Eyeballs, Pistols and Age

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Last Post 16 February 2025

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linoww posted this 24 December 2024

This last year I went to progressive lenses and it's been wonderful for about everything but shooting pistols. I can shoot my Sharps and Stevens with tang sides just perfectly and even open site lever actions. But with short sight radius pistols I just can never seem to get the site picture consistently even close to clear. It's like the triple fuzz ball effect.What will happen is all the sudden the site picture looks beautiful but then it goes away. It seems to be a very narrow spot that I can see how I want to..It makes it extremely frustrating when i'm trying to work up accuracy loads. Just wondering if any of you fellows have done anything different with your prescriptions to be able to see pistol sights. Many years ago a local guy used to grind our correction to a particular spot in our lens .But he passed away and I can't find anybody locally that will do it. Or maybe I just need to have my intermediate correction ground on the glasses rather than the progressive script.

Ideas.......?

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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Ed Harris posted this 24 December 2024

Before cataract surgery I experimented with drug store readers of various strengths to determine which worked best to make the front sight sharp. In my case I found -1.75 from my reading prescription worked best. Your mileage may vary. After cataract surgery and new lens implants I can see irons like a 20 year old.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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linoww posted this 24 December 2024

Thanks for the input.I might give the drugstore readers a try. I keep kicking the idea of corrective eye surgery because i'm sick of not seeing sights.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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Idahocaster posted this 24 December 2024

Linoww, I just experienced the same thing. I got progressive lenses for the first time this spring. I can find good focus for my handgun sights, but I end up with my head tipped up in a very unnatural feeling position! I'm slowly getting used to it, but it has been an adjustment!

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linoww posted this 24 December 2024

That's exactly what's happening to me. It seems to be more of a problem at the indoor shooting range than outdoors. But I do a good majority of my handgun shooting indoors because I can go there during lunch time a couple times a week.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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RicinYakima posted this 24 December 2024

Like Idahocaster, my first progressives were made with the reading area very far down the lens. Then I found a local company, not sadly out of business due to retirement, that made them for what it call "lap readers" with the lens ground up higher. That helped from cranking my neck up so high. Plus in my old age, I don't hold my head up so high and they are very comfortable driving.

One hint, don't go to Costco for your glasses, as they will only make them one way with no adjustments from company standards.

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.22-10-45 posted this 25 December 2024

I feel your pain..shot iHMSA in my 20's, wish I still had peepers like that! Can still use appature sights ok. For open rifle sights and handguns, I have been using a Gehman adjustable diopter, clipped to shooting glasses. Razor sharp sight picture again.

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linoww posted this 25 December 2024

I have a Merritt disc somewhere I've thought about trying.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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RicinYakima posted this 25 December 2024

I have one and used it for a couple of years benchrest shooting with issue rifles. For me, it was very awkward to use, as I had to move it to reload at the bench, then my cheek weld was off and constant fiddling with it.

Others have used them pistol Bullseye shooting and Like them.

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Boschloper posted this 25 December 2024

I took a pistol to my eye exam one year and asked the doctor if he could make glasses so my right eye would focus on the front sight. He made me a pair of bifocals with the top of the right eye focusing on the front sight, the top of the left eye focusing at infinity and the bottoms of both eyes my reading prescription. Front sight is in focus and target is fuzzy with right eye, target is in focus with left eye, and things are in focus on the bench for reloading etc. My scores went up because the front sight was nice and sharp. The cost was the same as my regular bifocal prescription. My doctor isn’t a shooter, I had the pistol in a case and explained what I wanted before I took it out.

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Shuz posted this 25 December 2024

I've used a Merit aperture for years when I shoot revolters.

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DanLH posted this 25 December 2024

It's been a few years since I have shot pistol but back then I had the eye Dr give me a prescription at arms length and then had a cheap pair of glasses made with that prescription but with the center of the lenses up high left in the frame, at the point where you are looking when holding the pistol. It worked very well. I do use a Merit disc on my glasses when shooting issue sights on military rifles from the bench which works well for me.

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M1fuzz posted this 25 December 2024

I don’t know what kind of pistols you are shooting but, I would put money on your shooting improving along w/ your sight picture by using a pistol MRDS(miniature red dot sight).

