Eyeballs, Pistols and Age

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  • Last Post 30 December 2024
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. laughing

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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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