Sight choices as we "age"?

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Vern56

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Poking around the safe. Due to the 9mm shortage, I'm shooting more .45acp. No matter how many newer guns I've purchased, the 1911 just seems to feel right. And I still shoot it effectively.

Looked at an ancient custom colt I had built some time ago, noticed the hienie nights sights were gone. Ledge sights which are great, but marked 06.

Could just replace them but thinking I prefer all black rears now. I do like the modern fiber optics, but thinking just replace the front with a brass bead or maybe just a new hienie front tritium? One of those ameriglo florescent night sights would be great but don't see a 1911 option.

Anyone else moving to different combos as we mature?
 
Same here, looking for options. Have bought shooting glasses with the bifocal on the top to help (worked pretty well and not too $$ from Amazon). Been trying red dots on some times. XS Big Dot put on a J frame recently, I like it but not as accurate as it could be but that is the trade off there. I like a brass bead front sight, classic and works well for me. I'm not a big fiber optic fan, least not yet.

My brother suggest buying things with 10in barrels as that gets the front sight clear for him :) It's a method I guess.

I have also put a rear peep sight on some pistols and have been happy with that.

Have tried the See All sight, I'm still on the fence if I like that or not.

I don't have a good solution, think its a lot of trial and error as everyone is a bit different and shoots different things.
 
My first step would be some bright paint on the front sight.

My next step would be either brass bead, gold bead, fiber optic, or one of those tritiums with a colored square or circle around the vial. Tritium without the colored square or circle is no advantage for me.

Final option would be a new set, with a wider rear and probably a gold bead up front.

I'm in my early 60's, and I'm real close to step 1.
 
I like the all steel three dots. White works or you can try paint pens to play with different color combinations. If your not using the weapon for sd the tritium sights add a lot of cost for no gain.
 
I have found lately that a front white dot sight and all black rear sight works well for me. I wear bifocals but have not done anything special for shooting glasses. Tritium night sights still work well for me too. I have also started putting micro red dots on some of my pistols. I haven't changed out the sights on any of my 1911's yet, the GI sights are getting harder to use now days at farther distances.
 
The two sights I prefer for clarity and quickest acquisition are Trijicon HDs and XS Big Dot.
 
wiscoaster said:
The key is contrast. Black on black is a poor option.
Click to expand...
Ive found this to be a big problem as I get older, especially if the target is dark. I just lose the sights totally. I need some contrast, and if the sights dont have any, I normally use fluorescent nail polish on the front sights of the guns that dont. Makes a major difference.

I also use a dab of polish on the "ears" of my rifle sights (that have ears) and dont have red dots. Makes snap shooting in lower light a lot easier and quicker,.

Ive always been a big fan of the three dot sights on handguns, and especially the night sights. Been using them since they first showed up, and havent found anything to work better yet, at least as far as iron sights go.

Out to around 10-15 yards, I only use the dots, and dont use a traditional sight picture, although you actually get one if the dots are aligned. I dont consciously start looking for the blade/notch until Im out past 10-15 yards though.

In the past couple of years, Ive also been using my safety/sunglasses with a bifocal in the upper portion of my strong eye. With that, I can get a clear sight picture at the longer distances when I need it, and its just there without thought.
 
For my rifles I've been going to scopes or Red dots.
Only the best red dots seem to work for me: either Trijicon or Aimpoint.
I have Aimpoint T1's on some AR's and a CompM4 on my Browning bolt 12 GA slug rifle.
One example that's worked great: a Trijicon RMR on my SIG P220 Match Stainless Elite coupled with a laser and couldn't be happier.
IMG_2881cs.jpg
I had to have a mounting plate custom made by Amerigun USA but it was worth it.
http://www.amerigunusa.com/
I've also had good luck with MISO sights from Creedmoor on my match AR-15 and my Springfield M1A National Match.
 
I'm not old (37) but I've definitely changed over the years myself. Can't stand 3 dot anymore, too busy and distracts from a clear front sight picture.

Also don't really like White anymore for my front sight post, I need yellow, lime green or orange. Preferably a square like the Ameriglo CAP, those work best.

