Shooting glasses

Good evening ladies `n gentlemen,

Over the past few years, my open sight vision has "changed" a bit in that I now need glasses to see the front sight as sharply as needed.

My inquiry is simple.....I have heard of shooters having specially ground glasses made specifially for shooting, but, I know nothing about this practice.

I would appreciate any information, comments or advice you good folks have on this subject.

With my regards `n respects,

Roger Statzer

Explain to your optician what you want them for. The "sweet spot" in shooting glasses (if you are right handed/right master eye) is the upper left corner of the right lens. Normally, it would be in the upper center of the lens. It helps if you choose a frame that has lots of coverage in that area. Modern polycarbonate lenses are much better around the edges than the older versions were. Depending on your perscription, you could get a "fishbowl" effect where the edges curve, messing up your sighting ability.

Last year during deer season, my bro-in-law had a couple of nice shots that he shot low on. Come to find out, his bi-focals were throwing off his line of sight. He could shoot without them and do fine. :hmm:

I had the same problem years ago, in fact it got to be such a problem that I gave up shooting iron sights. I tried a peep sight which helped, but gave that up too.Now this may be too drastic for you at this time, but I asked my eye Doc.what was wrong and he said "cataracts" and I can fix your problem. He asked what I would like--- long or short vision? I said I want to see both the front and rear sights as well as the target--- and a trout rise to the fly. He said I know what you need and he gave me new lenses that allow me to see a fence post at 1/2 mile, the sights,the target, and the rising trout. I do need $1 glasses for very closeup small print. If you ever get to western MT I will be glad to give you my Doc's name and #. :results:

Greetings Statzer and All,

Older eyes are a pain, but older eyes are better than no eyes.

I have experienced everything that has has been posted here. At age 66, I see open sights much better WITHOUT my bi-focals.

For range shooting, my preference is the Knoblocks available from CHAMPION SHOOTERS SUPPLY.

Yes, they are expensive, but only require one lense, and are fully adjustable in order to center the "sweet spot" to your eye.

It is also much cheaper to have one of them prescription ground every few years than the B&L shooting glasses.

I use two lenses: a light green for bright sunny days, and a medium amber for over-cast or cloudy days.

My Optimologist is family, so I take an open sight rifle and an aperture sight (peep sight) rifle to his office and look through them while he finds the right diopter for best vision.

Hope this helps.

Best regards, John L. Hinnant

I'm curious, what is a Knoblock and how does it work. Reason I ask is I can see good at a distance, need glasses for reading. What I find frustrating is the range I shoot at requires eye protection. Damm insurance companies. I have tried those plastic wraparounds and I have one hell of a time seeing where my front sight is when wearing them. Without wearing any type of glasses I have no problem. And, I sure as hell wouldn't wear them for hunting. Funny thing...for years and years folks have been shooting....and I never ever saw a person wearing shooting glasses for protection UNTIL all this "prevention" manure came along.

I got "progressive" lenses awhile back. Wore them to the range one time and couldn't see anything. If I looked through the lens space that had the sights in focus, the target was fuzzy and visa versa. Ended up going back to my old glasses for shooting. Next pair, I am going to investigate shooting glasses.
Just a note on eye protection, as a kid I was shooting a Marlin 22. The screw that holds the barrel to the stock came loose and allowed fragments of the cartridge to explode out the back of the chamber and into the back of my eyeball. No long term damage, but it wasn't much fun having the doc poke forceps through my pupil to pick the stuff off the back of my eye (although I did like wearing the eye patch for a time). Since the caps on my muzzleloaders and the power in the pans of flinters is exploding close to that same eye, I am happy to wear eye protection.

Greeting Oomcurt,

Knoblock is the brand name of a specialized shooting eye wear for competitive shooters. They are totally impractical for the hunting field.

My eyes tend to be a bit light sensative, and I have always wore some type of sun shade.

There is nothing currently politically correct about wearing shooting glasses for safety. Fifty three years ago at age 14, my rifle team coach had all of us wearing shooting glasses.

For years, until about age 45, I did not need prescription glasses, so was able to wear plain Bausch and Lomb Ray-Bans both for shooting and sun shades.

Based on research by the Russians, a light green is the best color for shooting a black target on a light background under bright light, indoors or outdoors. So far no scientific research has found them to be wrong.

It just so happens this color is great as a sun shade too. it allows maximum visibility, softens the bright light light, and minimizes eye strain.

The amber tint is best for cloudy or overcast days, but is too much for bright light.

Safety concerns are not part of any political correctness, and for me never have been. perhaps this is because of spending 37 years teaching technical and vocational programs, with periodiac stints working in industry.

I have been an NRA member since 1956 and have all of my American Rifleman since then, in bound volumes. As far back as then, Bausch and Lomb advertised on the first full page inside the front cover. Many times the full page ad promoted their famous Ray-Ban glasses with safety first as the issue.

If eye safety has entered the arena of political correctness, it is because of lawyers, aided and abetted by stupid people who subscribe to the current philosophy, that nothing is their fault. Whatever misfortune befalls them is caused by somebody elses neglect, and therefore a lawsuit is in order.

Anyway, hope this explains the "Knoblock question" to you.

