why iron sights?
- Thread starter 22lr
- Start date
Well here's a very valid reason irons are better.
They are lighter & less likely to get hung up when walking thru the bush!
More than likely the old timers
have based their opinion because of the quality of some of the very early scopes! Also because early on everyone just naturally figured more power is better!! When real hunting conditions didctate differently.
They are lighter & less likely to get hung up when walking thru the bush!
More than likely the old timers
have based their opinion because of the quality of some of the very early scopes! Also because early on everyone just naturally figured more power is better!! When real hunting conditions didctate differently.Basicly it's eye sight alignment, because you have three vertical planes front sight-- rear sight and target it forces you to get the right eye location for a correct sight target picture, that is why a receiver or tang mounted rear sight was the choice of sharp shooters and snipers in the past. It can be explained by geometry. The advantage of scopes is magnification but many shooters do not realize that you can look down the scope at different angles by not making sure your eye placement is exactly the same each round, this causes your group to open up.
This is why some scope shooters resort to placing a small aperature on their shooting glasses, this creates the third vertical plane to assure proper alignment target, retical sight plane and eye. Some short gun action shooters use this concept for fast target acquistions.
You can verify this by placing a scoped rifle and sight it on a target at 100yds and sand bag in place then slowly raise your eye the cross hair will move location on target same if you move eye to either side.
This is why some people shoot better than others, they have learned to use an old term 'shoulder' the gun consistently and thus removed one of the variables that spoils tight groups
This is why some scope shooters resort to placing a small aperature on their shooting glasses, this creates the third vertical plane to assure proper alignment target, retical sight plane and eye. Some short gun action shooters use this concept for fast target acquistions.
You can verify this by placing a scoped rifle and sight it on a target at 100yds and sand bag in place then slowly raise your eye the cross hair will move location on target same if you move eye to either side.
This is why some people shoot better than others, they have learned to use an old term 'shoulder' the gun consistently and thus removed one of the variables that spoils tight groups
MauserMike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
With a scope you have a smaller field of view. It can take longer to "lock" onto a target and its easier to lose a moving target.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
it all depends in what context you are talking.22lr said:
Both have certain advantages.
I'm unfortunately starting to becoome an "Oldtimer", and know that scopes offer a very large advantage in many ways, but for me, irons are the thing.
Scopes just don't have the "yahoo" factor.
I generally shoot a whole bunch better with a scope unless I am snap shooting.
Cat
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- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
If a person shoots with both eyes open you do not lose the target aquisition, but many people cannot do this.
It also depends on the type of scope.
A low powered , wide field of view is much better than a high powered scope witjh narrow field of view.
however, a peep sight with too small an apeture or an open sight with too narrow a slot is just as useless.
Cat
It also depends on the type of scope.
A low powered , wide field of view is much better than a high powered scope witjh narrow field of view.
however, a peep sight with too small an apeture or an open sight with too narrow a slot is just as useless.
Cat
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Iron sights encourage proper trigger control, too. It's hard to teach a new shooter to squeeze a trigger if they see their movement magnified through a scope. That magnified movement tends to teach people to jerk the trigger quickly (while the crosshairs appear to be alligned), rather than squeezing it in a controlled fashion and following through. So, scopes for new shooters tend to encourage poor shooting technique.
One of the most rewarding things a guy can experience is taking a new shooter to a range and having them work up to hitting the target at 300 yards with irons, after getting over the "that's impossible" response that usually starts the session.
Start 'em off with irons, then move to a scope once the new shooter has learned the fundamentals of good trigger control.
One of the most rewarding things a guy can experience is taking a new shooter to a range and having them work up to hitting the target at 300 yards with irons, after getting over the "that's impossible" response that usually starts the session.
Start 'em off with irons, then move to a scope once the new shooter has learned the fundamentals of good trigger control.
- Location
- Hillbilly shack in the boonies
Irons bring out the Zen in you
I like iron sights for rapid shooting. It's easier to hit aerial or moving targets and I can just sight down the barrel without even using the sights and knock over a row of cans in very rapid succession.
But regarding the smaller field of view a red dot 1x scope has 52' FOV at 100 yards.
For slow deliberate pinpoint accuracy a scope is a must have though.
But regarding the smaller field of view a red dot 1x scope has 52' FOV at 100 yards.
For slow deliberate pinpoint accuracy a scope is a must have though.
Levi Garrett said:Irons bring out the Zen in you
You know, I was going to type a long explanation about the challenge and satisfaction of shooting with iron sights and how outside of benchrest guns, aperture sights can equal a scope, but you know, it's hard to improve on that response.
Thanks Levi
K98 said:
A 1.5x scope has a field of view of 72'
That's why the proper scope is better than open sites for moving game! I'd actually like to try a 1x shotgun scope for close range deer hunting, it might just be best yet!
senior said:A 1.5x scope has a field of view of 72'
That's why the proper scope is better than open sites for moving game! I'd actually like to try a 1x shotgun scope for close range deer hunting, it might just be best yet!
Why not red dot then? I like red dots for the reasons I think people like open sights - instant acquisition. At close range, not to mention you are shooting shotgun red dot is the way to go.
22lr said:
Because red dots have a much smaller field of view than the correct scope for instant siting! 52' compared to 72' for a 1.5x.
Besides I don't like things with batterys!
open sights - instant acquisition.
Actually open sites are the slowest to acquire a site picture!
Fastest would be the right scope..1x
then peep sites... 2 things to lock your eyes on, front site & target.
slowest reg sites..3 things to lock your eyes on, front site, rear site, & target.
When I was younger I preferred open sights because of their foolproof simplicity, light weight and compactness. But as I get older I have more difficulty seeing my target clearly at 100 yards so I've moved mostly to scoped rifles now.
- Location
- Spruce Grove, Alberta
For some of the WWII training rifles in .22, it can give a nice feeling to use the rifle as it was intended to be...
Zen.
Zen.
I find that a low power scope does it for me ... but in my case it s an eye sight problem ... if I focus on the rear sight I loose focus on the front one and vice versa ... It takes so much of my concentration that I eventually loose sight of the target, which is not a good thing when the purpose of the exercise is to hit the target.