I'm not fully on board with the dots on pistols yet either, because of my astigmatism blurring the dot quite a bit and my, and this is the reason I struggle with some dots, my colorblindness. I haven't found a red dot bright enough for me to see it reliably in bright sunlight (green might work for me, but I don't have one to try) and having to swap between irons and dot depending on ambient light is just too many variables for me. Perhaps as the eyes continue to get worse and dot technology improves I'll change.

Until then it's finding the brightest orange, green or yellow dot i can.
 
AK103K,

Where and how did you get your glasses with bi-focal at top? I have tried cheap safety glasses with bi-focal up top, but the magnified viewing area is too small and misplaced for comfortable use (for me).

BOARHUNTER
 
I did from about 58 to 65, then had cataract surgery on both eyes, then back to same sight picture as when I was young. Today, 7 years later, still like I was a youngster. One thing to make sure of, is if you do use lenses to correct your sight, make sure to use the same lenses you will be wearing if the weapon is ever needed for self-defense. I met a lot of people who had special lenses for range shooting, but if they had to use the weapon for self-defense, could have ended up aiming and then shooting the wrong person.
 
RETG said:
I did from about 58 to 65, then had cataract surgery on both eyes, then back to same sight picture as when I was young. Today, 7 years later, still like I was a youngster. One thing to make sure of, is if you do use lenses to correct your sight, make sure to use the same lenses you will be wearing if the weapon is ever needed for self-defense. I met a lot of people who had special lenses for range shooting, but if they had to use the weapon for self-defense, could have ended up aiming and then shooting the wrong person.
Click to expand...
Thats the main reason I chose the Top Focals. I wear them as my safety and sunglasses, and pretty much always have them on when out and about.

For anything close, the three dots have most things covered, correction or not. I might not get a sharp, traditional sight picture, but the dots, slightly fuzzy or not, are still dots, and easily seen and aligned, and whether Im looking at them or not.
 
My only complaint with them, and as I said, I havent talked to them yet, so it may not actually be a complaint, but so far, Ive had to buy both a set of corrected lenses and a plain set, as I like my weak eye uncorrected and my strong eye corrected.

That way I can shoot both eyes open, and my weak eye sees the target clear and sharp (the magnification tends to fuzz it out), and my strong eye sees the sight clear with the magnification.

You dont have to buy one of the "sets", and can buy lenses and frames separately, and its cheaper that way, and you get exactly what you need, to a point.

Id like to just be able to buy a set of lenses with one plain, and one magnified, but I havent seen that on thier site.

Initally, I bought one of the sets, and ended up buying a couple more frames and lense sets, and setting them up with different colors.

I mostly only use the copper lenses, as you can wear them 90% of the time. I only use the yellow when its really dark.
 
AK103K said:
My only complaint with them, and as I said, I havent talked to them yet, so it may not actually be a complaint, but so far, Ive had to buy both a set of corrected lenses and a plain set, as I like my weak eye uncorrected and my strong eye corrected.

That way I can shoot both eyes open, and my weak eye sees the target clear and sharp (the magnification tends to fuzz it out), and my strong eye sees the sight clear with the magnification.

You dont have to buy one of the "sets", and can buy lenses and frames separately, and its cheaper that way, and you get exactly what you need, to a point.

Id like to just be able to buy a set of lenses with one plain, and one magnified, but I havent seen that on thier site.

Initally, I bought one of the sets, and ended up buying a couple more frames and lense sets, and setting them up with different colors.

I mostly only use the copper lenses, as you can wear them 90% of the time. I only use the yellow when its really dark.
Click to expand...
RE. bolded: Decot Hy-wyd will do what you want.
REF: https://www.decot.com/
 
Thanks. Looks like nice stuff. A little too salty for me and how hard I am on them though. :)
 
The op seems to deal with hand gun sights. Optics can be rather expensive to mount on slide frame autos. Reflex sights are a good option.
I dealt with it by having an optometrist add a third focal point to my prescription lenses. A shooting buddy who doesn’t wear prescriptions uses an attachment to his glasses that is essentially a peep sight. A tiny hole punched into a small piece of tape fixed to the eye glasses works great also.
I do have several hand guns with the fiber optic front and rear. It helps.
 
I joined the bifocal crowd years ago, but I still don't like dots, inserts, paint, or anything else on my iron sights. Black on black, well sooted for me, please.

I do foresee a time when that may no longer work, of course. If and when that time comes, I'm just going to start putting dot sights on everything.
 
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