, so I always have at least one pair of each made. Usually a couple pairs of each.

I tried out my computer glasses yesterday with a pistol...and glory be! I could comfortably see the sights in perfect focus without having to tilt my head at all! It felt wonderful!

Now, my distance vision isn't as sharp as with my other glasses...but honestly, for both the normal pistol range distances and even beyond, this doesn't make a difference. I don't need the target to come within perfect focus to be able to put my sights exactly where they need to be.

I'm considering asking my eye doc for a third prescription for trifocals to use as shooting glasses next visit.

If your eyes are getting weaker with age (because that's what they do), don't be hesitant to talk to your eye doc about your concerns and getting an appropriate prescription for shooting.

I6turbo said:

Pretty much the only way someone would get better in their 60s or older would be if they had poor technique or poor equipment earlier in life, and they improved it at an older age. Or if they had some disease or illness that got cured or treated later in life.

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I was an expert shooter all my young military life. But now, 30 years later, I am a much more consistent and reliable shot. And I shoot out to much longer distances (up to 1500 yards, hoping for 2000 if I can find a decent facility) more consistently. Now that may be because equipment in general is built to much better tolerances and with newer, better materials. But my eyesight has only degraded from 15/20 back then to currently 20/20 now. Don't discount the effect maturity and years of practice have on turning a young novice into a virtuoso.

Not 60 yet, just 44. I got a lot better in the last 10 years on a bench with a scope. Still able offhand. Iron sights are more difficult than they were, but I used to be pretty good with those. Shotgun progression is the most impressive, as I did not shoot those much when I was younger (fits in the better means get more and better gear area). If genetics say anything, I should be good to go for some time: my father killed his deer on the move at approximately 120-130 yards last fall (he said he got lucky... ya right!). I think he still sees better than I do (very slight myopia since age 14). Imagine, a dentist who began wearing prescription glasses when he turned 70. For those who don't realise, it is a precision job he still does 4 days a week at age 76. He doesn't need glasses to read. Now, I have to take mine off when I read at night or when I work on something tiny in less than perfect light. We lose some, physically, from 35 years old going downwards, but I still gain in other departments. I shake less than I used to (absolutely can't explain that), I am infinitely more patient, have better gear, know a lot more (thanks THR!). I guess it is a question of adaptation and workarounds, because, getting older, we can't do it the same way we used to, which doesn't mean we can't do it welll, but differently. Ten (okay, maybe 15) years ago, my father would have dressed his deer and put it on the truck alone. Last fall, he took his cell phone and called me. I dressed the deer (with my heir as a witness for the first time!!!-I was more thrilled to show him than he was to see it-) and pulled it out of the wood to the truck, where I got it in by myself. It was a real pleasure to spill blood everywhere in his Jeep trunk and hear him say absolutely nothing (he is kind of a freak about everything being clean) but "thank you". Still, he killed a deer last fall, not me It is not over until it is over, hang in there folks.

I'll be 69 in July and I've been shooting since I was 10 years old. I'm fortunate that at my age I still don't need glasses. That being said, while I can still shoot very tight groups with a rifle off of a benchrest, I no longer can shoot offhand from a standing position as well as I did when I was in my 40's.

I am mid-50’s and I will say that as I have grown better as I aged. That’s not a result of some miracle revering of the aging process, its that am much more experienced shooting a wider variety of guns than I was 10-15 years ago. Learning the different nuances of the various revolvers and autos I have acquired as I strive to shoot them well has made me a better shooter.

But…

I had amazing vision until I hit about 38, then it faded. Lasik helped me ditch the lenses for a few years, then it was back to glasses. Now its glasses for distance and readers at night.

Best thing I did for shooting were “computer use” seamless trifocals: reader prescription at the bottom for loading mags, etc.; “computer distance” prescription in the middle puts the front sights of handguns and rifles in perfect focus; distance prescription above puts my targets perfectly in focus at the top of the lens.

