Highway41 wrote:SloopJohnB wrote:Maybe the Skinner Peep sight would help? (maybe looking through the peep somehow focuses the bead?) I don't know and I hate to spend the money without knowing. Has anyone had success by using the Skinner?
I handled a few Henrys at the LGS before ordering my 41. I knew right away that the factory sights wouldnt work for me at all. Luckily they had a Henry 30-30 with a peep sight on it and it was much easier to focus on the front sight. So right after ordering my 41 I ordered one of Skinners peeps. Took the 41 out today and first shots at 25 yards were 3 shot groups that made one ragged hole, did that with three 3 shot groups with the last group being slightly bigger but that was definitely me and not the Henry.
I have not had cataract surgery but do wear trifocals. Somehow with the Skinner it is easier to focus on the front sight. My groups were high so I have a taller sight on order now. I also ordered the .070 aperture just to see what difference it makes for me, the standard .096 that they come with just like a very large opening. Granted this is my first peep sight so I'm learning as I go.
I think that if you can focus relatively well on the front sight while ignoring the rear then the Skinner would be the way to go.
Keep us updated.
Received my package from Skinner yesterday. And I've got er all installed. I did it kind of in two stages -- first with leaving the buckhorn sight on (in the middle still on the barrel). This helped me get the windage perfect as I had it perfect at the range. I also could tell that I may have to change out the front sight because even with the rear peep set as low as possible, my front bead is not down in the v-notch ... it is inline with the top of the notch, just a skosh too high. Of course, I could have been off a little bit my first trip to the range, because as I had mentioned, I was having a difficult time even seeing the bead. However, if it needs changing, I found on the Lyman website where they make almost duplicate front sights (with either gold or ivory bead) in various heights. I do not like the Skinner front sights.
So in the second stage -- I removed the buckhorn and installed the dovetail blank (with aperture storage), I also bought a Merit Adjustable Iris Aperture. Holy cow, this thing is the cat's meow! It adjusts from 0.025 to 0.155, covering all openings anyone could possibly want. The back outer ring is where the step adjustments are made. Easy peasy. It also extends the aperture back another 3/4" closer to your eye. Finally, I painted the front brass bead white. It sure does show up nicely out in daylight -- not sure how much better it will be at the indoor range.
I am going to the range tomorrow to check all this out. I believe however that there is one significant improvement. On the buckhorn sight, to get it perfectly lined up for a sighted-in shot, you must have the bead at the bottom of the V-notch. As the bead is almost buried in the sight picture, it automatically brings your focus back to the buckhorn sight instead of forward where it belongs. With the peep system, the front sight stem and the bead are -- for want of a better term -- free floating in the middle of your sight picture. And even with the larger apertures, it is very easy to get the bead centered up. You don't need crosshairs, I guess something with how your eyes process the data.
One last comment -- I also purchased the Skinner Brass Punch. I have some smaller brass punches, but this tool is perfect for working with 3/8" wide dovetails.
