Irons

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ligonierbill

New member
Seems like everyone mounts a scope on whatever they have, including 30-30s and such. Guess I'm no different - last year I sold a Marlin 32 Special that had a 2.5 Weaver with a post reticle. I liked that gun, but I think that we are regressing by leaving a classic shooting skill behind. (Or maybe I'm just getting cocky since I had my cataracts fixed.) Being a "senior citizen" aka "old curmudgeon", I grew up with aperture sights. Oh, I have plenty of scopes. Even with my bionic lenses, I doubt I could reliably down game beyond 150 yards. But I think I'll work on it. What do you think?
 
I still shoot iron sight, but prefer a lot of bright day light with distinct targets. Instead of shooting small groups on paper, which I can still do with some help, I shoot for hit rate on target, say 8"x11" paper at 300yd with wind.

No fun getting old. Iron used to be a piece of cake when I was younger.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
Well not all "iron sights" are created equal. Some are way more precise in the ability to place a well aimed shot than others. Shooting 10 meter air rifle will be a great way to practice shooting with sights.

A regular buckhorn style on a .30-30 rifle won't be capable much beyond 100 yards for the average shooter. Aperture sights will greatly improve you chances of a precisely aimed shot much further. An AR-15 aperature and post is a pretty basic sighting system and a lot of shooters can consistently hit center mass at 300 meters from multiple shooting positions. Barrel mounted ladder and rear reciver or tang mounted sights will also increase your ability to shoot longer distances. Then there are even more precise competition level sights that are capable of long range shooting.
 
A lot of people who can't hit much with aperture sights simply have not done a lot of shooting with that sight.

With practice you can do amazing things with the old peep sight.
 
The US military has been using peep sights on their rifles as standard since the WWI era. The system is adequate (and usually better than adequate), simple, easy to learn and easy to use. If it wasn't we wouldn't still be using it.

Admittedly, shooters in their teens and 20s generally do better, and use them easier than those of us 30, 40, or 50+ years older do. That's life.
 
I have to cheat when shooting groups. Around the paper target I tape horizontal/vertical lines of blue masking tape. The lines point to the bullseye in the middle. That way I just use the lines as to line up the sights.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
I am not a scope guy. I have a few scoped rifles, because they didn’t come with iron sights. I shoot a lot of lever action rifles, military bolt actions and semiautos, all with iron sights. I shoot in military high power matches, all open sights. The 200 yard targets are still easy but the 600’s are pretty fuzzy these days. I like to shoot from the bench to see how well I can still do with various guns, but also like to do more practical rifle shooting, standing unsupported and just try to keep all shots on paper (or human silhouette) at 100 yards. I call it, minute of German. I have never worn corrective lens glasses and feel like my eyesight is still pretty good compared to a lot of people my age. My main problem shooting standing isn’t eyesight, it’s holding still.
 
I noticed about 15 years ago that my skill with irons had substantially diminished, and I made a point to shoot with them more.
I am still doing so today. I just bought another .22 rifle with Lyman globe sights, and intend to use it in NRL22 and PRS22 matches. (Where dialable scopes reign supreme.)

I love shooting irons, even if my eyes aren't as good any more. And I have been doing very well with them, the last few years. I want to continue.
I need to maintain the skill.

I have had discussions about losing iron sight skill with several shooters, and a few have realized that maybe they should work on it, even if they only compete with scopes. Maintaining multiple skills is never a bad thing.
 
peeps

My ability to shoot irons well began to diminish about age 50-55. Prior that, I had exceptional, frequently tested vision. It was first notable in handguns, then short barreled carbines, and now nearly everything.

I can still manage peeps on a longer barrel, my Mossberg M44 and the Garand, but not as well as I used to and not nearly as well at any distance. Use of a low powered reading glasses helps, even with a peep, provided the target is large enough and not to distant.

I would agree that a scope spoils the looks of a lot of classic rifles, but you do what ya gotta to to hit. Heck, I've got a scope on turkey shotguns.........and still manage to miss.......some.:confused:
 
I still shoot iron sites on my savage 99. It’s pretty much a 150 yard or less deer hunting gun for me. Anything more than that, my 50yr old eyes aren’t up to it anymore. My bl22 still has irons on it. I can still wack a squirrel at 50 yards with it.
 
i'll chime in; it's not cheating for me to use a scope, i'm what is called legally blind. but i do love to shoot and do pretty good out to about 1400yds.

i wish i could still shoot long range.
 
I have a Marlin 336 with a full buckhorn and a 36 and 39 with Williams 5D receiver sights.
If I were to scope any of these (and I’m not ;)) it would be a 1” objective lower powered scope in the lowest Redfield or Leupold rings and bases.
My 77-44 has a Compact Leopold 2.5 heavy duplex shotgun scope, this would make a nice lever gun scope in my opinion.
 
Optics literally do everything better. They are even faster on target as long as you avoid a lot of magnification. But good quality iron sights can come pretty darn close to the same accuracy, in good light.

The biggest advantage to a conventional scope is allowing the shooter to see the target in poor light. You can't hit what you can't see, or if you can't see the sights.

All of my serious hunting and SD rifles have optics. But I still have some rifles with irons that I shoot often enough to be proficient.

IMO it's a skill that should be developed even though it may rarely be needed. Much like driving a manual shift vehicle. Everyone should at least know how.
 
tangolima said:
I have to cheat when shooting groups. Around the paper target I tape horizontal/vertical lines of blue masking tape. The lines point to the bullseye in the middle. That way I just use the lines as to line up the sights.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


Like it. Clever hack for aging eyes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I shoot irons almost exclusively, honestly. Most of my recreational shooting is with C&R rifles, revolvers, and black powder.

I am developing astigmatism in my dominant eye. It has made focusing on the front sight post more challenging. I still can, but once I do I have a few seconds before eye fatigue sets in and everything gets blurry. I have to look over the sights and blink a few times to kinda "reset." I still make do, and will continue to.
 
5whiskey said:
I shoot irons almost exclusively, honestly. Most of my recreational shooting is with C&R rifles, revolvers, and black powder.

I am developing astigmatism in my dominant eye. It has made focusing on the front sight post more challenging. I still can, but once I do I have a few seconds before eye fatigue sets in and everything gets blurry. I have to look over the sights and blink a few times to kinda "reset." I still make do, and will continue to.
Click to expand...
I believe I'm having the same problem. Need to update progressive prescription lenses at least once every 2 years. I tell the opthalmologist that I need to focus 30" in front of me for work.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
I have double astigmatism--among other illnesses. We all gotta go sometime is the way I see it. If someone doesn't like scopes on my stuff--boo hoo for them.
 
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