Practical irons distance

[ASH556]

After hunting the last month exclusively with my Grandpa’s old iron-sighted Winchester 94 in 30/30, it is now my opinion that such a rifle is really only effective to about 50, maybe 75 yds max in the woods and maybe out to 100 or so in open terrain. You can certainly “hit” farther than that, but I don’t believe guarantee a clean kill.

I’ve always hunted with scoped rifles so this is new territory for me. I was successful in taking a buck with this rifle at about 40yds, but passed on several other deer at the 100+ mark.

[farscott]

Depends on the irons and depends on the shooter's eyes. For my old eyes, fifty yards with a semi-buckhorn rear and a brass bead front sight is a challenge as my POI changes depending upon how light hits the front sight. Replace the rear with an aperture and the front with a Lyman 17A with the small insert, and I can easily hit at 200 yards.

[Malamute]

It depends on several factors. How sharp the sights are, how visible the intended target is, which includes how well they blend in to their surroundings, available light, eyesight of the user, and I think the fine-ness of the aperture can play a part. Larger is faster, smaller is more precise, and can actually sharpen your vision.

Ive dont some fair shooting when younger and had better eyesight, but what Id do recreationally or shooting at varmints, I wont do on game for the most part, and I dont shoot at coyotes any more. I think the targets archery shooters use, with life-like game animals with natural looking backgrounds and set up in the type area you may hunting would be a good target to determine what your personal range limit is for the type hunting youre doing.

As far as your own gun, there are ways to add a scope to older top eject Winchesters, someone makes a no gunsmithing mount, https://www.mod94scoperail.com/

[Clusterfrack]

I just shot a carbine match, and a very senior gentleman was shooting a Norinco AK with stock irons. He was amazing. Precise hits out to 200 on 12-24” plates.

He told me he can’t see that well anymore, so I can only imagine what he used to be able to do.

[Malamute]

The contrast of the target, sights and background all play a part. i can look pretty formidable at 800 yards with an AR and irons in open country and good light, and with dry ground where you can adjust sights and hold as needed, but couldnt do it on demand in other places and conditions. Same with banging the 300 yard 18" steel with a pistol.

The AKs ive messed with looked good on plinking duty out to 600 or so yards, but they arent anywhere near as easy to shoot truly well as ARs or M1 Garands.

[Jager]

A lot of people, and a lot of game, have died after being hit with iron-sighted rifles. Many at great distance.

Familiarity with a weapon counts for an awful lot.

[feudist]

A lot of people, and a lot of game, have died after being hit with iron-sighted rifles. Many at great distance.

Familiarity with a weapon counts for an awful lot.

But sometimes days later.

[Beat Trash]

I find that guns like the lever action Winchester 94’s and Marlin 336’s Benefit if it from peep rear sights. The older I get, the less effective I am with traditional buckhorn rears.

I think a person can be effective past 100 yards with irons. But I think it takes more skill and practice to do so.

[Duelist]

The deer I killed Wednesday was at 130 yards. He was at 550+ the night before and I couldn’t make a shot.

I would have shot him Wednesday the same way I did, resting my rifle over a bino tripod, with the scoped .30-30 I used to have, but would have had to have been practicing a *lot* to feel okay doing it with irons.

[jws]

This article from Ed Harris has some valuable information in it regarding open sighted .30-30s. I don’t even own a .30-30 and I enjoyed it.

https://www.hensleygibbs.com/edharri...saultrifle.htm