Can I see to shoot?

[Radarcarve]

I am 63 now, and have not shot a rifle much in the past 30 years. But, I have been gearing up for an Elk hunt here in New Mexico for some time now (getting divorced freed me up so much!). I have a 7mm Rem. with a scope, but I recently acquired an 1886 Winchester Deluxe in 33 WCF. Just a spectacular gun... made in 1906, a takedown, and in superb shape... just the rifle for Elk in the woodlands up around my draw.. Near Cuba, New Mexico.
I took the rifle out in the back yard to sight it in and found that I have a problem! I am having a tough time focusing on the front site. I can see fine... and see the target. But, putting the target and the front site down in the bottom of the channel together is difficult for me. Am I alone with this, or is this the result of age getting to the eyes? It is hell getting old. Lee

 

[JohnM]

Gettin old ain't for wusses, ya gotta be tough.

 

[bbrownie]

my old eyes cannot see open sights very for a few years now but I can see peep sights fairly well yet.
seems to happen to most old shooters.

 

[bogon48]

Yeah, it's aging eyes. I have the same problem, and a few others related to retinal issues in both eyes and a cataract forming. Had 20/10 vision in the 70s. Vison is crummy now. I have custom glasses for pistol. Lots of relearning to do even with glasses.

Currently, I'm trying a Merit Via (http://www.meritcorporation.com/) optical attachment on my AR-15. It's for target shooting with irons. It's a peep-style rear sight with adjustable iris. You adjust the size of the opening till you see the front sight and target clearly. I used a Merit suction attachment for my glasses when pistol shooting in the late 80s when my eyes first started changing. It worked for me.

A cheap way of seeing if this sort of sight would work for you is to put a piece of black tape on top of the safety glass lens of the aiming eye, after making a small hole in the tape with a small nail or large needle. Play with the hole size till you can see the front sight and target clearly. It's an old trick that is mentioned either in a forum here or on XDTalk. I understand that's all some guys use for target shooting. This might be a problem with action shooting or hunting where you would want an unobstructed field of vision in both eyes.

Reckon my next move will be to an optical sight. Just hate to give up irons and become dependent on batteries and technology. Inevitable, I guess.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Put a set of XS sights Ghost rings with a white line front post on that rifle. You and your old eyes will not regret it.

Now as far as drilling and tapping an original 1886, you'll have to make your peace with that before you do it.

 

[Blue68f100]

With my aging eyes I can't see iron sights clearly, handgun or rifle. But I can see through scopes and the use of Dot sights. Dot sights are made for us with aging eyes since you only use you far vision. Dot sights are quicker acquisition since Dot marks the spot.....

 

[bbrownie]

for pistol shooting I made an eye piece out of a pair of clip on plastic sun glasses. they must be plastic so you can drill a hole thru them.
bought a pair of flip up sunglasses, cut the left lense off with a pair of side cutters, clip the sunglasses onto your regular glasses and try to figure out where the hole should be so you can look thru it and see the sights when you are shooting handgun. drill a hole about 1/16" more or less, whatever is clearer for you. if the hole is too big fill it with epoxy glue and drill a smaller hole. if the hole is not in the right place cover it with a small piece of masking tape and drill a new one. when you have the design perfected spray paint it flat black espiacally on the inside to stop the glare.
this makes the sights look very clear and sharp and you can flip them up when you are not using them.
the works very well for young and old alike.
Brownie

 

[JohnM]

Those Merit devices are the cat's meow for us old farts and the method described by Brownie is great if you want to take time to get it right.
I've even used a piece of electrical tape with a tiny hole stuck in the right place on my regular glasses.
Main thing to making your own aperture is that it has sharp clean edges.
Best to drill it out with a number sized drill bit of whatever size works best for you.
I had finally gotten to the point I couldn't even see iron sights at all.
Sometimes an eye Doc can help figuring out just what sort of glasses will work best for you.

 

[Art Eatman]

Until my cataract surgery, I had worn tri-focals for years. To deal with the problem of iron sights--particularly with handguns--I had an extra lens glued to the upper inside-corner of the lens of my master eye. 1/2" x 3/4" in size.

It gave the same correction as the middle part of the tri-focal, correct for arm's length vision and for the sights of a rifle with irons. The target is slightly blurred, but that's no problem.

So, if one's vision is okay for distance, a no-correction lens with a corrective insert as I used should solve the iron-sight problem.

 

[hardluk1]

Might try a fiber opic front sight and a a vierner on the rear
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/883/2?PageSize=10