Thread: iron sights and bad eyesight

Hi there
I've a lever action with iron sights. There is provision for a Pic rail.
I wish to use the iron sights.
Heard about reflex dot thingies, scopes, peep etc.
I just want to use the standards sights. When walking/spotting I don't wear glasses.
Was thinking just a basic lens mounted to the screws for the rail. About 20mm.
Surely this has been done and they exist?
Any help appreciated.
Cheers me dears.

First question. Is it .45?
If yes, then your quest is hopeless and you should give it to me.



If not, "Skinner" type sights are aavailable for rail mounting, may or may not work for your eyes.
Maybe a trip to specsavers and see if you're eligible for contact lenses.

Originally Posted by fluffchucker

Hi there
I've a lever action with iron sights. There is provision for a Pic rail.
I wish to use the iron sights.
Heard about reflex dot thingies, scopes, peep etc.
I just want to use the standards sights. When walking/spotting I don't wear glasses.
Was thinking just a basic lens mounted to the screws for the rail. About 20mm.
Surely this has been done and they exist?
Any help appreciated.
Cheers me dears.

Greetings,
I am afraid that open sights are for those with good eyes and young ones at that. Your best bet is probably an aperture rear sight mounted on the rear of the rail. I believe that some target sights can have a lens incorporated. I assume that you are having problems seeing the sights, especially the rear and seeing the target at the same time. The aperture allows you to just concentrate on the front sight and the target.
Regards Grandpamac.

What he said, but if you wore glasses you could attach a piece of black tape with a small hole in it in the upper corner of the right hand lens so when shooting you look through it. It dramatically increases your depth of field and can let you use tangent sights again.
It doesn't interfere with glassing or normal vision but it does reduce the amount of light reaching your eye when you sight so it's not so good in heavy cover.
Otherwise the "ghost ring" type of rear sight similar to the battle leaf on the no4 works very well.

Originally Posted by 11mms

First question. Is it .45?
If yes, then your quest is hopeless and you should give it to me.



If not, "Skinner" type sights are aavailable for rail mounting, may or may not work for your eyes.
Maybe a trip to specsavers and see if you're eligible for contact lenses.

Sorry but it's not a 45.
Better luck next time

How much have you shot with open sights - most people "over think" them and try and get thier eye to focus on three things (which is physically impossible even when you're young). If you just go shoot stuff, something like a 400mm gong at 50 to 100M youll be surprised how easy it is to get consistent hits by completely ignoring the rear sight, just put the bead on the plate and shoot. Your eye will automatically alighn the rear sight and the target will be a bit fuzzy but so is s hairy old goat! Just go shoot it.

The trouble with eyesight, is that when you get older, its the front bead that is gets fuzzy and unfocused, while the target is fine. And you cant hit anything with that situation. (The solution is to get rifles with longer barrels.)

But as for the OP, he just needs to go and get some glasses. The sights are not the problem.

Get a red dot

Originally Posted by Tentman

How much have you shot with open sights - most people "over think" them and try and get thier eye to focus on three things (which is physically impossible even when you're young). If you just go shoot stuff, something like a 400mm gong at 50 to 100M youll be surprised how easy it is to get consistent hits by completely ignoring the rear sight, just put the bead on the plate and shoot. Your eye will automatically alighn the rear sight and the target will be a bit fuzzy but so is s hairy old goat! Just go shoot it.

Agree entirely with these comments

I used to think I couldn't shoot open sights due to old eyes and changing eyesight.
But the growing hoard of vintage rifles has forced me to live with the barrel mounted open sights or upgrade to tang peep sights and they can be surprisingly effective when you learn how to not over think it.

My early restorations and rustorations I was always wanting to find vintage telescopic sights for and these can be very effective with changing eyesight.
But then you have some seriously valuable original vintage rifle and you just can't commit the crime of drilling and tapping the barrel or receiver, so you have to learn to live with the original sights or upgrade to a tang peep sight if it is already tapped for one.

Can work just fine in most cases and sometimes the results even at 100m are frankly astonishing.
So despite the fact that my eyesight is constantly changing as I age I'm not concerned that I won't be able to shoot these rifles anymore.
I am not at the stage where I might need to were 1x reading glasses too shoot groups for testing with them.
But in the field in the heat of the moment when the sights are used without any particular thought they will be just fine

Originally Posted by caberslash

Get a red dot

But I'm not Hindi or female!

I like open sights but need to be precision - a neat slot cut back sight and a square cut blade front - I dislike those big open V sights a lot of American rifles have -

Ghost ring rear sight with a big aperture. Your eye will automatically centre the image

@JohnDuxbury you have some good thoughts on almost a flat rear sight

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

I like open sights but need to be precision - a neat slot cut back sight and a square cut blade front - I dislike those big open V sights a lot of American rifles have -

Buckhorn sights?

They are designed for point and shoot,let alot of light in around the front bead almost so it floats on the target.

Use the force.