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Thread: just wondering, scope or iron sights

  1. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Digital Dan View Post
    Visual acuity slides downhill with age, fact of life. Started my run with 20/15 vision, picked up reading glasses around age 40 and won the cataract lottery a few years ago following radiation therapy. That said, I can and do use open sights on a flinter with a short svelte 42" barrel to very good effect. The irons on more modern hardware grow dusty. The solution is aperture/peep sights and I still use those to good effect. They are as effective as red dots and low power scopes to any range I care to shoot. The target below was shot with a Remington 513T with aperture sights and the one following with a red dot at 50 yards. You tell me which is better.




    that is awesome. my 22 has a 4x scope and it will do 1/2"+/- at 50 yards with cci mini-mags. remmy and federal will go 3/4 - 1" at 50 yards.

  2. #42
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    Just an opinion, but I suspect there are a good many old eyes out there that could profit greatly from the use of aperture sights. They do the same thing that glass does by putting everything on one focal plane. The size of the aperture determines the degree of that gift and suitability for given application, but they are quite easy to get comfortable with.

    It has always struck me odd that they are not used by more shooters.
    I have danced with the Devil. She had excellent attorneys.

  3. #43
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    All iron sights require focusing on the front sight with the aperture and target being out of focus. As eyes age this gets worse until until you can no longer see front sight adequately unless you are among a lucky few. Apertures are much better than the standard rear sight but they still have a large disadvantage compared to good glass.
    Last edited by M-Tecs; 06-03-2017 at 10:55 AM.

  4. #44
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
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    I shoot both killing paper is usually with iron sights . Huntings a different matter for me small game I'll use iron sights still but for deer I use and have always used a low power scope weaver 2.5x anywhere I hunt deer it's thick and and I need to find those little openings in the brush . And even more so now as Pa has antler restrictions in certain areas . Could I hunt with irons sure but I don't
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

  5. #45
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    Mtecs, if you are trying to focus on the aperture you defeat the benefit of aperture sights. The front sight and target are on the same focal plane and that would be the place to pay attention to.
    I have danced with the Devil. She had excellent attorneys.

  6. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by RU shooter View Post
    I shoot both killing paper is usually with iron sights . Huntings a different matter for me small game I'll use iron sights still but for deer I use and have always used a low power scope weaver 2.5x anywhere I hunt deer it's thick and and I need to find those little openings in the brush . And even more so now as Pa has antler restrictions in certain areas . Could I hunt with irons sure but I don't
    where in PA do you hunt? i would go to westmoreland and somerset counties to hunt. bedford county used to be a good one too. the brush is thick were i hunt. my shots go from 12 feet to 35 yards.

  7. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by Digital Dan View Post
    Mtecs, if you are trying to focus on the aperture you defeat the benefit of aperture sights. The front sight and target are on the same focal plane and that would be the place to pay attention to.
    The human eye can only focus at one distance at a time. The front sight and the target are not on the same focal plane unless the front sight is touching the target. Apertures do increase the depth of field but if you are focusing properly on the front sight the target will be less clear than front sight.

  8. #48
    Boolit Mold
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    I prefer open sights for squirrel and rabbit hunting. Most of my shots on squirrels and rabbits are under 30 yards. I don't think a scope would give me much if an advantage on a deer rifle here in N.C. But if I had a designated varmint rifle, it would have a powerful scope on it for sure!

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  9. #49
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoyka View Post
    where in PA do you hunt? i would go to westmoreland and somerset counties to hunt. bedford county used to be a good one too. the brush is thick were i hunt. my shots go from 12 feet to 35 yards.
    Sorry for the delay getting back , I live in southern Westmoreland and do hunt some in this area but mainly in the northern part of the Co. at my dads place it's private land and I know every inch of it . Yep the laurel and brush can be thick but it's the only kind of hunting I know , when I was 12 my first deer was shot at about 20 ft away. I sorta chuckle when I watch some of those huntin shows on tv big wide open field and guy in a tree cabin with all the time in the world to make a shot . I've seldom had more than 5 seconds before mr buck disappears never to be seen again .
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

  10. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by RU shooter View Post
    Sorry for the delay getting back , I live in southern Westmoreland and do hunt some in this area but mainly in the northern part of the Co. at my dads place it's private land and I know every inch of it . Yep the laurel and brush can be thick but it's the only kind of hunting I know , when I was 12 my first deer was shot at about 20 ft away. I sorta chuckle when I watch some of those huntin shows on tv big wide open field and guy in a tree cabin with all the time in the world to make a shot . I've seldom had more than 5 seconds before mr buck disappears never to be seen again .
    i used to hunt the southern part of westmoreland. i used to hunt powder mill nature preserve but a stroke got me and left me handi-capable. oh the bucks and does i drugged out. its sorta the same thing here(its more brushy than laurel), you have 5 seconds to shoot or ya don't. i've quit watchin the "hunting" shows. the last show i watched the guy shot a "grizzly" at 700+/- yards. they tried to show it as a really big bear, but in reality it was a "cub" that mom kicked out when she was pregnant. it was disgusting.

    my first deer was a buck(technically he had a one 3" and there was 2 3/4" spike ) that came within baynotting distance (4-5'). i don't remember much, he was jogging and then he was dead!!! there i was, standing with a smoking 30-30 and a smile on my face. the best part was the drag. i was only 100 yards (downwards) to my house.

