sights for senior eyes

[patkinson]

Does any one have any suggestions for some type of peep sight(adj) that could be adapted to a 40 caliber 13/16  half stock? My old eyes aren't what they use to be.  Thanks  Phil

[galudwig]

Hello Phil,

Here is my setup on my 7/8", .40 Vincent.  Copy of an old Spence sight, I believe. Got mine from Log Cabin Shop in Lodi, OH.  They may still have a few around.





It is adjustable, but it doesn't have "clicks" like other target sights.  I have to keep track of 1/4 and 1/8 turns with a screwdriver and a logbook.  I use it in combination with a Lyman globe front sight with interchangeable discs (use the narrow and wide posts and also the bead).  I also have a Merit disc with adjustable aperture that I'll swap out the Lyman disc with during matches.

[Kermit]

It doesn't come up on their site any more.

[smylee grouch]

You could also look at Taylor Sapergia's (sp) 62 S. Hawken that he made not too far in the past and look over the tang mounted peep he made for it.

[rhbrink]

Paul Warnock makes a copy of that sight his email is Praiser616@aol.com

[Standing Bear]

Jedidiah Starr list them but no pics.  There is a similar product called a Johnson Sight onMuzzleloader Builder Suppl

[Daryl]

These still look pretty good to me, while standard V's and U's are too blurry.

[steg49]

This is what I have done to help my old eyes, I got a pair of one power glasses, then punched a hole (very small) in a piece of black tape and placed it on the glasses so that when I brought the rifle up the hole lined up with the sights.  My sights were now in focas and the target was only slightly fuzzy, improved my shooting. 

[L. Akers]

I suggest you try one of those diopters that clip onto your glasses.  Merit makes one with an adjustable iris that mounts to the glasses lens via a small suction cup.  Other cheaper units usually clip on and have multiple diameter holes in a disc which can be rotated into alignment.  All will do the same thing--increase your depth of field so both sights can be in focus at the same time.  This is what steg49"s piece of tape with a small hole in it did.

[Pete G.]

Anyone ever tried the one that TOW lists?

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/881/1/RS-CA-PEEP-14

[Hungry Horse]

 Tracks peep sight is too far from the eye to work effectively. The sight configuration Daryl shows works the best for me. This is basically the sight recommended by Teddy Roosevelt in his book on shooting. His poor eyesight was legendary, and he had the money to try everything else on the planet. So why reinvent the wheel. Don't let somebody talk you into the Patridge sights, that are a big square front sight, with a big square notched rear sight, they require perfectly clear vision to judge to amount of light on each side of the front sight, and your eyes won't do that anymore.
 Making sure the rear sight is where you can get the clearest sight picture is of the utmost importance. So, stick a little magnet on a rear sight and move it around until you get the clearest sight picture.
 The long taper on the rear sight that leads the eye to the small notch on the sight that Daryl  shows is very important. It makes old, or weak eyes focus better. A bright, or white, front sight will help as well.

   Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

H. Horse is spot-on about the wide V rear sight.  For some reason the bead WANTS to sit in the crotch and not move - it is THERE.  With a U or square notch, even V notch it is easy to get the sight to one side or the other, not in the middle, so you are attempting to align horizontal and vertical & on the target.

With the Wide V, all you have to do is to get the bead on the target and squeeze - it stays locked in the bottom of the V.  There seems no error due to misalignment.

With a bit of experimentation, you can hold the bead level with the wings and have a 100yard zero- or as on my .69, one bead high over the middle, makes the 100yard sighting with the plinking load, or simply raise the 100yard leaf.

With the lighter, 3 dram load of 2F, the sights run 50/100/150 meters.
With the hunting load of 165gr. 2F, they zero 100/150/200 meters.

[Don Steele]

I've been suffering through eyesight "issues" most of my adult life.
To start with, I'm VERY near-sighted...have been since High school. Add to that the natural "Aging eyes" thing and by the time I got well into my 40's, I found I couldn't shoot handguns at all and rifles with irons were too much of a challenge to be worth the trouble.
Sooooo....solutions were needed.
I have a Merritt disc, and Lyman "peep" type target sights to use when allowed.
I also discussed these issues with the Optician that makes my prescription shooting glasses.
http://www.decot.com/
They have a LOT of experience helping older shooters stay on the line.
For my problems, they  made up a special lense for my "strong" eye that basically weakens the prescription just a little and lets that eye see the sights better. My "weak" eye lense still has the regular prescription, which keeps the target in focus.
Keep both eyes open, and the brain figures it out.
This has worked well enough to allow me to shoot handguns again and muzzleloaders with iron sights.
It's a lot of trouble to keep all this stuff straight but it keeps me shooting.  

