Iron sights

[fmnjr]

I'm interested in learning about how to get the most possible out of shooting iron sights.

Came across this guy shooting WWII Swiss gun to 1.3 miles: Long range shooting

I'm not going to do away with scope shooting any time soon, but, wow, 1.3 hitting anything at all is wild let alone with iron sights.

 

[Miller8812]

Growing up poor helped me get good with them, we couldn’t afford a scope for my dad much less me. I can’t hit shit at 1.3 miles, but I’d say I’m proficient with them. Practice, practice, practice.

 

[FLS]

First get a good set of sights. Then google NRA High Power and Service Rifle, there some excellent article and videos on iron sight shooting. Service Rifle allows optics now but there are still some shooting irons.

 

[BrentD]

I'm interested in learning about how to get the most possible out of shooting iron sights.

Came across this guy shooting WWII Swiss gun to 1.3 miles: Long range shooting

I'm not going to do away with scope shooting any time soon, but, wow, 1.3 hitting anything at all is wild let alone with iron sights.

With good sights, you should be able to hold 1/4 MOA from here to the moon. Literally. Literally, literally.

Most people don't use irons because they don't know and won't learn how. Not because they do not work.

 

[Millsworks]

I highly recommend a rear aperture type peep sight.
I have used that set up on my 30-30 Marlin 336 to hit targets out to 400 yrds. quite well.
I also recommend posting in the firearms section, for more response.

 

[Millsworks]

I should add that to use open sights well ,your vision needs to be up to it.
Near or far sighted people are screwed.
I am 44 years old and have 20/13 vision. So I won't be needing glasses anytime soon.

 

[fmnjr]

With good sights, you should be able to hold 1/4 MOA from here to the moon. Literally. Literally, literally.

Most people don't use irons because they don't know and won't learn how. Not because they do not work.

What does 1/4 MOA look like for moon distances?

 

[fmnjr]

I should add that to use open sights well ,your vision needs to be up to it.
Near or far sighted people are screwed.
I am 44 years old and have 20/13 vision. So I won't be needing glasses anytime soon.

I am actually considering IOL replacement so I can see without *%!)#@ glasses.

 

[Bigjay73]

I should add that to use open sights well ,your vision needs to be up to it.
Near or far sighted people are screwed.
I am 44 years old and have 20/13 vision. So I won't be needing glasses anytime soon.

Yep, I'm screwed with iron sights, even with glasses. Best I can do is shoot with some .75 power safety glasses, at least then i can see the front post clearly. I love what Colorado tried to do with the muzzleloader regs, but wish those of us with poor sight could get a pass to use non magnified optics.

 

[BrentD]

What does 1/4 MOA look like for moon distances?

About 1/124th of it.

 

[BrentD]

Yep, I'm screwed with iron sights, even with glasses. Best I can do is shoot with some .75 power safety glasses, at least then i can see the front post clearly. I love what Colorado tried to do with the muzzleloader regs, but wish those of us with poor sight could get a pass to use non magnified optics.

Front post? Maybe that's the problem.

Lots of shooters that have pretty bad eyes shoot irons and do quite well. That's not to say that eyesight is unimportant, but it can be dealt with well enough to win a match. I sometimes use 0.5+ diopter glasses for shooting, although my eyesight is much better than most. So, maybe its the style of sights you are using and how you use them as much as your eyes.

I wish I could get all the iron sights phobic shooters on the firing line to try a few shots with a well equipped rifle so they could see what they could actually do.

 

[Bigjay73]

I'm not phobic, been shooting iron sights for 41 years. Cant stop father time though

 

[Don Fischer]

I highly recommend a rear aperture type peep sight.
I have used that set up on my 30-30 Marlin 336 to hit targets out to 400 yrds. quite well.
I also recommend posting in the firearms section, for more response.

I'll go along with the aperture/peep sight. if it has an insert in it, remove the insert ad set it aside. Looking through the aperture at the front sight your eye will automatically draw your eye to the center of the aperture, it' the highest concentration of light. With it out you may not even be aware of looking through it in time, just a fuzzy ring. I wish I as young again, I'd like to do a lever action, maybe mod 94, with aperture iron sight's and cast bullet's. have Iron mn a 22 RF and just don't see them well enough anymore. Same with my handguns but have taught myself to simply point and shoot cc guns and just struggle with the DA guns.Older I get, the more I miss iron sight's.

