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-   -   Should i take my iron sights off? (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/black-powder/341323-should-i-take-my-iron-sights-off.html)

Iowabucks44 03-03-2011 01:30 PM

Should i take my iron sights off?
 
Hey everyone, i have a Knight LK93 with a scope on top. I used to have the see through scope mounts and decided to get rid of them to get the scope closer to the barrel. Now that i have the scope close to the barrel it looks like the iron sights would be an obstruction.

I don't see the sights at all in the scope right now, but would i be better off taking the sights off? Maybe get more light into the scope.

What do most people do in this situation?


pluckit 03-03-2011 01:52 PM

Yes. But you should plug the screw holes with the mounting screws or plug screws if you can find them. Obviosly that sight is useless to you now. You sure got that sope down tight to the barrel.

Muley Hunter 03-03-2011 02:02 PM

I'd take it off. It looks a bit goofy now.:confused0024:

sabotloader 03-03-2011 02:27 PM


Originally Posted by Iowabucks44 (Post 3781460)
I don't see the sights at all in the scope right now, but would i be better off taking the sights off? Maybe get more light into the scope.

What do most people do in this situation?

I am not sure about most people, but I guess I am a 75/25 person, about 75% of the time I take them off mostly because they interfer with the scope. 25% of them still have the iron sights on because they do not interfer with the scope or the vision from the scope. The other thing that would make me take them off is if I could not get scope covers on.



Thinks it comes down to personal preferences...

gman57 03-03-2011 02:32 PM

I always remove the iron sights because I use low mounts also, but thats super lowlooks like it would have to somehow interfere with the scope.

MountainDevil54 03-03-2011 03:10 PM

take 'em off, just more for the brush to snag on.

onetohunt 03-03-2011 03:44 PM

I like a plain barrel with the scope so I would take them off. I have to agree gman, that sight has got to be in the sight picture of your scope.

MountainDevil54 03-03-2011 03:48 PM

With the scope set at high power you shouldnt even see it, but back it down to 3x as you will see the blurry-fuzz outline of it. I removed my front sight off my Optima due to that. Removing the Apex' front sight here in a bit. That bushnell is blurry enough as it is LOL.

cayugad 03-03-2011 04:52 PM

Well I guess someone has to be different. I leave the rear sight on if it does not interfere with the scope bell. You will never see the sights. You never loose that rear sight in all your gear. And you do not have to plug holes. The reason I leave the sights on the rifle...

Out hunting back in the middle of no where, and you drop the rifle and damage the scope or knock it out of wack. Do you call it a day, or since I use quick release mounts, take the scope off and hunt with the iron sights? I take the scope off and can still hunt. Also some states do not allow scopes. If you were headed to such a place, all you do it take the scope off and hunt with the sights. I make sure they are dead on also.

Muley Hunter 03-03-2011 04:55 PM


Originally Posted by cayugad (Post 3781568)
Well I guess someone has to be different. I leave the rear sight on if it does not interfere with the scope bell. You will never see the sights. You never loose that rear sight in all your gear. And you do not have to plug holes. The reason I leave the sights on the rifle...

Out hunting back in the middle of no where, and you drop the rifle and damage the scope or knock it out of wack. Do you call it a day, or since I use quick release mounts, take the scope off and hunt with the iron sights? I take the scope off and can still hunt. Also some states do not allow scopes. If you were headed to such a place, all you do it take the scope off and hunt with the sights. I make sure they are dead on also.

Or, you could carry the rear sight in your pack, and hope you never drop the rifle on the scope. :)

ronlaughlin 03-03-2011 05:15 PM

When one drops one's rifle, the most vulnerable thing on the whole rifle is the front sight. I cannot begin to count how many times i have fellen whilst hunting. It seems like hundreds, but perhaps only one hundred. I have never damaged my scope. Once, i damaged the front sight, which i had to have on the rifle, because we cannot use optics during our muzzle loader season.

SuperKirby 03-04-2011 04:57 AM

Only having a spare sight with you still ruins your hunt for that morning or afternoon at best. Having it on the gun and sighted in is your best bet to not miss any hunting time in the event of scope failure.

Muley Hunter 03-04-2011 06:24 AM


Originally Posted by SuperKirby (Post 3781772)
Only having a spare sight with you still ruins your hunt for that morning or afternoon at best. Having it on the gun and sighted in is your best bet to not miss any hunting time in the event of scope failure.

Has this happen to you?

