Henry Rifle Forums

I have a question regarding sights, I am 64 yrs old and wear bifocals. When I focus on the front bead and then move over the target I lose the front bead. I have to shoot as soon as I get the bead where I think I want it. I have considered HiViz or a Red Dot. I would prefer to shoot open sights. Any thoughts?

the glasses I have right now are bifocals .... all of the ones I wore during the prior 60 some years were trifocals .... for you to continue using open sights, I believe you are on the right track considering going to a high visibility front sight

I would recommend at least trying a red dot. The advantage of the red dot is that it puts the dot and the target in the same focal plane, meaning you don't have to focus on the dot, separately, from the target. You can focus on both at the same time.

Going to a higher viz front sight may make the front sight stand out more, but does nothing to solve the focusing problem.

I ended up scoping my BBS 357 before I knew much, if anything about the red dots. If I were to do it all again, ( which I might in the future ), will probably go red dot.

Focus on the front bead and place it where you want it on the fuzzy out of focus target.
That's how I do it.
Not good for scoring well for fine benchrest shooting but works very well for silhouette.

Id also try the red dot. You can buy one for about 50.00 off Amazon. Bushnell TRS 25 is a good one to try out. I also like the Sig Romeo. But there a little over 100. The bushnel is a little bigger than the Sig. There are several guys here that have red dots on there leverguns. I have one on my Henry Pump and like it alot.

http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=7524

Jake

I got bi-focals when I was 45, wasn't much of a problem then. Now I'm 76, with tri-focals, and it's a whole different ball game. I now have a Walther PPS M2 w/ the RSMC red dot factory installed by Walther. It co-witnesses with my Mepro night sights. Using the red dot I only have to put the dot on the target & press the trigger. You just have to adapt with age, altho some folks don't even wear glasses at this age.
I would suggest you at least try a red dot, even try someone else's if possible. If we were closer, you could try mine.

Here is what works for me for most stock rifle sights.
Focus first on the target, you will naturally line the barrel up fairly well with the target. Bring your attention to the rear sight. It will become clear and the front sight will be fuzzy but you can adjust the alignment between It and the front sight.
Refocus on the front sight and check it’s alignment to the now very fuzzy target.
Keep your focus on the front sight and squeeze off the shot.

I also find a green optic fiber front sight works well for me. And a peep rear sight works better than the standard open v type or semi or full buckhorn.
As recommended above red dots make it a lot easier.

I have a pair of shooting glasses that are underpowered so everything beyond 50 feet is not in total focus. This allows me to see the front sight and also see the target clear enough.

I don’t have to see the target perfectly clear. For me it is more important to know where the target is.

.
This hasn't worked for me. Focusing repetitive attention between the target, front and rear sights, making alignment adjustments is never ending with my eye glasses. Mostly give up and take a pot shot. Sometimes I get lucky with the POI.

RetiredSeabee wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 6:43 pm

Here is what works for me for most stock rifle sights.
Focus first on the target, you will naturally line the barrel up fairly well with the target. Bring your attention to the rear sight. It will become clear and the front sight will be fuzzy but you can adjust the alignment between It and the front sight.
Refocus on the front sight and check it’s alignment to the now very fuzzy target.
Keep your focus on the front sight and squeeze off the shot.

I feel your pain, however there are remedies.

As an optometrist, who often times discusses firearms with patients, I get this question frequently. the best solution is getting the front post (long gun or handgun) into focus as mentioned below and putting up with a slightly burry front sight. I will often have marksman (not hunters) bring their long gun or hand gun into the office to determine the precise lens to maximize front sight/post focus with the least possible blur on the target.

Progressive (no-line) bifocals allow for slight changes in focal power with a small head position change to give you somewhat of a "best of both worlds" situation for post and target. But when hunting, there is often not time for that, so pay attention to the front sight and put it where you want it to go to the best of your visual abilities.

That being said, I'm waiting to get to the range to dial in my red dot on my 45-70, its just so quick and easy to get on a deer's boiler room that way vs trying to find the front post at 53 (I'll be 54 next deer season). I've got a new Skinner sight on my new to me Marlin 336 in .35 Rem to dial in too.

JW

Ojaileveraction wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 10:57 am

Focus on the front bead and place it where you want it on the fuzzy out of focus target.
That's how I do it.
Not good for scoring well for fine benchrest shooting but works very well for silhouette.

jwarrenod wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:56 pm

As an optometrist, who often times discusses firearms with patients, I get this question frequently.

I see what you mean, JW. Good info for your first post.
Welcome from the Show-Me-State!

Welcome to the forum from CT and for giving us your professional advice regarding sight pictures. I'm glad you joined us.

jwarrenod wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 04, 2020 4:56 pm

As an optometrist, who often times discusses firearms with patients, I get this question frequently ...I'm waiting to get to the range to dial in my red dot on my 45-70, its just so quick and easy to get on a deer's boiler room that way vs trying to find the front post at 53 (I'll be 54 next deer season). I've got a new Skinner sight on my new to me Marlin 336 in .35 Rem to dial in too.

Another welcome to the forum and glad you joined us. After reading all these post about focusing on the front sight then lining it up with the rear and so on, Id like to say how lucky I am to not need to go through all that. If I had those issues in front of me what you did would also be my choice. Red dot for sure.

What worked for me, until I got progressives, was to get a pair of readers for the range. I got the lowest power that would allow me to easily focus on the front sight. You can pick up a pair of inexpensive readers at most any department store.

Deacon wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:17 am

When I focus on the front bead and then move over the target I lose the front bead.

That is how I understand the eye works. When I was younger, I did not notice such a thing. As I get older, I have noticed that it is difficult to focus on more than one thing at a time. This point is also highlighted in a shooting guide from the link below. I also seem to prefer an open sight. But, I think that I prefer hunting with a scope. However, I only have one rifle with a scope. The others have an open type sight: semi-buckhorn or peep. They seem to offer a better sense of situation awareness.
https://www.armystudyguide.com/content/ ... mark.shtml

90% of my shooting is for a sport that dictates open sites.
So if I'm gonna do what I wanna do, I gotta learn what works for me.
Appiture rear sight, tall Marbels 3/16 bead front.
Forget about the rear sight, just look thru the appiture and focus on the bead.
Place the bead on the fuzzy target.
Boom.

I'd use a scope for hunting.

GFK wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 17, 2020 5:22 pm

Deacon wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:17 am

When I focus on the front bead and then move over the target I lose the front bead.

That is how I understand the eye works. When I was younger, I did not notice such a thing. As I get older, I have noticed that it is difficult to focus on more than one thing at a time. This point is also highlighted in a shooting guide from the link below. I also seem to prefer an open sight. But, I think that I prefer hunting with a scope. However, I only have one rifle with a scope. The others have an open type sight: semi-buckhorn or peep. They seem to offer a better sense of situation awareness.
https://www.armystudyguide.com/content/ ... mark.shtml



open_sight_picture.svg.png

I also hunt with a scope. I am uncertain how well I could get a bead on a charging feral hog using a scope. My plan, in that circumstance, is to drop the rifle and pull my sidearm.