Tired old eyes

[Youngguns]

Henry member could you please point in right direction on what to do about my sights on my rifle I have a 45-70 case hardened beauty but the buck horn sights are not old eye friendly anymore I would appreciate your expertise in pointing out the best decision in what sights to go with or is it a scope I need would definitely love to see deer clearly in sights thank you for all input Youngguns

[RanchRoper]

Check out the Skinner Sights link at the top of the banner. I still use open sights but many members here really like the Skinner peeps.

[Steve51]

I am 66 years old - I went with the Skinner barrel mount rear peep sight on my .45-70. I am very happy with it. My preference would have been the Skinner receiver mounted rear peep sight but they are twice as much as the barrel mount. I was able to put Skinner barrel mount rear sights on two rifles for the price of one receiver sight. Might not have been the best choice but I am satisfied.

If you can, post pictures of your new Henry!

[JEBar]

for me, a good scope is the answer .... with a scope I can see clearly at any and all ranges I will hunt and target shoot with our 45-70 .... the picture below tends to reinforce that for me it is the right choice .... that said, one should most certainly go with whatever style sights best meet a person's wants/needs

[bmur66]

I am with you brother in the same boat. I wear reading glasses. Without them I hold a newspaper at arms length. Is the Skinner peep sight worth trying or should I quit dreaming and just mount a scope or maybe a good red dot? If I scope it a Leupold VX-R 1.25-4 is looking good. Aimpoint H2 red dot is nice to but very expensive. My first choice is the Skinner sight but I have never used one before.
My excuse for getting a 45-70 was that I missed the buck of a lifetime last season. My lil .243 bullet must have deflected off a branch. Now I can shoot thru trees. I don't want to miss another because I have C.S.S. (cant see $#!+)

[CT_Shooter]

I wear reading glasses. Without them I hold a newspaper at arms length. Is the Skinner peep sight worth trying?

I use reading glasses, too. But to use the Skinner sight, one peers through the aperture to focus on the front sight, which is far enough away for me to clearly see it. I recommend it as an alternative to the semi-buckhorn.

[tractortad]

We have a Skinner "Reliable" rear peep and a #20 Lyman Globe front on our Henry CCH 45/70 and it works well for my old eyes. I have to wear 3.0 mag readers to read the paper, but when I shoot, I put on a pair of 1.5 mag safety glasses (got them at Lowes for $10) that lets me clearly see the front sight and the target. The rear peep is fuzzy but it doesn't matter because you still naturally center the front sight in the peep. We also have some Lee Shaver inserts in the Lyman to provide a "cross-hair" like sight picture. To me this setup is almost as good as using a low power scope. Works like a champ and still maintains that old time lever-gun look on the Henry...

DSC00114.JPG

[North Country Gal]

Great question! One that so many of us face.

One thing I can tell you is that, in the end, you're really going to have to try a peep or a scope to see what works best for you. No way around it.

The problem is that our eyes and our shooting needs/situations are different. Nevertheless, if target visibility is the issue, whether because of distance or because of poor lighting, a scope is always the best option in terms of performance. The downside of a scope is that it may or may not be the best match in terms of aesthetics or gun balance and handling, but that's your call to make. Doesn't have to be a big, high power scope, either. Even 2x or 3x on a scope gets you better visibility, regardless of conditions, than a peep sight. Don't get me wrong - I still love and shoot peep sights and even open sights - but these eyes are getting so old that there are now days when the only way I can shoot at my best is with a scope.

Here's a nice compact 1-4x vintage Leupold on one of my Marlins. Doesn't weight the gun down or change the balance at all. At 1x or 2x, faster to get on target than any iron sights.


There's a third option to consider and that's a good red dot. Gives you better sight visibility than iron sights, especially in low light conditions and nothing faster to get on target. Here's a little Bushnell TRS-25 on a Marlin 39A.

[bmur66]

Thanks for laying that out there so well NCG. You helped me make a decision. I am going to purchase an aimpoint.

[North Country Gal]

Good for you and you're welcome. That's a great red dot. Good choice.