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linoww posted this 25 December 2024

I have a red dot on my model 41 and also on a match airgun.I have a couple scoped revolvers as well. some pistols I just really don't care to add optics or dots as I feel they make the pistols bulky and ugly generally.

I'm stubborn and I just don't want to give up shooting open sights.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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Ross Smith posted this 25 December 2024

Like many of you, I've had cataract surgery. It is nothing to be afraid of. I now shoot iron sights of all types again.

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RicinYakima posted this 25 December 2024

Waiting for the right eye to get bad enough for Medicare to pay for it!

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oscarflytyer posted this 26 December 2024

my "rocky road." And I LOVE to shoot Levers with irons, and very old 'channel - 1/2 moon' sight revolvers. All VERY challenging past 60 (I am 62).

Levers/ARs - I can still work peep sights fairly well. Not shot them at distance for groups in a while, and need to back there on some deer rifles... My go to is Skinner on nearly all my levers, with a couple Lyman/Redfield sets. ARs get the std flip ups.

Merit attachment for handguns - LOVE this one. bought a second one 'just in case' when they got scarce. It still works for wide heavy block style handguns sights, but diminishing daily... And no longer working at all in the ½ moon front sight blade.

COTS readers. yes/no/maybe - for me. I have had very mixed results with them. Mostly, the ones that give me great sight pic SUCK seeing the target beyond a bleary hazy fuzzy UFO style blob in the middle of the night... None have yet hit the sweet spot.

Today/62/old school channel/moon sight vintage revolvers. I am tied to a computer for work. Couple years ago, I got progressive scrips specifically for computer work. Allows me to be about 24-30" from a pc screen and work/read/be comfortable all day – AND, the EXACT focal length for small vintage iron revolver sights! PLUS - for whatever reason - also allows me to look 10-15 yds down range and the target isn't "the Blob!" I have played with these glasses in a controlled environment/home/no shooting. I can see everything great. Only used them once on the range. Too much $$$ in them, and CAN'T afford to scratch them and affect work.

Having said ^^^ - I am going to go to Wally World shortly and have the cheapest shooting glasses setup I can get, with the above scrip magic - for ONLY the right (dominant) eye. Going to leave the left either plain or maybe set for distance (it is my very weak distance eye). Depends on how much extra $.

Last, I know I have early onset cataracts and surgery, and can't wait to have cataract surgery and get back my 20 yo eyes (as Ed said, and my FIL experienced!)!

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linoww posted this 29 December 2024

I gave up and put a 1x scope on the 454 Casull and shot at 25 yards. Since I have lots of GreenDot and small pistol primers I wanted to work up a target load with those components. My eyes have been not cooperating with me.so I had to see if the load was good.Bullet is from a 6 Cavity Lee 200FN sized .452 with 5.4 of Greendot.(Rotor #13 Lil Dandy)

The point of impact is moving around because I was holding it different parts of the aiming point. My cross haire were about wiping out the middle , so I was picking edges. For you serious pistoleros these groups aren't much to get excited, but at least for me It proves that the load isn't bad. And it was on bags of course not offhand.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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John Alexander posted this 30 December 2024

Nice groups. What distance?

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linoww posted this 30 December 2024

25 Yards (I will add the info to the post)

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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RicinYakima posted this 30 December 2024

Made me take the Springfield M1922 rifle out today. Not bad for a 100 year old rifle, 90 year old barrel and 80 year old scope. Ten shots at 25 yards with 3/4" red dot.

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linoww posted this 30 December 2024

Is your 1922 a pistol?

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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RicinYakima posted this 30 December 2024

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RicinYakima posted this 30 December 2024

Sorry, wrong thread. Move it to the next one down.

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linoww posted this 30 December 2024

I feel better I'm not the only one Ric. nice shooting with that old ammo as well!

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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RicinYakima posted this 30 December 2024

It's not old, only about 1990, just yesterday.

