Tip, reading glasses for target practice

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gbran

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I'm a handgun nut, but alas, my eyesight is not so good. I compensate by having scopes or red dots on most of my plinkers and hunting handguns. Most of my rifles are scoped also.

I can see well enough to drive without my glasses, but trying to concentrate on the front sight is pretty hard for me. I wear trifocals which allow me to read up close or concentrate on something at arms length or a little farther away. I can't use the trifocals to see the front sight because I have to cock my head back too far.

The other day I had to do my CCW refresher course and part of that is to requalify with a handgun. My instructor always has us shoot a torso target at 7 yards (21') and since I don't like to look like a fool in front of the other shooters, I tried something new this time.

I bought and wore 1.5x reading glasses under my safety glasses. It was perfect. The front sight was crystal clear, the rear was legible and the target was easily seen to line up the shots. The result was great and made me look like the pro that I am not. Got lots of kudos from the others. I couldn't believe the difference and am anxious to try this again.
 
That's a good fix. I had the same problem a few years back and everyone advised about going to an eye doctor and spending $500 on special glasses.
I didn't have the money, but found some plastic bi-focal stickers that I put on the outside of my safety glasses. Works like a charm for about $5:)
 
Thanks for the tip! I have the progressive lenses in my glasses and can't really afford a new prescription just for the practice range. Ican make the lenses work for me but it just takes a little more time to align the sights just the right way. I like the large yellow lens goggle type glasses that fit right over my regular frames. I'm gonna try the magnified glasses from the store.
Im thinking maybe if I just hold up a pencil and try to align the eraser end with a "target" on a shelf about seven to ten yards down aisle, I should be able to get a decent picture. Any suggestions?
 
Great idea, using a scope with the cross hairs focused at 100 yards the target will be slightly blurry for me, tipping my head up enough to use the bifocals isn't really a option. Using dollar store reading glasses cures this so I can see the bulls eye clear. It is a pain needing to change glasses to see through the spotting scope but if trying to shoot real good groups works better than my regular glasses alone.
 
Im thinking maybe if I just hold up a pencil and try to align the eraser end with a "target" on a shelf about seven to ten yards down aisle, I should be able to get a decent picture. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of "borrowing" a squirt gun from the toy aisle, and using it in the pharmacy area to "sight in" the reading glasses.

I fully expect some strange looks.
 
Yep.

1X dimestore reading glasses make the sights fairly visible and does not blurr the target to bad. :)

Can not beat Red Dots for precision work though.
 
Anybody know whether those things are shatter resistant? I usually use my prescription sunglasses which are sufficient for the job; but I too was thinking of using 1.5x magnifiers for when the sunglasses really aren't needed.

I only wear one pair of glasses, and don't want to double up. Anyone have any info on that?

Springmom
 
I actually had an optometrist tell to just by +1.75 reading glasses for shooting. Acording to him it was awaste of money to buy prescription shooting glasses. He but hot for shooting.said he recommeded precription glasses for everyday use if needed
 
Reading Glasses

I've been using reading glasses for shooting for some time now. Since the reading glasse lenses aren't made of a safety material and the reading glasses won't fit under a pair of safety glasses, i've resorted to wearing goggles over the reading glasses. This arrangement is cumbersome and uncomfortable but it does work.

I've scoured the internet and the usual sources ( Midway, Cabela's etc. ) looking for reasonably priced safety glasses that have a diopter rating like my reading glasses but have had no luck. I did find a company that sold prescription safety glasses and goggles but they are priced over $200.00 a pair. I can't believe that there isn't some company out there that hasn't noticed the huge potential market for this type of product.
 
I started getting my safety glasses(free from work) in a "Double D" configuration when I went to 'script lenses. They have a 2nd bifocal segment on top, so I can see meter's or O'scopes on the shelf over my work bench....they're perfect for shooting, too. The upper segment lines up great for handguns or long guns....I get a new pair every year, last years pair goes in my range bag.
 
I shoot precision smallbore and air pistol. I went through the trouble of getting special shooting glasses, which take a special lens. (Yes, it DID make a difference :evil:)

Usually, people fare best with a + diopter of between .25 and .75. Read this EXCELLENT article for more info:

http://www.pilkguns.com/c16.shtml

What I'd recommend doing is getting a pair of shooting-specific glasses from www.zennioptical.com. They sell frames and lenses for a whopping $8. I order all my glasses from them, and they've been great! Granted, I have a very mild prescription, so YMMV.

With them, you can enter your prescription and then add a + diopter.
 
Now that I'm at that trifocal age, I've found that I can focus on the front sight by looking over my glasses. For target accuracy I need a scope, but for "fun" (or defense) it works fine.
 
For about 13 bucks, you can get a pair of wrap-around plastic safety glasses with a bifocal on both the top and bottom. This way, you aren't pointing your chin at the target to see your front sight.
safetyglassesusa_1977_32591523

These are called Olympic Dual Readers and are available at:http://www.safetyglassesusa.com/bf30.html

For the more serious shooter who needs a bifocal, I'd strongly recommend Decot Hy-Wyd's with the oversize inverted bifocal on your shooting eye (or both) lens.
http://www.sportglasses.com/
 
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