Eyesight & using open sights at 200 yards.

[Alycidon]

Yesterday I took my daughter to shoot the air cadet L98 rifle at 100 & 200 yards.

 

The L98 is the cadet version of the current Army issue rifle (5.56mm /.223) and is single shot manual pull operated with the normal mag capacity. They will be getting the semi auto versions this year.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L98_Cadet_Rifles#Sights

 

The problem is that she has almost no vision in her left eye and limited vision in her right. Her glasses they have very thick lenses, she shoots off the right shoulder and with telescopic sights on my rifles there is not a problem, and she shoots them pretty well, no water filled small coke bottle within 200 yards is safe !!.

 

The sights on the L98 rifle are a circle rearsight and a blade front sight. Her problem is that in order to see the sights in sharp focus she has to have her eye very close to the rear sight, so close that she dare not ware glasses for fear of the rifle recoiling and breaking them leaving potential for broken glass in her goodish eye. In that position she cannot make out the target clearly other than as a large black blob on the backer.

 

If she moves her head to a more normal position on the stock the sights go out of focus but the target comes into focus. Yesterday they were shooting what I think are number 11s, (its an MOD range) and she was dissapointed to only get about 25% of her shots into the man at 200 yards.

 

Cadet rifles are not allowed to be fitted with Susat sights, cadets have been told that Susat's have a radio active element in them and are prohibited on H&S grounds.

 

Anybody any thoughts on what we could do to get her into a position to see both sight and target. I cant take my rifles (mores the pity) and scopes are banned.

 

This range is just north of Birmingham and shoots to 600 yards, looks like several rifle clubs are based there as well. Its a really cracking set up but I suppose use might be limited by MOD requirements. Anybody here shoot there??.

 

Thanks

 

A

[nemasis243]

Its a big shame about her eyesight,

Just a thought but is it possible for her to wear a contact in her eye instead of wearing her glasse?

ATB Andy

[Guest varmartin]

Even though she has little vision in her left eye...I bet she still closes it ?... Closing one eye ruins your depth of perception.

 

Maybe try a translucent blinder..like the target shooters use, and ask her to try shooting with both eyes open ?

[stag1933]

As stated earlier a contact lense seems to be the answer.

With iron sights the eye dances from target to foresight and then rearsight and back again.

With faulty vision such as this really telescopic sights are the best option but in this case when iron sights are only permitted the contact lense is the way forward.

 

I am virtually blind on the left side but get a very bad picture of sorts which is not in correlation with my better right eye.

Closing the left is imperative or I may miss the glass when I pour my whiskey !

Even though I have had my licence taken off me by DVLA I can still hold my own against all-comers on the range using the scope sight.

 

HWH.

[Alycidon]

I did forget to mention that she does not actually wear her glasses shooting as she is afraid that the recoil may catch and break them.

 

Thanks for your advice, from teh schedule shooting at these distances is a pretty rare event for them and I dont think she wants to go the contacts route. As it happens the ATC have just started shooting clays with shotguns, she will be better equiped for that as she should just concentrate on the clay not tha barrell.

 

H, seems perhaps you need a reticule on your windscreen to improove matters !!.

 

The range I spoke of is at Kingsbury, north of Brum.

 

A

[Laurie]

Contact lens is undoubtedly the best answer from a purely shooting / optical point of view but not necessarily ideal in practical terms for a youngster in cadet / range environment (dust / odd small insect etc blowing into the eye - v. painful).

 

An alternative is proper shooting specs from Knobloch or Gehman with a right lens holder only that is adjustable every which way. It can be set just ahead of the eye so is well back from the rearsight. Another (major) advantage is the lens position is adjusted so it is in the right position for when prone and behind a rifle sight. Ordinary specs end up wrongly positioned with the lens too low down.

 

Safety wise, the answer is a modern 'plastic' (polycarbonate or similar) lens in the frame - even if the rearsight hits it, it won't break just pushes the spec frame back into the face which is disconcerting but rarely even bruises. (Tried a 45.70 Sharps BPCR rifle with tang rearsight - been there got that teeshirt!) It actually adds to safety as it does provide something between eye and rifle action in the event of primer or case failure - not as good as wraparound polycarbonate shooting safety glasses, but better than nothing.

 

Laurie

[Alycidon]

Contact lens is undoubtedly the best answer from a purely shooting / optical point of view but not necessarily ideal in practical terms for a youngster in cadet / range environment (dust / odd small insect etc blowing into the eye - v. painful).

 

An alternative is proper shooting specs from Knobloch or Gehman with a right lens holder only that is adjustable every which way. It can be set just ahead of the eye so is well back from the rearsight. Another (major) advantage is the lens position is adjusted so it is in the right position for when prone and behind a rifle sight. Ordinary specs end up wrongly positioned with the lens too low down.

 

Safety wise, the answer is a modern 'plastic' (polycarbonate or similar) lens in the frame - even if the rearsight hits it, it won't break just pushes the spec frame back into the face which is disconcerting but rarely even bruises. (Tried a 45.70 Sharps BPCR rifle with tang rearsight - been there got that teeshirt!) It actually adds to safety as it does provide something between eye and rifle action in the event of primer or case failure - not as good as wraparound polycarbonate shooting safety glasses, but better than nothing.

 

Laurie

 

 

I did have a look through the sights myself on a with my reading glasses on as as you say they were to low. My foresight was also out of focus when looking at the target but as the backsight is only a small circle then placing the post in about the right place was not to hard. Not good for precision accuracy though but with a sighting system like that then reasonable as a basic learning tool.

 

I had not thought about the shooting glasses idea, that does sound like the best solution. However she far prefers scopes, dont we all !!.

 

Thanks for your thoughts,

 

A