So I shot my first Steel Challenge type match, non-sanctioned but fun, last month. I use prescription glasses for distance, but I shot with just shooting glasses because with my prescription glasses on and both eyes open I can't pick up the front sight. Any suggestions or keep doing what I'm doing? I have been practicing this way in hopes I'll do better this month.

Nothing? No words of wisdom?

Most of the steel plate matches I have shot were done at close range (5-15 yards). No extra points for hitting the center of the target, so good point shooting, and timing were more important for me. A smooth sweep across the targets with timed shots was always best for me. This all assumes that you have the basics down.

Not here. But I can make a comment or two. Sounds like you're slightly nearsighted, and shoot better without any correction. That's not really surprising, since almost everyone agrees that the best results are achieved by focussing on the front sight. What's surprising is that it even occurred to you to take off the glasses that allow you to see at distance. I have trouble connecting with that. I really value my ability to see, and I wear what it takes to do it. When one gets a little older (40+?), it may be necessary to include segments of the spectacles which correct less, or not at all, to allow proper focus at closer distances. Bifocals, that is.

I consider that your shooting without glasses is a useful drill, since you might conceivably be called upon to do so some day, but I wouldn't practice any shooting sport as a regular thing with any eyewear but what I normally wear. As I see it, shooting a pistol is a practical skill. To remove the practicality is to remove the utility. Barring that, billiards is more fun, running and swimming are healthier.

What is your prescription?

I don't know what the prescription but I know it isn't very strong. I am nearly 40 but I don't need glasses to read or type to this screen but at say 50' or so some things become harder to read. In the case of the Steel Shooting, we are shooting at 7-10 yards. So I am able to see the targets without any issue, but if I leave my glasses on I can't pick up the front site at all with both eyes open. Take them off and I can leave both eyes open and acquire the front site quickly and clearly. Perhaps I need to consult my optometrist? I would hate the idea of bifocals. Ugh.

what size are your targets?

12" square and circles. I practice at an indoor range where I have a membership and practice on 8" and 6" Shoot-n-C targets but in a single lane which doesn't help with movement.

You need some practice time on a steel range.

Practice sweeping the target and shooting when you cover the target.

I have seen some training ammo that shoots a laser for a very short duration when the hammer falls. They had reactive targets that would beep if you hit it. It would allow you to train away from the range, and practice your trigger timing.

The fast guys don't do much aiming, it's all reflex.

Unfortunately there are no dedicated plate ranges in my area. Being in suburban Philadelphia region there just aren't a lot of options for me. I have actually resorted to taping sheets of paper to the back of my shed and dry firing a pellet gun as I moved from target to target. I guess its better then nothing?

I shoot very little Steel Challenge, mostly shoot USPSA, IDPA, and ICORE - all with iron sighted revolvers. My solution was to have the prescription for my dominant eye focused just beyond the front sight, which makes the target clearer than if the focus was in front of the front sight. If you warn your eye doctor ahead of time, they may well be comfortable with you bringing an unloaded and cased pistol into the exam room to verify the best prescription for you. Non-dominate eye is the normal distance prescription. I also went with bifocals since I work as a range officer a lot and that makes working with score sheets a lot easier than just a single vision correction. One of the companies specializing in shooting glasses, Decot, has several articles on their website that might be of interest. I should add that outdoors in good light it is much easier than in our dim, indoor range where we have a winter Bullseye league - most of the folks have gone to optics on their handguns for that sport. Good luck! John

Well, I suppose I wouldn't advise against seeing an optometrist, but it sounds like you already have the situation well under control. You might even be cautious about letting an optometrist talk you out of your present practice, which seems to be working just fine for you. While I might choose perfect distant vision and bifocals, there's apparently nothing at all wrong with leaving your glasses off until you need them. Again, your choice for shooting is not at all surprising, and fits with mainstream doctrine and practice.

I have Decot prescription shooting glasses with two different right lenses. One is my normal distance prescription and the other has +1.25 diopters added magnification. I am 69 years old and wear bifocals. I use the normal lens for shotgun and rifle shooting through a scope. I change to the +1.25 lens for my pistol shooting. Since it is just in my dominate eye, I can clearly see my front sight and keep the other eye open for good depth perception. Decot will recommend the amount of adjustment based on your prescription. This works well for me. It's easy to change lenses with their frames.