  11. #51
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Aperture is a pinhole lens, it can increase apparent depth of field.
    Whatever!

  12. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoyka View Post
    ...in '83 i was 12y.o....
    Give it 10 or 15 years and you'll "see" (or NOT see) the problem with irons.
    7.62 NATO, It's kinda like 5.56 NATO, but for men...

  13. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Possumcop View Post
    Give it 10 or 15 years and you'll "see" (or NOT see) the problem with irons.

  14. #54
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoyka View Post

    my first deer was a buck(technically he had a one 3" and there was 2 3/4" spike ) that came within baynotting distance (4-5'). i don't remember much, he was jogging and then he was dead!!! there i was, standing with a smoking 30-30 and a smile on my face. the best part was the drag. i was only 100 yards (downwards) to my house.
    Ahhh yes the good ole days when Pa "goats" were legal shot a few of those too with the perfectly straight 3" spikes hey meat was meat I never did cared about antler size always a meat hunter . Now with those antler restrictions grrrrrr ! that's a different rant !
    Awfully nice when they drop at the top of the hill and you have to drag them down ! Lol my place is at the top of the hill and I always shoot them at the bottoms !
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

  15. #55
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    Here's my tuppence worth on this discussion.
    1. Scope.
    When I hunted as a part time (seasonal) professional in UK it was mostly for Roe bucks cause that's what the European clients wanted. The roe buck season starts in April and runs till September, that is basically all the summer months, with May/June/July/August being the best months. We hunt them mostly in heavy woodland at dawn and dusk when all the tress are leafed and the undergrowth is high and thick (little critters don't forget) and it's really dim light. Without a good binocular and a top line scope you won't even see em let alone get a shot.
    2. Open sights
    I live way out in the sticks and consequently get all kind of varmints in my back yard. I love to sit outside on a pleasant evening and whack the rascals with an old (but powerful) air gun with open sights. I don't need a scope for this, I like shooting this way cause it's how I started and, like riding a bike, you never lose it. Bifocals do get in the way a bit though!

  16. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by M-Tecs View Post
    All iron sights require focusing on the front sight with the aperture and target being out of focus. As eyes age this gets worse until until you can no longer see front sight adequately unless you are among a lucky few. Apertures are much better than the standard rear sight but they still have a large disadvantage compared to good glass.
    I never focus on the front sight. I focus on the target and the rear U focuses the front post for me. Same with peep sights. I'm not ashamed of my shooting ability.
    I once shot with a Remington 512 with scope and another with with its irons and found no difference in hit rates. Night time shooting with torchlight is a whole 'nother story.

    I'm getting back into iron sights now just because I want to.
    Last edited by 303Guy; 06-23-2017 at 12:35 AM.
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  17. #57
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    I hunt deer and elk with iron sights. Miroku Winchester 1885 405 win, Savage 99 300 sav. .54 Sharps percussion, 45-70 Sharps carbine, and Ruger 77 mk 2 300 win mag with Williams receiver peep, and Williams ramp front sight. Practice year round @ 100 and 200 yds. Have taken deer and elk with farthest shot about 150 yds. I'm 71 and have always enjoyed shooting peep sights. They still work for me so no reason to change until I can no longer hit @ 200 yds. off-hand !

  18. #58
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    I haven’t hunting with open sights since 1984. I like the advantage of being able to see a buck with magnification at longer ranges to check out how many points , how wide the rack,ect. So I know it’s a shooter and something I can be proud of when it’s on the ground after all my hard work and time spent on the field. An optic also allows me to pinpoint a spot on an animal through brush or branches at long rang I would never seen with my bare eyes. There have been many trophy animals I would have passed up if I was not using an optic. I really like my optics for long range coyotes and predators as well. I can shoot dime size groups with optics in several I’d my rifles at 200 yards dead center bullseye and can shoot fist size groups at 500 yards dead center. There is no way i can do that with opens. I guess if I lived out west where I could hunt Mule deer and Pronghorn out in the plains where there are no trees, brush, or vegetation to block my shot I’d get a Quiggly down under rifle...but here in WI where all you get most times is a glimpse of part if the animal behind a tree, branches, or brush and have to pick a spot a scope is a must for me and without one I’d probably would have shot a lot less deer in my time. Over a 100 yards I’d want some type of optics since most of my front posts are 10 MOA wide at that distance like my M1917’s I shot below. Heck some of my shotguns have red dots on them since the 80’s yet.

    After all these years I did go out and try for groups with my completey bone stock m1917 enfield last month at 100 yards. Here’s a three shot group at 100 yards off the bench with open sights. Im referring to the group approx 4.5” directly above the bullseye, the two smaller bullet holes in the center were someone else’s that left the target. I did adjust my sights so I’m dead center now. Could I hit an animal with it at 100 yards? All day long! But I’ll never see the “invisible” branch 10 yards in front of it without optics telling me if I have a clear shots if my bullet path with be deflected. If I ever do hunt with opens again I’ll reserve all my shots to under 100 yards...closer to 75 and under. I really like optics for picking out squirrels in trees just showing me and eye or ear that I’d never see.

    Last edited by Tripplebeards; 09-30-2019 at 01:11 PM.

  19. #59
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    A shotgun head on the front is all you need inside of 1200 yards.
    More "This is what happened when I,,,,," and less "What would happen if I,,,,"

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  20. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hamish View Post
    A shotgun head on the front is all you need inside of 1200 yards.
    Standard or Bradley?

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