Losing 700 yd target After 11:AM till 3;00 PM

[Edward]

I shoot a C Sharps 1-18 twist 34 in badger barrel 45/70 1874 @ our 700 yd range , and starting at 8AM have no problem picking up the 36 inch bullseye till late morning and then it starts disappearing in my Hadley eye cup .Sitting at the bench the sun is on my right shoulder and I start losing it when the sun gets behind me . I then start getting target back with the sun getting west (left shoulder) I have tried black /day glow orange /red /green with no luck .I do use glasses (varilux) and have tried a couple of eye aids but just waste powder @700 (can"t hit what you can"t see but don"t like a good chunk of range time getting wasted ,so wonder what ever other folks do to avoid extended siesta time ? Thanks in advance Ed

[Don McDowell]

Sounds like your front aperture is too small, and the big hole in your Hadley may not be big enough.

[Edward]

Sounds like your front aperture is too small, and the big hole in your Hadley may not be big enough.

The rear biggest is 0.90 and the aperture is .120 in a cross hair (Lee Shaver set) . IF bigger is available I"m willing to try however I am not aware of a source for front or back.I assume my vision has something to do with this ,however other folks shooting this setup have the same complaint . I suspect range layout has some bearing on this but it is set up on a gas line and for some reason the gas company was unwilling to go in the correct orientation with sun to accommodate my shooting requirements . I am sure I am not the only one with this dilemma ,a scope would solve the problem but I just got the sights figured out and am saving for another project so I"m determined to work this out (with some help) . Or just be a part time shooter (HA-HA) /Ed

[garandsrus]

Can you put up something behind you to shade you and the sights from the sun?

[Gunlaker]

At one of the places I shoot we have a gong that disappears at certain times of day depending on lighting conditions. It's also at 700, but in metres not yards :-).

I have never been able to find the right aperture combo to see it under these conditions. An MVA or DZ Arms scope has worked wonders though.

Chris.

[Kraschenbirn]

What's the background of your target like? I've experienced similar at our club range with smaller (16") targets at 300M using, essentially, the same sight installation on my Pedersoli RB. Our 'fade-out', though, is somewhat seasonal. Target frames are set right in front of a safety berm and, at certain times of the year, tend to blend into the foliage. Only solution I've come up with (so far) is to stake a 4'x4' sheet of white cardboard behind the swinger stand.

Bill

[Yellowhouse]

Maybe a wide brimmed hat?

[Lead pot]

You need a white ring around the bull. Size of the white ring depends how good your eyes are at the distance of the target. Older eyes need a larger ring of white to better align the black bull and the ring.
The same for the rear aperture.
Adjusting the rear give better depth of vision and keeping it as small as you can see is best.
I use colored filters, different light conditions with different filters can make the best out of bad light conditions and put a side blinder on the temple to block out a side sun. It's all about seeing the front sight and the bull as best as you can.
I use a pair of German Knobloch shooting glasses that let me clip on filters to change the sight resolution with conditions and I have lenses ground so I see the front sight clear.
I have a very dark floater that let loose that looks like a tadpole when the conditions get dark and at the gong shoots as well as silhouette I at times see two targets especially a iron plate painted black with a white spot on it I see two dancing around looking through the apertures.
Shooting bullseye paper, keep a large white ring around the black bull. Your eyes will center the sight picture around the bull.......Kurt

[Edward]

I am thankful for all the replies (They are all helpfull) especially clip on filters that I will look into . As far as target background I am using 4ftx8 ft particle board painted flat white /primer so I think I have that covered ,I like seeing the missed shots too :bigsmyl2:

[country gent]

My home range faces south with a tall back stop ( probably close to 50' high) and the targets are always in the shade of the back stop with the sun in your face. Shooting from Bright light to shade is the opposite of what's recommended. They pupil gets smaller in bright light and larger in dim so your trying to see the shaded target with bright light eyes. A billed hat can help some blinders can help. The club covered the firing points putting them in shade. We have days where you cant see 30 cal holes in the spotting scope with the light conditions. Some lay a foil covered angled card board in front of the target to reflect light up on it.

[Boz330]

If the Varilux lens are the kind that automatically darken get rid of them for shooting, especially if they are progressive as well. I was having the same problems as you. My eyes will be 73 YO the end of this month. I had an extra pair of glasses made up on some old frames with a yellow tint and lined bifocals so I could read my sights. With progressive lens the prescription changes depending on where you look through them like towards your nose. Straight bifocals are the same everywhere except the reading lens. Dark tint makes the target harder to see. Surprisingly the lined lens are not that expensive if you have an old pair of frames, unlike the Varilus progressives.
As far as the front aperture Distant Thunder, http://www.distantthunderbpcr.com/DTPages/DT-Inserts-PriceSheet.htm makes custom inserts with any size aperture and annulus. You would be surprised how much that helps. I drilled out the smallest peep on the Hadley to a larger size since I never used it anyway. I also made up a black leather shade for the rear disk that slips tightly on it. With that you are looking into a tunnel without glare on the rear sight and the target seems to just jump out.

Bob

[Larry Gibson]

Can you put up something behind you to shade you and the sights from the sun?

Edward

Sun on the sights is usually the cause of what you explain. garnadus' and Yellowhouse's suggestion are good ones

[Edward]

Edward

Sun on the sights is usually the cause of what you explain. garnadus' and Yellowhouse's suggestion are good ones

I assume the yardsale tent top takes care of that but it will be awhile before I can check it out (19 degrees) but I will hang a curtain behind me when it gets warmer . I assumed the problem was in front of me ,I am probably wrong thinking about it ./Thanks Ed

[rfd]

hey ed - we need a better backdrop, and a better target face. also a long billed ball cap, transitions to our progressive lenses, and a large light day. and i need to get my gun back from lee. :)

[EDG]

I used to have my wife stand behind me with a piece of plastic campaign sign to block the sun.

Also would make a large front sight hood out of paper and masking tape. The rear aperture was also shielded by my USMC souvenir cap.


I shoot a C Sharps 1-18 twist 34 in badger barrel 45/70 1874 @ our 700 yd range , and starting at 8AM have no problem picking up the 36 inch bullseye till late morning and then it starts disappearing in my Hadley eye cup .Sitting at the bench the sun is on my right shoulder and I start losing it when the sun gets behind me . I then start getting target back with the sun getting west (left shoulder) I have tried black /day glow orange /red /green with no luck .I do use glasses (varilux) and

have tried a couple of eye aids but just waste powder @700 (can"t hit what you can"t see but don"t like a good chunk of range time getting wasted ,so wonder what ever other folks do to avoid extended siesta time ? Thanks in advance Ed