Best regards, John L. Hinnant

I got "progressive" lenses awhile back. Wore them to the range one time and couldn't see anything. If I looked through the lens space that had the sights in focus, the target was fuzzy and visa versa. Ended up going back to my old glasses for shooting.

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That's exactly what I do. I have Verilux or whatever_they're_called no-line bifocals, and I can shoot with them, but not well. I use an old pair of single-prescription glasses that I can't read with, but my front sight & distance are still sharp.

Sux to get old, but there are worse alternatives. My Dad lost his sight completely and in an instant after a stroke, and I'm thankful every morning when I open my eyes.

That's exactly what I do. I have Verilux or whatever_they're_called no-line bifocals, and I can shoot with them, but not well.

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Stumpy's been having trouble ever since the glass pop bottle has been discontinued, so he is out of his free source of lenses...

You remember my original avatar here?



Thank God for plastic lenses.

I have trouble seeing the sight when I shot at the club shoots. I wear store bought glasses to read and should go to the eye doctor. I got a small piece of metal (brass or alumium) and drilled a small hole in it. you will have to drill a small hole and try it till you the right size hole. I bent the metal(alumium)in such a way that it fits on my glasses. Bend the metal in a U shape to fit over your glasses.I get the hole to line up with the sights when I sight down the barrel. I have a bunch till I got what I wanted. I had some in my shooting box and gave them to other shooters and they liked them, they helped. I hope you understand.

Astigmatism is reducin' my myopic prescription, slowly but surly. I can now get auto color change lenses.

Perhaps my situation is a little different because I've had cataracts removed, and lenses implanted in both eyes.
I can see things 6 feet away, and on out, but closer things are out of focus. My doctor said, go to the drug store and buy some reading glasses. That fixed everything except for shooting because glasses that make writing ultra crisp also make distant things ultra fuzzy.

A good friend, an expert pistol marksman, told me long ago, it is impossible to focus on fine features on the target, and stay focused on both sights. If you can't see both sights clearly, who's aiming the gun?

With this in mind, a trip back to the drug store allowed me to find that some of the weakest strength reading glasses allows me to see the sights clearly without making the target too far out of focus to draw a bead on.
Don't make the mistake of buying the higher power glasses because they make the sight image crisper. They also make distant things more blurred.
It seems the higher the power that the glasses are, the narrower the field of focus is.
Get the lowest power glasses that still focus the sights well.

No, I can't shoot iron sighted guns like I could as a kid, but I can hold better than a 2 inch group at 50 yards.

You might want to try some of these low powered reading glasses. They only cost about $10 and to me, the eye protection alone is worth that price.

Speaking of eye protection, IMO, caplocks throw out small fragments of metal from the bursting caps, and flintlocks can throw off metal chips (still burning) and pieces of flintstone.
After you almost loose your sight to cataracts, you'll be more than happy to wear some shooting glasses to protect your eyes. There the only ones you get. :m2c:

Greetings Zonie, Olie, and All,

Olie, your experiment with the small hole aperture is a proven time tested product made by MERIT. It uses a small suction cup to fasten to eye glasses and is adjustable in aperture size.

I have one, but have never been able to properly adjust it for best use. When shooting an aperture sight (peep sight), I use an adjustable MERIT DISC. This really sharpens up the the front sight and target.

Of course, I wear my Knobloch prescription shooting glasses for both traditional and aperature sights. Hunting with open sights is where the real problem crops up. I need my bi-focals to see good, but cannot shoot with them, can see sights much better without the bi-focals.

Usually hope I have enough to remove the bi-focals, then shoot. Most times, I do. Sometimes even have time to slip on my Ray-Bans.

Zonie, I was taught years ago that the human eye cannot focus on rear sight, front sight, and target at the same time. It is possible to focus only on any two of the three.

My old 4H rifle coach taught us to focus on the target and front sight, be it post or aperture. An aperture rear sight is really good since you do not try to focus on it, simply look through it. This is where a MERIT ADJUSTABLE DISC really shines and helps out older eyes.

Hope this information will prove useful. I am goin to log off and hunt up my bed. I was on the range today from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM shooting my Bresien bench gun. It weighs 51 pounds. Moving it from the loading bench to the shooting bench and back to the loading bench requires lifting 100 pounds. Since I fired 25 rounds through it today, that means I lifted and carried 2,500 pounds, 51 pounds at a time today, but.......it was fun.

Best regards, John L. Hinnant

Looks like there are many different ways to do the same thing. I was taught that sight alignment/sight picture were to be concentrated on. In other words, with open sights, focus on getting the front & rear sights perfect while letting the target remain a bit of a blur, then ease back on the trigger. Now days without my specs...most every thing is a blur BTW, this may sound a tad strange...but I have been known to turn my (progressive-non lined)eyeball stretchers upside down ::. Seems to go along with the use the weakest lens thought. Just :m2c:

:results:

Two Steps

Well I'm unable to keep any two of the three points in focus so I concentrate on the front sight. Just like the pistoleros insist works best. eace:

Hi Zonie. Look up the dollar store in your town. They have all kinds of glasses (plastic)for $1 and you can test them in store. I buy 5 pairs at a time and have them laying around every where. This was the recommendation of my Doc. :m2c: :results:

I never could get the boughten diopler to work. I have to put them high on my right lens in the left corner and there is no room to put them. I was wondering if you made a metal peice with a hole and put it on your biofocial to hunt it would work.