Sight-in question for middle aged shooters!

[Hokkmike]

Alright, so I am getting there age wise. I need to wear reading glasses otherwise my vision is fine. When I shoot a gun without a scope, my AR-15 and my pistol, I have a dilemma - ESPECIALLY with the pistol.

If I wear my reading glasses I can see the notch and blade clearly on the gun but the target is fuzzy. If I don't wear the glasses the target is clear but the notch and blade on the gun are fuzzy. With a scope everything is fine. I certainly am not going to scope my .380. And, it is my preference, merely for appearance sake, not to scope the AR.

I do have good Smith & Wesson shooting glasses that work with or without the reading glasses, but of course as you know they do not add magnification.

How do some of you shooters with the same problem deal with this?

 

[qajaq59]

Before they did my cataracts I was shooting at sort of a grey fuzzy ball and had to use a peep sight in order to see the sights at all. After they did the surgery I could see the target perfectly but I still couldn't see the sights well.
What my doctor suggested was a pair of the cheap 1X reading glasses that you can pick up for about $8 in Wal mart or wherever. With those I see the target just slightly worse, but I can see the front sight perfectly and the rear sight well enough to line up a shot. It isn't like being 25 again, but it is a whole lot better then not seeing the sights at all.
Go to the store and try the different strengths. Hold something about the distance of your front sight and try to look at that plus a distant object. If you see both rather well, buy the glasses and give it a try. You might be wasting $8, OR you might be able to see the sights again, and for me it was worth the $8 to find out.

 

[skidmark]

Depends on if you are shooting for score or for self defense.

With prescription glasses on I can see the front sight, but the target remains a vague blur. Without glasses on the target is crisp but I have no idea where the front sight is - too small a blur to even be recognizable.

My optometrist is a bullseye shooter and worked with me to see what could be done. Even requested that I bring in my pistol so he could check sight radius/sight distance in the office. Was the first time I ever saw bullseye & sillouette targets come up on an eyechart!

For score, I use an adjustable aperature that sticks onto my shooting glasses via a suction cup. Misremember the brand name, but it is "world-known". Of course, I have been known to use a target sticker with a pinhole when I cannot locate the aperature thingy.

For self defense I looked into several of the point-shooting techniques and arrived at what works best for me.

Old age and trickery will overcome youthful enthusiasm every time.

stay safe.

skidmark

 

[Broadbill]

I remember my dad going through this.
We were in a drugstore by the reading glasses, he made me go find a water pistol and he kept trying different glasses and checking "sight picture". It was hilarious and embarassing. You should have seen the looks.

He finally made a late appointment with his optometrist and had prescription shooting glasses made.

Broadbill

 

[Serendipity]

The low-powered reading glasses work for me. Won't do you much good in a case of self-defense, but I doubt that the sights will mean very much @ 5 yds., anywho.

 

[wally]

Here's a link to the suction cup pinhole thinggy: http://eabco.com/css_sts2.html

These work pretty well at the range, although I have to tilt my head back a bit.
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/tools_shop/eye_hearing_protection/74114.aspx?feature=Product_17
These are basically bifocal safety glasses.

For defense, I go thru lots of ammo learning the current blur as a sight picture and practicing "point" shooting.

--wally.

 

[AirForceShooter]

use a pair of reading glasses that are lower in power than you need to read.

AFS

 

[Iggy]

Progressive Tri-focals with the middle grind calibrated for optimum vision at arms length, and fiber optic sights!!!

 

[Clipper]

I have a hooded ramp fiberoptic front and peep rear sights on my MKII. When I'm not bench shooting with the bipod, I just unscrew the apperture and use the rear sight as a ghost ring. Works great. For combat sights, you should look into AO sight systems. Their Big Dot tritium sights are the fastest, easiest to see and most accurate combat sights I have ever used, but they're only available for a limited number of guns.

 

[P12]

The last trip to the eye doc put me into mono-vision contacts with the reading lense in my right (dominant) eye. I can see the pistol sights and target very clear. (I shoot with both eyes open) My pistol shooting is much improved as of yesterday.

Now that I can see the both sights and target I can start working on learning how to shoot.

You might consider that type of correction. If I can go long term with them I may have the lasik surgery performed.

I can read better also. Although things get kinda blurry after about 60-80 yards at times. I'm hoping that goes away in a few more weeks.

 

[DunedinDragon]

The low-powered reading glasses work for me. Won't do you much good in a case of self-defense, but I doubt that the sights will mean very much @ 5 yds., anywho.

+1000 on this. I use a combination of the lowest power reading glasses I can get, and some Truglo TFO's. I've found the Truglo's (because they glow during the daytime as well as at night) really help with building my site picture without using glasses...which would be important in a self-defense situation. I also make sure I practice both with and without corrective glasses on.

 

[redneck2]

Get the cheapie low powered reading glasses that have the smaller 1/2 lenses that you can see over the top. If you want to see the target, look over the top. for the sights, look thru the glasses. At 55, this is my solution.

Also, painting the sights helps a ton. Black sights are almost impossible in a lot of situations, even daylight.