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Old eyes and iron sights

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Timber

32 Cal
Joined
Nov 20, 2022
Messages
35
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75
Location
Missouri
My old eyes see distance pretty good still but up close is getting blurred. I put a dab of white paint on front sight that helps a little.

Wondered if you boys do anything different?
Timber
 
I made wider front sights, and made a WIDE notch in the rear, so there was equal light as the width of the front sight on both sides. Then I got my cataracts removed, and I have re-welded some of my rear sights, and will do it to more of my guns when I get around to it.

Something else that helps, is to file a small 45 degree angle to the rear of the front sight, just the very tip so it looks like a square when you look at it through the rear sight. It really picks up light well.
 
I realize this is a muzzle loader forum, but this post is about sights. As I age, (70), I cannot see up close items like rear sights mounted on the tang area , well at all.
I recently swapped a blade rear sight on one of my unmentionable rifles, too a forward mounted peep sight. Made all the difference in the world!
Its about 1/2 way down the barrel. Helped me take a nice fat buck at over 100 yards this year with my unmentionable.
You might try something like this for yourself.
If you want pictures pm me.
 

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Thanks boys - and sorry didn’t realize there were so many threads about this until the ‘similar threads’ thing popped up.
Timber
 
I normally shoot out to 50 yards without problems, actually more like 75. But at 100 it’s a guessing game. However, while shooting today, the sun was low and casting shadows, had a hard time at 50! But I’m working on several of the ideas that have been posted here and other threads. Got to find some way to deal with it.
 
Would you happen to have a pic of that waksupi?
Timber
No I don't. l'm not sure I am a good enough photographer to get a good one, but will try tomorrow. Just take a light stroke across with a file, and take a look. You should end up with an angled cut equal to the width of your sight. You will be able to tell the difference in how the light hits the sight right away. Just go slow, and keep checking the sight picture. Every one who has tried my rifles to see how well it works, have altered their sights.
Just remember, a little dab will do you.
 
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Lyman and Williams peeps for me helped tremendously. Front sights are a different problem. I like a a fine sight and have filed down several. On one rifle I epoxied a small diameter fiber optic rod to the wide blade. Works great.
 
Old thread, but still valid. I was at the range yesterday and on a dare tried a set of mild (+1.25 diopter) reading glasses and it brought both sights into crisp focus, and I could still see the target at 50 yds, but of course blurred. I may try to find a +1.00, +75, or even a +.50 if they make them, just to experiment.
 
Old thread, but still valid. I was at the range yesterday and on a dare tried a set of mild (+1.25 diopter) reading glasses and it brought both sights into crisp focus, and I could still see the target at 50 yds, but of course blurred. I may try to find a +1.00, +75, or even a +.50 if they make them, just to experiment.
The eye has a finite depth of focus. You can not get a sharp, focused image of both sights and a 50, or even a 10, yard target. Hence the adage: "Front sight. Press."
 
The eye has a finite depth of focus. You can not get a sharp, focused image of both sights and a 50, or even a 10, yard target. Hence the adage: "Front sight. Press."

Oh heck yeah I totally understand that. But I cannot deny that the glasses I put on were beneficial in real terms over my old bare eyes. If the target was a little more in focus than with the +1.25's, say with a +1.00 or +.75, maybe at the cost of some blur on the sights, I may be in business.

As far as "finite" depth of focus, you and I both know that at both ends of the depth of field, depending of the optical layout and design, the focus is not a razor sharp cutoff. There is generally quite a large "fudge" zone or band of partial focus where the human eye can still get some usable clarity.
 
Old thread, but still valid. I was at the range yesterday and on a dare tried a set of mild (+1.25 diopter) reading glasses and it brought both sights into crisp focus, and I could still see the target at 50 yds, but of course blurred. I may try to find a +1.00, +75, or even a +.50 if they make them, just to experiment.
They do make those very modestly power glasses. I found the .75 and .50 glasses on ebay or Amazon. They are plastic lenses and scratch easily. For the price, they are worth the effort to find. Yes, they do work. I have found 1.000 readers at the Dollar Store.
 
If old timers could get their hands on a dab of white paint back then I'm certain a handful of them would have painted the front sights too and probably did for that matter.
 
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