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Adding an APERTURE to your glasses so you can SEE the sights!

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I found the answer just recently. Day to day I wear prescription progressives. I'm 75 and NEED glasses. But for shooting, I wear cheap reading glasses, 1.25 power. My rifle has open sights. Regular U-notch rear, brass blade up front. I was going to install peep sights until I tried those weak readers. I am eighteen again as far as shooting is concerned. Both front and rear sights are crystal clear, however the target/animal is a tiny bit fuzzy. That's okay. Experts tell us to focus on the sights and let the target go a little out of focus.
At the dollar store, test the reader powers until you can plainly see your thumb nail with your arm stretched out (imagine an artist holding his thumb out.) I went to the trouble of measuring the distance from my eye, with rifle mounted, to he point half way between front and read sights. Which is the same distance your thumb positioned as described.
 
I use top focal shooting glasses from SSP Eyewear. The magnification is at the top of your lenses where you look out of when shooting. I just ordered a new set of lenses since my eyesight has deteriorated lately. Kind of pricey though (especially if you buy one of their kits with several different colored lenses - send an email saying you only want one clear set like I did it's cheaper, but they don't advertise it), but work good for me. Alternatively, the cheap set of full lens readers work (as mentioned by Mike in FL), but aren't safety glasses - so caveat emptor.

EDIT: I did find some full-lens reader safety glasses on Amazon so there's that (and they're pretty cheap if they're any good they'll work). I also found some SSP replacement lenses on Amazon cheaper than what I paid (just not my magnification).
 
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The OP does what I do, sort of. Locating the hole in the tape? I don't, I make a strip of 1/4" tape with a horizontal hole every 1/8" or so. Choose what works best that day.

Second, forget progressive for shooting. Use bifocals. The only time progressive could possibly work for me is two handed pistol shooting. Rifle and one handed will not work. I see guys trying to shoot pistols with progressives, they are constantly tilting their head to get reasonable vision. With a rifle you must look through the inner corner of the lens with good shooting position.

My shooting glasses have about +1.00 diopter on the top and +2.5 on the bottom. For me that puts the front sight of a pistol or rifle in focus. The target is nearly so, I forget I am wearing them because the distance vision is nearly the same as a pure distance lens for me. Remember the less added diopter the greater depth of field.
 
I have been having a hard time seeing the end of my barrel sight and I don't wear glasses only for reading-Dime store type. So I tried the tape and hole thing and to my Suprise I could see my sight at the end of the barrel and target beyond. So I ordered a couple of eye patches and I'll put a hole in them when the come. I'll let you know how it works out. The tape thing was a good tip! Thanks!
 
Amazon just dropped off the one mentioned (and I linked) above.
I might try to stick it to my shooting glasses later tonight or tomorrow.

Question for those that use them:
When you find the sweet spot does it work equally well offhand as using a bench?
What about different combs? Does that affect your eye's alignment with the hole you are looking through, or it it a minor adjustment your eye makes without thinking about it?
 
I started using a 3/8 inch rubber washer with a 1/8 inch hole.. I attach it to the sighting point on my lens with double sided tape and i am set.. It helps me enough and I can always reduce the size of the hole with electrician tape and burn a hole.. Just another way to skin the old cat.
 
Just received the Gehmann 393 stick-on iris from Sport Shooting Depot, in MIchigan. Fast delivery! The aperture adjustment provides far more variation as compared to the Merit I've been using. As soon as the snow stops, I'll head to the range and let you know how it works out.

Frosty
 
I bought the Lyman patch off Amazon last fall. I try it every time I shoot and still can’t seem to get it positioned properly on my shooting glasses. I guess it helps, but it’s very distracting. I’ll still continue to experiment with it.
 
Couple yrs. ago, had to go with an old pair of glasses w/a piece of tape on the lens. I choose to wear trifocal glass lenses , instead of the blended focus lenses. Sense I shoot using the top distance lens. At the range,I would just leave the old glasses with the tape w/ the hole in place , and when done shooting , put my regular latest glasses back on to drive. I built myself a new ,light weight longrifle , and bought from Muzzleloader BS catalog , a peep sight to be easily modified for barrel breech plug tang mounting. I can nicely use the modified tang peep , with regular non taped glasses. I need one of the basic peep sight castings for my next project , but have to wait until spring for some to be cast from the MLBS folks. I'm very thankful the peep sight has made it possible to keep shooting............oldwood
 
I bought a pair of the full lens reading safety glasses off of Amazon last week and received them yesterday. They actually work better for me than the (more expensive) top focal lenses safety glasses I got from SSP Eyewear. Both sights are pretty clear, however the target at distance is a little blurry (same as with the top focal lens). The main difference, and what makes them better in my opinion (for me that is), is that I can see other things up close - like looking through bifocals (distance sight is blurry through the glasses so I have to look over the top of the glasses to see far off). I'll be using this cheaper solution from now on as it seems to work (for me) for both bench shooting and USPSA/IDPA 'action style' shooting too.
 
I'd still really like to know how it works bench to offhand. If the aperture needs adjusted.
That seems to be an elusive question so far.
Doesn’t change ‘for me’, but I try to keep my head in the same position bench-to-offhand as I can. That means I use taller sandbags up front so I’m not all leaned over. I try to sit up straight as I can.

I bench only to load develop anyway, but when working up hunting loads, I find ‘for me’ that the sitting position mimics my offhand head position perfectly & the rounds will impact at the same point of aim, clearly a much tighter group whilst sitted.
 
Doesn’t change ‘for me’, but I try to keep my head in the same position bench-to-offhand as I can. That means I use taller sandbags up front so I’m not all leaned over. I try to sit up straight as I can.

I bench only to load develop anyway, but when working up hunting loads, I find ‘for me’ that the sitting position mimics my offhand head position perfectly & the rounds will impact at the same point of aim, clearly a much tighter group whilst sitted.


Good. Thanks.
 
That didn't take very much effort. I moved it about 7-8 times to try to get the aperture and my sight picture perfectly concentric. Halfway through I realized I needed to trim some of it off.
I found the general location by sighting in the gun looking into a mirror. I could see my eyeball favored the upper inside part of the lens. And compared to seeing this on others' glasses, I guess I shoot more "hunched up" and crowding the receiver or breech more than most.
I used my 1866 Yellowboy, because like I said I have a problem with lever actions, and it worked just fine when I picked up my .32 Kentucky flinter with the longer sight radius.
Hopefully it stays put. I'm not really sure what is holding it in place. It came off easy enough when moving it around.

IMG_1797.jpg


The fuzziness is gone!
 
That didn't take very much effort. I moved it about 7-8 times to try to get the aperture and my sight picture perfectly concentric. Halfway through I realized I needed to trim some of it off.
I found the general location by sighting in the gun looking into a mirror. I could see my eyeball favored the upper inside part of the lens. And compared to seeing this on others' glasses, I guess I shoot more "hunched up" and crowding the receiver or breech more than most.
I used my 1866 Yellowboy, because like I said I have a problem with lever actions, and it worked just fine when I picked up my .32 Kentucky flinter with the longer sight radius.
Hopefully it stays put. I'm not really sure what is holding it in place. It came off easy enough when moving it around.

View attachment 205264

The fuzziness is gone!
That’s pretty much the same spot mine ends up. Haven’t tried trimming mine yet.
 
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