Sadly, for most, by the time your brain really appreciates open sights on a rifle, your eyes do not.

Montana Rifle Company .505 Gibbs

Aside from hunting, have shot competition for quite a few years and very few matches shot with optics. Much prefer the "peep/globe" combination due to host of reasons. Their use comes more natural to me and for hunting rifles they have either Lyman 48's or NECG on the Ruger NO. 1 or 3. Favorite bolt gun is Mauser VZ24 9.3x62 w/ 26" barrel, Lyman 48 and NECG band front sight w/ folding front sight bead of brass and white dot. Certainly not a "match" rifle, but can easily keep the shots in the X ring at 200yds with bag/bench. Have a Browning Model 71 and as most know, you have no optics choice with it and fitted with Williams FP71 peep sight and it is quick on target and it will hold the X ring at 200yds as well w/good loads. Older eyes has trouble with true "open sights," and the peep type helps in that area a great deal as long as the front sight blade/bead is clear the target/critter can be a bit fuzzy but still get good hits. Have had ice form in the aperture(blow it out with your breath,) but never had it fog up, mounts come loose, eye relief, reticle jar loose, so I will stick with the "irons."

I have several rifles with scopes, but I sure enjoy peep sights. Especially on leverguns.

I love to bowhunt with a recurve or longbow with a personal 30 yard range limit. So 150 to 200 yards with a peep sight feels like I'm reaching out 1000 yards.

All of my Sharps hunting rifles carry open buckhorn barrel ladder sights and a blade front sight made from a copper penny.

I have one Sharps target rifle, and it carries a tang mounted windage adjustable vernier sight with a rear aperture with a Hadley eye piece. On the front the target rifle carries a windage adjustable spirit level globe sight with changeable apertures.

Most days I can shoot the buckhorns about as well if not better than the vernier target sight. Last trip to RSA I took one blesok at 307 yards and another at 451, as well as a springbok at 537 yards and a kudu at 80 yards, all using the buckhorn barrel sight.

quote:

Originally posted by John55:
For those who use a peep sight, do you prefer a Post or bead (ivory or gold?) front sight?

John,

Among the advantages, for me, of the Lyman MJT globe sight are:
1. It has a much larger globe than others of its type. At dawn and dusk the sight [insert] is easier to see.

2. Its post insert I mount upside down. At longer range when I must hold over to account for the trajectory of black powder loads, rather than obscure the target - as occurs with conventionally mounted front sights - my target remains completely visible. So I had to learn to drop my sight down to my target rather than raise it as is usual. It took, perhaps, an hour of practice to create muscle memory to do this. And since all five rifles have either the same MVA tang sight or comparable sights mounted just ahead of the patent breech's break-off, I have no need to "unlearn" the process for other rifles.

Hope this helps.

I'm just starting a new 9.3x62 that will be built specifically for hunting with open sights. It will be built on a Mauser 98 action. I'm planning on using it on an upcoming Eland hunt, and for elk, and moose if I'm ever drawn. I'm trying to pack a little more "hunt" back into my hunting.

I like your style sir.

+1 on the 9.3 x 62. Just finished mine with LW barrel, NECG Classic sights. It's a pure joy to shoot!

I am a big fan of open sights. I have found little to limit me out to 200 metres. Most of my deer are shot between 40 and 90 metres, and almost always offhand shooting too.

I have found that I have gravitated away from peep sights, like the ghost ring set up. I found that I shot very well with them, but on game would have inexplicable misses, and I believe that under pressure I was simply ignoring the rear sight completely and pointing it like a shotgun.
I have no such trouble with open sights. In the last couple of years I have discovered what most will call the British express open sight - a wide flat v with a white bead, and also just a straight flat bar - with no notch - both work equally well for me, and despite what people will tell you they are perfectly accurate. I shoot 1-2 inch groups with them at 100 metres depending on the rifle. On targets I use the six o'clock hold with my aiming - but the point of impact of the bullet should be at the centre of the bead, or a couple of inches above it. The idea is to shoot through the bead, like a red dot sight. (I learned that from WDM Bell and it cured me from shooting high on animals - when under pressure I forget to do the six'clock hold, and instinctively I was sighting through the bead. On targets it was fine, but that was all it is good for.)

As for the scope versus open sights thing, its not really a competitive thing at all, I like rifles without a scope, and I feel that over the years there is a distinct difference between looking at the animal through a big lens, and not. To me personally, there is a psychological distance when using the telescopic sight. With open sights, your in the moment. Your hunting.

I will make the observation of experience, that open sights are faster than peep sights, and they are also faster than a low powered scope - if the rifle fits you.
People are going to disagree and quote where there have been tests which show the low powered scope is better. But listen, these tests are flawed - because the shooters already knew where the target was before they started.
Put a man with a scope and a man with my open sights, and have the target arrive from an unexpected quarter at an unexpected time, and the open sights chap will get on target faster. Do it again four seconds later and the open sights guy will beat the scoped rifle by twice as much as he did the first time.
The disadvantages of the open sights are the less time at twilight shooting, and shooting within cluttered thick bush. The first doesn't bother me too much, as in NZ we do not sit in tree stands at first and last light, but the second is a distinct disadvantage, as the scope defines what your looking at through bush very well, almost sees through it, and you can shoot at parts of an animal if you can pick them out.

Shooting at a distance is even less of a problem, with a clear target in open country, and with the same rest that you woul dhave with the scoped rifle, you will suprised how easy it is to shoot well, although the farthest I have shot an animals with open sights is 200 metres, this is not difficult shots to make.
Over 250-300 metres I am not sure, but then the fartherst I have shot any deer with a scope was 310 metres, and that was very unusual for me, so I don't even worry about it.

