Eye test for shooters.

[MrChipShoulder]

I live in South Wales and just about everybody that cares about shooting uses Fulgoni in Abergavenny.

They all use them as they are a family of shooters and FULLY understand exactly what shooters need.
Mr Fulgoni is a real nice guy and VERY thorough.
I even rang Intershoot in Ireland the other day, and ran Fulgoni past them, even they knew him and know top shooters that use him!!

This optician is not close to you, but when he is known across the country by shooters as being one of the best for shooters, it may well be worth a trip?

https://fulgoni.co.uk

[rancidtom]

Try Simon Goldsmith in Bristol, he may be more local to you than J H Steward. Simon works at Bisley a couple of days a week for J H Steward, he did me s shooting lens when I lived in Swindon as Bristol was closer than Bisley I popped over to see him there. For you it's a treck down the M5 but it definitely isn't as far as going to either Bisley or South Wales. Bedford may be your closest though, suppose it depends where in Walsall you are.
http://www.simongoldsmithopticians.co.uk/

[MrChipShoulder]

Try Simon Goldsmith in Bristol, he may be more local to you than J H Steward. Simon works at Bisley a couple of days a week for J H Steward, he did me s shooting lens when I lived in Swindon as Bristol was closer than Bisley I popped over to see him there. For you it's a treck down the M5 but it definitely isn't as far as going to either Bisley or South Wales. Bedford may be your closest though, suppose it depends where in Walsall you are.
http://www.simongoldsmithopticians.co.uk/

Just for your information, Bristol is about half an hour further on than Abergavenny if coming down the M5 from Walsall.

Turn off the M5 at J8, go down the M50, keep going until you go under the tunnel at Monmouth and turn off at the next junction to Abergavenny. Much closer than Bristol.

[vbull]

Local Specasavers (Ringwood) did mine. I had a lens made for pistol and put into a pair of shooting frames and I gave them an old pair of distance glasses and asked them to blank out the left lens and put a lens in for the right eye with a longer focal length so I could see the foresight on a rifle. They allowed me to take in a pistol and a rifle to get things spot on. The optometrist (female) seemed very interested in the whole thing.

[Sir_SwampThing]

Thank you all for your advice.
I had previously visited the opticians nearest to me. I have contacted the stores in Walsall town centre now and both Specsavers and Vision Express have confirmed that they are more than happy for me to bring my pistol with me for the test and that there will be no additional cost for fitting the lens to my "specialist" frames.
Just so I understand correctly.
If I am tested using the pistol, is that the prescription that I need or is the +.5/.75 still required? Or does that only apply to a reading prescription?
Anything else that is relevant that I need to convey to them?
Regards
Chris

[MrChipShoulder]

I am clearly made of ‘different stuff’.

Personally I’d make the effort to travel to somebody that knows about shooting needs, rather than ‘cheep out’ and go local and make up the difference in lost knowledge by asking a forum.

But each to their own.

[Sir_SwampThing]

I am clearly made of ‘different stuff’.

Personally I’d make the effort to travel to somebody that knows about shooting needs, rather than ‘cheep out’ and go local and make up the difference in lost knowledge by asking a forum.

But each to their own.

As a full time carer for a 91 year old who had a stroke, taking a full day out to travel for an eye test is out of the question for me.
Clearly, you are made of "different stuff", although I am not sure what it is.
What is clear though, from reading many of your posts, is that you have an ENORMOUS chip on your shoulder.
Thanks for your input.

Chris

[rancidtom]

Thank you all for your advice.
I had previously visited the opticians nearest to me. I have contacted the stores in Walsall town centre now and both Specsavers and Vision Express have confirmed that they are more than happy for me to bring my pistol with me for the test and that there will be no additional cost for fitting the lens to my "specialist" frames.
Just so I understand correctly.
If I am tested using the pistol, is that the prescription that I need or is the +.5/.75 still required? Or does that only apply to a reading prescription?
Anything else that is relevant that I need to convey to them?
Regards
Chris

The numbers quoted will obviously vary from person to person, taking numbers from a message board post is not advisable. Get your optician to set the lenses up for you which he/she thinks are best in their test frame, then sight up on your pistol front sight. If it is clear and sharp then they have done their bit right and they will have obviously corrected for any astigmatism or other eye problems you have.
If they have any way you can set up a target at 6 yards or 10 meters to test the sight picture that would be even better, you should see a slightly fuzzy ROUND black over your pin sharp front sight. If there is nowhere you can set up a target then simply ask to aim at whatever round black dot they can put on the test screen for you. If it doesn't appear perfectly circular there is a problem with astigmatism which they will need to account for.
As other people and myself have pointed out a specialist optician may well do a better job being fully conversant with shooting themselves, but a high street optician should be able to get it right if you tell them what you need from the lens, perfectly sharp at arms length pistol front sight distance and slightly out of focus at target distance.
Everyone has different eyesight otherwise we would all be able to go and use supermarket glasses for reading, driving or shooting. Ask your optician what they think of reading glasses from the chemists, I bet they will have difficulty not swearing!

