I'm curious to see what the thoughts are on the reflex sights with aging eyes and/or astigmatism? I'm almost thinking of a low power scope optic rather than the reflex sight. I seem to get along well with those on my other firearms.
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Red Dots & Astigmatism
Red Dots & Astigmatism
Hello to all. The deer season is over here, now the hunter in me is turning slowly towards spring turkey season. I'm incrementally upgrading a Remington 870 for the task and this year I thought I'd give a different sight a go. Ironically, I had my yearly trip to optometrist last week, my eye health remained stable. I have very bad astigmatism in my dominant eye, and have wore corrective lenses for over 35 years. I thought a red dot or reflex type of scope would be an option. However, looking through some different examples of those, I see the dreaded candle or snowflake effect. I've had fiber optic sights in the past, but they now produce the same effect to my 'experienced" eyes.
I'm curious to see what the thoughts are on the reflex sights with aging eyes and/or astigmatism? I'm almost thinking of a low power scope optic rather than the reflex sight. I seem to get along well with those on my other firearms.
I'm curious to see what the thoughts are on the reflex sights with aging eyes and/or astigmatism? I'm almost thinking of a low power scope optic rather than the reflex sight. I seem to get along well with those on my other firearms.
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Re: Red Dots & Astigmatism
Some scope manufacturers have scopes designed for shotguns specifically with turkeys in mind. Could be something to consider.
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Re: Red Dots & Astigmatism
I have red dots on my Bullseye pistols. It got to where the dot wasn't really a dot anymore, just a weird red amoeba, but if it was in the middle of the black, it still worked. I now wear weak readers, like 1.25, and the dot is a nice round circle again. Tried that after needing them for iron sights on the revolver, and it works great.
For hunting, I've been just adjusting the focus on my scopes so that the reticle is in sharp focus without any eyewear. Worked great up until this year, when I noticed that those 1.25 glasses actually give me a sharper, clearer view at distance. Walked out of my garage one day with them on while working on the mower, and realized that the far treeline looked clearer with the glasses than without them, which is not good. So now I'm wearing a pair of 1.25 glasses out in the woods while hunting because it helps me see better.
Had them on for opening day morning last November and a nice 8 started making his way towards me, got my rifle up and when I tried putting the crosshairs on him, they looked really fuzzy. Still had the scope adjusted for my naked eyes, and was now wearing the glasses. At about 60 yards, that didn't make much difference though, and I made a good shot.
They make shotgun scopes that have a circle reticle, I have one, and it would work well for a turkey gun.
For hunting, I've been just adjusting the focus on my scopes so that the reticle is in sharp focus without any eyewear. Worked great up until this year, when I noticed that those 1.25 glasses actually give me a sharper, clearer view at distance. Walked out of my garage one day with them on while working on the mower, and realized that the far treeline looked clearer with the glasses than without them, which is not good. So now I'm wearing a pair of 1.25 glasses out in the woods while hunting because it helps me see better.
Had them on for opening day morning last November and a nice 8 started making his way towards me, got my rifle up and when I tried putting the crosshairs on him, they looked really fuzzy. Still had the scope adjusted for my naked eyes, and was now wearing the glasses. At about 60 yards, that didn't make much difference though, and I made a good shot.
They make shotgun scopes that have a circle reticle, I have one, and it would work well for a turkey gun.
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North Country Gal
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Re: Red Dots & Astigmatism
I have astigmatism, too, but some dots have always been sharper than others, no doubt about it. I wear prescription glasses full time, so using reading glasses is not an option when things get fuzzy.
I'm in my 70s and just recently had my eye exam. The good news is that my Rx didn't change. Nevertheless, some of my favorite red dots are fuzzier, now. The reflex dots like my Burris Fastfire have definitely gotten worse and that's a shame, because I used to use Fastfires a lot. Fortunately, my tube dots like the Ultradots are still pretty sharp. Even my Bushnell TRS-25 is still pretty decent. My suggestion, then, is to try some different types of dots before giving up.
Yes, next step is to go to a low power, lightweight scope. For me, these have always solved the problem when the red dots get fuzzy. Low power scopes also have other advantages over red dots. For instance, I recently picked up a Leupold FX-II, 2.5x Scout scope at a gun show. The scope is only a couple ounces heavier than a typical tube style red dot, but as far as sharpness and brightness, it makes all red dots look bad. It would be a great scope on an 870 with a cantilever mount.
I'm in my 70s and just recently had my eye exam. The good news is that my Rx didn't change. Nevertheless, some of my favorite red dots are fuzzier, now. The reflex dots like my Burris Fastfire have definitely gotten worse and that's a shame, because I used to use Fastfires a lot. Fortunately, my tube dots like the Ultradots are still pretty sharp. Even my Bushnell TRS-25 is still pretty decent. My suggestion, then, is to try some different types of dots before giving up.
Yes, next step is to go to a low power, lightweight scope. For me, these have always solved the problem when the red dots get fuzzy. Low power scopes also have other advantages over red dots. For instance, I recently picked up a Leupold FX-II, 2.5x Scout scope at a gun show. The scope is only a couple ounces heavier than a typical tube style red dot, but as far as sharpness and brightness, it makes all red dots look bad. It would be a great scope on an 870 with a cantilever mount.
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Re: Red Dots & Astigmatism
Thank you for the ideas and suggestions. I did a bit more reading on the dot optics. Another thing I've read is having the brightness turned down on them can also help with the fuzziness. I also ran across an article stating that green is picked up better by our eyes than the color red. One would want green on a tom's noggin rather than a red dot for aiming too. I'll have to keep looking at some different ones.
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Re: Red Dots & Astigmatism
Had them on for opening day morning last November and a nice 8 started making his way towards me, got my rifle up and when I tried putting the crosshairs on him, they looked really fuzzy. Still had the scope adjusted for my naked eyes, and was now wearing the glasses. At about 60 yards, that didn't make much difference though, and I made a good shot.
They make shotgun scopes that have a circle reticle, I have one, and it would work well for a turkey gun.
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It's nice when they walk in a bit closer. This muzzleloader season, I had a doe walk about the same distances you described. I cocked the hammer, squeezed the trigger, the Triumph went PFFFT! Like Elmer Fudd's gun. I learned later my powder took on moisture. One lives & learns. That lesson will stay with me a long time.
They make shotgun scopes that have a circle reticle, I have one, and it would work well for a turkey gun.
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It's nice when they walk in a bit closer. This muzzleloader season, I had a doe walk about the same distances you described. I cocked the hammer, squeezed the trigger, the Triumph went PFFFT! Like Elmer Fudd's gun. I learned later my powder took on moisture. One lives & learns. That lesson will stay with me a long time.
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