Does anyone hunt with open sighted rifles, particularly in Africa? I'm not meaning lever actions and such but
bolt actions and good sights and maybe a stock made to to be used with open sights.

How long of a range would you shoot PG with an accurate, open sighted rifle?
A rifle built for open sights, a set of express sights plus a good peep sight.

For DG the range would be shorter anyway so not to worried about open sights only for DG.

Not stunt shooting but normal hunting with an appropriate caliber and rifle. What is a realistic range?

I am not a long range hunter/shooter, I prefer some what shorter anyway. So I am thinking of two rifles in
the British Express style with Express Sights and a good Peep Sight with a stock made to fit me and the sights.

But the big question is what is a realistic range ?
Is 200 to 225 yards realistic?

I am thinking of pairing a 9.3x62 with my 404 that I'm gathering parts for and building them building both as open sight rifles.

Oh and a lot of practice.

Allen

It is purely subjective thing - along with your vision abilty, rest, light conditions, size of the animal - I subtract 20% from the distance I get good results on the range - for me out to 80 meters (just open sights no peep sight).

First off, I must say I like your spirit. Secondly, yes it is realistic to shoot with open sights at 200 metres or so. With a peep sight even more so. I dont have my 303 anymore, but minute of bear can was very doable at 100m with a rest and minute of 5litre paint tin at 200 metres. This, with mil spec sights. With a well tuned rifle and a small peep sight and sharp beed you will do a lot better. I would advise using express sights only on your DG rifle. If your eyes are getting on a bit in age, move the rear sight a bit forward. with the peep sights, it wont matter. Some people reccomend a ghost ring on a DG rifle, but my eyes are´nt that bad yet. Also, practice looking at objects far away and then very close. Repeat this often, as you would if you were excercising any other muscle. Hope this helps.
boet

Allen,

I've used two sxs double rifles with express sights for plains game in Namibia. One is a .350 Rigby No. 2 and the other a .375 H&H rimless magnum.

On animals such as kudu or gemsbok, I would not hesitate to shoot up to 125 yards, and, in years of better eyesight, have taken kudu to 195 or so yards.

Now Teddy Roosevelt and his son would bring down antelope "with a barrage" from lever action Winchesters. Not to be tried any more. But with much practice, hunting with open sights is easily done and seems easier than using a scope however contradictory that sounds. Key point: the object is to shoot anything as close as you can. That's why we call it hunting, so the 100+ yard shots are, and should be, rare.

Regards, Tim

As with mouse93 views, I also would feel comfortable up to 80m which covers most hunting in Africa. But do prepare to mis out on many shot opportunitys.

I use a scope for most things.
Mostly because I cannot see past the end of BBL without one.

Seriously, I would try to limit my shots with open sights (peep sight) to 100m or less if I could get away with it.

The guys at the Fullbore range seem to do well at 900m with open sights. At paper though.
I would suggest hitting the range and checking out you limits on paper, then trying some small game first. Get plenty of practice.
JMHO, hope it works out for you.

I did almost all of my parks hunting with peep sighted rifles- and very sucessfuly in Zim's relatively thick bush. Appart from two shots at wounded game I can safely say that I have never shot at anything over 100m (including hunting gemsbok in Namibia). When I started using a scoped rifle I got buck fever! I could now see too much detail- rectified this by using the scopes set on 1x or 1.5x

On the range, An F.N. or Lee enfield No 4 with their issue peep are as accurate as the rifles - Our service rifle competitions start at 500m and move in. For game, it is identiying the target rather than accuracy limitations. My current 9,3 is perfect out to 200m on anything that I can see.

Allen,

I hunted for a VERY long time with only a modified .303 SMLE. I had a scope on it at first, but that came off rather sharpish when it went south while I was going north. I've never replaced that scope and my son (who now owns the rifle) won't fit one either.

It does depend on eyesight to a large extent. As Boet said, minute of beer can at 100 yards is doable. In fact, up to 100 yards, I'm not convinced that one can do much better with a scope than with a good set of open sights (presuming field positions of course).

My son took a big Kudu cow last year at 120 long paces with his 9.3x62 with express sights. He does know his rifle very well and, when he brought it to his shoulder, he just KNEW that the shot was on. Maybe that's the answer?

Allen,
A very interesting post, I have thought along the same lines including calibers. I have experimented a bit at the range, admittedly on paper, but shooting offhand and with sticks. The results were surprisingly good, with my 375H&H and express sights, my offhand groups at 75 yds were better than with low power scope, with sticks scope was better, though both plenty good for hunting. Moving out to 100 yds, same results, just bigger but acceptable groups. Like several others said, the sights don't seem to me to be the limiting factor, rather seeing the target well, ie; is the bull clear of the rest of the herd, is there a branch between muzzle and target that comes into play, etc. My thought is that with a willing PH, some of this is overcome by a second set of eyes and the effort to get closer.
I haven't committed to the course you propose yet, will wait to see how an eye operation comes off late this year, doctor promises my vision will be the best it has EVER been after surgery. If he is correct, yippee!

What Penn said deserves repeating: it isn't how far you can accurately shoot the rifle, but how far away you can keep up with your target. When the animals are milling around and running after a shot, which one is the one you shot at? Hopefully the one DRT, but that is not always the case. I think that is why 100yds is about the limit with deer size animals.

I would and do have iron sights on most all my African rifles with a couple of notable exceptions. My 9.3x62, 9.3x74, 458WM, and 416 Howell all have irons, the Howell irons only. I like irons on my woods rifles because there are times when you need them, but shots are close. My 30-338 and 7mmRM don't have irons, but they are set up and used for distance shooting. Bottom line: I'd recommend iron sights as a back up on the rifles you mentioned. Kudude

For the really ambitious shooter or perhaps the overzealous rifle maker here are rifles to truly test your eyeballs.

A Westly Richards with sights to 500yds and an 8x60magnum with a ladder to 1200 meters.
Frank

Intersting sight arrangement on that 8x60.
My problem with open sights beyond 100 meters is that the front sight covers so much of the target.
I'm right handed and my right eye vision is 20/50 corrected so it's scopes for me from now on.

Sam

I will be hunting plains game with opens sights with my lott or 458wm this August.I would say 100-120yds max.Two hundred is a difficult shot.