[Redrum]

Try Simon Goldsmith in Bristol, he may be more local to you than J H Steward. Simon works at Bisley a couple of days a week for J H Steward, he did me s shooting lens when I lived in Swindon as Bristol was closer than Bisley I popped over to see him there. For you it's a treck down the M5 but it definitely isn't as far as going to either Bisley or South Wales. Bedford may be your closest though, suppose it depends where in Walsall you are.
http://www.simongoldsmithopticians.co.uk/

Is Simon still working? when ytou follow the link it takes you somewhere else

[Sir_SwampThing]

https://jhs-eyewear.com/

https://m.facebook.com/pg/Simon-Gold...ernal&mt_nav=0

Atb
Chris

[WebleyWombler]

Last week, I took 2 guns into my local opticians ( FWB 300s and Walther LP2) I had explained the problem to him previously and so was given the last appointment of the day. He checked out what I needed and will be fitting lenses to both my shooting glasses in an orientation that corrects a little astigmatism. There was evidently a little difference between my requirements for rifle and pistol so the pistol lens is 1/4 - power different than the rifle one.
As an experiment , I have also ordered a pair of normal cheap spectacle frames fitted with a prescription lens on the left side and a rifle lens in the right. This is purely for me to play around with and the cost of these was only £45 so I thought what the hell?
The optician spent over an hour with me and , at a total cost of £105, I thought it good value.

[Redrum]

https://jhs-eyewear.com/

https://m.facebook.com/pg/Simon-Gold...ernal&mt_nav=0

Atb
Chris

Thanks for the link Chris I have managed to speak with him. Simon is only doing shooting glasses now he's retired. I wanted him to do my replacement prescriptions as I'm growing increasing frustrated with Specsavers.

I think I might pop over to Abergavenny unless anyone can recommend a decent Optician in the Sth west??

[Sir_SwampThing]

As you may notice, I actually started this thread ages ago.
In the end I spoke with the manager of my local Specsavers and Vision Express, explained exactly why I wanted specific testing and both agreed that I could have an appointment and be able to bring in my pistol. I explained how it worked and that I would not be bringing any pellets nor the air cylinder.
I made a gizmo to assist with the test.
I cut a plastic straw in half and split it lengthways, so that it could be rolled tighter to slide inside the end of the barrel. I then printed off a small sheet of various sized text and with sticky tape attached this to the end of the straw. Then, during the test and holding the pistol in my shooting stance, I was able more accurately gauge the effect of the various lenses by reading the text which was at exactly the right distance from my eye (I could have just taped the card to the end of the barrel but I didn't want to get my nice new gun covered with sticky stuff).




Persevere and you should manage to get through to someone with common sense.

Atb
Chris

[zooma]

As you may notice, I actually started this thread ages ago.
In the end I spoke with the manager of my local Specsavers and Vision Express, explained exactly why I wanted specific testing and both agreed that I could have an appointment and be able to bring in my pistol. I explained how it worked and that I would not be bringing any pellets nor the air cylinder.
I made a gizmo to assist with the test.
I cut a plastic straw in half and split it lengthways, so that it could be rolled tighter to slide inside the end of the barrel. I then printed off a small sheet of various sized text and with sticky tape attached this to the end of the straw. Then, during the test and holding the pistol in my shooting stance, I was able more accurately gauge the effect of the various lenses by reading the text which was at exactly the right distance from my eye (I could have just taped the card to the end of the barrel but I didn't want to get my nice new gun covered with sticky stuff).




Persevere and you should manage to get through to someone with common sense.

Atb
Chris

Great idea Chris !

[nickm marshall]

My local optician will make a lens to your prescription for about £25. Just leave them with the lens holder of the shooting glasses for about 5 days.

I wear reading glasses all day for work. Plus around the house. Normal glasses for television and driving.
Varifocal for shopping and riding the motorbike.

If I have a copy of your prescription and a lens holder, I will happily get it sorted for you.
Done this for a few other shooting buddies.


For shooting, I find that I can get away with my normal lens and a diopter in either my knoblochs or my champion super olympics.

There.....sorted.

Or see Ed Lyons at FLINT & PARTNERS in Wolverhampton. He is a specialist in supplying PILLA shooting glasses for the shotgun people. Sure he could help if you explain your needs. But it probably wouldn’t be a cheap fix.