 

[Don Fischer]

Yep, I'm screwed with iron sights, even with glasses. Best I can do is shoot with some .75 power safety glasses, at least then i can see the front post clearly. I love what Colorado tried to do with the muzzleloader regs, but wish those of us with poor sight could get a pass to use non magnified optics.

One of my rifle's, think the 308, has a 1-4x Redfield on it. Really great scope for guy's with bad eyes! Up to 3-9x, I use my scope's on the lowest power. My eyes aren't much use to me I think sometimes!

 

[Bigjay73]

I use pretty low power as well. Unfortunately, here in Colorado, it's open sights only on muzzleloaders during muzzleloader season

 

[fmnjr]

I wish I could get all the iron sights phobic shooters on the firing line to try a few shots with a well equipped rifle so they could see what they could actually do.

Please elaborate on what/how you would have them be equipped.....thanks.

 

[BrentD]

Please elaborate on what/how you would have them be equipped.....thanks.

That would depend entirely on the type of rifle being shot, but ideally, I like a tang sight that folds flat so the rifle can be SAFELY shot without using the tang. This provides two different zeros, without any sight adjustment. The cartridges I shoot are very slow by modern standards (less than 50% as fast), so multiple zeros are nice. With faster cartridges, this may not be such an advantage. In such cases, using a tang sight AND the rear barrel sight together can really help compensate for degenerating vision for us older hunters.

Here are two examples of my hunting rifles. Both rifles used a post and bead, (original sights). When I was younger, I really liked very thin crosswires, and my rifles often have globe sights that accept different inserts so that I can use any type of front sight I want.

This buck was shot at 180 yds, IIRC using the tang sight. I do not recall if if this sight was zeroed for 180 or 200. Probably 200.

This moose was shot with the tang sight folded down using just the barrel sights at 80 yds. (barrel sights zeroed at 100).

 

[Don Fischer]

Point would be not the animals killed but the ability to score a good hit with the sight's. One thing a lot of guy's harp on that like high power scopes is "the better you can see, the better you can shoot". Awful true to a point. Open sight's require you to become a better shooter! If for no other reason you can't see as well. I do like open sight's but the eye's simply don't see well enough anymore. When the eye's did see well enough I needed a scope for that you never knew when you were gonna get that 300yds shot! Good shooter with iron sight's probably wouldn't give a 300yd shot a second thought!

 

[BrentD]

Don, I think a lot of folks that view scopes as a matter of course or a necessity, simply might be surprised to see what they can do with irons and a little bit of coaching. It is very nice to carry a rifle that doesn't wear a scope as well. And when hunting, carrying is what we do. A lot.

All that said, I'll probably be hunting with a 4x Unertl SG scope on my hotrod .38-72 this year just because I haven't shot a big game animal with a scope in 30 yrs.

 

[fmnjr]

That would depend entirely on the type of rifle being shot, but ideally, I like a tang sight that folds flat so the rifle can be SAFELY shot without using the tang. This provides two different zeros, without any sight adjustment. The cartridges I shoot are very slow by modern standards (less than 50% as fast), so multiple zeros are nice. With faster cartridges, this may not be such an advantage. In such cases, using a tang sight AND the rear barrel sight together can really help compensate for degenerating vision for us older hunters.

Here are two examples of my hunting rifles. Both rifles used a post and bead, (original sights). When I was younger, I really liked very thin crosswires, and my rifles often have globe sights that accept different inserts so that I can use any type of front sight I want.

This buck was shot at 180 yds, IIRC using the tang sight. I do not recall if if this sight was zeroed for 180 or 200. Probably 200.

This moose was shot with the tang sight folded down using just the barrel sights at 80 yds. (barrel sights zeroed at 100).

Nice lever gun, purpose made for open sights. What drawbacks would one encounter using a modern rifle to do the same as you described?