How do you shoot open sights w bifocals? Your experiences?

[Cbriggs57]

I was pretty focused on accuracy in my new/used 54 cal T/C Hawken, but shooting with bifocals yesterday made that a moot point. I just can't see the darn sights! There's just no perfect spot on the bifocals to look through. The LGS who's range I shot at had a set of firesights to fit it, but I don't want to spend the $40 if there's a better solution. Who has actual experience with this?

 

[Coot]

My solution (and I am not unique in this approach) works well but will cost well up from $40. Custom shooting glasses. My optician is a competitive shooter & makes glasses for me that use my prescription but with the optical center in the upper corner of the lens (in line with the sights when in shooting position & sighting down the barrel) rather than the lower center of the lens (which would be the normal optical center for reading & close work). Can't use the shooting glasses for much else (have to hold a target over my head height in my left hand to read it) BUT, the sights are clear when I shoot.

 

[Katahdin]

I have TRIfocals,progressive lenses help, you acn find a swet spot, that said ,, I look between the nose pieces,cheating, been my experience that the focal point is far enough out so it isn't a problem Bifocals back when I was wearing them,,,, had a reading lenght and an "over there" focal point nothing in between ,,
Good luck ,,

 

[necchi]

I have traditional trifocals and your right, there just isn't a spot where the magnification section of the lens will help with shooting.(period)

You either use the magnification to see the sights and a blurry target or the normal correction and see the target with blurry sights.
My traditional trifocals have lines, that line (if you catch it right) will refract into the magnification section without looking completely through that section,,(follow that?) truth is I can set my glasses (just right) so with a tiny shift of my face I can bounce my vision between the magnification and standard correction, it's a balancing act between looking at the sights and target individually instead of all together, when the trigger squeeze is made I'm looking at the target and front sight.
My Doctor is a shooter also and he talked me into "shooting glasses" with a .25 magnification across the entire lens, those work fine for close work (handgun stuff) but after 20yrds the target is too fuzzy.

Keeping in mind that bi-trifocals are magnification so you can see close up, you can't use that section for far away. (Right?)
Truth is once you go to bi-trifocals and your vision/brain adjusts to needing the magnification,, your just not going to shoot like the young guy's anymore.

If you have progressive lenses your screwed

 

[larryp]

This is where the progressive, no line bi-foculs come in handy. Since there is a gradual change in the focus I can just tilt my head up or down until it comes into focus. Best part is that it works with different guns and varying distances for the sights. If you need bi-foculs and shoot I strongly suggest getting the progressive, no line ones.

 

[necchi]

You must hold your face in a really tuff position on the stock to use the center of your "progressive" lenses to see everything.
Or you've spent $600 on lenses alone,, Right?

 

[Bill M.]

When I shoot iron sights I take the prescription glasses off and use plain shooting glasses. I focus on the sights and shoot at a very blurred target.
When testing loads or working up a load I use a sight that is not mentionable here. Then I switch back to the iron sights when I am done.

 

[larryp]

No, not quite that much, my glasses cost about $600 total. Maybe it's just the way my face is built. I have a very "V" shaped face that puts my eye and cheekbone over the comb when I have it tight against my face.

 

[necchi]

:haha:
I'm a block head! I tried progressive lenses,, I simply could not adapt to having to turn my head directly at everything so I could see it through that narrow band of correction in the progressives.
I mean I had to "turn" my head just to look in the rear view mirror.
I just couldn't get used to the idea of sitting in a deer stand whipping my head back-n-forth to see.
I've astigmatism, maybe that's different then folks near/far sighted.
My standard lenses have the common correction across the entire lens,, then the trifocals with +.75 and +1.25

 

[Wayne R Scott]

I had a second pair of glasses made for shooting iron sights. I had the right lens ground so that I could clearly see the front sight at a distance of 36" to 42". The left lens I had corrected to be able to see at a distance. I shoot with both eyes open, the left eye can see the target and the right eye can see the front sight, the rear sight is still blurry. These are not glasses for every day use. I am right eye dominant and right handed.