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Dick

I have a separate set of glasses for hunting and shooting. The perscription is slight different for that reason. Also, the lens is bigger and higher so for rifle, I don't have the rim in the scope. The lens also has an orange tint to reduce glare and increase contrast so it helps in that way too.

Good luck.

Thanks for all the great comments and advice. I wonder if it is different with contact lens wearers?

I prefer to shoot scopes without glasses. I need my specs to read my watch or use my cell phone or tv remote and using open sights is, do you want to see the sights OR the target? the special prescription different lenses sounds good but expensive and you would need an eye DR exp in prescribing lenses for shooters. and yet another pair or 2 of glasses, joy/joy. practice with & without them & use whatever you shoot better with. when hunting I don't normally have time to put on or remove a pair of specs.

I wish I had found this post a day or two ago. There is a steel plate league that isn't all that far from you. In fact, there was a match today at Lower Providence Rod & Gun in Norristown. Check out the attached link to the web site. Most of the matches are in the Allentown area, about an hour North of Philly. Check out the league schedule. PA Steel League | Static steel shooting league in south eastern Pennsylvania

As far as the glasses, I suggest talking to your optometrist. Some steel challenge stages are close, but some are further out. Check out the steel challenge web site and look at each of the stages, and their respective distances. Some optometrists will allow you to bring an unloaded gun to the office so they can better understand you specific situation, and recommend the proper prescription.

Oh, and by the way, be careful with the Decot glasses. I know that a lot of shooters use them, and have been using them for years, but the lenses are glass, not polycarbonate, which means they could (and have) break when hit with a ricochet (commonly referred to as spatter), sending glass back into the eye. A lot of the people who recommend them are paper punchers who don't usually experience spatter. When you shoot steel, you will be hit with "spatter".

I purchased a pair of the Morgan optical shooting glasses with user replaceable lenses used by shot gunners. I had an extra lens made up for my shooting eye which was designed to see clearly at 3ft. Thus my shooting eye is focused on the front sight and the other eye on the target - somehow the brain puts it all together.

There is a guy whom I shoot with at my club that uses press on lenses for the same thing as you describe. He likes them. They are removable and come in a wide range of diaoptors. Here is a link. Press On Lenses I have googled them and found you can buy them cheaper elsewhere.

Buffalo Arms has stick on lenses that might help.

Thank you so much for the link!

Awesome information everyone. Thank you!

My Decot lens are polycarbonate and not glass. Maybe they offer both. If so, I would definitely get the polycarbonate. Glass lenses would also be fairly heavy.

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Dick

I wear bifocals for driving but nothing else. Can't stand them for shooting. I asked my eye doctor to tell me what correction for focus out to where front sight would normally be; answer, no correction. So i just use regular polycarbonate shooting glasses for protection, no prescription. My bullseye pistol coach confirmed this, if you have to choose between fuzzy front sight and fuzzy target, go with clear front sight and fuzzy target. Every time, except with shotgunning, where you need to focus on that bird.
by the way, DO NOT shoot steel without protective eyewear, it just is not worth the risk. In my club's falling plate matches I routinely get hit with splashback, plus some pistols can send crud back at you, I have this happen a lot with Ruger 22s.
As for focus, it is FRONT SIGHT BLADE, FRONT SIGHT BLADE, etc etc

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Ed

OP- I see know reason to wear the glasses, if you see the front sight, and see the targets I would only use shooting glasses that you prefer. There is no benefit in adding another complication ( weather,breakage, loss ), If you can see it, shoot it. Be Safe,

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I BACK OUR BLUE

I run the US National Steel Championship down in Titusville every year which the national level steel challenge event. The targets are 10", 12' rounds and a 18"x24" rectangle. The stage can be viewed on line with this link

I have be in discussions with many on this subject and it is my thoughts that is important to have the front sight in focus since the range is out to 35 yards on the 18'x24" targets. Since it is a speed event focusing on the front sight only or point shooting is the normal way to go. Having the targets in focus and the not the sight should slow you down quite a bit. Normally the steel rings very well and the paint is displaced enough to see even if it is not in perfect focus.

go on the you tube and watch the videos of the match or go to my website US Steel Shoot > Home to see photos of the set up and match. Or set your tv to record Shooting USA and Doug Koenig's Championship season to watch the match.