[Marcruger]

Hi Phil,

This doesn't address your question of a peep sight, but I have a process for shooting any non-telescopic sights that works for me. 

Basically it involves cheap "reading glasses" from WalMart or similar. 

This works for eyes that are aging and make reading things close up harder. 

My reading eyesight went downhill around 40, and it really made me panic over shooting handguns and rifles with open sights.  The sights got fuzzy, and I could no longer clearly see them well enough to shoot. 

I tried a pair of reading glasses, and that was the key.  I have a BAG of reading glasses in my range bag now, of all different strengths, and pull them out and try them until one allows me to see the front sight clearly.  The target is a bit fuzzy, but then, all shooting manuals say it should be.  I use the strength that just gets the sight in focus, but no more. 

Works for me.  If you want the ultimate, figure out the right strength and have it built into a set of bifocals.  Of course that is expensive if your eyes keep changing. 

WalMart reading glasses are cheap.  Just measure how far away the sight is on a certain firearm, and then use a stick or ruler at the store to gauge clarity at that distance.  Those reading glasses are cheap, so it is easy to afford several pairs of differing strength.  I paint a different colored stripe on each to keep track of which is which. 

Hope this helps someone.  Best wishes,   Marc

[Dennis Glazener]

WalMart reading glasses are cheap.

Yep and Dollar Stores even cheaper
Dennis

[Natureboy]

  I"ve gone the reading glass route, too.  I use +1.5 for normal walking around, and +2 seems to make both sights sharp, but the target a bit fuzzy way out there.  This has been a matter of discussion with fellow members of my BP club, and we came up with a consensus that as long as the gun goes bang and the lead flies downrange, the rest is gravy.

[wet willy]

Low cost readers are the way to go if you have no other issues.

If you've not done so recently, visit an MD to check for macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, etc, any of which can cause shooting & vision problems.

Both front and rear sights should be crisp and clear and in focus. Less important is some target bluriness. Slight misalignment of the sights is magnified over the distance to the target. Misalignment on the target because it is slightly blurry and out-of-focus, perhaps 6" at 100 yards, only results in the shot being 6" off. Misalignment of the sights in the firearm of 0.01" could result in a 36" deviation.

A pin-hole aperture a few inches from the eye can add crispness to the front sight, but not much to the target. (Modern target rifle shooters use adjustable pinhole sights called variable diopters to assure clear sights.) This sort of sight is inconsistent with period M/L, but you may find inexpensive readers will improve your shooting with period correct sights.

[Squirrel pizza]

I can't post pics from my iPhone but I'll email some. Good luck, Mike

[Topknot]

Phil, I will tell you my set-up and it works for me just great. I use the lyman peep sights, both front sights and rear sights. Been using them for the last 10 to 15 years. I am totally satisfied with them.

                                                                    topknot

[Greyfeather]

For those who might be interested in the P. I. Spence sight. Log Cabin has them in stock again. I have a new one that arrived last Friday, nicely made. I don't know if they are catalogued, I called and it shipped the following day.

[Fyrstyk]

I like the PI Spence peep sight, but once installed itis difficult to remove the hooked breech barrel for cleaning with out removing the sight, which ten required re-sighting in.

[JohnnyFM]

Thumbs up to Darryl and Hungry Horse.  I like this rear sight; makes sense to me.  Think I'll try it on my Virginia rifle gun that's in progress.  I ain't gettin' any younger.  And this type of sight seems to "fit in" with an 18th century flintlock more so than a peep.  I'll just use one leaf though.
BTW, has anyone ever seen a horse that wasn't hungry?

[Daryl]

 Brownells (& other places) sells a bunch that will dovetail into a barrel. Many of TRACK's sights can easily be filed into wide V sights.

http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/sights/rear-sights/express-sight-prod9640.aspx

[JohnnyFM]

Thank you for the link and info, Daryl.

[Daryl]

I just ordered a  bunch of taller single blade sights from Track - for making 'express-type' sights for my flinters.
This is one of them, with a base that can be fit to whatever width dovetail you have.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/880/1/RS-DRU-LCT

This is another:

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/880/1/RS-DRU-LCT

Another:

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/880/1/RS-DRU-LCT

Another, with very little filing necessary:

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/881/1/RS-PA-11