Merit Optical Attachment

[dwtrux]

I have had the Merit Optical attachment for several years and really think it makes a difference for my eyes in seeing the sights and targets better. However, lately the rubber suction cup that sticks it to the shooting glasses is having a hard time staying on, particularly if the weather is cold.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a better mounting option, like a clip-on adjustable arm that could take the place of the suction cup? Or is there some other way to replace the suction cup for something more reliable?

 

[Jim]

How about glueing it on an extra pair of glasses . . . .making them a “dedicated” pair of shooting glasses?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I used to use them!

Nowadays I just put a piece of black electrical tape on a glass window and will cut out a tiny circle using a sharp pointed Exacto knife. Then I place that tape strip at the correct location needed on a pair of dedicated rifle/musket/pistol shooting glasses. But note Merit also makes a version that clips to your eyeglass frame that flips up out of the way when not in use, but they're a little harder to adjust and keep at that placement though ...

My regular daily wear glasses are progressive lenses, but my dedicated shooting glasses are single-line bifocals, as they give a significantly clearer picture whilst in the proper shooting stance for both archery or rifle shooting (due to the somewhar cocked position of the head, whereas the 'clear view' through progressive lenses is such a narrow tunnel ... at least for my prescription ... that is blurry if you're not looking directly through that tunnel.

With progressives, you have to look directly at an object to see it clearly in focus, Bifocals allow for your view to be off a bit in angle and yet the image is still clear. Example - whilst shooting the barrel is pointed dead ahead or at 12 o'clock, but as a left-handed shooter, my head is pointed to 11 o'clock, even though my eyes are still looking directly ahead. With glasses, that slight difference can mess you up!

 

[Grimord]

I agree with Jim above. I had the same problem with my Merit so I removed the suction cup and used a pair of shooting glasses to mount the Merit to the lens semi-permanently using the screw that held the suction cup.

 

[doubleset]

I don't have a Merit, but I do have clip-on Gehmann that I don't use (used to use it for 3-position many years ago for a little while). The problem with clip-ons is that they tend not to fit on a lot (most) contemporary shooting glasses (which are often curved and fairly thick). So you'd have to figure out how to do that and maybe modify it. I did see one or two threads where someone got an inexpensive jeweler loupe from Amazon and put a diopter on it.

Take a look at this: Fix For Poor Eyesight Issues. It shows how to use an inexpensive jeweler's loupe mechanism as the base for a diopter. You could just do what it does, or try to adapt the idea to your Merit.

 

[Robby]

I have both the Merit and the Gehmann and they both work very good but 'i have trouble keeping them in the correct position. I took a pair of those clip on sunglasses that flip up and down, bored a 1/2" hole in the lens at the proper location, covered it with a piece of electrical tape and burned a pin hole through it exactly where I needed it. Flip it up for loading, jaw boning and stuff, flip it down and take my shot, no problem.
Robby

 

[dave951]

There are some competition shooting glasses that are basically frames that you can customize. They're also very expensive.