lemoyne

I wear 4 focal lenses so I am hurting when it comes to irons, The best answer for me is when I go where irons are a must I use a ghost ring in the back and a large ring target sight on the front so I do not look at the sights but through them.

Blackpowdersmoke

That's pretty much how I do it... but then again, I hunt in the woods where 75 yds. is about the max shot. If I hunted plot fields, etc., I would want to know where I'm hitting by experience, not by guess and by gosh.

BPS

txhunter58

Don't get discouraged from us old guys who can't see. Go for it, you should be able to shoot well at that range.

That said, I would recommend the "6 o'clock" hold. When I first started hunting with open sights, I covered the target with the front sight/bead. What works better for me is to place the bullseye on TOP of the front sight. That allows for more precise aiming and tightened my groups up from 5" at 100 yards to 3" (from a bench). If you have good eyesight, you may be able to do better than that

txhunter58

I currently am using a 0.25 pair of reading glasses to shoot open sights. That is not a misprint. Normal readers are 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, etc, but I use really weak ones. You have to special order those.

I tried both the 0.25 and 0.5 power. The weaker ones bring the front sight in sharp and still allow me to see the target well.



The rear sight will be blurry no matter what you do. Use a peep and center it. Works for me.

Muley Hunter

My readers are 3.0, so you know what the sights looks like for me.

Yet, as I sit here, i'm still thinking of using open sights.

Clear vision is over-rated.

You don't need to shoot 1-2" groups to hunt. A mule deer has a 18" kill zone. An elk has a 25" kill zone. Can you shoot groups to fit in those kill zones? If you can't. Get closer until you can.

Another way to look at it. If you want to keep your shots in the heart/lung area, and you should. If you can hit a paper plate at your hunting distance. You're good to go.

Triple Se7en

Be prepared to go upwards in magnification as you age.

I started with .025 thirteen years ago. Then about seven year ago needed .050. Now I need bi-focal.... .075 reading / .025 distance.

super_hunt54

Sorry Pete, My OCD kicks in to dang hard to do that. I've always had a bug up my butt about shooting as perfectly as I can and not accepting "okay" shooting. I really wish I could still shoot well enough (for me) to shoot open sight because it opens up a couple more seasons for Elk and Deer in a few states. But, like Sheldon having to knock 3 times, if I can't shoot well enough to keep a minimum of 3 inches at 100 yards it drives me to the brink of insanity!

Muley Hunter

Not many guys with 20-20 vision can shoot 3" groups with open sights offhand. A lot can't do it from a bench. Some can barely do it with a scope on a bench.

Shooting good groups is much more the shooter and gun than the eyesight.

super_hunt54

Hence what I meant previously about "picking a hair and shooting it". My old man and my great granddad drilled shooting into me. I wasn't meaning a 3 inch group. What I was meaning was a 3 inch target. There's a difference. Basically, if I cant hit a soda can at 100 yards, I don't feel I should be shooting with that particular sight, firearm, or style. That's ME, not everyone else. I have my standards drilled into me. That doesn't mean I hold anyone else to that standard. Your theory of shooting to "minute of vitals" is perfectly fine as long as it works for you and you take that animal cleanly and quickly. I just take it further than that for MYSELF. Just the way I was raised and I am WAY to old to try to change that. That's one trick this old mutt couldn't do.

Muley Hunter

Not sure why you're taking this personally? I'm talking in general. I just think guys give up on open sights before they need to. I say this, because I know how hard it is to go to a scope after using open sights all my life.

I was stubborn, and wouldn't give in long past what most would have turned to a scope. I still killed game, and that made it all the harder to leave open sights. I'm not sure i'm done yet. I'm blind in one eye, and have 20/40 in the other. Not the hot tip for open sights, but I can still get it done, because I really hate scopes. I buy and sell a lot of scopes, but i've never gone hunting with them, except for coyote. I don't consider that hunting, but call it extermination.

You don't need great eyesight to hunt with a peep, FO front sight, and a 6'oclock hold. Even if the front bead is blurry I can set it under the kill zone, and hit it dead center.

A gun with just iron sights is easier to carry, shoulders faster, and has better balance than a scoped gun.

Writing this out just convinced me i'm not done with iron sights yet. I may never be. I hate giving up on anything I love to do so much just because i'm getting older. I'm way too stubborn for that.

Anyway, everybody shoot like they want to. As will I. Scopes are for old farts. I'm only 72.