Options for middle aged eyes

[54ball]

I've lost my close vision.
It started with reading and writing a few years back and it's moving out. I have to have readers now.

By far my favorite thing to hunt with was a flintlock longrifle. I can longer see the sights. Barrel sights on a Ruger 10-22? Forget it.

The 3 dots or bright sights like a lot of the autoloaders have been no help. I aimed my brother's pistol and I told him all I see is about 8 dots. Oddly enough I can still make out the front sight in the notches of a service revolver, but I can't tell how much barrel it shows. I can find it but it's fuzzy really fuzzy.

Outside of reader range, my sight is excellent.

I have options for glasses, but the Dr. said I'll never have young eyes again.

This brings me now to the jest of my post.

Point Shooting

I have been studying it lot. The FBI crouch, Jelly Bryce, old training films I have really been studying it a lot.

I have been doing some shooting too, mostly advanced plinking with small reactive targets.

I'll say this about point shooting...there's something there. There's something that I feel I'm right at the cusp of but not quite there.

I'm going to start serious on paper. I'm going to try and find what works the best. I may not do pure point shooting and I may shoot like one would with good close vision but incorporate flash sight shooting or some of the principles of point shooting.

Funny thing...

In some of my shooting I have found if I concentrate on the target simply point my model 10 and shoot, I'll hit it. If I try hard, I'll miss. This is in double action. If I use my sight as best I can in double action, I'll have lots of misses. Right now, it seems I'm doing better point shooting in double action than I am slow aimed fire in double action. I remember how quick I used to be with iron sights, now it takes time.
Aimed fire single action I'm hitting.
I don't point shoot single action.

Like I said, I'm going to paper. I have my targets and going to start serious with it at various ranges.

Please share any thoughts. Thanks

 

[scooter123]

Back in 2008 when I first got my Michigan CPL I had an instructor for the CPL class tell me that pretty little groups do NOT equal good defensive shooting, shooting that slowly will just get me killed in a real gunfight. He then spent some time teaching me the basics of Target Focused Point Shooting and I've been using that method since. First, you focus on the Target, not the front sight. Second, you don't shoot for precision your goal is to put hits on target as quickly as possible. So when the front sight falls in the line between the target and your eye you pull the trigger. Back when I was thinking about doing some competition I manage to get my split time down to 0.22 seconds while holding a 4-6 inch group at 30 feet.

Unfortunately Arthritis reared it's ugly head back in 2017 and shooting a handgun became painful with anything more powerful than a 9mm so I have cut way back on handgun shooting. BTW, reducing my sugar intake has eased that pain by about 70%, so shooting a 45 ACP now only gives me a twinge instead of real pain.

In 2018 at the urging of my Nephew I started shooting a Shotgun. Started with Trap and now shoot 4 gun Skeet. Shooting a Shotgun is all about Point Shooting, to the point where some of the very best shooters have guns with no front bead on their barrels. Because if you "look to the barrel" when shooting Clay's you WILL miss the target. If you want to improve your point shooting Skills start out by going to a Shotgun Range. Because you cannot be competitive shooting a shotgun by using the sight, it will FORCE you to learn how to Point Shoot. I will also tell you that shooting at moving targets is a LOT more fun than shooting at paper.

BTW, I still shoot a Handgun 3 or 4 times a year to maintain my skills. As for how well I shoot, it's not bad. Split times are down to 3/10 second and groups have opened up by about an inch but I'm still good enough to defend myself

 

[teletech]

If you want to wield a flintlock or 10/22, try a diopter.
The merit optical attachment is apparently discontinued, but can still be found NOS or used. Seems like the "eyepal" EyePal | Get back on the Range with EyePal might be the successor in the low $ range and the Gehmann being to higher end option http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=393

As to defensive shooting, point shooting has it's place for sure but aging eyes are also a driver in the "carry optics" movement. You might borrow a friend's red-dot-equipped handgun and give that a try if you find that point-shooting gives up on you after a certain range.

