Hit the range yesterday with my neighbor J. He had some cousins visiting from [unnamed Eastern European country where guns are banned], so of course we had to show them a good time American-style. Brought all the toys, and did everything from basic safety tips with a .22 to blasting tacky knights-in-armor with 12-gauge slugs. Which, by the way, is good clean insane fun.
And I noticed – not for the first time – that I couldn’t hit anything with open sights. It’s not that my technique has gotten so much worse through lack of practice, because I borrowed J’s scoped bolty and was clanging Darrel-the-Cop’s metallic target at 200 yards every shot. But I can’t hit what I can’t see, and with open sights I can’t see. Long ago I went to lining up my pistol with my left eye which improved my handgun marksmanship substantially. But my right eye has gotten worse than I realized.
I can:
– Finally train myself to shoot left-handed, which I’ve always avoided.
– Get new glasses, and where’s the money for that going to come from?
– Live with it. Which is what I’ve been doing.
I’ll probably go with #3, but I hate the knowledge that I’m just no damned good with a rifle anymore.
I hear you, Joel. I was born legally blind and only recently (last 7 years) got lens implants when my cataracts got bad. But I still need new glasses to really see a target more than 50 yards away without at lest a poor scope. And right now my pellet rifle is the only gun I own with a scope!
As for handguns, I’ve gone mostly to point and shoot. Out to 20 feet or so, I do as well that way as I ever did with the sights. And I figure that in an emergency I’d probably need to shoot as soon as I clear leather anyway. Just a thought…
Joel, Learning to shoot left handed is not that big of a deal. After a few dozen draw strokes and a couple hundred rounds the extreme awkward feeling abates. It will take awhile to obtain real competence Practicing drawing and manual of arms with an unloaded gun helps a lot and can be done indoors anytime. Like you, I always avoided the pain of trying it but then I took an instructor level course that required it I was surprised at how easy it really was. Go for it buddy, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I don’t have to see it to hit it, I just have to know where it is. 🙂
Getting an eye exam is the expensive part. Although Walmart frequently discounts for a basic exam. For glasses try here:
http://www.zennioptical.com/
I paid $25 delivered for a new pair of bifocals. Decent frames and lenses.
I’ll second Zenni. Good glasses(not spectacular, but good) cheap. The last pair I got from Zenni was 10 times better than the much more expensive no line bifocals I got at Lens Crafters. The Zenni version were the memory metal type that you can bend. I bend them. I think they were $30.
I found one caveat with Zenni was you need to make sure the tiny little screws are tight and a daub of thread locker is a good idea.
Also….Mojo Sights for that AK if you don’t already have them. They are awesome for fast acquisition. Not awesome for tack driving at 100 yards but not many AKs are anyway, especially with that Polish wire stock.
I have the opposite problem that you do with some things.
With pistols I’m ambidextrous….with autos I do better right handed, and some wheelguns I do better southpaw…but I use my right eye. With glasses, my left eye is better, but without it’s my right.
I’ve tried rifles southpaw with my left eye but it’s awkward. An AK works…but without glasses I can’t see the sights easy, I do the (heard about it pre doosh ) Suarez “Caveman Eotech”* with the front sight ears…which works but not far away.
And, since watching Beyond the Firearm 2…well, that guy is about 17 times faster than I am in every regard, but transitions to pistol, mag changes, he shows going about twenty ways to do
*In the interest of disclosure, I used to be a fan of Gabe Suarez. Some of the techniques with pistol and rifle I’ve found useful. Like the Caveman EOTech, and some of the other material I figured out he sorta…borrowed…from somebody else. And he sorta…um, well, my best friend had an issue with a rifle he bought from there plus some other stuff, and to top it off, we had Mr. Ex Only One acting like he still was one. That kinda killed it for me. And he’s going Snob with AK’s being crap and only going Aitch und Kay or Seeg are worthwhile.
If I had the computer savvy, I think I’d start a “Suarez Refugee” forum for folk who ran away from there. Sig Snob Suarez I called him the other day talking to a buddy of mine.
Joe and Buck: Thanks for the information! I may have some extra money coming in soon, and having thought it over it’s clear I need new glasses. My plan is to go to the Wal-Mart in the nearby big town, get an eye exam, then get a couple of pairs of glasses made in this century.
(damn_whippersnapper)
It’s all right – Joel – someone has to hold the horses!
(/damn_whippersnapper)