Shooting Glasses

[john s mosby]

Well, I went to the drug store and got a pair of those cheap glasses. I could see okay in the store but when I got to the range I found I could see both sights really well but the target was nothing but a blur. So, I ended up going to the eye dr and getting new shooting glasses. He didn't change the byfocal part, just the top of the glasses on the right side. It was worth the cost, now I can see the sights and the target both!!
So, I'd have to say the drug store glasses may work for some people but not for me.
The target you see is with a rest at 30 yards. I pulled the first shot, that's the top one, can't blame that shot on the rifle. The other 4 went pretty close together. I should be able to do better after shooting this rifle more. I guess after not shooting muzzle loading guns for 20 years it'll take time to get back into it.
I tried 20, 25 and 30 grains of powder and found 30 grains works the best. That's with a 310 ball and 015 patch.
I'm not happy with the sights on this rifle, I may go to a more PC set of sights. Anyone have any ideas where I might find a nice set of PC sights?

 

[lonewolf5347]

john: the group seem pretty good to me at 30 yards,I find the same problem with my eyes when it comes to iron sights.I found that a hunter peep sight on my t/c flinter has really improve my groups ,even at the 100 yard target with the peep sights.
O, John I will have that in the mail on tuesday I think it is a holiday Monday the post office will be closed.(lonewolf) Rick
I will keep you posted

 

[john s mosby]

Lonewolf

Wonder how that flinter would look with a nice big scope on it?
Tuesday is fine.

 

[Keith]

Track of the Wolf has a lot of sights to choose from.

 

[john s mosby]

Keith

Thanks, I'll check out their web site.
I doubt a big Weaver 10 power scope with look PC anyway.

 

[iainofulva]

Well, I went to the drug store and got a pair of those cheap glasses.

Sorry to butt in, but...

When I first read the subject, I figured this thread was solely about safety glasses (glad you were able to get a script to improve your shooting).

At any rate, the last shoot I went to, I took a pair of standard ANSI wrap around safety glasses to wear with my 18th century getup. I've been having a real problem flinching or even completely turning my head away from the pan flash. With the glasses, I found I was closing my eyes, but at least I wasn't moving my head/body/flintlock.

Gotta say, my shooting improved dramatically.. everything in the black at 50 yards, as opposed to all over the target, usually high and right.

A couple guys picked on me at the range for wearing the glasses with my garb, but when I brought my target back, they stopped laughing 'cause the joke was on them.

 

[Liver eatin’ Johnson]

Good point Jon,

Amazing how the self preservation thing kicks in when your face is 8" from an explosion! Ear protection also helps.

I can't shoot with my prescription glass on as I see double looking out the sides ( progressive bifocals ) and end up looking over the top of them anyway. I've always shot with both eyes open - maybe that makes it harder for me...

 

[john s mosby]

Jon

I see nothing wrong with safety glasses when shooting. Back in my NSSA days alot of us wore safety glasses on the firing line. You only need to get one little cap fragment in your eye to know you need to protect your eyes.

 

[Zonie]

Jon

I see nothing wrong with safety glasses when shooting. Back in my NSSA days alot of us wore safety glasses on the firing line. You only need to get one little cap fragment in your eye to know you need to protect your eyes.

Add Flint fragment too. Those little pieces of flint can be blown back at you by the pan flash.

Safety glasses......GOOD!

 

[Rebel]

Eye protection was the only thing that kept me from getting my eyes full of flint pieces when i was taking a straight overhead pass shot at a dove and had a flint shatter and fall down into my face. An eye full of flint would be no fun at all.

 

[shmrck1]

John S Mosby,
when it comes to being PC or PS(period safe)
go PS every time. :m2c: :imo:

snake-eyes eace: :thumbsup:

 

[john s mosby]

Snake Eyes

I learned that lesson a long time ago. When I was shooting NSSA I once had a piece of musket cap fly back into my eye, didn't damage anything but sure taught me the value of wearing shooting glasses.
Talking about glasses I noticed an ad in Muzzle Blasts magazine from a company called Merit Corp. They have this thing that sticks on your regular glass and looks like a peep sight kinda. You can adjust it for a bigger or smaller hole to look through. It costs about $65. "An instantly adjustable iris aperture that eliminates fuzzy, out of focus sights and targets. It attaches securely to the shooters glasses." They say it works with bifocal and trifocal glasses.
I might check that out.

 

[rayb]

regarding the merit sight aperature ......

I remember seeing a shooter with similar device he made out of a beer can (well, maybe a soda can) pop top. Punched a hole in the flat solid part, bent the ring end to fit over his glasses frame... he sure outshot me, (which isn't anything to brag about)

sure cheaper than $65. I guess you could experiment with hole sizes to get the best sight picture if you had enough cans lids

i'll volunteer to open and empty the beer cans if someone wants to experiment..... i promise to give up the pop tops

rayb

 

[john s mosby]

Rayb

Good idea on the pop tabs. I was thinking of trying small pieces of soft plastic or rubber.

Good of you to offer to drink all those suds for the good of us older shooters who need help seeing the sights.

 

[shmrck1]

John S Mosby,
i saw the smae add for merit corp, i even got some literature from them and after looking it over i thought $65 was a might high. i showed it to a friend who is much wiser than i and he said you could the same thing with those little circle things they put on holes in paper to protect them in a ring binder. and darned if he was'nt right :imo:
snake-eyes eace: :thumbsup:

 

[rayb]

If you lick the glue on those hole things, it tastes bad (to me) :results:. I'm going to stick with emptying beer cans....i think it tastes better
but if it works and that's what you have that's what you do

rayb

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've seen guys use a length of electrical tape with a hole burned in the center with a hot pin (make a nice, round hole) when shooting target pistol. The electrical tape peels right off your lens without leaving goo and they are reuseable many times. Not much good in the woods.

Me, I just poke a hole in me eye-patch. Arrrrr.

 

[Chickenfax]

Me, I just poke a hole in me eye-patch. Arrrrr.

Note to the youngins. Remove eye-patch before poking hole. :crackup:

I liked the idea of a peep sight mounted to my glasses. I have some of those black target pasters and poked a hole in it. It worked pretty good but the hole wasn't very clean. I might try it again using a small drill bit. The size of the pinhole affects the level of brightness. Too small and your sight picture will be too dim. Too large and you won't get the effect of the entire sight picture being in focus.

:results:

 

[Stumpkiller]

For those of you too young to remember Mr. Wizard, you can make a camera out of a small cardboard box and a piece of aluminum foil with a pin hold in the foil. We used to make them using the plastic housing the 126 Instamatic film came in with a little 1" cardboard box taped to the front. The tiny aperature gives extreme depth-of-field, so much so it eliminates the need for a lens. Back when prople used dinosaur cameras (like all of mine) and you manually set the f-stop, you found the big hole (f-1.2) lets in lots of light but has a few feet in focus, while the small hole (f-22) needs more light but everything from 10 feet to infinity is in focus. The little pin hole brings the rear sight and target into focus simultaneously, as long as there is enough light to see it.

 

[john s mosby]

Okay, I'm going to order one of the Merit Optical things. It's $65 but it's adjustable by turning a little knob to make the hole smaller or bigger. And it flips up out of the way when you're not using it.
Last night I tried the idea using a piece of cardboard and it seems to really bring the sights in sharp.
I'll let everyone know how it works.

Stumpkiller, I remember Mr Wizard.