I talked to them today at SRS Tactical and they really recommend the MSA Sordin Supreme Pro series. The IV or V. Not inexpensive. I wear a plugin electronic noise cancelling headset at work. Sennheiser, talk about pricey, right up there with a used Sig 226. Works great though. Lets you have a normal conversation in a high noise enviroment without removing the headset. Thanks for all the input!
Eyes and ears
- Thread starter DSG03
- Start date
My sons are both using the AOSafety yellow lens goggles they got at Target Sports for like $15ea, have a look next time you are there.
I got my prescription safeties from clearlycontacts dot ca for $70 shipped.
Dan asked:
Ganderite,
I am also looking for prescription glasses for shooting sports.
How are your glasses different than just ordinary prescription glasses?
How did you go about it and do you have any advice for someone who needs prescription glasses for the range?
Sorry for digression, but this might probably interest many others.
Regards,
Dan
As you know, it is critical that the front sight of a rifle or pistol is in focus. As we age, the eye gets stiffer and the muscles can't reshape it for close focus. This is when we start holding documents at arm’s length, so we can better focus.
Then we break down and get reading glasses or bifocals, so we can focus at close range – say 12” to 30”.
I have had bi-focals for about 15 years and thought I was OK. For rifle shooting I went to longer barrels to get the front sight farther out. My barrels are 32”, and if I was to get serious about rifle, I would go to a bloop tube to push the sight out another 6”.
I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, and found I was getting a stiff neck tilting my head back all the time to see out the bottom of the bi-focals. So I went to my optical guy and had a pair of single-prescription glasses made that were almost 100% like my bottom bi-focal lens. I think we changed the prescription by about a quarter diopter so they focused at 36” (the computer screen) and back to about 18”. My regular bifocal lens will focus from about 12” to about 30”.
One day, while sitting her at my desk, playing with a pistol, I discovered that I could see the sights much sharper than usual. I was wearing my computer glasses. Flash! Why don’t I wear these at the range for pistol shooting? I tried them, and found I could see the sights very sharply, but the target was a hopeless blur.
What I needed was a lens that had a close focus distance of 30”, not a far focus of 30”. So I went back the optics guy with a 1911 slide and tried different diopters until the sights were just barely in focus. Anything closer is blurry. In this way the target is as sharp as it can be, given the need to focus my eye at 30”.
My pistol shooting glasses is a regular cheap frame with plastic lenses (for safety). The left lens is my standard bifocal lens, so I can see at a distance and up close (loading mags, etc.) The right lens is a single prescription lens that just barely brings 30” into focus.
Total cost $60.
Here is what they look like. Nothing special, except only one lens is a bifocal. Other is set up to focus just beyond my hand.
Ganderite,
I am also looking for prescription glasses for shooting sports.
How are your glasses different than just ordinary prescription glasses?
How did you go about it and do you have any advice for someone who needs prescription glasses for the range?
Sorry for digression, but this might probably interest many others.
Regards,
Dan
As you know, it is critical that the front sight of a rifle or pistol is in focus. As we age, the eye gets stiffer and the muscles can't reshape it for close focus. This is when we start holding documents at arm’s length, so we can better focus.
Then we break down and get reading glasses or bifocals, so we can focus at close range – say 12” to 30”.
I have had bi-focals for about 15 years and thought I was OK. For rifle shooting I went to longer barrels to get the front sight farther out. My barrels are 32”, and if I was to get serious about rifle, I would go to a bloop tube to push the sight out another 6”.
I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, and found I was getting a stiff neck tilting my head back all the time to see out the bottom of the bi-focals. So I went to my optical guy and had a pair of single-prescription glasses made that were almost 100% like my bottom bi-focal lens. I think we changed the prescription by about a quarter diopter so they focused at 36” (the computer screen) and back to about 18”. My regular bifocal lens will focus from about 12” to about 30”.
One day, while sitting her at my desk, playing with a pistol, I discovered that I could see the sights much sharper than usual. I was wearing my computer glasses. Flash! Why don’t I wear these at the range for pistol shooting? I tried them, and found I could see the sights very sharply, but the target was a hopeless blur.
What I needed was a lens that had a close focus distance of 30”, not a far focus of 30”. So I went back the optics guy with a 1911 slide and tried different diopters until the sights were just barely in focus. Anything closer is blurry. In this way the target is as sharp as it can be, given the need to focus my eye at 30”.
My pistol shooting glasses is a regular cheap frame with plastic lenses (for safety). The left lens is my standard bifocal lens, so I can see at a distance and up close (loading mags, etc.) The right lens is a single prescription lens that just barely brings 30” into focus.
