What's the best type of sights for 'older' vision?

[socalbeachbum]

I've been trying to see if I could shoot better using a red dot or scope or laser at my indoor 25 yd range. My vision isn't that bad, I need slight correction for close work, slight for distance, typical 60 yr old eyeballs.

so far I do best with iron sights. red dot is almost as good. laser, no. scope, no.

I'm shooting slow 25 yd target, using a S&W 22A with decent factory target type sights.

my red dot is a cheap Tasco. using the red dot, I'm able to wear distance corrective lenses and therfore I see the target well.

the subdued lighting does not help.

any recommendations?

 

[Cosmoline]

I know how it goes. If you can see your front sight, the real trick is to get a target that you can hold in the background with old eyes. I've been using the bright green targets with an orange bull and found they are very helpful. The green is easier for my eyes to keep track of for some reason. And then it's a simple matter of orienting the front sight with the green blob. I use them for handgun and rifle.

Scopes are also possible but they really seem to slow down shooting. Lasers are harder for me to see than the target, so are kind of pointless for me.

I have also had good results with prescription shooting glasses in yellow/amber. They help in lower light situations.

 

[1911austin]

My older eyes like the plain black "U" notch 10-8 rears with Dawson fiber fronts.

 

[ku4hx]

My ophthalmologist is a shooter and we talked about this very thing. I'm 67, my wife is 63 and we both are experiencing changes in vision. And as is the usual case, our two eyes are not the same. I've got age related cataracts; my wife doesn't yet but her Doc says not to be surprised.

When the time comes for surgery, I get to choose the focal length for each eye. Both can be the same or they can be different. I'm opting for both eyes the same focal length for distabce vision and glasses for reading and such. My Doc says there's no reason I can't continue to use cheap drugstore readers and he'll work with that in mind.

For now, when hand gun shooting, I'm just using tinted 2.0/2.5 X-Mart readers covered with a pair of Lowe's all plastic safety type glasses. This arrangement makes my gun sights crystal clear and puts a slight fuzziness on the target. Of course this is with open sights, but the sight picture is perfect for me.

For optical sights, the scopes focusing ability usually takes care of my problem, but a pair of readers fixes that too. And since I've worn glasses for 35 years I'm used to them.

I have a Mini thirty with a red dot sight and I wear the readers with it too. Or not, I think it's either 3 or 5 MOA and if it's a bit fuzzy well, it's cheap and a bit fuzzy anyway.

As to home defense, CTC lasers do the job for us in low light situations: see spot; see hole. Which oddly enough at 5:08 AM this morning that was a comfort. Power went out for 52 minutes but my laser and a small flashlight made the situation less spooky. A handheld ham radio (HT) made it almost fun. We have cause to be suspicious so comfort is good.

 

[Furncliff]

If you haven't found an optometrist who understand the needs of target shooters now is the time. My optometrists' husband is a bulls eye shooter. She knew what was needed and fixed me up.

 

[WRGADog]

Tru Glo TFO'S

 

[dbp]

XS Big Dots are working fine for me. It is a lot easier to rapidly pick up and place that big dot on target.

 

[md2lgyk]

I put Ultradot sights on all my bullseye competition guns years ago. A red dot takes some getting used to, so at first your scores might actually go down a bit.

 

[socalbeachbum]

last night at the range I did group better using a cheap Tasco red dot than with Iron sights, about 10-15% better.

and I tested with and without corrective lenses (for distance) and there was no measurable difference.

so, I'll probably get an Ultradot, the version where dot size can be changed. mounts easily on my S&W 22A. my 9mm's, I'll have to see what would fit, maybe have to mount on the slides.

 

[Manny]

This is a cunundrum I've been working to sort out too. I've gone to CT grips for my LCR snubbies and think I'm gonna try one of the new CT rail mount green lasers on my Glock. With 20/600+ sight I feel the CT's give me the best option for defensive use. As for iron sights, I plan to put a big dot tritium on the KLCR and think I'm gonna try Advantage Tactical Sights triangular sights on my Glock. Both have gotten good reviews from folks with impaired vision.

 

[Steve CT]

Merit Optical Attachment

http://www.meritcorporation.com/products.html

Works surprisingly well

 

[mljdeckard]

I would also start with XS big dot.

 

[TOMBECK]

Suggest you try UltraDot and Dotor sites - both are quality - and see which one you are comfortablle with. Cheaper sites are just that!!!!!

 

[wkuban]

I have ultra dots on my bullseye guns. I like nice square black sights on my IDPA guns. I recently had a pair of glasses made with the left lens for distance and the right to focus on the front sight. I should have done it 20 years ago. Shooting with both eyes open the sight and the target are in focus. It's a little weird at first but the more I use them the more I like them. I have to use my normal trifocals for the red dots.

 

[b.thomas]

I put a red dot on my S&W 617, made a big difference.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I'm 44 and have developed a bit of astigmatism over the last few years. I find it noticeably harder to use regular blacked out sights now, especially indoors. Tritium 3 dot sights are my solution, and they work very well for me, in low light and in good light.

 

[socalbeachbum]

I am also trying a red laser and while it isn't a sight per se, I can use it with corrective lenses and the results have been an improvement over iron sights and about the same for me as a red dot. but, this is for indoor use only.

I will say the laser shows you a lot, shows every tremble and shake. Shows you how far off center you deviate with each tremble. Made me understand why I'm getting the group sizes I do.

 

[Torian]

I've been trying to see if I could shoot better using a red dot or scope or laser at my indoor 25 yd range. My vision isn't that bad, I need slight correction for close work, slight for distance, typical 60 yr old eyeballs.

so far I do best with iron sights. red dot is almost as good. laser, no. scope, no.

I'm shooting slow 25 yd target, using a S&W 22A with decent factory target type sights.

my red dot is a cheap Tasco. using the red dot, I'm able to wear distance corrective lenses and therfore I see the target well.

the subdued lighting does not help.

any recommendations?

I'm a big fan of the Hi Viz sights. Grabs the light very well, and when you use contrasting colors, it is very easy to make out.