Backup open sights
- Thread starter DOUGLAS D
- Start date
I've had enough slips and falls in the Mountains to prefer iron sights in steep places.
Plus scopes are added weight, cost, and "awkwardness".
I'll admit I don't typically shoot beyond 200 yards with irons. And I do have a few scoped rifles.
I'm always surprised by guys that have nice rifles with good glass and then a crappy set of field glasses around their neck.
Plus scopes are added weight, cost, and "awkwardness".
I'll admit I don't typically shoot beyond 200 yards with irons. And I do have a few scoped rifles.
I'm always surprised by guys that have nice rifles with good glass and then a crappy set of field glasses around their neck.
Pouring rain on a West Coast Blacktail hunt. I couldn't see through it, so I pulled off the scope. A few minutes later my best Blacktail buck walked out into a clearing right in front of me. About 50-75 yards. I had to shoot quickly because he was about to disappear behind a stump. He went down, got up again, and disappeared into a bush. Difficult blood tailing in all that rain but I soon found him dead.
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- Location
- Western Manitoba
As per above - I have the smaller M8-6x36 on three heavier caliber rifles - 338 Win Mag, 300 H&H and 308 Norma Mag. Some years ago I started to practice rifle shooting with both eyes open - is possible that the off eye closes when the shot goes off - my last elk taken (with horns) was at about 100 yards, in the bush, with the .338 Win Mag - I saw its chest cave in at the bullet impact - so at least one eye was open for that - I do not remember if I saw that though the scope, or with my off eye.
My 9.3x62 has a Leupold M8-3X. The 458 Win Mag has a Leupold 2.5X but I do not remember which model. I have a Swede CG63 with 16X SWFA with Mil-Quad reticle and 0.1 mil turret clicks on it - I just received a 20X SWFA that maybe will be swapped out with that one. Not really a hunting rifle, nor are they ideal hunting scopes, for me.
I grew up on irons and shot them so much on small game for half a life before the big game started, shot a 4x scoped 308 so poorly they handed me an iron sight 30-06 and did popcan bottom size groups at 100 so off we went, 3 years and 3 amazing one shot animals to start the party. Eyes don't like irons now though and with todays reflex sights options including battery free...no need for irons at all, choice would be reflex sight every time now having played with one on a real rifle out to 400 on steel. To the guy who killed a deer at 50 when his scope was off, coulda done that with a smooth barrel too, just look down the barrel. 
To the guy who killed a deer at 50 when his scope was off, coulda done that with a smooth barrel too, just look down the barrel.
So....no real reason for iron sights at all?...or a scope?...if close range bush hunting, just use a bare barrel?...............Right.
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If by close you mean a couple feet than yes. If by close you mean 50-70yds it would be doable but would be very inconsistent.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
From my experience shooting slugs at 50-100, that isn’t the case. I have no problem putting slugs on a 8.5x11” target, and there’s just the bead no rear sight. As long as your cheek weld and head position is consistent.
We can shoot pretty danged consistently with smoothbore flint trade guns and patched round balls at 100-125 yards with just a front shotgun style bead.
No reason at all it can't be done with a rifled barrel and a jacketed bullet.
Cat
My experience shows that many at the range cant hit the broad side of a barn door with actual sights and sometimes even scopes.... let alone missing deer with scoped rifles at under 150 yds... obviously there are goo and even great shooters among us but there are also a lot of spray and pray guys as well lol
ended up on an impromptu gopher shoot with some buds and a loaner .22, as I had the most time on .22's and irons in the group I chose last on the rifle that had no sights, took a few to figure out where it hit but ran the day just fine with the poor old beat up rig, give it a try, you might be surprised, it only takes a few to figure out where it hits in relation to the top edge of the barrel, its just a different reference point, rear alignment is pretty consistent when you have to get down low along the barrel (like shotgunning with a bead)...a deer or bear inside 50 wouldn't be a problem