Total cost $60.
Here is what they look like. Nothing special, except only one lens is a bifocal. Other is set up to focus just beyond my hand.
Last edited:
I think 4 something. Not bad at all, considering. It was a few years ago now. He did a great job too. - dan
Thank you!
Ganderite,
Thanks very much for the effort.
That was an exceptionally informative posting, I am sure it will be appreciated by many.
Regards,
Dan
Dan asked:
Ganderite,
I am also looking for prescription glasses for shooting sports.
How are your glasses different than just ordinary prescription glasses?
How did you go about it and do you have any advice for someone who needs prescription glasses for the range?
Sorry for digression, but this might probably interest many others.
Regards,
Dan
As you know, it is critical that the front sight of a rifle or pistol is in focus. As we age, the eye gets stiffer and the muscles can't reshape it for close focus. This is when we start holding documents at arm’s length, so we can better focus.
Then we break down and get reading glasses or bifocals, so we can focus at close range – say 12” to 30”.
I have had bi-focals for about 15 years and thought I was OK. For rifle shooting I went to longer barrels to get the front sight farther out. My barrels are 32”, and if I was to get serious about rifle, I would go to a bloop tube to push the sight out another 6”.
I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, and found I was getting a stiff neck tilting my head back all the time to see out the bottom of the bi-focals. So I went to my optical guy and had a pair of single-prescription glasses made that were almost 100% like my bottom bi-focal lens. I think we changed the prescription by about a quarter diopter so they focused at 36” (the computer screen) and back to about 18”. My regular bifocal lens will focus from about 12” to about 30”.
One day, while sitting her at my desk, playing with a pistol, I discovered that I could see the sights much sharper than usual. I was wearing my computer glasses. Flash! Why don’t I wear these at the range for pistol shooting? I tried them, and found I could see the sights very sharply, but the target was a hopeless blur.
What I needed was a lens that had a close focus distance of 30”, not a far focus of 30”. So I went back the optics guy with a 1911 slide and tried different diopters until the sights were just barely in focus. Anything closer is blurry. In this way the target is as sharp as it can be, given the need to focus my eye at 30”.
My pistol shooting glasses is a regular cheap frame with plastic lenses (for safety). The left lens is my standard bifocal lens, so I can see at a distance and up close (loading mags, etc.) The right lens is a single prescription lens that just barely brings 30” into focus.
Total cost $60.
Here is what they look like. Nothing special, except only one lens is a bifocal. Other is set up to focus just beyond my hand.
Ganderite,
Thanks very much for the effort.
That was an exceptionally informative posting, I am sure it will be appreciated by many.
Regards,
Dan
Ganderite, I took your advise and saw my eye guy. I now have a script for the regular progressive bifocal for my left eye and a single vision for my right (dominant) eye. He has done this before for other shooters. My eye to sight distance is about 32". He brought the front sight distance into perfect focus at first. The target of course was very fuzzy. He recommended backing off 1/2 a step on the front sight sharpness to slightly improve the target sharpness. Great trade off. Front sight still sharp, head not tilted back anymore trying to see through the bottom of my progressives and target not completely out of focus. Ordered sport type glasses with scratch resistant/impact resistant lenses with a slight 15% yellow tint. Again his recommendation. Can't wait to try them out. Thanks very much for your post and for all the other posts.
Lazy eye??
I went to see my optometrist and she told me that I do not need prescription glasses, as my sight is too good for that still.
But, I do not see well enough to shoot rifle with my right eye...
She gave me the story about lazy right eye, and that it can't be corrected until it gets much worse, with recommendation to shoot rifle using my left eye.
I say BS and gotta look for different optometrist.
Any suggestions... I am pretty frustrated.
I went to see my optometrist and she told me that I do not need prescription glasses, as my sight is too good for that still.
But, I do not see well enough to shoot rifle with my right eye...
She gave me the story about lazy right eye, and that it can't be corrected until it gets much worse, with recommendation to shoot rifle using my left eye.
I say BS and gotta look for different optometrist.
Any suggestions... I am pretty frustrated.
i think overall most people would be well-served with just a basic cheap full-face motorbike helmet 
covers the eyes, ears, head, etc - protection from flying brass, sun (can get tinted visors, and of course wear your normal prescription eyewear underneath), sand, punches, road rash, and hot chicks.
me? i'm actually gonna go to plain earplugs and put the muffs aside for a while. need to wear a chapeau to keep from baking my brain and getting a redneck neck (Department Of Redundancy Department?) still gonna use whatever eyewear i'd use walking down the street - i guess my thinking is that i wouldn't want my skills to hinge of specific pieces of gear / wear / etc...
covers the eyes, ears, head, etc - protection from flying brass, sun (can get tinted visors, and of course wear your normal prescription eyewear underneath), sand, punches, road rash, and hot chicks.me? i'm actually gonna go to plain earplugs and put the muffs aside for a while. need to wear a chapeau to keep from baking my brain and getting a redneck neck (Department Of Redundancy Department?) still gonna use whatever eyewear i'd use walking down the street - i guess my thinking is that i wouldn't want my skills to hinge of specific pieces of gear / wear / etc...
