DougMD

He turns 7 this month, and is tall for his age. He appears to be right eye dominant (did the hands at arms length with circle, slowly pull back as you look at an object, etc.), but can't see well through the scope of my Glenfield Model 60, .22 rifle. He seems big enough that the stock isn't too long for him when he snugs it to his shoulder, as he can still get his head several inches from the scope with his cheek on the stock. I think it is just a matter of getting a patch for his left eye because he can't close it while keeping his right eye open.When I cover his left eye, he seems to do ok (he hasn't shot yet, as we live in a residential neighborhood). This confuses me though. I close my lefteye when I shoot because I am left eye dominant, but I thought you didn't have to close your left eye if you were shooting right handed and are right eye dominant.

Does the patch seem like the solution, or do I need to consider something else? I don't want him to get frustrated and not take up hunting. Also, can I get apatch at a local drugstore? I'd rather not have to make one homemade if I can just pick one up.

Any suggestions/advice wouldbegreatly appreciated!

Maine Shooter

Exactly why can't he see through it well? Is it the clarity, the focus...? Could it be as easy as not having the corect eye relief for him? With the same scope off the gun have him move it so that it gives him the best view and see waht that distance is so you can mount it at that same distance. As a young shooter he may not completely understand what he's really wanting as far as the view.
Personally, I feel that one should learn with iron sights before moving on to optics so if he's a brand new shooter maybe start there.
Regardless, good luck and stress the safety aspects!

Bulzeye

I agree with checking the eye relief and focus first.

Get a sight picture yourself, and measure the maximum distance your eye can be from the ocular lens without losing field of view. Make sure he is at least that close, and use a caliber with negligible recoil, like a 22 so he isn't afraid of snuggling up close.

The focus can be different for him than it is for you, so let him adjust it for himself. Remember to takes breaks after each adjustment so his eye relaxes and he can tell if it made the picture better when he looks with a fresh eye.

You could also consider a red dot with no magnification.
It's very easy to shoot those with both eyes open, and then he'll learn topay attention to his right eye since that is the only one that will be showing him the dot.

DougMD

I will probably have to get him a .22 made for kids with iron sights. They do make them for kids, with short stocks, right? I will also get him to practice trying to close his left eye while keeping the right eye open.

Once I covered his left eye with a pad of paper,he was able toget what appeared to be good eye relief from the scope, and said he could see well through it(he had a rest). I was just confused about him having to close his non-dominant eye to see well through the scope, thinking if you shoot right eye dominant and are right handed, you can leave the left eye open. It's my ignorance on the topic causing these problems. As I said, I'm left eye dominant, so have closed my left eye while shooting right handed for years. When I found out he was right eye dominant, I figured he wouldn't have to do that himself...

Maine Shooter

I know there's the Cricket and I think Henry makes youth .22's. Ruger also has the compact 10/22 which is easily upgradeable to any number of variations. With stocks being so obtainable and inexpensive for it, that's a very good option to go with.

Aught Six

I didn't start using scopes until I was an adult, but eye relief seems like the problem, as they others mention. The Mrs. can't use any of the scoped rifles I have because she's just a tad too small.

Your boy will grow into your .22 pretty soon, but Ithink the Henry Lever Youth and the Ruger 10/22 Carbine are pretty nice little starter pieces. For some people it might be better to picklever or bolt actions over the semi-autosand reinforce concentration and patience in firing. On the other hand, I'm sure you'll teach him to shoot straight from the beginning, and those 10/22s are a lot of fun to plink with whether you're seven or 77.

Briman

Is his eye in alignment with the scope? Eye relief is one thing, but his facial bone structure is going to be smaller that yours meaning he won't get the same cheek weld and the scope might be too high for him. You can try to see if this is the problem by putting the rifle in a vice or have it sandbagged in place real tight then have him position himself to where he can see clearly out of the scope. If he can't get a natural cheek weld, you can buy a slip on comb raising kit.

DougMD

Thanks! I guess BassPro has one of those guns, but can't tell from its online site, presumably because they aren't for sale over the phone or by internet.

I will also be careful to see if he can see ok on a stable rest given his cheek size and bone structure, etc. I might start him open sights first, then move him to a scope later on. The key is to get a gun he can use for years to come, instead of growing too big for.

8mm/06

after you have tried all the mechanical things to help him do better with the fit and use of the scope, then try some of these targets....(below)

There's nothing like some fun targets to get the kid's WANTING to see it clearly .

http://www.targetz.com/fun01.htm

eldeguello

Briman has perhaps identified part of the problem- he is possibly putting his eye in the right spot fore and aft in relation to the scope, but maybe not right up and down. Therefore, his eye is not centered in the exit pupil.

Let him try using ascope like that 1", 4X M8 that Leupold makes for rimfire rifles that has a long eye relief (3"-5") with a large exit pupil like you get from a 2.5X or 4X fixed-power scope, so that his eye placement in relation to the ocular lens is not so critical. Easier for him to see the field of view without needing to place his eye quite as precisely.

I agree that a person should be able to shoot using a scope with both eyes open, as the magnified view should dominate the unaided eye's view, which should more or less "fade away" once a person is concentrating on aiming at the target. In fact, it is best/fastest to use a scope with both eyes open, because you can point it and pick up the target much faster than is possible if you are closing the off eye, then having to "hunt around" for the target in the field of view of the scope! The higher the scope's magnification, the truer this becomes. Of course, once you acquire the target in the scope, the off eye can be closed if one so desires. I would NOT use an eye patch to solve thios problem-out hunting, he needs both eyes.......