bjones or micro sight?

D

DarthNul

New member
I'm new to high power service rifle as of a few months ago. My eyes are old enough that I can't focus well on the front sight of my AR-15 with my "normal" glasses. I've been using my "computer" glasses the last few weeks and it's helped a bit although the target 200 yards out is a bit fuzzy.

I'm looking to replace my rear A-2 sight (currently a DPMS national match aperture around .042 and no hood) with either a micro sight http://www.sbsdistributing.com/index.php?pr=MicroSight or a bjones setup.

Two questions:

Which might be better at 200 yards? That's all we shoot at at my home range. Reduced size targets are used for prone, sitting and rapid fire. I have no illusions achieving great distinction in this hobby. I just want to do my best and have fun (and the better I do, the more fun I have).

With the bjones sight, do I order a lens that lets me focus on the front sight with my "normal" glasses, or to replace my glasses? I'm hoping it's not the latter due to astigmatism that straight diopter correction won't handle. If it's the former, how exactly do I determine the correct lens strength? Make an appointment with my optometrist, or check out the reading glasses at Walgreens while trying to focus on something as far away as my front sight? I'm guessing the other customers wouldn't appreciate it if I brought my AR over there...

Ideally I'd like to be able to switch between left and right handed shooting without changing lenses in the rear sight.
 
Bob Jones will talk to you and help you decide what lens strength to order, but I do not think his lenses handle astigmatism. I used one of his lenses for a while and wound up going to shooting glasses with the right prescription (and astigmatism), and a plain aperture.

However, I eventually did try the Microsight and, while it took some getting used to, it really, really works for me. With it the front sight is totally in focus and the target is usable - the aiming black does not fade and become invisible. With it I've shot my best 200 yard standing scores in years. It makes things a little darker - it is best on bright days - but it beats having to strain to see the front post, and then "jump" on the trigger when it comes into focus (and pull the shot into the 6 or 7 ring).

To use the Microsight you need glasses with your regular "distance" and astigmatism corrections - your street glasses will work fine - but I got a lens with the right prescription for my shooting glasses. I use Decot shooting glasses (sportglasses.com) - because the lenses are large so it does not matter if you are looking through the exact center (i.e. in prone).

The Microsight is not usable in the rain - you need to unscrew it and screw in an aperture - but we do not shoot in the rain, it destroys the target cardboard.

Note: I am not affiliated with Decot or Microsight, just a satisfied customer.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Andrew
 
I haven't used the Bob Jones so I can't comment. I went with the Microsight after looking through one on a friends rifle. I love it. It has made a tremendous difference. Front sight is now clear and the aiming black doesn't blur into near uselessness. I'd estimate it's worth 15 or so points to me.

I used to have a fuzzy aperture, fuzzy sight blade, and fuzzy target. Makes lining them all up problematic, to say the least. Now at least the sight is sharp and the target is sharpish.
 
Thanks for the replies!

BobCat45: Do you use the same aperture size with the micro sight that you would use without it? It seems that the micro sight would eliminate the need to go to a smaller aperture just to pick up more depth of focus, and a larger aperture would let in more light in less than bright conditions...
 
No, the Microsight comes in a hood, with a relatively large aperture, and I use it as-is. It has a "screwdriver" notch to tighten it into the sight leaf;a dime works for a screwdriver.

I used a 0.042" or 0.036" aperture for max depth of field without the Microsight, and keep the 0.042" hood in the rifle case, "just in case" - but haven't had to switch back to it. Small apertures like that give you "spider weds" - there is a name for the optical effect that escapes me right now.

The threads on the Microsight hood are the same as what White Oak and some others use for their sight leaves and hoods, but I think the Bob Jones threads are different, and Compass Lake different from both.
 
When I was still physically able able to shoot service rifle category before I became disabled, I acquired one of Bob's lenses for both my AR and M1A. They slide into the rear sight hood and are held in place by an "O" ring. The nice thing about his lenses are that the rifle can still be shot as a service rifle, and you can still use your glasses. They are not a replacement for your glasses.
 
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