Dilemma on sights

Please don't hate me! I have a Pedersoli Frontier 50 cal. percussion rifle. Because of my old eyes, about 10 years ago I had to take off the original rear buckhorn/front blade sights and replace with fiber optic sights. At the time I tried all kinds of things suggested here, all while "crying in my beer". Now it's to the point where my almost 76-year-old eyes are having trouble focusing with the front and rear fiber optic sights. So, I'm back to looking at options so I don't have to give up ML deer hunting.

I've been looking and the only two things I have come up with is a traditional 3-9 Leopold black powder scope or red dot scope. Doing either of those on my Pedersoli will almost kill me! Am I missing anything?

One other thing that complicates things a little is that every June I do a Saturday Youth Day and Sunday Ladies Day at the gun club. Those are the two days a year where the public comes out and can shoot all types of members firearms as an introduction to the shooting sports. On those two days I load up my rifle with 30 grains of powder and run through 150 - 200 balls. If I end up going to some type of scope, I just can't visualize showing the kids and ladies a sidelock with a scope. I would have to take the scope and mount off for those two days a year, kind of a PIA.

I'm sure you know about peep sights , they work.

I’m getting to the same point as you Bruce - eyes just don’t work as well as we age. About 20 years ago I started having a problem with the very fine front blade on my .40 rifle so I had a machinist mill a small slot in a piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod and I attached it to the top of my front sight using blue loctite. I had to file the front sight down a bit to keep the overall height about the same as well as file the front sight thinner so it was a snug fit into the slot on the rod. Once I had the rifle sighted in again I removed the brass rod, cleaned both parts and reattached using red loctite.

It’s been this way ever since and the brass rod is still attached and I can still see it sitting in the wider notch of my rear sight. At some point I may need to switch to a peep sight for the rear sight, but it still shoots to point of aim and I can still see it!

A peep is the way to go, your sights should be perfectly clear. If you are a candidate for cataract surgery this will probably allow you to see your sights again. I am 77 and had to use a peep after I passed 70. After cataract surgery my front sight is clear and the rear is almost clear, good enough so I can line things up.

I posted this on another thread a few days ago, I changed the focus on my camera to simulate my pre and post-surgery sight picture.

Before cataract surgery;



Post surgery;



I made a few peeps, they are easy to make if you use thin metal and have a propane torch to bend them to adjust them.

This one was easy to make, I used 1/16" metal and fastened it down with my tang bolt. I don't need one now but if I made another one, I would put the peep much close to the tang bolt than I did on this one.



This one took some serious work to make because the metal was 1/18" and had to be bent to conform to the tang and again to make the curve and adjust the height.

Eric Krewson said:

A peep is the way to go, your sights should be perfectly clear. If you are a candidate for cataract surgery this will probably allow you to see your sights again. I am 77 and had to use a peep after I passed 70. After cataract surgery my front sight is clear and the rear is almost clear, good enough so I can line things up.

I posted this on another thread a few days ago, I changed the focus on my camera to simulate my pre and post-surgery sight picture.

Before cataract surgery;

View attachment 367100

Post surgery;

View attachment 367101

I made a few peeps, they are easy to make if you use thin metal and have a propane torch to bend them to adjust them.

This one was easy to make, I used 1/16" metal and fastened it down with my tang bolt. I don't need one now but if I made another one, I would put the peep much close to the tang bolt than I did on this one.

View attachment 367102

This one took some serious work to make because the metal was 1/18" and had to be bent to conform to the tang and again to make the curve and adjust the height.

View attachment 367103

Click to expand...

Yes, sir you are correct, I Just had cataract surgery on the second eye a week ago it's amazing how much clearer and bright the sight picture is now.

Eric Krewson said:

A peep is the way to go, your sights should be perfectly clear. If you are a candidate for cataract surgery this will probably allow you to see your sights again. I am 77 and had to use a peep after I passed 70. After cataract surgery my front sight is clear and the rear is almost clear, good enough so I can line things up.

I posted this on another thread a few days ago, I changed the focus on my camera to simulate my pre and post-surgery sight picture.

Before cataract surgery;

View attachment 367100

Post surgery;

View attachment 367101

I made a few peeps, they are easy to make if you use thin metal and have a propane torch to bend them to adjust them.

This one was easy to make, I used 1/16" metal and fastened it down with my tang bolt. I don't need one now but if I made another one, I would put the peep much close to the tang bolt than I did on this one.