 

[rednichols]

Mate! Two words for you: "intraocular lenses". They replace the lenses in your eyes and typically include bifocals. No more glasses and the replacement is a permanent fix (done to replace cataracts, they don't lat er go bad like the human lenses). My 60+ y/o wife's vision is perfect for all: reading and driving, for example (she doesn't shoot) and no glasses for anything.

 

[racoonbeast]

Why don't you just get some glasses?

 

[WR Moore]

About the glasses thing. I don't recall what year I broke down and got bifocals. I was having the same issues you're having with handgun sights and talked to the guy who sold industrial safety glasses at my work site. There is a thing called the occupational lens grind where they put different corrections in different places. In my case, I went for top and bottom of the lens closeup and distance vision in the middle. Bringing the sights into focus involved just very slightly tilting my head forward and there were the sights! Safety glasses now come in stylish versions if that's what you want.

When I had to get trifocals, the middle distance correction went to the top of the lens, close up stayed in the bottom, distance in the middle.

If you see a bunch of grapes/formations of dots in a red dot sight with uncorrected vision, you have astigmatism. Good Rx spectacles will cure that.

BTW, shooting has to involve some visual reference between gun and target. Depending upon distance and your skill, a razor sharp sight picture isn't necessary. Suggest you check with Police Bookshelf and see if Ayoob's Stressfire is still in print.

 

[BB57]

I blew through bifocals right into progressive readers. You have options:

1) Talk to your eye doctor, explain your needs and they’ll get you lenses and corrections that work for the various distances in a progressive reader.

2) If you don’t want to spend that much money (yet) SSP eye wear can set you up with bottom or top focal readers. For rifle and handgun use get something that is about 1/2 the strength you need for reading. If that’s +2.5, get +1.25 correction and it’ll sharpen those front sights right up without excessively blurring the target. Top focal works great for shooting. Get a top focal lens for your shooting eye and a bottom focal lens in your non shooting eye for reading at the range.

SSP Eyewear | Bifocals, Tactical, Industrial and Sportsman Eyewear

3) Discover tang sights and receiver sights. A tang sight with interchangeable or adjustable apertures is great as it lets you adjust the aperture size down to wear you have a sharp, non grainy image with maximum depth of field. It works just like a small f stop on a camera and will allow you to focus on the front sight. Receiver sights give you about 90% of the same benefits.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I use a high quality Smith Enterprises tang sight on my Navy Arms/Rossi M92 lever rifle - it's excellent.

Smith Enterprise

© 2021+ Smith Enterprise, Inc

I think they still make them but boy howdy! The company has grown.

Similarly, I use a "Williams peep sight" on my M94 Winchester - also excellent.

William's Gun Sight Company – Over 90 Years “On The Range”

© 2021 William’s Gun Sight Company

Mine has been on that rifle for decades and boy, howdy, that company has grown, too!!!

But that's for my "toys", my self defense rifles are set up differently.

More importantly, however, and I have said this before, I don't adorn my pistols with any sights other than what they came with and when I practice I ALWAYS practice point shooting.

I've been wearing glasses for decades and I never shoot without them but I do realize that I could get caught in a self defense situation without glasses so learning to instinctively point shoot my self defense guns is critical to me - up close and personal is what I expect so I add distance only to ensure I still know how to shoot a handgun at distance but, otherwise, I consider it a waste of my time and ammunition. Especially with snub guns and compact pistols.

 

[hyena]

I'm 67. Near vision and astigmatism in both eyes. I wear monovision contacts. (Think that's what they're called.) My right eye sees close, left eye far. Works great for handguns. Not as good for the stock sights on my Mini 14. My optometrist is a handgun shooter so he works with me to get them right.

 

[johngalt]

Monovision.

My right (dominant) eye has a weaker than full strength prescription which enables me to to read, see my computer monitor, and see my front sight. Distance is less than perfect. The left eye has a full strength prescription for distance, but can't focus up close any more.