A simple few-degree nod of my head allows sights-target-front sight focus to be sure I am aiming where I need to be and all the distances are crisp. After getting these glasses my groups and target acquisition judgement have greatly improved.

As was said above, you gotta shoot it until you lose it!

Stay safe.

I6Turbo said it best, the only way you’ve become better in older age, is if it was new. The one who says they have been shooting their entire life, and is now better at 60 or 70, than at 30 or 40, is being disingenuous. NO, you are not better in your 60’s & 70’s.

I’m just 44yo, but I was disabled in 2014. I am 100% blind in one eye, & left arm/hand is completely paralyzed. NO, I am not better than I was in my 30’s. I am however, more wise & knowledgeable. But even that fades with age.

More experience and better equipment kept me improving for a long time and on a plateau for a good while after.
But at 77, I have been declining in results for some years, but with no less enjoyment of the challenges.

I am about to be 66. Been wearing glasses since I was 8. Progressive bifocals help with multiple focal planes.
I have 3 10-22s. They are equals in accuracy.
1 is factory open sights, 1 has a 3-9x scope and 1 has a red dot. I rarely shoot the open sights, grandson has claimed it.

Arthritis has drastically reduced my magnum shooting. Taking up Cowboy Action in my 60s, has kept me moving and it rarely miss a target. If I miss a month, my shooting diminishes drastically. I don't shoot for competition. I shoot to maintain my skills.

Done my first biathlon at 61 yo. 5 miles, 5 shooting stages, 50 rounds pistol, 50 rounds rifle. Of 125 participants, in was oldest, finished in 61st place.

Don't stop fighting

I'll be 68 this Summer. The eyes are not what they used to be,(close or far now), arthritis in various locations. Etc...
If I'd known I was going to live this long I'd have taken better care of myself. It's not just the age, it's the miles and not all the "roads" I went down were paved. Heck, not all were even "roads"...
Whatever the case, I still get out back for shooting, weather permitting, as well as go to the occasional muzzle loader shoot and shoot the smooth bore class cause there's only the front sight to focus on. I even went to an archery get together last weekend and shot my traditional bow a bit.
I've missed the last couple seasons for deer but I'm going to try a bit harder to get out this year. Like "Mr Natural" used to say, "Just keep on truckin'.. "

I'm on the downhill slide to 70 and as others have said, getting old(er) is not for the faint of heart.

I was a decent shot in my younger days (shot a perfect score in Marine Corps bootcamp in '72), and shot USPSA open class for almost two decades at the master class level. But things have been slowly changing...

I have to wear readers for books and computers, and my nerves/fine motor skills have been on the decline for some time now. When red dot sights became the 'thing' in USPSA open class I switched and have never looked back (pun intended). All of my handguns have RDS on them and my rifles have either a scope, a RDS, or both, depending upon their intended usage. I have also switched my master eye to my left eye as it is holding up better than my right eye as I get older.

So now I shoot rifles left handed and both eyes open (I am left handed, but shot rifles right handed for over 50 years as my right eye was my master), and shoot pistols with either hand and primarily my left eye.

Yesterday I took my DPMS 308 to the range to sight in a new LPVO scope for it. This rifle is intended for close in to mid-range (300 yds or so) work so I figured a 1-8 power scope would work well. I dialed it in about 1" low at 50m. My best 3-shot group (7.62x51 M80) was a little over an inch with me sitting at a concrete bench and using a bipod. Yea, I was a bit twitchy yesterday. On a good day I can get under 2" at 100m. Some days are better than others.

The good news was that I was ringing steel targets from 100-400m. (yea, the 400m plate was a huge 15" monster)

I'm not a bench-rest type though, and I figure that nowadays if I'm within one minute of Bad Guy, I'm doing good.

I’m 63 and use progressive lens. My wingshooting ability has regressed much more than my rifle shooting, but rifles all have optics.

Dave DeLaurant said:

I decided it was time to invest in real shooting glasses (see my avatar at left).

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I’ve wondered about that and figured you were a fan of the Mad Max film franchise.