Also I shoot a limited gun with a Schuemann Barrels / Hybrid Barrel in it. The advantages of this system is that the barrel has a integral rib on which the sight is mounted. This allows the slide to cycle without moving the front sight in and out of your focal plane. My eye doctor told me that it can take .1 to .4 seconds, depending on your eyes, to reacquire your focus when it goes in and out of the focal plane. The match has been decided by a .1 of a second in the past.

Let me know if you need any further help. Practice both ways on a stage and see what works best for you on the timer. The fastest way to make a run is one shot per steel so the front sight is important!

I use a 1x pair of sunglasses that give me a good focus on the front sight for limited and regular glasses for open.

Not sure if this is the answer or not but - - I have been having some issues with front sight clarity recently. Have started using cheaters to read as the eyes are geting old and harder to focus.

I have used the carbide lamp to blacken the sights which helped some but the front sight is still fuzzy and I can't seem to geta good, clean sight picture. Someone at the club sugggested using a pin hole clip on for the shooting glasses. Made one out of paper stuck to the shooting glasses to see if it helped and it did make a difference. "Back in the day" you used to see a number of BE shooters with the pin hole peep attached to their shooting glasses for front sight clarity issues. Looked for one in the shooting supply sites. The ones I found were suction cup stick-ons, expensive and had some poor user reviews.

Decided to go the cheap and make my own. Bought a $6, 3x eye loupe on E-bay. Removed the lens and cut down the bottom of a plastic 35mm film can to fit the loupe. Dilled a .077" hole in the center of the insert and clipped it to the shooting glasses. Does the job and really helps with the front sight clarity.

Don't know if this helps,but my GF wear one contact for close-up stuff while the other eye sees clearly for distance. No headache either. Go figure.

While this method works for Bullseye shooting, don't think you want this on Steel Challenge. The idea is to quickly move from one target to the other. When I use iron sights, I have a special prescription pair that I use for that, my weak side eye is my normal no line trifocal prescription but my strong side is only middle distance prescription so I can focus on the front sight. I shoot with both eyes open so this works for me. Normally I shoot Open class so I use my normal prescription because the dot is in sharp focus with my distance prescription. (I think the optics fool the eye into thinking the dot is at target distance, at least that what it seems like to me).

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Minimize the variables

I have glasses for iron sights with my weak side lens being my distance prescription and a "closer up" prescription for my strong side lens. Single vision, no bifocals or progressives.

Not as good as a red dot but some stuff I shoot requires iron sights. So it's a "closer up" lens and a FO front and a white outline rear. Best I've come up with for "old eyes".

Extremely helpful discussion. I would be interested to hear what has worked well for some of you guys.

I have just started to have issues with front sight focus during marginal or cloudy conditions on ~16+ yard steel. My fast hits on <16 yard stuff (when I target focus primarily) are clean, but >16yrds is becoming more difficult these days.
I am a two eyed near sighted shooter with -2.75 correction via contact lenses.
Have some of you had success with using an under-corrected lens for your strong side eye to help you acquire the front post?

Do you utilize a "quiet eyes" style of distant focus, prior to the beep?

I use to stare a hole in the first target prior to the draw and then bring up the sights into clear view, but that doesn't seem to be working so hot for me anymore. I seem to struggle to gain a rapid clear front sight focus more these days.

Several writers have described their solutions using different lenses for their glasses. I do something just a little bit different. I want a clear focus on the front sight. I can't do that with my distance prescription. I can't do that with my bifocal prescription. I can't do that with plain lenses of zero prescription. I need something in between my distance Rx and my bifocal Rx. So, I went to the local dollar store and picked out a pair of cheap, plastic reading glasses. I put them on, right over top of my regular glasses. Tried different Rx reading glasses until I found the right one. Good, clean focus right at the front sight distance. I then attached one of the reading glass lenses to a flip-up, clip-on sun glass frame. When I shoot, I flip the lens down. When not shooting, I flip the lens up. Works great. Total cost, $1.09