Flintlock (Kibler) sights

[Pilgrim]

My .32 SMR is a great rifle. My aging eyes do not play well with the sights. Can anyone recommend from experience a replacement sight that works for aging eyes and keeps the PC of a flintlock?

 

[woodsnwater]

Yes, please do. But until then, put white paint on the front sight and darken the rear with a black magic marker.

 

[Shadowalker164]

I have had good luck with a peep attached to my shooting glasses. I can get an excellent site picture and deep field of focus maybe 2 degrees wide. It has made plunking much more enjoyable

 

[Frosty861]

I have had good luck with a peep attached to my shooting glasses. I can get an excellent site picture and deep field of focus maybe 2 degrees wide. It has made plunking much more enjoyable

Agreed, I use a Merit Iris, works great, just be prepared for strange looks from fellow shooters.

 

[user 34300]

The sights are the only part of a Kibler kit I do not use. They are HC but not usable for me. I wished Jim would have an option for more usable sights.

I make a new front sight. The blade is about 0.11" wide. I make is taller than the original, about 0.4" tall. That avoids some of the mirage you will get with HC sights. The rear sight is a flat top with a notch that about 0.035" wide. That set up make a front sight that is easy to center on the black of a aggregate target. The rear lets a slit of light pass on the side of the front sight. The hold is flat across the top of the rear sight. I sight in for the top of the front sight to be centered in the black, as opposed ot a 6 O'clock hold. . That avoid some issues with changing light messing with your zero. IT also makes it better to use the rifle on trail walks and on the printed animal targets. There is no guessing on hold under.

 

[akroguy]

I put taller sights on the Kibler and the last Lancaster kit I built. Low sights are a no-go for my eyes and leave little front blade to file down if needed to bring POI up.

 

[Erwan]

Did you try this:
- https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-3112000-Eyepal-Rifle-Kit/dp/B01D1AJZ56
- https://eyepalusa.com/product/eyepal-handgun-kit/
Now, for me, it is like I was shooting thirty years before when I was a bit younger...

 

[TDM]

@Erwan thank you for that link. I just ordered a set. Been wanting to try these for a long time!

I bet @Trapper Scott would be interested in these too.

 

[Erwan]

@Erwan thank you for that link. I just ordered a set. Been wanting to try these for a long time!

My shooting glasses:

 

[Shadowalker164]

I put mine on the inside, with the writing on it inside too. They don’t show too, too much

 

[Erwan]

I put mine on the inside, with the writing on it inside too. They don’t show too, too much

That's an idea...

 

[garypl]

I ordered a taller and wider front sight from TOTW and I can see it much more clearly. I also ordered a new rear sight and widened the notch in the rear sight to give me more visibility on each side of the front sight

 

[Shadowalker164]

@Erwan thank you for that link. I just ordered a set. Been wanting to try these for a long time!

I bet @Trapper Scott would be interested in these too.

You will like them, takes a second to find the sweet spot, then you’ll feel like you’re 30 or 40 not an old fart like me

 

[TDM]

I’m excited to try them. Got to help some.

 

[Shadowalker164]

I have have had a partial corona transplant and still have cataracts, doubt I could renew my DL, and I can count leaves in a tree 100 yards away your mileage may vary

 

[Pilgrim]

Did you try this:
- https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-3112000-Eyepal-Rifle-Kit/dp/B01D1AJZ56
- https://eyepalusa.com/product/eyepal-handgun-kit/
Now, for me, it is like I was shooting thirty years before when I was a bit younger...

Order placed thank you.

 

[user 34300]

Another thing to consider is your glasses. Are they made to focus on distant objects? IF so they are not suitable for shooting. You need to be able to focus on the front sight, not the target.

As for pinholes for your glasses. Try making them out of electrical tape. I cut the tape in half. I then burn as row of holes in tape with a hot pin. I then stick the strip to my glasses. By having a row of holes you will not have as much trouble getting a hole to line up with the sights.

 

[Pilgrim]

Another thing to consider is your glasses. Are they made to focus on distant objects? IF so they are not suitable for shooting. You need to be able to focus on the front sight, not the target.

As for pinholes for your glasses. Try making them out of electrical tape. I cut the tape in half. I then burn as row of holes in tape with a hot pin. I then stick the strip to my glasses. By having a row of holes you will not have as much trouble getting a hole to line up with the sights.

My glasses are progressive bifocal, I have diabetic retinopathy and onset macular degeneration.

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

My .32 SMR is a great rifle. My aging eyes do not play well with the sights. Can anyone recommend from experience a replacement sight that works for aging eyes and keeps the PC of a flintlock?

I'm in the same boat as you. I use my wife's red nail polish on my front sight, and her white on the rear sight. The contrast is excellent.

 

[user 34300]

My glasses are progressive bifocal, I have diabetic retinopathy and onset macular degeneration.

Get traditional bifocals. Get the widest bottom lens they have. Set the top for about 4' focus. Make the bottom a minimal correction reader. That will do for rifle and pistol.

Progressives are not suitable for shooting rifles. With a proper Cheek weld and form you are looking through the inside corner of the glasses. For pistols with two hands progressives can work but I mostly see guys moving their head around to find the right spot in the correction lane. The lane in progresseives is wasp wasted. The part you need in the narrowest part, in the center of the glasses. For one handed shooting the lane requires turning your head to the right to an uncomfortable angle.
I have three kinds of glasses. Computer/shop top is 18" to 3', the bottom picks up at about 18".
Then shooting glasses, the top is about 3" to about 10" the bottom is regular readers.
Then for driving the top has no add diopter and only one add on the bottom. That give me infinity and clear view of the instrument panel.

It may be worth the money to have Costco or ?? make a pair of dedicated shooting glasses. It is a literal game changer. The cost on my glasses as of last week was about $120 a pair.