Eyesight? Am I a bad shot until I fix it?

[Shopping A Round]

Was out at the local indoor range with my new Ruger 10/22 Carbine using just the iron sites.

Here is my issue. I am right handed, right eye dominant with 20/50 right eye vision. My left eye is 20/30 and I would say with both eyes open I get along pretty well.

However, at 50 feet the target looks pretty fuzzy when I am lining up the sites. Surgery, glasses, contacts, and scope aside, am I just not capable of the needed vision to shoot rifles accurately with iron sites?



I like iron site versatility, but I bet a scope would make it easier. I also don't know if I like rifle shooting enough to cough up the extra dough for expensive eye surgery.

What are your thoughts?

 

[MrOldLude]

It's just a 10/22. Spend $15 on a Tasco airgun scope from walmart.

If you still can't put tight holes through the paper at 50 feet, then you're a bad-shot.

 

[Nowhere Man]

You should be focused on the front sight which will make your target out of focus and fuzzy.

The eye is only capable of focusing on one object at a time.

Dave

 

[Ifishsum]

Nowhere man is right about the front sight being in focus. Also, IMO the 10/22 standard sights are not that great as open sights go. If you want to stay with irons, a company called Tech-sights manufactures an excellent bolt-on rear peep sight upgrade for the 10/22 - I have the same upgrade on an SKS rifle and it makes a huge difference to how well I can shoot it.

 

[Tilos]

A Red Dot will solve this problem for less than $40

 

[Slamfire]

At age you can't see the irons or the target clearly. Then you can't see the irons and the target.

Then is the time to go to optical sights, like Red Dots or Scopes.

You can shoot very well with a 1X, 2X, lower powered scopes. You can shoot very well with a Red Dot.

I am putting them on handguns as I am still able to use aperatures on rifles.

 

[duns]

Putting scopes on pistols seems to me a bit extreme. I have lots of problems with traditional sights. I'm short sighted with some astigmatism and wear varifocal spectacle lenses. Is the solution to go for better gun sight technology or is there something my ophthalmologist can do to better correct my vision for shooting?

 

[alemonkey]

The target is supposed to be blurry if you're doing it right. The front sight should be crisp and focused, while the rear sight and target are blurry. Unless you have superman eyes that can focus on 3 different distances at once. Just center that nice sharp front post in the blurry blob of a target and you'll do fine.

I second the suggestion of Tech Sights. That was the best thing I've ever done for my 10/22. You get basically the same sights as an A1 or A2 AR-15. They make a huge difference, it's worth every penny. Aperture sights like the Tech Sights will help a lot for people with less than perfect vision. I can see just fine far away with my contacts in but my close in vision is getting bad. I can't shoot regular leaf-type sights worth a darn any more, but aperture sights work great for me.

 

[Tilos]

Shopping A Round:
Too much info here, http://www.starreloaders.com/edhall/nwongarts.html#reddotf

duns:
The Op has a 10/22
If you live long enough you will understand.

 

[Sky]

Talked to the #1 (supposedly) clinic and Doctor in Monterrey, Mexico this morning. They have two ways for us old guys without cataracts. One is $4000 in Mexico or $7500 in the states. They have the mono focal lens one for near sighted goes in one eye and a far sighted goes in the other. They also have the fifteen ring eye lens that goes in both eyes.

Reports with the 15 ring seems to cause halo effect at night and are more expensive. If you decide to do something and find a good quality Doc let me know. If I am still breathing around March next year I think I am gonna get it.

 

[Tilos]

Sky:

There are contacts that do the same thing, without the risk of making your eye sight worse.
You can try them all, many brands, many variations, different types for different shooting games, etc.

Contact makers supply a lot of "trial" lenses to doctors for testing fitting, etc.

Understand your eye doctor needs to put paying customers in his chair and not spend a lot of time fitting you with contacts that "might" work for a hobby.

They make no money talking to you on the phone either and I'm surprised one would talk to you.

Unlike hairdressers, there's no big tip for the doctor spending extra time with you.
This is a truth, and if you can go to your doctor with some info from the link I posted above, he/she would be more interested in helping you.


Too many surgeries have gone bad and there is no correction for that.

 

[duns]

Any one know of a gun-knowledgeable eye doctor in Houston? I would like to have my eyes corrected not just for ordinary activities but also for shooting activities. I don't want a dedicated pair of glasses for shooting because my gun usage is strictly self defense. I can't ask the BG to wait while I find my other pair of spectacles.

 

[Mahnmut]

Probably going to be a LOT of eye doctors in Houston, one of the "better" Optometry schools is there.

 

[Sky]

Tilos that's a good point.
Friend had Lasik 10 years ago and daughter had her eyes radial keratotomy maybe 20 years ago. I am to old for that stuff, probably?

