Exactly. You need a repeatable reference point to shoot groups at 25.Originally Posted by JHC
A 6:00 hold on a bullseye that is about the width of your front sight is near perfect. I actually prefer a square or diamond, but since I almost never bring my own targets, circular bulls work well too. Something like a B8 seems much too large with no reference point to shoot for. Aim small, miss small and all that....
The Merit attachment gives a greater depth of focus, it sharpens up all the sighting elements. Not practical for much beside range use, but can be very good in that regard to get the most out of your gun/loads. It reminds me of how my vision was a few years ago. If you can get that sort of advantage from your corrective lenses I can see how it would help tremendously.
I agree on 6:00 hold for sheer accuracy work. I think smaller targets also help with grouping. Some use a business card as a reference aiming point. I've used them or other small marks for rifle sight in. An 1 1/2" black spot works well for me as a pistol aiming point.
I will read up on Merit. I'm still ok at normal pistol ranges but irons on rifles at 100 is about out of the question. A white paper dinner plate at 100 yds is nearly invisible to my dominant eye dialed in for a sharp front sight. And I've got a couple nice lever guns.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
Dr. Wong's glasses, I mentioned above have the dominant/strong side eye lens focal length set to the front sight. The left, (in my case), is set for downrange vision, so you can walk around and do what needs to be done. Norman Wong is a former navy officer and Bullseye competitor, with an Optometry practice in south San Francisco. Here's a link to some pretty cool articles that help with understanding the issues - http://www.starreloaders.com/edhall/nwongarts.html . These are merits on steroids. I use standard day to day glasses with the red dot, but switch to these for iron sights. I fear they would be of limited use in the hunting situations Malamute describes, though.
The Merit device is a small disc with an adjustable aperture, it looks like a camera lens how it opens and closes. It attaches to the shooting glasses with a small suction cup. You adjust it until the sights/target are sharpened up in focus. Its like magic to see the sights/target sharpen up.I will read up on Merit. I'm still ok at normal pistol ranges but irons on rifles at 100 is about out of the question. A white paper dinner plate at 100 yds is nearly invisible to my dominant eye dialed in for a sharp front sight. And I've got a couple nice lever guns.
My vision is still fairly decent overall, I can make out the 24" black plate at 300 yards and get a sight picture on it with a pistol. The Merit still sharpens up my vision for that sort of thing.
RE: lever guns, I'm becoming less bothered by scopes and other optical devices on them. Sure, they look great and traditional without them, but I also appreciate the advantage of decent glass, and am becoming more interested in dots, if I can get squared away from the med bills.
Last edited by Malamute; 08-20-2014 at 09:49 AM.
I believe it was Ross Seyfried who wrote about a British target, for iron sighted pistol, that is an upside down capital T.
The vertical bar is drawn such that it's width appears the same width as the front sight at the distance you are shooting.
The horizontal bar gives you a clear 6 o'clock hold point for correct elevation. The vertical bar gives you a clear hold point for left to right.
This works well for me.
Cool. I'm nearsighted and now 57. That's how I have my contact lens set up. Actual glasses are probably more clear than extended wear contacts however.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
I had only known that used with the crosshairs of a scope in rifle shooting. I'll have to try that with the pistol. [smacking my forehead]
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
Cool, this is helpful.
With the red dot, (we use Ultra Dots, which have lots of illumination adjustment), "street" glasses, and adjusting brightness for range conditions gives a pretty sharp red circle. This fits nicely as an inner concentric circle to the B6/50 or B8/25 black scoring area. We use 4 repair centers in the corners of the full size targets to gain multiple aiming points and avoid a lot of walking back and forth, which might upset things. Thinking that the red dot takes up a bit too much real estate to be useful with a square or T aiming point.
Learning the value of a target aiming point that relates well to the sight system for the RDS, we've been noodling over what to do with irons. I get the use/value of the horizontal bar. Regarding the vertical, is it a black bar, that you superimpose the front sight on or is it a white stripe between two black bars and you loo for equal light bars like a front sight within the rear?
The vertical bar is black, both vertical and horizontal bars are black.
You do not hold on the vertical bar. You hold 6 o'clock on the horizontal bar. This give you a precise elevation index.
You align the sides of your front sight with the sides of the vertical bar while holding 6 0'clock on the horizontal bar. The front sight and the vertical bar should form a vertical straight line.
This is why you make the vertical bar thickness such that it matches the width of your front sight at the distance you will shoot the target. This gives you a precise left to right index.
Your front sight held at 6 0'clock on the horizontal bar turns the upside down T into + sign with your front sight making up the portion of the vertical bar below the horizontal bar.
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