I just this past year got my first gun with a scope and the only reason I got it was because it came with it. My grandfather could strike matches with a 22 using iron sights and could shoot 22 short casings of a watermelon without marking the skin at a distance where even at the young age of 12 I could barely see the casing and I had excellent vision and he was in his 70's, he was a waterman on the Chesapeake bay and in the days when it was legal would shoot ducks on the water in the head when he was oystering.

There are advantages to iron sights and disadvantages, low light levels and long distances are some of the disadvantages, the advantages are the ability to be on target in a split second,in close, and on a moving target. How many times have you heard a guy with a scope say "The deer was in so close that when I put the scope on him all I could see was fur!", that is not a problem with iron sights.

I prefer my iron sights in most cases, but will admit at a distnace or in low light situation the scope has its place also.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club