aging eyes, open sights and dark timber

[elk hunter]

This being a seasoned citizen isn't as much fun as it should be.

Saturday I discovered just how bad a idea I had about wanting to shoot an elk with my 1940 vintage Winchester model 71 deluxe. A dozen elk less than one hundred yards away in semi-open timber, with the binoculars I can see a spike, I put the rifle up and can't see the elk and the sights well enough to take the shot and had to let him walk. Thirty or forty years ago it would have been easy. As bad as I wanted to take an elk with that rifle it just wasn't going to happen. I took it home and got out my Chapuis 9.3x74 with a 4x Leupold scope. Now if I can just get a look at another bull before the season ends Friday evening.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Do you have peep sights on that fine old Winchester ? Been using them for many years (Iam 61) and do not feel I have lost any shots... Gold bead or white dot on the front sight. Bought an old Win. 33 Win. and as soon as I get back up north there it gets resighted and ready for a hunt.
Mike in Peru

[missionary5155]

Just saw your write up on your wife´s elk... definately try some peep sights. That semi pen woods would do OK with peeps or a tang sight. Your rifle may already be drilled & threaded.
Mike in Peru

[elk hunter]

Mike,

My 71 is the deluxe version with the bolt peep. Even at 0900 there just wasn't enough light for me to see the sights and the bull clearly enough to take the shot. I carried my 95 Winchester in 30-03 for deer season and never had the chance to shoot or even shoulder the rifle in the woods so I didn't realize what a problem I would have. I can see open sights quite well when shooting at the range with good light.

[docone31]

If you remove the aperature, it will serve as a semi-buckhorn sight.
I had to drill them out, or remove the aperature.
Vision is a thing long lost these days.
It sucks.

[MGySgt]

I would reccomend an adjustable peep - the type that you can chage the size of the hole. They may be a little expensive (about $50 IIRC) but well worth the money. I bought mine from Authur A. Brown.

FWIW

[Beerd]

They say you don't have to see the rear sights when using peeps, just look thru the hole. Maybe try some kind of a "fire sight" on the front?
..

[Crawdaddy]

My dad use to tell me: "son these golden years arent so golden". I am beginning to see what he means.

good luck.

[excess650]

My eyes have changed considerably over the years. I prefer a 1/16" gold or silver bead in the front for target work with a hunting rifle, but a green fiber optic sight is better in low light. It glows on the target in brighter light. Without a doubt I need a rear tang or receiver sight. Barrel sights are just fuzzy at best at this point.

I've had the rear blade sight on my flintlock relocated to the tang just behind the breech end of the barrel to allow me to shoot irons. It works! With a looooong barreled rifle the rear sight can be moved FORWARD towards the front sight to help make them more distinct, but it shortens the sight radius.

[x101airborne]

I recently purchased a mosin from another member here, 35Whelen. It has a lovely russian peep sight on it. I was disappointed when I closed one eye, the rear aperture would "egg shape" and go fuzzy. I tried opening both eyes, that didn't work either. But one eye half closed made the rear aperture real crisp and the front focused at the same time. Now if I was a half decent rifleman, I would have it made!

[white eagle]

I found that a peep without a fiber optic for me was worthless
I have switched to a Ultra dot
no regrets
my age is not a concern but the sights are

[Baron von Trollwhack]

There are several ways to reduce this problem quite a bit. As an eastern hunter of deer with a 94 and a flintlock, I found a thicker front blade helped my accuracy. You can also notch the FS and put a drop of 95% silver solder there and dress it down nicely. Silver is easier to see at dusk . If your gun has a FS cover, take it off and/or go to a larger aperture if that helps.

Sometimes the weather at dusk hastens loss of sights in the gloom. Well, for deer, just move a bit to an opening, a path, etc to find an ambush point with more light. That might give you twenty more minutes of shooting time. You may know where to move to under some circumstances.

You can squirt some flourescent pink spray paint on a paper plate and pick up a drop to place on the FS , or use bow sight paint to brighten also.

Those MERIT adjustable peep inserts are really good for a clear sight picture and allow helpful peep adjustment very easily.

I am more concerned with the deer drag part of the equation than the 450 milliseconds of primer ignition in taking the shot. When it is time to leave the field, it is time.

BvT

[hobbles]

Look here (http://www.hivizsights.com/). I use this one (http://www.hivizsights.com/Muzzleloader-Front-Sight--P177C2.aspx)

[quilbilly]

Since I hunt Roosevelts too, I know what you mean. What made the difference for me was painting the front beads of all my open/peep sighted rifles with that flourescent paint made specifically for gunsights. For me the best color is flourescent chartreuse and my old eyes can see it even in twilight. They key was to first clean and sand the front bead and prime it with white epoxy paint. With that primer, the flourescent chartreuse stands out like a searchlight in the fog.