To Scope or Not to Scope.......That is the Question.......

[Gun5tuff]

Why spend all that money on a sight? Get your eye fixed. When I had my non-shooting eye cataract removed, it was done in a couple hours in the eye doctor's own clinic. Went home and it's 20/20 vision ever since. Imagine all the hunting years you have left without having to worry about glasses and fogged lenses, etc. and the chance of meeting some of the characters that posted above while hunting with a cheapo Leupold on a classic Merkel.
Peter

 

[Salty]

Don't forget the vertical foregrip. Very handy for the recoil.

And pic-ininy rail next to for mounting a bipod and flashlight

my vote would be one of your small Leupy variables Douglas but I would take a look at some of these uber tiny red dot type gadgets the guys are talking about for this type of purpose. Saw some guy on the tube in Africa with one the other day it didn't look totally stupid.

 

[brybenn]

I don't recommend a lense put in your eyes. I looked into it and the Dr said I'd be done shooting heavy recoil guns. Laser surgery may work.
I went thru the same thoughts as you except my game was black bears and my double isn't as good as a Merkel and it's a 45/70. My double wears a 2.5x20
For me it works great and very fast. My rifle has a 11mm dovetailed quarter rib with a stop hole. I use a one piece mount that uses a set screw into to stop hole and has 3 screws holding it in place on the rib. It didn't effect balance or regulation of the gun. The gun weighs just over 7 lbs so set up and I've launched 405 gr bullets at 2050 fps and everything held together for an afternoon of shooting. I may suggest a 24 or 32 mm low powered scope if low light shots are able to pop up. I Dont know how thick the bush is. I know at 15 mins before legal light is out my 2.5x20 is on the low end for a dark target in the shadows at 50 yards. That would be a far shot on an elephant I believe. However a Leupold may offer better light transmission then my scope
If the optic is kept small they don't look bad on a double actually and I have a lot more confidence in mine after scoping it

Best of luck!
Do you get to keep any ivory from cull elephants?

 

[Gun5tuff]

BB, I'm not talking laser surgery where your lens is reshaped with a laser. I'm talking about replacing the entire lense as is done in cataract surgery. The restrictions are only for a time to heal the eye. However, time constrains may not work for the OP so a scope could be a temporary solution.

 

[jjohnwm]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned trying an aperture sight. My eyes are also way past the point of allowing me to effectively use open sights, but a peep allows me to shoot a .45-70 or muzzleloader at any distance at which those guns should be shot at game. Super fast, light and small, no downside really. As long as you're sure these critters are going to be shot during daylight, and not at night out of a cornfield, I think you should consider a peepsight. I've shot a cheap-ass .45-70 double with open sights, an aperture and also a low-power scope, and overall I think the aperture is the best set-up of the three.

 

[338 Imperial]

Eye too can relate to the "vision challenge" .
You didn't mention what your front bead was . I changed the front on my Zkk602 458 to the White bead...BIG difference for me.
A pair of Leupolds would be great ,But...if you need to remove it will your bases obstruct your rear leaf ??
The reflex sight (RMR ) would be the least obtrusive (hate the tacticool stuff..but these do work !)
Perhaps a large peep / ghost ring...?
lol, lots of opinions on here , But in the end it is you my friend who will depend on having the best/safest set up !
You have some time to try some options.And if Vanity is an issue you can remove these for photo opps & no one will ever know ! ( cept all of us lol )

I am a little jealous & wish you a Great & safe adventure !

 

[Boomer]

If you must use optics either to see the target or to see your sight against the target, the proper rifle has a bolt handle attached to it, whereas scoping a double is a sin against nature and unkind to the eye. When a big bore double is properly utilized on the game it was designed for, the target is so large and so close, that even express sights are superfluous, but they look good, so tend to be included as standard equipment on the expensive rifles in question.

 

[c-fbmi]

If you must use optics either to see the target or to see your sight against the target, the proper rifle has a bolt handle attached to it, whereas scoping a double is a sin against nature and unkind to the eye. When a big bore double is properly utilized on the game it was designed for, the target is so large and so close, that even express sights are superfluous, but they look good, so tend to be included as standard equipment on the expensive rifles in question.

