Optic Aid

[David R. Pennington]

Where can you get a shooter's optic aid that clips on eye glasses instead of suction cup? My Dad's glasses will not allow the suction cup to attach the way the bifocals are cut. Any ideas. He is 78 and I built him a rifle and he's just getting started shooting flintlocks. I am also going to need a more non traditional more visible front sight for him. Any recommendations?

[smylee grouch]

Might not be what you want to hear but I would get another pair of glasses just for shooting without the bi-focal grind and then you could use those suction cup devices.

[bob in the woods]

Go to  www.champchoice.com    item= the gehmann iris disc.   It clamps on a regular pair of glasses. They show a price of $ 65.00

[Bill Paton]

I use a 3/8" diameter patch of black electrical tape  with a 1/16" hole cut in the middle for a pin hole lens stuck to my glasses lens in the right spot to look through at the sights. In good light it works wonders to clear up rear and front sights and target. For years this has helped me hunt and target shoot. Somebody also mentioned it on a post a year or two back. The price is right and the "KISS" principle is followed perfectly.

[EC121]

I stick the tape to wood for a backer and use a finishing nail head for a punch.  Makes a nice round hole.  Peel  it off and stick it to your glasses.  I'll bet you could make some up and stick them to wax paper or something.  Store them in your shooting box.

[Candle Snuffer]

http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=390

[David R. Pennington]

That would work

[bonron]

I've used a small piece of brass shim stock with a 1/16" hole drilled in it and properly bent over the top of my glasses. Bob Kiser showed me this little gem in about 1965 or so. I've used it since with good success. Cost abou
t a nickel.

[LRB]

David, I've tried different eyeglass aperture  solutions, but found none satisfactory for all around use. Fine when taking the shot, but in my way in between shots. I finally decided to make a very small peep with a 3/32" hole, and silver brazed it to the tang of my rifle. The photo shows the rear sight still in place, but I filled the rear sight dovetail later with a brass plate. All adjustments are made with the front sight. Works very well, and the peep could be removed at any time and the braze area cleaned up and refinished fairly easy by whoever owns it after me.

[TG]

The pin hole in black tape stuck to the eye glass lens really does work extremely well. I actually have it on a pair of shooting glasses that fit over my regulars. When I'm not actually shooting, I can raise them up out of the way so I can reload, for example

[Kermit]

Straighten a paper clip.
Heat with a torch.
Melt a hole in black electrician's tape--cleaner hole.
Stick on your glasses.

Try finding cheap drugstore "readers" in low powers. Those might help with front sight sharpness, or just might provide inexpensive shooting glasses.

[cable]

these work pretty well for me, have even worn them hunting.   they flip up out of the way completely, then flip down for taking the shot:

http://www.debspecs.com/Bifocal-Clip-On-Flip-Up-Readers100-to-500-P2312.aspx

they are 27.95; i have a couple of pairs, one pair kept in my shooting box.

 "  BIFOCAL CLIP-ON,FLIP-UP magnifying reading glasses. The clip is extra long, to give you extra reading power on the bottom of portion of your eyeglasses. They do not intefere with the prescription on the top part of your glasses. •Hi-quality distortion-free aspheric lenses (see below for further details)
•6 Powers
 •Coated clip won't scratch your glasses
 •Comes with Case
 • NOT WITH GLASSES
•SIZE 1 3/8" X 3 1/2"
 +100, +150, +200, +250, +300, +350, +400, +500 "

[dagner]

  I have on of the gehmann   .it works with very large lenes and basically dead center of the lens. this is more for pistol shooting . it is well made and works well but not for rifle,   go to a all about eyes and have 2 pair made up for 70 bucks .single vision .whats nice is get the second pair made up for computer and leaver them their. .makes reading a lot easyer.you will love at   don't  @$#% around and waste the money on bifocals for shooting glasses. been their done it . if that don't work post a notice for how the guys take a jewelers loop and attach the merit to it so it does not need suck cup. see a couple of the old chunk shooter use them.
dag

[Daryl]

http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=390

That indeed is a good adjustable iris, but mostly designed for pistol or revolver deliberate shooting where the eye is centered in the eye-glass lense.

 If aiming a rifle, that aim is usually taken through the top-left 'zone' of the lens (10 o'clock), which is why the more modern "progressive" lenses are less than useless in aiding iron sight shooting.  Can't see the sights, can't see the target, either.  That area of a progressive lense is out of focus at all ranges and is not your prescription. 

Due to my difficulty with accurate shooting using Progressive lenses, I switched to bi-focals for my last 2 pair of glasses and have my long distance prescription all over, except for the reading/computer focus area.
Yes- the sights are fuzzy, but I can actually see the front, usually, with long barreled guns and the target is clear and sharp with my vision corrected to 20/15 vision.

I can see getting a smoothbore before too awfully long a period of time, so's I can have a built-in excuse for missing- with targets over 30yards away, that is.

[David R. Pennington]

I'd have done a peep sight long ago but they are not permitted in our matches.

[Daryl]

The disk with hole, or as pictured for clamping to eye-glasses might or should be allowed in open sighted competition in my opinion.   It is different than a gun mounted aperture sight buy a long shot. It merely enables the shooter to once again, see his sights as just about ALL of the younger shooters can. 
A gun mounted peep sight, I hold as not being allowed in any open sighted match.

[Bart]

You could also try the Merit Disc. Look up the Merit Corporation in a Google search. Merit uses an adjustable iris like a camera lens, it forces your eye to focus, works like a charm. They offer peep sight inserts and ones that suction-cup right on to your eye glasses along with other attachments.

Bart

[varsity07840]

I use it for target and hunting. It's glued to the frame and safety wired. There is a stop screw to keep the eyepiece in the correct down location.

Duane

[Scota4570]

You can buy pin hole glasses.  They have lots of tiny holes so positioning your head on the stock would not be critical.  I never bought any but, they look usefull.   Google pin hole glasses. 

[Natureboy]

  Look at Peter Alexander's book, "The Gunsmith of Grenville County."  He makes a cheap device of black plastic, burns a hole in it and attaches it to his shooting glasses with an alligator clip.

[Kermit]

Natureboy--do you have a page number for us?

[dagner]

David, I've tried different eyeglass aperture  solutions, but found none satisfactory for all around use. Fine when taking the shot, but in my way in between shots. I finally decided to make a very small peep with a 3/32" hole, and silver brazed it to the tang of my rifle. The photo shows the rear sight still in place, but I filled the rear sight dovetail later with a brass plate. All adjustments are made with the front sight. Works very well, and the peep could be removed at any time and the braze area cleaned up and refinished fairly easy by whoever owns it after me.

that is realy nice way to go
dag