Figured in a dusty environment they (contact lens) would be to much trouble, IE Tiger Woods et al.

Might be worth looking into thanks. Gotta be cheaper that's for sure!

keratotomy really was good for the daughter.

 

[Tilos]

Sky said, "keratotomy really was good for the daughter."

Actual lens replacement as you described is close to a miracle for someone with cataracts or cloudy lenses.

Other than that, any surgery is a roll of the dice that I'm not willing to take just yet.

Contacts are being developed that can give you super-vision.

Nano technology has enabled producing a contact lens, custom to your individual eye, that will give you 20/12 to 20/10 vision.
Right now, it is too cost prohibitive to market.

Both baseball and tennis players have custom contacts to better see the ball.
It doesn't matter if a batter trips over the bases if he hit the ball over the fence!
For tennis, different lenses are used for different color balls.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

You will not have rear sight, front sight and target in clear focus anyway. If you can see the front sight clearly is the main thing that matters in shooting with open sights.

 

[Webbj0219]

yeah what they said the target is gonna be fuzzy anyway when your focused on the front sight. Now if you cant see far enough to make out the front sight then youve got a problem and probably should not be shooting, for safety reasons. If the targets too fuzzy, to the point you cant make out the center ring or the bullzeye. I mean the bullzeye will be blurry but you should still be ably to make it out. And just because you cant hit a paper target doesnt mean you wont be a good hunter. One of the best hunters I know, gets an animal every year without fail. That guy wasnt even able to hit a paper target at 30 yards. I loved his line "You cant eat paper, so not motivated enough to hit it." or something like that. I on the other hand was pretty decenbt at hitting the paper target, but Ive never caught any animals. Cant explain that.

 

[Tilos]

Carl N. Brown:

You are exactly right, young eyes can quickly switch between all 3 to varify alignment, old eyes cannot.
At some point (45-50) the lens in the eye gradually looses it's ability to bend.

Drugstore readers in the +1.00 to +1.50 range can be worn to allow focus on the front sight only.
Try them on the next trip to the store, bring something that is LIKE a front sight and set on a shelf and look at it at front sight distance, try different powers.

Understand, the rear sight and target WILL be fuzzy and you will need to give up trying to focus on these, or eye strain will result.

It's a less than $20 investment and worth a try.

 

[22-rimfire]

I have posted this before on this topic, but I asked my eye doctor about a proper perscription for my hobby. He really had no idea, but could guess. But applying common sense to the issue, I decided to purchase glasses that allow me to have very sharp focus at slightly further than arms length for computer use and shooting. This allows for very clear front sight focus and a fuzzy target. I can watch TV with these glasses across the room without much difficulty also. They work for both shooting and computer use for me. My investment was considerably more than $20 however.

The Tech Sights suggestion is good also.

 

[Nowhere Man]

Another option is a Merit Optical Attachment. I use one with pretty good success. It forces the eye to focus at the needed distance. Midway (as well as others) sells them.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=978528


Dave

 

[gym]

I have set my reading glasses for 18-24 inches, because I never read books, everything I do for the last 15 years in on the computer. That distance works great for front sight. My distance glasses are seperate, I never liked progressives or bi focals, they just don't work for me, and honestlly I would forget them someware the first day. These never leave me, they are on a rubber gizmo called a Crankies,I got it at wallmart or target, it's only about 8 inches long, so they don't hang down like a schoolteachers glasses. They are about the best compromise I have found, and being very anal I have tried everything. I won't go into it here but we have done many posts on this, and if you do a search, there is much info to be found on the site, good luck.

 

[doubleh]

I'm and old guy that like everyone with good vision when young became farsighted as I aged. Several years ago I changed to progressive bifocals after the frustration of wearing lined bifocals and then trifocals. To my surprise and happiness I discovered I could see to shoot iron sighted handguns again. It doesn't work with rifles for me as the front sight distorts. The drugstore readers are out as I need correction at any distance now.

 

[jon_in_wv]

Recently I got contact lenses. I previously shot with my glasses. While common sense tells me I only to to see clearly as far as my front sight my shooting did improve quite a bit with the better vision from my contact lenses.

 

[deadin]

Do not go with the short vision lens in one eye and the long distance one in the other unless it is easily reversible. Not all people can handle this system.
My optometrist said the split was around 70% can and 30% can't. I tried it with contacts and I was in the 30%. All it did for me was give me vicious headaches.

 

[Ole Coot]

I guess I am fortunate at my age(mid 60s) not to need glasses. At 50' I don't have any problems yet on my 10/22 I have a fixed 6X. If I hunt small game or varmints I want a quick, clean kill. Handguns, I practice point shooting and the front sight is really all you need at self defense range. I don't try long shots or driving a tack anymore. If you are older or have bad eyesight use what works for you.