- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the best irons are those sold as aftermarket, with the exception of some of the better service rifle sights. When I say unfortunately, its because it means spending more money on your rifle, but most irons, even very good ones are usually less expensive than even a modest scope and mounts. When I say fortunately, its because a new rifle without irons is a clean slate that you can sight to suit your purposes, rather than attempting to use what the factory deems an affordable (for them) sighting arrangement, that might not be suitable for you at all.
Not all irons are created equally. There is a myriad of sight styles, and some types are better than others, and some are better than others within type. Its generally accepted that an aperture rear sight is both faster and more precise than an open sight, although personal preferences and experience may overshadow this somewhat. A full buckhorn rear sight as was fashionable on early Winchester lever guns was a miserable sighting devise, which tended to hide much of the target, but even it has its champions. A wide shallow express sight typical of double rifles while not as precise as the aperture, is precise enough for its purposes, and can be used quickly by those adept to its use, so the matter is not as simple as a ghost ring and post or its crap, even though that is my preference. Come to think of it, its kinda funny that the factory offers better rifle sights on a 590 Mossberg than is available for most rifles.
Eyesight acuity is more important when shooting with irons than with optics, because the front and rear sights are on a different sighting plains than the target, which is on another. A scope sight puts the reticle and target on the same sighting plain, so provided the instrument is correctly focused, both the reticle and target are in sharp focus. The shape of the eye changes with aging, and this change leads to differences in visual acuity over our lifetime. Interestingly, at this time in my life, my distance vision is better than previously, at an age when many complain about failing eyesight. That said, modern technology seems to be able to produce smaller print than was previously possible.
Not all irons are created equally. There is a myriad of sight styles, and some types are better than others, and some are better than others within type. Its generally accepted that an aperture rear sight is both faster and more precise than an open sight, although personal preferences and experience may overshadow this somewhat. A full buckhorn rear sight as was fashionable on early Winchester lever guns was a miserable sighting devise, which tended to hide much of the target, but even it has its champions. A wide shallow express sight typical of double rifles while not as precise as the aperture, is precise enough for its purposes, and can be used quickly by those adept to its use, so the matter is not as simple as a ghost ring and post or its crap, even though that is my preference. Come to think of it, its kinda funny that the factory offers better rifle sights on a 590 Mossberg than is available for most rifles.
Eyesight acuity is more important when shooting with irons than with optics, because the front and rear sights are on a different sighting plains than the target, which is on another. A scope sight puts the reticle and target on the same sighting plain, so provided the instrument is correctly focused, both the reticle and target are in sharp focus. The shape of the eye changes with aging, and this change leads to differences in visual acuity over our lifetime. Interestingly, at this time in my life, my distance vision is better than previously, at an age when many complain about failing eyesight. That said, modern technology seems to be able to produce smaller print than was previously possible.
.....and couldn't hit anything else....
Those action rifles were built for the nitty gritty In-Your-Face hunting!
