Okay, I give up. Technology must come to my rescue.
Long-time readers know I”ve had issues with my vision for quite some time. I got really excited after the eye surgery, followed by new glasses, because my long-range vision is now dramatically improved. No complaints there.
But good long vision is no help to open-sight rifle shooting if your short-range vision is still shite. Sunday I spent quite a bit of time with my AK, trying to find some way to shoot with my new glasses that didn’t involve strange contortions and it just isn’t happening. I brought out my Browning .308 boltie which is my only scoped rifle, and with that I can still hit. But the Browning isn’t a lot of fun to shoot, I must confess. Plus it needs ammo that doesn’t come in cases imported from Someislamicplaceistan.
So I’m going to do something economically irresponsible and spend some money on the AK. God damn it, what good is improved vision if you still can’t use a rifle?
This is my AK, the World’s Ugliest Carbine. I can put a fixed buttstock on it with no financial outlay – Ian claims to have half a dozen of them and knowing Ian that’s probably conservative. A flat rail won’t cost much. A half-decent long-eye-relief scope will cost a little over $100 that’s coming out of my tire fund. Ouch, but dammit I want to be able to hit targets.
I live in the boondocks, and at the risk of upsetting the gun control crowd sometimes you get into situations you need to shoot your way out of. So far I’ve always been able to do it with pistols, but let me tell you it’s a comfort knowing you’ve got a rifle you can actually use.
I turned 60 years old last month. I’ve had surgery on both eyes. Time to accept that it’s no disgrace not to be able to use iron sights any more.
Here is another option to look at
http://www.tech-sights.com/
I’ve used them on a SKS. Easy to hit with out to 300yds w/ old eyes.
This works, some pistol bullseye shooters use them, but it’s a bit cumbersome:
http://www.meritcorporation.com/index-2.html
There there are these – spectacle loupes:
http://www.behrloupes.com/
Amazon has them as well:
http://www.amazon.com/SE-Loupe-Double-Lens-Clip/dp/B000YMZJX2/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_1_QFNP?ie=UTF8&refRID=1H086KB1P4FGW26W8K3M
Years back, someone made clip-on spectacle loupes for shooters, adapted I’m sure from jeweler’s spectacle loupes, and it came with 4 additional lenses to change the diopters. Clear Sight or something like that.
My prescription eyeglasses work OK for pistol and rifle (although there are limits – my eyes worked a whole lot better 30 years ago….) but my contacts make me so farsighted I can read a newspaper from across the street but can’t read my watch, much less see the front sight clearly, and the instruments on the motorcycle are fuzzy. The cheapo solution to that was a couple of thin plastic “paste-on” reading glass magnifiers from Target stuck to strategic spots on the helmet face shield. Here’s what Amazon has:
http://www.amazon.com/OPTX-20-Stick-On-Bifocals-2-00/dp/B000W7HQCQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399451946&sr=8-1&keywords=paste+on+magnifier
Another one:
http://www.opticsplanet.com/lyman-hawkeye-trade-shooters-optic-aid-3112020.html
I’d suggest getting with your opthamologist and/or optician. Quite a few years back my optician created a pair of shooting glasses for me, using Bausch & Lomb’s Calichrome glass (yellow all the way through) and the right lens (my dominant eye) with an astigmatism axis located in exactly the right place for rifle sights while in a shooting position, and a several diopter difference in that right lens to get the front sight in focus. Had trouble walking in them, but they did improve my shooting. You’ll need to take your guns to the optician with you so he can get eye-to-sight measurements. Depending on the degree of lens alteration needed, it might be possible to have one of your lenses made with the necessary diopter change in a corner of the lens.
Definitely agree with the ‘what good is it if I can’t hit anything with it’ thoughts, my old eyes and ‘buckhorn’ rear sight are beginning to have issues as well. Especially when shooting in the dark backgrounds.
Maybe a red dot sight instead ? Bushnell TRS-25 gets a lot of nods – good value for the price paid.
Check your spam filter. I left you a comment that contained links and it may have wound up there.
If you need a long-eye-relief scout scope, drop me a line – my e-mail address is in my blog profile.
Email sent.
Also, I can’t believe I didn’t have you on my blogroll! Corrected.
I had my presciption updated a couple of months ago. Big change was needed. I can now see the sights on a Mauser! However, I am aquiring scopes and mounts, because I know it is just a matter of time.