First time post: Naive question???

[Jack OByte]

Hi Folks!

I've been planning to get back into target shooting for a while now and have finally decided to do something about it!

I like the idea of the 10 meter air-rifle discipline because I used to shoot 25/50 meter rimfire at a local club about 20 years ago and I recon this would be the nearest thing to it. This was back when I was young and actually had eyes that worked well....but now I'm getting on a bit and need glasses ( not very strong lenses ) for reading and for watching the telly, though I still pass the driving eye-test.

My question, before I actually go and find/buy a nice rifle (best thing about my age is that I can actually afford the toys I always wanted as a kid!!!), is will I still be able to use peep-sights or do you think I would be at a major disadvantage? I AM correct in thinking I won't be allowed to wear corrective lenses, yes??

Many thanks for your input,
J

[h5djr]

There is no reason why you should not shoot using your own glasses, I did until my recent cataract operations. It is also possible to get special shooting glasses for 10m shooting with only one lens than are fully adjustable.

Before purchasing a rifle I would suggest going along to a local club and trying some rifles to see how you get on. Most clubs have some 'club rifles' which would be a good place to start before actually buying a new one. Have a look at other members rifles and see what you like and don't like.

[Jack OByte]

Morning h5djr,

I thought that ANY lenses would be classed as an illegal sighting aid when using peep-sights. I'm glad to hear I'm wrong, thanks for the heads-up!

Are you still trying to sell your Feinwerkbau 700? If so, can you email me more details/pictures? Sorry to hear about your shoulder mate!

Cheers,
J

[RobinC]

Welcome back, first step is go to a club first and try it.
Eyesight, yes you can use optical correction but only in glasses not in the rearsight, no optical aids are permitted on the rifle. I've just come back after 20 years and have had to invest in shooting glasses, its quite important to get the lens in the right place and the correct prescription, I'm on my second prescription and 3rd frames in the battle to get it right! Now using 30 year old Junkers frames and they are great!
Yes you can come back, my wife was GB team 30 years ago always with glasses, now at bus pass age and double cataract ops has returned now able to see well for the first time in her life and is near enough shooting at her old standard.
Good shooting
Robin

[Jack OByte]

Thanks for the advice Robin, I'll check where the folks at the club go.

J

[defblade]

Peep sights will often "correct" small problems anyway. Also, the thing you need in best focus is the foresight, so if you've gone a little longsighted, you may find your eyes are perfect for shooting already!

If you can't get on either with or without your standard specs, make sure you use an optician who understands what is required for/has experience with shooters.

[RobinC]

I would agree that looking through the small hole of a peepsight does correct some issues of eyesight but unlike pistol where you need the foresight sharp to the exclusion of everything else rifle is not quite the same. Yes, you should concentrate on the foresight when aiming but the degree of required focus is very different, unlike pistol you need to be able to see a good degree of sharp focus on the aimimg mark as well. Add to this that the foresight is further away than a pistol and is closer to the long focus fields than the short. My pistol lens is simply the focal length I require to get the foresight sharp, my rifle lens has been a bit more difficult to get the best comprimise.
There is a lot of expert help to get the correct prescription for rifle shooting and it generaly follows the principle of either adding or subtracting .25 to .5 diopter from the long vision prescription depending on whether your prescription is a negative or positive so its best left to expert opticians.
From my experience with normaly only requireing +1 diopter for long vision I got the expert guidance but was not comfortable with the recomended lens correction for shooting when I tried it, so I tried a lens on my normal long vision, perfect. But my vision correction is only slight, if you are going to select your own rifle prescription, I suggest as do Knobloch that you go for your normal long vision, BUT the best route is to take expert guidance, Sewards at Bisley have an expert on call.
Then you have the problem of which glasses! Rifle is a bit more awkward than pistol as your head is less upright and generaly turned, I tried a couple of frames, one I could get right for standing but not prone, then one the other way around! Feeling doomed to two sets I commented that my wife shot air, smallbore, fullbore, prone and 3p, with one pair, dug them out and remembered I'd made them 35 years ago from a pair of Billy Bunter national health frames and copied the principle from a set of Junkers. I now have a set of Junkers (still made) and they are perfect unchanged in prone and standing.
If you wear glasses I think its very important to get the correct prescription and the best frames for you, you can get away with your normal ones taped in position to your forehead with masking tape but much better to get the right thing.
Hours of fun and frustration in front of you, Good shooting,
Robin

[defblade]

you can get away with your normal ones taped in position to your forehead with masking tape

I use a sports band now to hold them in place.

Sometime ago I went through a period of not shooting much, during which I got new glasses. When I took up shooting again, each group of 5 was good for 3 shots, then the next 2 went worse and worse. Then I'd pause to check the target etc and, I eventually realised, push my glasses back up.

Turns out that, unlike my previous pair, these tend to slip down my nose over 5 shots so changing how I see everything (I'm very shortsighted, -11 ish in each eye). With the sports band they may not be perfect, but at least they're consistant. I really haven't got the budget to buy a dedicated pair.

[Jack OByte]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I'll sort out a pair soon.

J

[RobinC]

Aberdeen? Edinkillie has just moved there, The Idea factory, 20 Mearn St, says on the website the shop is open 9.00 to 2.00. Give him a call or visit, he'll probably know local clubs as well.
Robin

[Hemmers]

Morning h5djr,

I thought that ANY lenses would be classed as an illegal sighting aid when using peep-sights. I'm glad to hear I'm wrong, thanks for the heads-up!

No, not at all - provided there's only one lens! Obviously two would be akin to a tubeless scope.

Fairly common to see them at international level. One GB guy even wears it for a very minor correction (-0.5 or something), because at that level it makes a difference. They're also quite important for anyone who suffers astigmatism, which is obviously an issue when trying to line up concentric circles!

Before parting with any of the hard-earned though, go join a club and beg borrow or otherwise lay your hands on every different rifle available to work out what's right for you.

[Jack OByte]

Yep, I've found Edinkillie Robin, so I'll give them a phone soon. I'm also waiting for the club to get back to me at the moment.

I actually do have astigmatism but it's my left eye and i shoot with my right
My right eye is only +1.0 but at least I know I can correct it if I feel the need.

Thanks,
J