These old eyes took two open sighted TCs to the range yesterday. A .45 hawken I picked up last mo, and .50 New Englander . Both w/open sights, (factory.) The .45 really likes 240gr maxi-ball w/80gr goex 3f. 2" groups 52yds!! The New Eng. liked 320gr maxi-ball w/80gr 3f swiss, 2.5 in at 52yds. The 45 also shot .440prb w/80gr 3f goex well. Gonna spend more time w/rbs and that gun later. The .50 N.E. shot 370 maxis 3.5-4 at 52yds. That rifle has some potential also. Also going to try something I read about on another site. A pair of "cheater" reading glasses 1.5x. an old boy said it improved his open site shooting a bunch!!
I know all about old eyes and open sight shooting.. sounds like some great rifles you have there. Good shooting.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
Yeah, I know about them old eyes and open sights too. That's why I comitted a small sidehammer sin and put a scope on my Renegade and New Englander. Can't do with with the GP flintlock though - the ML gods would strike me dead.
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My wife says I'm totally nuts, but I think I'm Semisane.
Things I've Learned: (1) It's not possible to please everyone, but quite easy to piss everyone off. (2) If you love animals as I do, then you're not a vegetarian. (3) There's no need to act stupid, even if you're very good at it. (4) If you eat right and exercise, don't smoke or drink, you're going to die anyway.
Semi; I have 3 sidehammers w/ scopes. Just had to try these that don't have glass. Waiting for Dec. hoping for one of those days when it is about 10 deg, slight wind out of the northwest w/them quarter sized snowflakes drifting down, and a fat whitetail sneaking through the swamp. Then smackem w/a big hunk o lead!!
I have 1X scopes on two of my muzzleloaders for the MUZZLELOADER season. Other wise I have to take one of my other rifles and hunt with open sights. For the modern season I have several muzzleloaders with good glass on them and have no fear of long shots.
That 1X scope is a nice aim point, but really no advantage as far as seeing your target. All it does is make it easier for me to hold the POI in the same place time after time.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
You can commit one to a peep sight, expermint with the sight to see what works for you in different light conditions. I am shooting my hawkins once again since I put the peep sight on it.
Me I like thos really cold frosty mornings with the leaves all frozen and a couple of deer coming thru the hard woods sounds like a marching band stomping down a frozen feild.
Dislike those tea sucer size wet flakes we get so often during deer season here in the lower.
Al
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Garden View Apiaries where the view is as sweet as the honey.
These old eyes took two open sighted TCs to the range yesterday. A .45 hawken I picked up last mo, and .50 New Englander . Both w/open sights, (factory.) The .45 really likes 240gr maxi-ball w/80gr goex 3f. 2" groups 52yds!! The New Eng. liked 320gr maxi-ball w/80gr 3f swiss, 2.5 in at 52yds. The 45 also shot .440prb w/80gr 3f goex well. Gonna spend more time w/rbs and that gun later. The .50 N.E. shot 370 maxis 3.5-4 at 52yds. That rifle has some potential also. Also going to try something I read about on another site. A pair of "cheater" reading glasses 1.5x. an old boy said it improved his open site shooting a bunch!!
I've heard that too. I can't shoot well with open sights anymore with these darn bifocals. Next time I'm near a Wally World or Walgreens I'm gonna pick me up a pair and if they work I'll keep them in my range box.
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You've heard of the three ages of man - youth, middle age, and 'you're looking wonderful'. Francis Cardinal Spellman
If you have to use open sights and they do not allow peep sights there are two other options. There is a rear sight with "wings" curved around the base that helps to clear up the sight picture (forgot the name right now) then there is also the small aperature that sticks to your glasses and gives you a small hole to look through which also clears the sight picture. It is a little more difficult to align and use but the results on the range are really good (better than the rear sight with altered sides). I can use powered scopes so I never tried the stick on aperature on hunting conditions.
ithose curved sights, would those be "buckhorns'? The best group I ever shot w/open sites were with factory TC Hawkens. I filed them to a shallow vee. Like what the old african hunters called "express sights". I might try them again. It seems to "open up" the sight picture.. Filed to approx. 40degrees. that was before I needed trifocals though
I don't know if this really works or not,it may be worth a try for some of you guys..
I used to go to a lot of matchs and at one such match there was an older fellow
shooting an old flint lock rifle..I had noticed it had 3 or 4 different rear dove tail
notches in the barrel..So I had to ask about it..
His answer was to see the rear sight better..He had the dove tails cut over the
years and each time the rear sight moved ahead a few minutes...He claimed it worked well..
Sort of like trying to aim a hand gun up close..Move it out more and the sights clear up..
Old Eyes,open sights!!