 

[LRB]

I had to just bite the bullet, and go with a peep sight I made.

 

[mickey44]

try turning the glasses upside down

 

[Loyalist Dave]

My dad is 84.... he has other sight problems besides needing bifocals.... so my experience is with helping him....

Can you focus on the front sight but the rear sight is a total blur, or is it the rear sight that's good and the front sight might as well not be there?

I ask as my dad's solution was to get glasses that allowed his front sight to be in focus, and to allow him to see the deer, and he then had the rear sight moved a good deal farther down the barrel so it would work. Looks "odd", but worked for many years, but recently he's had to go to a peep sight.

I wonder if the fellows who were legendary rifle shots into their 70's had rear sights as close to the rifle breech as they did when they were in their 20's???

LD

 

[Rifleman1776]

I just use the upper portions of the lens. But, with aging eyes there can come a time when no help is possible. I sometimes us a Merit disk on the glasses but have trouble adjusting them and my hold. My club now allows the use of peeps on the rifles as most of us are in the 70+ age range. There comes a time for all of us.

 

[necchi]

There comes a time for all of us.

Amen to that brother!
I might have a few years left, my time is coming a little sooner then I expected, I always thought I'd at least get into my 60's. :idunno:
But it's OK, I've won my share,, enough to make the young guy's groan that I won again,, yet like others before me there's a time to pass it on to the young guy's, maybe mentor a little helping them refine their personal skills.

 

[Hefner]

I am 67 and have the same problems most of you are describing. My Hawken has the rear sight positioned 8" in front of the breech, which was fine when I was in my 30's. Now everything is blurry, so I used the old trick of punching a 1/16th" hole in a small piece of electrician's tape and found the best spot on my progressive lense trifocals (upper corner) and now my sight picture is much better. I also recently purchased a flintlock with a 44" barrel. The rear sight is 13" in front of the breech and now my sight picture is even better than my Hawken with the tape on my glasses.

 

[No Deer]

That's why I like my smoothbore :grin:

It is getting so I line up rifle sights as close as I can, close my eyes and pull the trigger :rotf:

 

[Vaino]

Started w/ bifocals and due to gunmaking went to lined trifocals and have had no problems shooting...whether at targets or game.

Tried progressives....too much distortion if looking to the side.

Perhaps I was just lucky? But the squirrels weren't......Fred

 

[matt denison]

My eye docter is a gun guy. I make, build, repair guns for him and he provides me with top of the line progressive glasses. They make progressive lenses now that are the same out to the corners, no distortion. After a couple of tries we've got the center focal plane where it needs to be so I can see front, rear sight and fairly well see the target. It has helped my scores tremendously. And my fun too. By tipping my head back I can bring in the sights on a pistol chrystal clear. The front sight on a smoothbore is no problem, just tip your face until it is in focus.

Your brain will learn to automatically dial in what you want to focus on completely unconciously after a short time but ya gotta wear them every day for it to "take". Once they do you will love them.

 

[Artificer]

I am not an eye doctor, so please excuse me if I mess up the technical stuff here.

Back in the 60's and 70's, there was an Eye Doctor in Fort Wayne, IN who helped shooters with these problems. He actually had shooters bring their guns into the office in cases and had the shooters get into positions and then marked the focal point on their eyeglasses - then came up with the prescriptions to help them. Of course a few of his non shooting patients were surprised when they came into his waiting room ”¦”¦.

In recent times, there are Eye Doctors who help shooters and often/usually they can be found by checking with the NRA State Associations in each state.

I have always envied folks with good eyes as I began wearing glasses in 2nd grade and should have been wearing them sooner, though no one realized it until I contracted Pink Eye. I have always had an astigmatism in my eyes that has always kept me from being a top level shooter. There still is no correction available for that. I had to learn to compensate by concentrating on attention to detail in other aspects of shooting to get decent scores.

Gus