I'm sorry for my long sob story but please bear with me.
Three years ago, I was in an accident that ultimately caused retina damage in my right eye. Ever since then I have had a tough time shooting my Flintlock rifles or any rifles for that matter.
Any vertical lines are always distorted. A especially the front sites on my rifles. The doctors tell me it will never get any better. No matter what I've tried when I shoot sometimes the front site is there and sometimes not. I can see parts of it, but I cannot always tell if I'm looking at the top of the site or not.
This has been very frustrating since I used to be a pretty good shot. Not so much anymore.
About a month ago, a friend talked me into trying to shoot left-handed. After about 50 shots with an open sighted.22 rifle I started thinking maybe I could learn to shoot left handed. I could see the front site clear as day.
I then tried a left-handed shot with my .54 percussion Plains rifle. Those cap fragments were hot against my right wrist.
I'm actually afraid to try shooting my right handed flintlock rifles left-handed because I don't want to damage my other eye.
I have a friend of a friend that has a left-handed Flintlock rifle but he's about 300 miles from me. I want to try a few shots with it to see if I can actually shoot a flintlock rifle left-handed very well. Every day I pick up one of my rifles and practice holding it left-handed to try and get used to it. However, is not just aiming the rifle but everything that goes along with hunting and shooting left-handed. Not only looking through your left eye but pulling the trigger with your left finger and even the stance of your feet when shooting left-handed is different. Even sitting in a tree stand with a gun laying across your lap, the opposite direction feels strange.
The other option I've been considering is selling one of my current rifles to raise funds and buying a Kibler Woodsrunner. My theory is the woods Runner has a shorter barrel and possibly I could see the front sites a little better with my right eye.
My two long guns both have 42 inch barrels. One is a John Armstrong style rifle that I built years ago and the other is one of Jim Kibler's early colonial rifles from about 10 years ago.
My thought would be to get a WR and then immediately replaced the front site with the thickest blade I could get. I have no idea if this will work.
Maybe I'm looking for an excuse to buy a new rifle? I'm trying to do anything I can so I don't have to give up a hobby that I love so much. Never take your eyesight for granted.
At 64 years old, it's gonna be tough to change from right handed to left-handed shooting, but I'm sure I could do it if I put my mind to it. But I'd rather not.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my story. Ideas will certainly be appreciated.
I'm going to start another thread to see if anyone near me in central Florida has a woods runner that might be willing for me to come look at just to see if it might work before I buy a new one.
Three years ago, I was in an accident that ultimately caused retina damage in my right eye. Ever since then I have had a tough time shooting my Flintlock rifles or any rifles for that matter.
Any vertical lines are always distorted. A especially the front sites on my rifles. The doctors tell me it will never get any better. No matter what I've tried when I shoot sometimes the front site is there and sometimes not. I can see parts of it, but I cannot always tell if I'm looking at the top of the site or not.
This has been very frustrating since I used to be a pretty good shot. Not so much anymore.
About a month ago, a friend talked me into trying to shoot left-handed. After about 50 shots with an open sighted.22 rifle I started thinking maybe I could learn to shoot left handed. I could see the front site clear as day.
I then tried a left-handed shot with my .54 percussion Plains rifle. Those cap fragments were hot against my right wrist.
I'm actually afraid to try shooting my right handed flintlock rifles left-handed because I don't want to damage my other eye.
I have a friend of a friend that has a left-handed Flintlock rifle but he's about 300 miles from me. I want to try a few shots with it to see if I can actually shoot a flintlock rifle left-handed very well. Every day I pick up one of my rifles and practice holding it left-handed to try and get used to it. However, is not just aiming the rifle but everything that goes along with hunting and shooting left-handed. Not only looking through your left eye but pulling the trigger with your left finger and even the stance of your feet when shooting left-handed is different. Even sitting in a tree stand with a gun laying across your lap, the opposite direction feels strange.
The other option I've been considering is selling one of my current rifles to raise funds and buying a Kibler Woodsrunner. My theory is the woods Runner has a shorter barrel and possibly I could see the front sites a little better with my right eye.
My two long guns both have 42 inch barrels. One is a John Armstrong style rifle that I built years ago and the other is one of Jim Kibler's early colonial rifles from about 10 years ago.
My thought would be to get a WR and then immediately replaced the front site with the thickest blade I could get. I have no idea if this will work.
Maybe I'm looking for an excuse to buy a new rifle? I'm trying to do anything I can so I don't have to give up a hobby that I love so much. Never take your eyesight for granted.
At 64 years old, it's gonna be tough to change from right handed to left-handed shooting, but I'm sure I could do it if I put my mind to it. But I'd rather not.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my story. Ideas will certainly be appreciated.
I'm going to start another thread to see if anyone near me in central Florida has a woods runner that might be willing for me to come look at just to see if it might work before I buy a new one.