See now that is exactly what I think.........however, I need to be able to see, aim, and place my shot on exactly the right wrinkle..............I was perusing last night and found that Zeiss has a 1.1-4 X 24 in their Victory HT line. This would be the fitting scope for it and it weighs less than a pound. Straight 30mm tube, no objective lens bell and Zeiss clearness and quality.

338 Imp.......I intend to make my own base so I can be sure that it does NOT interfere with the sights!!!

 

[brybenn]

Sounds like a winner

 

[woodlotowner]

As for the whole lens replacement thing.....I was an early candidate for cataract surgery and I speak from experience. The surgery itself is a non event. In and out and back to normal routine the following day. Once the eye drop regimen is completed one has no further restrictions on the miracle of restored sight. The two options, however, in choosing lenses, are to opt for either 20-20 vision at distance or close up work. I opted for 20-20 at distance (no question about that decision) so I do not have to wear glasses except for said close work (reading, computer, gun bench, etc). Having done so, I now realize/understand that I can no longer focus in all planes simultaneously (or even consciously trying to do so) and I now need to either scope all my rifles or go to large dimension aperture sights. This is because I can now no longer focus on the rear sight, the front sight, and the target in one view.

When I got back into hunting/shooting about 10 years ago (after a 30 year hiatus and after my cataract surgery) my wife bought me a new rifle to mark the occasion. I took it to the range only to realize I could not see well enough to use the rifle. Nope. Couldn't do it period. When I came home and explained this to her she asked me where my scope was. Upon noting that I did not buy/have a scope for my new rifle she calmly instructed me to go out and get one. A good one. Well, 20 rifles and 20 scopes later.....

 

[9.3mauser]

Having done so, I now realize/understand that I can no longer focus in all planes simultaneously (or even consciously trying to do so) and I now need to either scope all my rifles or go to large dimension aperture sights. This is because I can now no longer focus on the rear sight, the front sight, and the target in one view.

Honestly, you never could do this. The human eye, even a young one, is incapable of focusing on two object simultaneously. What you have lost is the ability to rapidly change focus from one point to another. This happens to everybody as they age.

Cataract surgery is fine if you need it, but the problem may be simple aging, not cataracts. I've always worn eyeglasses for distance vision, but it never interfered with my shooting until about 10 yrs ago. My distance vision is still fine if I'm wearing glasses, but I need bifocals for reading and close vision now. Without bifocals, I can't see the gauges on my dashboard clearly, and more importantly, the front sights on my shorter barreled rifles now appear blurred. An example would be Winchester 94, Ruger RSI, and most of my .22's (dammit!). The front sight on my full length rifles is starting to blur as well, and I expect this to get worse over time. When I was young I taught myself to shoot with the backsight blurred, focusing on the front sight and the target, but now I can foresee the day when all my rifles will need to wear glass if I want to keep shooting.

 

[woodlotowner]

Honestly, you never could do this. The human eye, even a young one, is incapable of focusing on two object simultaneously. What you have lost is the ability to rapidly change focus from one point to another. This happens to everybody as they age.

Cataract surgery is fine if you need it, but the problem may be simple aging, not cataracts. I've always worn eyeglasses for distance vision, but it never interfered with my shooting until about 10 yrs ago. My distance vision is still fine if I'm wearing glasses, but I need bifocals for reading and close vision now. Without bifocals, I can't see the gauges on my dashboard clearly, and more importantly, the front sights on my shorter barreled rifles now appear blurred. An example would be Winchester 94, Ruger RSI, and most of my .22's (dammit!). The front sight on my full length rifles is starting to blur as well, and I expect this to get worse over time. When I was young I taught myself to shoot with the backsight blurred, focusing on the front sight and the target, but now I can foresee the day when all my rifles will need to wear glass if I want to keep shooting.

Point taken. What I meant, of course, is that I could no longer change my focal length with fluid ease to make the sight/target assessments needed. No smuck here 9.3. Old age is not for sissies.

 

[209jones]

If you have the tooling to build/install a base for a an RMR type sight, why not cut in a fold down ghost ring on the rib? That is not really a small project, but, has a real cool factor as an add on and will not risk needing reregulation. There are a few pics of them on the AR forum. Sam Rose built one that was not all that pretty, but functional, that he added on to his VC or Sabatti . There are a few styles of rib installed units and even thumb lever mtd ones that could be done if you have the tools and the patience.