But overall I shoot them because I get a great deal more satisfaction from open sights hunting than I do with a telescopic sight.

I have a 338-06 that I decided to have open sights installed instead of a scope.

It is a lot easier to carry and more fun to shoot. I mainly went with it to change it up a bit since I grew up in the age of being able to buy a "good enough" scope cheap and i'm still young enough that my eyes aren't begging for a scope.

I do still favor my scoped rifle for deer hunting in PA where there are antler restrictions, even then I was wishing for something a bit more than my 2-7X when trying to count but not upset by any means that the buck was probably legal and I let him go

All of my rifles above 375 are not scoped, they all wear express sights, which is just how I like DG rifles, whether bolt or double.
I did consider a low power scope for my 416 Rigby, but it works well to 100yrds with my eyes, enough to hit where aimed, anyway.
My 375 Weatherby is scoped with a 2-7x32, 300yrd shots are not uncommon with this rifle, so a scope is necessary for me, 100yrds is my limit with open sights, my vision only gets worse every year. Lol.

Cheers.

I wouldn't own a rifle without irons sights, but I like QD scope mounts so I have the option of using a scope..I have hunted places where iron sights are all but worthless and I have hunted places and circumstances where scopes were all but worthless. I build my rifles to shoot with irons, and with the scope option, do I need a high comb to shoot a scope accurately, of course not, I can lift my head a half inch and kill about anything I shoot at, too many have bought off on that old wives tale..Many thousands of game animals fell the the old mod. 70 and Rem. 721 and 722 with scopes on them and all three were low comb most of their lives, and millions of hunters got by and never knew better!

Yup, you have to modify your cheek position on a low comb rifle. Man up and practice at the range. My favorite FN 30-06 has a three leaf express sight, a Lyman 48, and a Hensholdt 2 3/4 power in factory claw mounts. I carry the scope in a German scope scabbard. With this rifle, I am confident in any situation. However, I sight in with all three sets of sights. I have prewar Springfield custom rifles with only Lyman 48s and am confident in the field with those also. However, I do have to pump up my cheek to shoot with the scope. We have done that for eighty or more years now.

Lots folks think their eyes are ageing and a scope is a must, but I'm 81, wear bifocals, and shoot irons, and know a lot of backwoods men, Eskimos, PHs that are long in the tooth and can still shoot irons..My point being maybe you just think you can't shoot irons, maybe somebody on the internet told you that your too old to shoot irons! whatever...

At any rate give it an "honest extended try", be sure your gun is sighted in properly (important) and if you need better eyesight, give your eye doc a visit and tell him the problem, they can do wonders for shooters, especially if the eye doc is a hunter, shooter.

Old age ain't an excuse for anything! Only death is!

Used to do a lot of hunting with irons of one type or another. Then the eyes got older and the need for scopes arrived

A couple pics from a few years ago....

I really like your taste in rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by Angus Morrison:
I really like your taste in rifles.

Thanks! The first one is a double square bridge 1909 Argentine Mauser in 7x57, the second a Browning copy 1886 Win. in 45-70 shooting cast bullets and blackpowder! The last is a Enfield I sporterized in .303 of course!
Loved hunting with irons and did three complete safaris plus a lot here at home with iron sights, but age caught up with me and my eyes!

Nyalubwe,

I have to post every time I see that Enfield...Has to be the best looking sporterized .303 on the planet.

You guys are inspiring me to put iron sights on one of my Kimbers and take a mountain goat as such.

And I agree on the Lee Enfield, gorgeous sporterization.

quote:

Originally posted by Henry Buck:
Nyalubwe,

I have to post every time I see that Enfield...Has to be the best looking sporterized .303 on the planet.

Just saw this post...thanks Henry! I have posted pics of that rifle elsewhere and it always gets a great response and some kind words.

Young camel anchored with a shoulder shot and then killed with a head shot. Both at 110 paces. 9.3x62 with 286 Woodleighs, express sights, scope removed.




Cull Impala in at approx 20-30 paces with same rifle.




TYB and a large bull camel with his refurb ex-mil 8x57 at 100 paces with 170 Hornady RNSP interlocks.

I won't build a rifle with only iron sights, but I sure enjoy the baggo iron sight guns I own. The O3s and Krags are my favorites.

For the fellow having trouble with glasses: you need a set of shooter frames. They sit high on the face precisely to solve the problem you have.
Might have you eye doc search a bit but they are available.

To those who post the irons are just a toy, all I can say is I can't count the number of times I have had to remove my scope and hunt with irons in my home state of Idaho..Snow and rain make a scope all but useless, and pop out caps are a joke IMO..Sure you can use a intertube or scope cover, but in some places in Idaho, shots come fast and you have a very short window of opertunity to get off a Texas heart shot, that's the best your going to get.

In Africa I carry my scope and carry my gun iron sight ready, if the option for a scope shows up, I always have time to switch, but not visa versa, anyway this is my world, and irons ain't no toy, they are a viable option, and in my case a must...

In New Zealand the hunting is mostly backpack hunting which can be hard on gear. There are three of my scopes at the bottom of a West Coast river where I threw them on the way out after they failed on me.
(Actually one of my biggest stags I shot at close range with a totally fogged white scope, with both eyes open.)
I have scopes on rifles, but I think of them as an 'accessory", and really begrudge the cost to be honest.I have seven rifles and three of them are not scoped.
I prefer a rifle without a scope,and threads like this delight me, to see all the animals and fine scopeless rifles.

Most of my irons are partridge style with a wide slot rear sight. The sight picture looks like a pistol sight. The other favorite is a rear aperture sight with a large aperture.