I've been hunting for 60 years and never had it.

sabotloader 03-04-2011 06:31 AM

Muley Hunter

I have had scopes fog up internally in the rotten weather, with the open sights remaining I could just remove the scope and continue hunting.

With the scopes I tend to use now days, It would surprise me a bunch if that were to happen, but way back when I as a kid it happen on rare occasions.

But, even now there are some folks still using tip-off mounts or even see through mounts just so the can still use the irons on occasion. I am not sure why but it happens.

Muley Hunter 03-04-2011 07:01 AM

To be honest. I've never removed the iron sights.

I've just never had to use them because of scope failure. I guess i'm lucky.

Gm54-120 03-04-2011 07:49 AM

On some i do remove them and others i dont. If you can get a solid metal front site then damage is less likely vs a fiber optic insert type. I do sight in mine first at 50 yards then i mount a scope. If they don't get in the way, i leave them on my still hunting and stalking guns.

The guns i use mainly for range fun and for hunting longer ranges, i almost always remove them.

sabotloader 03-04-2011 08:08 AM


Originally Posted by Muley Hunter (Post 3781842)
To be honest. I've never removed the iron sights.

I've just never had to use them because of scope failure. I guess i'm lucky.

As I said I am about a 75-25% person. On most I do on other I do not.

In the old days (my younger days) the price of the scope detirmened what i used, because even the cheapest ones were as good as the good ones - so you can tell the quality of scope I had.... I even still have a couple that the cross-hairs move in the scope as you adjust them. The scope hair + could be anywhere in the lens - today I can not believe I used them.

cayugad 03-04-2011 09:08 AM

Have I ever had the need to pull a scope??

I once took a heck of a spill down an steep incline. Never damaged the sights, but broke the stock on the Renegade. It should have been on video. Steep hill, snow covered, and rotten moss under that snow... I hunted with that rifle anyway because I was not aware of the hair line crack behind the tang until after hunting season. T/C replaced the stock free of charge, and the barrel shot the same place in the new stock as it did in the old one.

Another time I was sitting in a blind and saw a deer walking in, and looked through the scope (my 30-06 with no sights) and discovered the scope was so fogged over I could hardly make out the deer. I waiting until it was almost on me, and shot where I thought the shoulder was.. well it was a little far back lets say. But I got the deer. Back at camp that evening, I took the scope off, and shot the scope with the rifle. I was young foolish, a little upset, but glad I got the deer.

Was at a hunting camp and had someone knock my scoped rifle over accidentally. I knew the scope was damaged, because you ever look through a scope and something does not look right. The next day when I took a practice shot before heading out. It was way off. So instead of blasting away to sight in my rifle and loose hunting time, and ruin everyone's hunt, I pulled the scope and hunted with the open sights. I did get my deer that afternoon.

I was on my range shooting my White .504. The T/C Hawkins 1x32mm fogged on me. I pulled that and spend the day shooting the open sights. T/C replaced the fogged scope with out question.

Two days before deer season, my nephew decided to do me a favor (he was very young) and wipe down my 30-06. He took the back bell off my Bushnell 4x32mm Banner, which released the gas Bushnell told me (this scope replaced the one that I shot) and it fogged. No sights on the rifle, so I ended up hunting opening morning with my 7.7 Japanese Arisika bolt action with a peep sight on it.

The only rifles I broke the front sight on was the Mountain Stalker that FG now has, it fell over and the fiber optics broke. And the one that Corey sold me.. the New Englander, It slid away from the shooting bench, and the long thin front sight got bent. I straightened it and the rifle shot fine.

One of my friends had (and we laughed until we almost cried) bought a new Winchester model 94 to go deer hunting with us. He was so proud of that rifle. I shot a nice deer that morning with my scoped 30-06 and he walked over to look at it. That's when I pointed out to him that he had no front sight on his rifle. He was needless to say, upset. So we traded rifles since I could not shoot any more deer.

I leave the sights on if they do not interfere with the scope mounted. I have my history for my reasons.

Muley Hunter 03-04-2011 09:40 AM

Damn cayugad! You got all the bad luck I didn't get.


Now watch me destroy my scope the next time I hunt. :(

Poor Man 03-04-2011 04:38 PM

Na trade er in for a hawkin and make it a chalenge with iron sights.haha

Muley Hunter 03-05-2011 07:39 AM


Originally Posted by Poor Man (Post 3782094)
Na trade er in for a hawkin and make it a chalenge with iron sights.haha

Been there. Done that.

Eye sight is too bad to do it anymore.


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