Henry Rifle Forums

Well, I've come a long way since late June, when I claimed my head was about to explode trying to figure out scopes, sights, Skinners, blades, etc., for my BBS .357, but I'm still firmly in the category of "I don't know what I don't know," so here I am again, with a basic question.

I feel like I've got my Skinner Lo Pro and my Lyman Globe pretty much dialed in in terms of elevation, so that's good.

When I bought the Lyman Globe, I also invested in a set of inserts for it from Lee Shaver, which are great and clearly more highly detailed than the inserts that ship with the Lyman; however, now that I'm down to the final stages of zeroing things in, I've tried all four of the basic insert configurations and don't have a "gee whiz" favorite.

So, the question for the experts here is: Does it matter, or is it all just "whatever works for you...trial and error...figure it out and check back when you do..."? I've tried the fine cross-hair, the open cross-hair, the open circle, and the fine post, and, frankly, none of it is any better than when I was using the Lo Pro and my standard front brass bead.

Is it yardage related or just whatever your eye picks up the best?

If the answer is "there is no answer," I'm good with that, but you don't know until you ask. If the answer it "sell your Lyman and go back to your brass bead," get ready for a Classified listing!

Anyway, thanks in advance for the wisdom of the collective group!

It really only is what you are used to....I shoot a lot of military weapons (M1A National Match/AR15 National Match/ AR10....) I'm used to a small aperture in the rear and a small blade/bead in the front....its up to you what feels/works best. BobG in VA

If the standard brass bead gives you the best sight picture ‘across the board’ then I would stick with that.
I have heard of some really having good results with the globe and some not so good.
I would really like to try one and may order one & inserts and try it on one of my rifles and it’s a gamble but not terribly much invested - and I could always sell it off if i really didn’t like it - heck I’ve dropped more on card tables in Nevada without near the return so I got nothing to complain about!
Bottom line is stick with what gives you the best sight picture and accuracy. What’s good for one may not be right for you!

Mistered wrote:If the standard brass bead gives you the best sight picture ‘across the board’ then I would stick with that.
I have heard of some really having good results with the globe and some not so good.
I would really like to try one and may order one & inserts and try it on one of my rifles and it’s a gamble but not terribly much invested - and I could always sell it off if i really didn’t like it - heck I’ve dropped more on card tables in Nevada without near the return so I got nothing to complain about!
Bottom line is stick with what gives you the best sight picture and accuracy. What’s good for one may not be right for you!

Well, I'm going to give it a few more trials with the globe and if it doesn't work out, I'll swap the brass bead back in and see if I can repeat my early success with that.

If that ends up working, I'll send you this one to try. If it works for you, we can figure something out. If not, you can send it back to me.

Next time out, I'll be trying the small aperture up front. The small post/bead just isn't showing up well, and I can see how it's just continuing to try different inserts until it works or it doesn't. And, you're right, not a lot invested; just thought it would take me to the next level, but, so far, not so much.

If that ends up working, I'll send you this one to try. If it works for you, we can figure something out.

Hey that would be great! Let me know what you come up with.

All I can do is make a guess or two on this one.

The whole idea of a globe sight is to provide a wide variety of front sight outlines to suit the shooters tastes, the type of target and a variety of shooting conditions. Yes, there is even such a thing as a bead outline insert if you like beads, not to mention blades of varying widths, crosshairs and apertures of varying sizes. The only place I've ever found a globe to be a disadvantage is in very low light conditions for lack of light to see the inserts well, nestled inside that globe. Not my choice for an early morning or late evening sight. Otherwise, when there is enough light, that covered globe actually improves the consistency of the sight picture in varying angles of sunlight. Uncovered bead sights, especially, are notorious for changes in POI as the sun hits them at varying angles and they illuminate, differently.

A couple of things might help. One, is to stick with one insert type for awhile and not be in a hurry to change it. From experience, too much fiddling around with different inserts is a distraction for your shooting nd distractions are never a good thing. Another is to focus more on that front sight when you shoot. Front sight (or reticle in a scope) awareness is as important on a rifle as on a handgun. That front sight is everything. Not seeing a difference with the different inserts may be a sign you need to work on your front sight awareness.

As for the inserts, crosshair inserts sound great in theory, but in practice tend to be too fine to see well in a globe sight, way out at the end of the barrel. Have some, but seeing that crosshair intersection, sharply, is a challenge for me. Tends to get lost real, real quick against a dark target. Aperture front inserts are great for bullseye shooting, but you must match aperture size to visible bullseye size and then learn how to use them, effectively. Not the same as using other type of front sights. Takes a special technique and practice to get it right. My all time favorite globe insert is a blade sight of the right thickness for whatever shooting I am doing. I find it to be the most versatile and the most visible. Love how sharp a blade insert is, too, compared to some standard blade sights on some guns. Have seen my share of ordinary blade fronts that were cut on the fuzzy side. Again, front sight visibility is number one. All the theory in the world is a pile of horse droppings if you can't see that front sight, well.

Thank you very much, for all the guidance, NCG. Lots of variables at work, there's no doubt about it.

The one thing that jumps out at me from your comments is the matter of light, both at the end of the barrel and at the point of impact (i.e.-at the target, 50 yards away). In my indoor range setting, the light in both places is not particularly good. It may be time to go to an outdoor range (at the risk of introducing ANOTHER variable) and see how it goes.

The other thing is my shooting position, which so far has been sitting, with the barrel on a sandbag, or, today, on a "V-rest" (my term, probably wrong) on the end of a monopod, which is stabilized against the bench in front of me (yet another variable). I can adjust this monopod to standing height, which is most natural for me; the sitting position has tended to get me scrunched over. I'll figure that out.

I'm with you on cross-hairs. Not a clear picture of them. I'm much more comfortable with an open reticle or a thin blade (to your point).

So: Get a comfortable, stable shooting position; find better lighting; hone in on an insert and stick with it. Got it.

More to come. It's just ammo, right?

Thanks again. You're more than generous with your time and expertise.

Good point on the indoor ranges. My basement range has mediocre lighting, despite my efforts. A lot of indoor ranges are the same. Sometimes not the best for iron sight shooting.

That must be some basement! That may be old news to many, but ... how about a picture?

North Country Gal wrote:My basement range has mediocre lighting, despite my efforts.

Basement range. My. Must be nice. What type of backdrop do you use?