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linoww posted this 30 December 2024

Remington made some pretty decent standard velocity back then and then about 15 years later they made some powder blue boxes that were damn good.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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brooksharris posted this 10 February 2025

Pardon me ED; I intended to respond to linoww above your post but didn't see a Reply button. I have suggestions for him. First I doubt anyone can have the best possible corrected vision lens for both rifle and pistol. Each discipline will require its own glasses and a talented and patient optician. Second, with handguns you'll not get all 3 elements of sight picture (rear, front, and target) clear. Do your best to obtain a very sharp front sight with an acceptable bullseye or whatever target. I live in middle Tn. but drive 200 miles to Memphis because I've found an OC optician willing to take the time to make bullseye competition with iron sights possible for my 75 year old eyes. Here's how: I take my barrel with sights to her office. She supplies a very small print eye card used to test close vision; i.e., reading lens; and she brings what must be a hundred trial lenses outside the office. As I extend my barrel at an object approx. 50 yds. away she holds the eye chart exactly even with my front sight. A second employee adds various lenses into the trial frames as I isolate the specific lens that provides a sharp focus on the small print and ft. sight and an acceptable target. Next the two of them work in tandem to determine the optical center on the right lens of my shooting glasses. That's the "particular spot".

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RicinYakima posted this 10 February 2025

I'd drive two hundred miles for that also!

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Bryan Austin posted this 10 February 2025

At 58 my eyes are steadily getting worse. I started going through the lens corrections but now I am having other problems. I personally think cataracts are beginning to form. My dad just had surgery at 82, so I think my time is coming. In the meantime I focus the best I can and wait until the hazy stuff floats out of the way before pulling the trigger. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don't.

44-40 Website -https://www.44-40.org

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Premod70 posted this 10 February 2025

If shooting irons and using glasses for correction get yourself Knobloch or comparable glasses. No progressive lens can center and stay center through a course of fire. Another plus is the lens are are glass and not as distorted as plastic. Expensive yes but a cheaper way to consistently to hit center is not out there, good luck.

Forrest Gump is my smarter brother.

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oscarflytyer posted this 11 February 2025

Brooksharris - does this optician do this for you as a personal favor? Or are they willing to do it for others? I live in N AL/Huntsville area. Like Rick, I might drive the distance to get that kind of glasses made as well! TIA

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JimmyDee posted this 12 February 2025

At 72, I had my cataracts done and opted for the more flexible lenses not covered by the government insurer we're coerced to use.

It's been wonderful!

Before the surgery, I took note of Bill Wilson's observation that, as we age, the benefit of a a long sight radius diminishes until it becomes a hindrance. For 1911s, he suggested going to Commanders or Officer's ACPs. Based on my experience with IPSC-style irons, he was right. It's true for plastic striker-fired pistols like the S&W M&P 9 vs 9C as well. I have a 1930's era Erma Werks single shot 22LR trainer that features a ladder rear sight that rides a dovetail rail. Sure enough, moving it closer to the front sight helped immensely.

I don't know that sight alignment is markedly better but acquiring good sight picture is much faster.

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creeker posted this 13 February 2025

For the sixgun, I opened the rear sight until the fuz went away. This worked for me.

Lynn Halstead

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shjoe posted this 13 February 2025

gary cooper had some good advice when fix'n to do some far off and fancy shootin

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 13 February 2025

i always thought that a big hole peep might be a great sight on a pistol ... especially for old eyes such as most ( sigh ) of us here ....

i notice that peeps still give me a great sight picture on rifles, but not open sights.

remember when surplus M1 Carbine peeps were $5 in the wrapper a " few " years ago ... wonder if one would work on my 92S ... probably have to aim real low ... hold for center crotch ...

i gotta try this .... right now the 92S invisible sights make it just a big heavy 7 yard gun ... no fun ... my Russian Makarov has better sights ...

ken

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linoww posted this 13 February 2025

I fought the 92s sights indoors today.The indoor range was an underground icebox but at least dry. I agree much past 7 yards its just guess or by golly with my old 92s with the very low profile sights. With my SW N frame I'm able to see better but not great. I can get in a good group or two before the fuzz monster takes over.

"if it was easy we'd let women do it" don't tell my wife I said that!

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delmarskid posted this 15 February 2025

Ken I mounted a Williams receiver sight on my Contender pistol. I took out the aperture insert to make it a big hole. It seemed to work. I’ve since gone to a scope but the peep was good to 50 yards.

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Boschloper posted this 16 February 2025

Ken: Google “one ragged hole sight”. They make a blade that replaces the rear sight blade on adjustable sight Rugers. I have been playing with one for about a year. It does seem to work.

Eyeballs, Pistols and Age

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