View attachment 367102

This one took some serious work to make because the metal was 1/18" and had to be bent to conform to the tang and again to make the curve and adjust the height.

View attachment 367103

Click to expand...

andy52 said:

Yes, sir you are correct, I Just had cataract surgery on the second eye a week ago it's amazing how much clearer and bright the sight picture is now.

Click to expand...

Morning Bruce,

How about moving the rear sight forward, that helps lots of folks as this get older.

There is a guy in Indiana who makes a rear sight which folds into the stock which would work and you could use your rifle with or without the peep sight for the kids.

Marble Bullseye rear sight. Much better than peep tang sights that work poorly in low light & restrict your field of view. They cost about $15, so won't break the bank to try. It's all I use & my 74 year old eyes are happy.

I did talk to both a VA eye doctor and a private practice eye doctor. Both said that I had cataracts, but they weren't bad enough to do surgery. I also looked at those MVA scopes last year, but darn, those things are expensive! Pushing $2,000 for scope and mount.

Tom A Hawk sells a really good peep sight here on the forum

Have you tried low power reading glasses?

They helped me prior too cataract surgery..

I had cataracts so bad I could not see a Chevy van at 30 yards in daylight and headlights completely blinded me at night, Wife had to drive me everywhere. Had surgery on both eyes, and tied for first place in the rifle shoot at the next rendezvous a few weeks later.

Find a doctor who is a target shooter. That does make a difference when the time comes. Good Luck!!

@Bruce H, there are many options to improve the sight picture. As long as you are shooting a traditional muzzleloading rifle, well that's just good.

The peep sight approach is good. With the peep close to your eye, the pinhole effect is almost an infinite depth of field which means everything is in focus.

You can also make a diopter sight using black electrical tape on your shooting glasses. Punch about a 1/8" hole in the center of a square piece of the tape and position it so you can see the sights. There are also diopters that clamp to your glasses, but there's no need to try to find those until you determine if a diopter will work for you.

Aging eyes. Human eye can only focus on one thing at a time. Young guys can switch between front sight, target, and rear sight rapidly (some to the point they perceive all three to be in focus at the same time). Old guys everything slows down, including the ability to "scan" between the three.

Handle enough original rifles, you'll see rear sights that have been mounted in various locations on the barrels. Getting old & eye problems aren't a new thing. If you can only see one of the things clearly, make it the front sight. Works with handguns and long guns equally well. A solid cheek weld helps to assure repeatable performance if done properly each shot.

Add a somewhat wide aperture peep and you're in business. Lasik, cataract, and diabetic retinopathy experience here. I now receive injections (shots) into both eyeballs monthly. I know the topic.

As for the demonstration - GOOD FOR YOU ! Excellent thing to do. Have fun helping others to have fun. Easiest thing to do - use larger targets and move them in closer for that day.

Some years back my eye doc said that I was getting Glaucoma. He sent me to a specialist who put new lenses in my eyes, They had some type of holes in them to relieve the pressure. I am now 80 and can see the sights.

Surgery is what many older guys I know have done!

I wish National ML rules would be updated to allow peep sights in competition. Would extend the competitive shooting carriers of many older shooters. Peeps in one version or another have been in use for over 150 years. As traditional as v sights. If Dan Boone had em on his rifle would not be an issue or question about use.

The NMLRA does allow peep sights in the Any Metallic Sight categories.

RockingKJ said:

I wish National ML rules would be updated to allow peep sights in competition. Would extend the competitive shooting carriers of many older shooters. Peeps in one version or another have been in use for over 150 years. As traditional as v sights. If Dan Boone had em on his rifle would not be an issue or question about use.

Click to expand...

I am 73 and had cataract surgery about 5 years ago. Big improvement. I have been shooting at Friendship spring and fall for 13 years. The primitive matches do not allow peep sights. The offhand rifle line has many matches for any metallic sight, which include peep sights. Some matches are limited to open sights. The shoot program list matches and sight limitations. My peep sight rifle has a Lyman 57 with adjustable Merit aperture rear sight. The front sight is a .060 sourdough blade with silver insert. My open sight rifle has the same front sight and a Pence open rear sight. I shoot monthly with 2 local charter clubs. One follows primitive rules the other any metallic sight.

If you go with a williams or lyman peep sight, there is the ability to hang a small prescription lens over the peep. Many older smallbore prone shooters use these. Some digging around on the internet should turn up some info on them.