The way I figure is you only have one set of eyes and ears......buy the best you can up front. It ends up being cheaper in the long run.
I wear glasses, but I have the benefit of being able to switch to contacts and then I just put on my shooting glasses (Oakley Radars with two lens to use).
For ears I double up if I am in the rifle area, but sometimes just use the set of electronic Pro Ears that I have. After going to the range a bunch of times the cost has already made up for the amount of money to cover the cost. I have used cheaper over the ear ones (ie 20 dollar over the ear muff that I use for the lawnmower) and there is a difference. I am glad that I ponied up and shell out a few more bucks to get the Pro Ears.
Good luck in your search
Snake88
I wear glasses, but I have the benefit of being able to switch to contacts and then I just put on my shooting glasses (Oakley Radars with two lens to use).
For ears I double up if I am in the rifle area, but sometimes just use the set of electronic Pro Ears that I have. After going to the range a bunch of times the cost has already made up for the amount of money to cover the cost. I have used cheaper over the ear ones (ie 20 dollar over the ear muff that I use for the lawnmower) and there is a difference. I am glad that I ponied up and shell out a few more bucks to get the Pro Ears.
Good luck in your search
Snake88
Danimal247
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toronto, ON
I bought Peltor Shotgunner muffs in black for $25 CDN - slim profile standard over the ear protection and I like them, you can always insert plugs to reduce the noise further.
For $25 you can't go wrong, buy 2 pairs and save one for guests if they come out with you
For $25 you can't go wrong, buy 2 pairs and save one for guests if they come out with you
I wear progressive bifocals for daily use but fine these very difficult to shoot with. I have tried regular bifocals on both eyes which didn't work well enough. Then I went to single focus lenses in both eyes but couldn't see close with these. Based on some of the ideas taken from here, I have ordered single focus for the left eye and a bifocal for my dominate eye with the top of the lens optimized for 25 inches which is where my from lens will be on average for my three different guns. I expect this to be my answer. For static shooting, you may want to try a device by merit that uses the pinhole effect on focal length theory. Look here: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_8_51/ai_n14694988/
I use these as well. Good, cheap muffs and have the benefit of being able to be used comfortably with a shotgun or rifle due to their shape. They provide decent sound deadening and are nice and light. One pair of comfy, light ear muffs for all the shooting disciplines. Couldn't recommend them enough.
ya, they are additive when it comes to amplification / attenuation. dB can be viewed as an 'absolute' level (as in 125dB SPL) or as a relative level, as in 25dB attenuation (or NRR). of course, the attenuation isn't flat across the frequency range, so some frequencies are attenuated more while others less (and the NRR ratings of plugs or muffs are just an "overall average"), and the muffs and plugs can have a different level of attenuation at the same frequency, but in the end you would just add them on a frequency-by-frequency level. you do, however, run into a "floor" wherein the sounds are still being transmitted to the inner ear through your entire skull and other bones that aren't padded or plugged.
the 28dB level would be valid if the muffs and plugs were not "in sequence, one after the other". but that's kinda hard to accomplish. actually, if you were talking power levels (in audio for example) and were adding two sources, each at +25dBm, then yes you'd have a combined power level of +28dBm. but that only happens to work because they're each equal; if you had a +25dBm and a +33dBm, then the combined wouldn't be +36dBm - you'd need to convert into linear units (milliwatts), add those, and then convert back to decibels. or consult an audio chart / graph that shows how to add two dissimilar levels.
no worries. dB scales are sometimes weird and 3dB here doesn't mean the same as 3dB there. acoustics is the weird part of how dB is used. normally 3dB is double / half the power, but in sound you need 10dB more / less to make it 'sound' twice as / half as loud. then you get the different weighing curves, like A and C and whatnot. and then you get into ear sensitivity that actually changes with volume, like the ear has built-in "compression". there's a reason i didn't pursue acoustics as a long-term career!!!
Check out clearly contacts website in Canada they will make up safety glasses with your prescription for about $50.00 and if you have a Princess Auto near you they have the electronic hearing protection for $20.00 when on sale. They work great but are a little bulky for rifle great for handgun.
