Safety glasses for hunting

[HistoryBuff]

I wear prescription glasses and shoot a flintlock. This presents a couple of problems. First, I believe glasses interfere with peripheral vision. They also fog up in the cold morning while I'm hunting and wearing a hood or scarf. At the range, I wear safety glasses that fit over the prescription glasses and just wear the prescription glasses while hunting. It's quite annoying. So I'm going to get some contacts which I think will help both when hunting and at the range. However, I don't want to go without the safety glasses because I know that, with my luck, I'll catch a spark or flint chip in the eye. I need glasses that are good safety glasses, won't mess with peripheral vision and fog up so bad. I would like to get them now and practice with them so that I'll be ready for the next deer season. Any suggestions?

HistoryBuff

 

You can get prescription safety glasses. That's what I wear. They fog up, but, I can't see to shoot without them.

Garryowen

 

[Rocky Johnson]

I don't see how contacts will help you should still wear glasses when shooting any firearm. And hearing protection on the range. :winking: Rocky

 

[Stumpkiller]

Certainly a two edged sword. I am corrected better than 20/20 but can't see squat without my glasses. I have found the best solution are the smaller, oval lenses (which happily are among the "oldest" of styles) that sit in close to the eyes provide good protection while staying closer to the face (under the hat brim and away from rain). Mine are of the high-impact plastic (I think it's Viralux or some such) and are safety rated, but only if I add side shields. Tricorn hats are worthless for keeping rain, snow or sun off your lenses. I wear a rifleman's hat for shooting and a heavy baseball-style cap for hunting. Enough brim to shade/protect my eyes without trapping the vent blast.

Tried a Borsalino style hat a while back and the blast from my Bess about blinded me. The brim geometry was exactly wrong.

I have a regular pair I shoot better with, but wear my bifocals most of the time. I guess it beats the alternative.

 

[greenneck]

HB, just about any decent safety glasses should do. You can prevent fogging by not putting the glasses very closely to your face. Give them some room so that air can flow along the inside of the glasses.

Another trick: Squirt some shaving cream on a dry paper towel and then rub that over the inner surface of the glasses until the foam is gone. Don't add water or anything, just leave them like that and they will not fog up. Lasts maybe two weeks or so and works even on bathroom mirrors.

Another option would be some type of liquid that I have seen others use to prevent fogging up of glasses or some wipes you can buy. Both are made just for that purpose, but since I have never used either of these, you'd have to ask an optician.

Hope this helps,
Steve

 

[Slamfire]

A nickel's worth of glycerin will cut down on the foggin', but saliva is cheaper and works just as well. Try not to freeze yore tounge to the lenses. :winking:

 

[GrayBear]

In "foggy weather" I use a cleaner and anti-fogger they sell at Wal-Mart. For safety I clip a pair of side shields on my glasses when I'm shooting any gun.

See them at:[url] http://www.tasco-safety.com/sglasses/sideshields.html[/url]

GrayBear

 

I always wear glasses when hunting. They'll de-fog in short order.

 

[marwat06]

I have to admit that I paid lip service to wearing saftey glasses. When I shot with my son I would always wear my so I could make him wear his, why I don't wear them when shooting by myself, who knows. That was the case until a few days ago, I was shooting during a pretty windy day and on one shot something blew into my eyes... that was it for me. I will wear my saftey glass always, hunting or at the range.

 

[HistoryBuff]

Thanks for the suggestions folks. I'll give them a try.

HistoryBuff