The brain adapts, I see fine both up close and far away.

For some reason they eye doc tried to dissuade me, but he works for a big health group that just "treats" everyone with one size fits all corporate policy.

 

[URIT]

I tried a variety of solutions as my eye sight got older and was no longer 20/20. The best and final solution was to go to my eye doctor and get fitted with trifocals. I only shoot pistols so the midrange was set at 1 inch beyond my outstretched and pointed index finger. Happy days are here again!

 

[kamloops67]

I had a set of trifocals which were like basic bifocals but with a tiny keyhole aperture in the Center for distance
Took a while to learn to use the glasses lol
You must look square and true at what you want to see but once you get used to them they are awesome
I say “had” because they were expensive and came in an expensive looking case , so some miscreant swiped them off the dash of my truck thinking they were sunglasses maybe ?
Useless to the thief and I never saw them again .
I will get another set but it’s the bigger part of a grand , and there are so many other things on the list right now

 

[4896worker]

Had the same problem as you .
For long guns try a peep sight I know it may look funny on a flintlock but looking threw the small rear sight opening seems to bring things in focus .

On handguns the Xsbig dot with trinimum front and rear worked. It has really large front that glows and a shallow rear v like an express with a stripe that glows. Your eye is attracted to the large front sight and inlowlight situations you just bring the two glowing parts of the sight together and your there .

 

[skwchock]

I too am an "old-timer" who is still trying to shoot well. I wear glasses-- the problem I have is that when I try to focus, the eye glasses 'move'-- I think I am going to have to get some of the "staps" that you attach to the eye glass temples that wrap around the back of your head so that they 'stay in place'--- Unfortunately, finding them is hard -- they are 'old' and most companies that MADE them -do not exist any more. The pair that I really like is GUARDIAN VELCRO EYEGLASS HOLDER. It was mfg by BRIMMS, Inc. (425 Fillmore Ave,Tonawanda, NY 14150) ([email protected]).

 

[smoothshooter]

Transition Lens Bifocals are the answer.
Have the glasses guy move the transition area up closer to the top of the frames more than usual or you will have to tilt your head way back to shoot a handgun or work on something that is over your head.

 

[4896worker]

Had the same problem as you .
For long guns try a peep sight I know it may look funny on a flintlock but looking threw the small rear sight opening seems to bring things in focus .

On handguns the Xsbig dot with trinimum front and rear worked. It has really large front that glows and a shallow rear v like an express with a stripe that glows. Your eye is attracted to the large front sight and inlowlight situations you just bring the two glowing parts of the sight together and your there .

 

[white cloud]

For many older shooters, SmoothShooter is correct. I am married to my eye doctor. I am 69 years old and can use my revolver's iron sights just fine and red dots in red dot sights are round. The secret is finding an eye care professional you can communicate with. Precisely explain what you are trying to get accomplished. Make sure whoever does the bifocal measurements also gets the message. Also if your prescription is up to date your low light vision will be optimized.

 

[Doug M.]

1) Work with your eye doctor.

2) Red dot sights. Seriously. Since I began the transition, which has not be easy due to my academy being 100% Gunsite, the difference is amazing.

 

[2wheels]

Transition Lens Bifocals are the answer.
Have the glasses guy move the transition area up closer to the top of the frames more than usual or you will have to tilt your head way back to shoot a handgun or work on something that is over your head.

Yes, this. I’m 64 and got a pair of transitions, they’re awesome.

 

[zeke]

Even when i was younger, practiced a form of up close semi point shooting. Focused on the target and aligned over the top of the pistol in lower field of view. With some practice got pretty good at it for closer ranges. It's not ultra precision, but good enough to put a lot of holes quickly in the desired area.

Alot of people immediately discard the cheap plastic sights on glocks. I call them "old man sights", and find them extremely useful.