Question from an old guy

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corgiS&W

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Sitting on the front porch lat ate night drinking a glass of wine [maybe two or three] and wondering what us old guys should be doing with our interest in firearms. I've had a CC license for about 30 years, and while self-defense is still important to me it's not the focus of gun ownership. Collecting is interesting, but spending $10,000 for two collectible Colts or S&Ws is certainly outside my SS retirement income range, so I thought I would try some competition at a local range. One week is .22 cal and the next is center-fire [both semi-auto at present], but then I realized my 73 year-old eye-sight is not up to the challenge. The competition was to use the 5 best shots to build a poker hand. I was okay at 15' but after that I couldn't even read the cards. Then when they changed the sequence I couldn't use my memorized locations and was really lost.

My current collection is 10 guns, with a .45, a .380, a 9mm, two .22s. and five .38/.357s, small but varied. What do we older guys with limited funds do to have fun with our guns? Suggestions appreciated.

You may see this post on several forums, as I am really seeking some answers.
 
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It's really an interesting question, and I get the idea you're not looking so much for a way to improve your ability to see the targets as much as, perhaps, ideas for different sorts of competitions or just fun things to do with your pistols.

I gotta admit, I got nuthin' at the moment but maybe some of the old hands here have some ideas. I plan to own my pistols for the rest of my life, and would be interested to know what I might do with them for fun when I get older, besides teaching my grandkids how to shoot 'em.
 
I am a little older than you and I have trouble seeing targets. I have started shooting steel plates and don't worry about bullseyes anymore. I get satisfaction from hearing the steel ring.
 
I've had those same thoughts and have been getting others involved in the shooting sports. Seeing someone hit the center of the target or fire a handgun for the first time is fun. Kinda takes me back to when I started. :)
 
I stumbled upon something recently called "dot torture" which is a series of handgun shooting scenarios using a graphic printed onto a regular 8.5x11 sheet of paper. The idea is to improve your handgun shooting, so the distances are relatively close (you start at 3 yards) but can be extended however you wish. If you're OK out to 15' this should be just fine.
The paper has 10 2" circles and you shoot each circle differently: strong hand for one circle, draw for another, week hand for another, etc.
It just something different, to keep things interesting, but is also great practice.

http://pistol-training.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dot-torture-target.pdf
 
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I am 66 years old and a contributing editor for Shotgun Sports Magazine. I mentioned in a column that I no longer could see the front sights on my handguns clearly and the rear sights hardly at all. I found that drug store reading glasses made the sights crystal clear but the 25-yard bull looked like a blurry football standing on end.

Dr. Harold Morgan of Morgan Optical in Olean, New York is a reader and specializes in shooting optometry. He told me he thought he could make glasses for me that would allow me to see both the sights and the target clearly. I doubted him but provided the info he wanted - my lens Rx and the maximum distance at which I usually shoot - and he sent me glasses that make both objects about 95% clear!

If one eye doctor can do that, one near you should be able to as well. If not, give Harold a call at 800-594-0175 or go to their website at Morgan Optical Sports Glasses.

You can always do what I do - shoot at bullseye targets 50 rounds at a time with the goal of having fewer holes outside the black bull than the last time and the ragged hole that most of the bullets create smaller.

Ed
 
There are a bunch of good and helpful suggestions in these responses, and I appreciate them all; thanks very much. A common thought in many posts is to get into reloading, but that one is out because when I retired a few years ago I decided to get back into woodworking with hand tools. So my garage space is already taken, as is much of my time.
 
corgiS&W said:
A common thought in many posts is to get into reloading, but that one is out because when I retired a few years ago I decided to get back into woodworking with hand tools. So my garage space is already taken, as is much of my time.
Click to expand...

I am a woodworker, too, and I reload. My reloading setup is mounted to the wall of my woodshop and takes up very little space. I have since added a second, nearly identical cabinet directly below this one for additional storage space. Overall dimensions are approximately 10" deep, 26" wide, and 72" tall.



reloadingbench3.jpg
 
Have you tried bullseye competition with .22s? The targets are larger than the ones you are having trouble with, recoil fatigue is negligible, and if you use a dot sight the front sight issue is resolved. Raw speed is not required, nor is a lot of running or taking a knee. When I shot bullseye with my older friends they could still lay them in there ; they gave me valuable experience on hitting targets with a pistol and it ended up being a good time.
VR,
fws19
 
I found by going to smaller targets or smaller black area's on the targets I not only improved my shooting skills but also improved my vision for the target as well. My 1st 20 shots this evening at the range gave me 14-10's, and 5-9's plus one 8. All because of the smaller Black target area on the board. I have never shot this well in my life until about 3 months ago when I started doing this.:)
 
If you have trouble seeing the sights and the target with the same glasses, a laser is the way to go. If you can see the target, you can hit the target.
 
Teach. One of the biggest things I am aware of at ranges is a total lack of range discipline and fire arm safety awareness. You might be able to help with that.
 
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