Question to older shooters.

[MarkT]

I'm partial to Shield RMS for Glock MOS. It has very clear glass, and an auto-adjust dot that is always on and lasts 3 years. For MOS you can also get a low-profile mounting plate that allows you to cowitness your factory sights (there is a notch in the center of the shield base that allows you to see your irons). For my carry pistol (P365) I had the slide milled and use a Shield RMSc, which is one of the smallest rds on the market.

Whatever you decide I've found that you want the red dot to sit as low on the slide as possible. If it sits too high you'll always be searching for the dot.

 

[Radtekk]

I'm 55, have some of the same issues. I bought a SuperRedhawk 7 1/2" 44mag (actually, Lady Radtekk bought it for me as a wedding gift) a few years back. First time I shot it with the factory grips I almost cried. The trigger guard slammed back into the front of my middle finger like a steel hammer. Put Hogue hardwood grooved grips on it, lowers the fingers down below the trigger guard, it was like a different gun. I shoot it with 44spcl, 44mag, and 340gr Buffalo Bore for fun. The BB is pricey, so I only shoot a couple of rounds to remain familiar with it, but the grips made a HUGE difference. Yes, the'll change the bore axis and increase muzzle flip a little, but the gun won't hurt to shoot.

To be fair, I have BIG hands, recoil itself doesn't bother me. I shoot a 12ga one-handed with a pistol grip using slugs, will shoot 357 mag all day, and once went to an Appleseeds event using a Mosin. The Mosin was steaming hot in July so I put it away after lunch and focused on making sure my 12 y/o was having a good time with her 22. Point is, spend some money on the grips, it'll be worth EVERY penny.

As to group size, I'm willing to be there's another factor. Somebody mentioned grip strength and using finger bands. I'd suggest getting a couple of 1-2 pound weights (a 1 liter water bottle would work) and using that to strengthen your arms by repeatedly raising it to a shooting position and holding for a 10 count. I notice when there's a long time between range trips that my gun tends to get heavy FAST, even the polymer xD I use for EDC. That SRH feels like it weighs a TON after a dozen rounds or so.

 

[M1911]

It must be nice to have ambidextrous eyes!

Actually, I’m heavily right eye dominant.

 

[Glockster30]

Actually, I’m heavily right eye dominant.

I am too, but I was surprised to read that the right eye can focus on the sights and the left focuses on the target. Do you get a clear view of the target with your left eye?

 

[one-eyed Jack]

Actually, I’m heavily right eye dominant.

I'm left eye dominant. But not by choice. Jack.

 

[Dadstoys]

My issue has been up close.
The target was clear but sights fuzzy.
Any pair of cheaters I found would just reverse the problem till I stumbled across a pair of Foster Grant # 2 reading glasses that split the difference just right.
Those puppies stay right in the range bag.
Rifles I don't seem to have an issue with.

 

[M1911]

I am too, but I was surprised to read that the right eye can focus on the sights and the left focuses on the target. Do you get a clear view of the target with your left eye?

Not at the same time.

 

[Glockster30]

Okay, I get it now. You have to switch back and forth, which seems awkward to me, but since you do it all the time, you probably don't even notice it. Initially, the way it was written, I read it as that you could focus on the sights with the right, and focus on the target with the left at the same time.

 

[oldguy68]

I've gone to installing HI VIS fibre optic sights on some of my target pistols.
Much better for indoor range shooting.

 

[Cap'n Mike]

A red dot sight allows you to focus completely on the target.
Sigs RX line of pistols with Red dots already installed are a fantastic deal.
If you do the math on cost of getting the slide machined, suppressor height night sights and the cost of a Red dot, your at or above the price of a Brand new Sig Sauer RX.

 

[Knob Creek]

Besides the above problems, my hand strength is not what is used to be.

 

[Reptile]

What model and brand do you suggest?

People are saying this is a game changer...

https://www.aimpoint.com/product/aimpoint-acro-p-1/

Put in on a Glock MOS.

 

[MarkT]

People are saying this is a game changer...

https://www.aimpoint.com/product/aimpoint-acro-p-1/

Put in on a Glock MOS.

Looks nice, but HUGE

 

[42!]

Similar situation with the eyes when I got back into shooting, idoktr fixed me up with glasses just for shooting. I highly recommend giving this a try. It didn't return my sight to the days of my youth but it seriously helped with my sight picture.

 

[M1911]

Okay, I get it now. You have to switch back and forth, which seems awkward to me, but since you do it all the time, you probably don't even notice it. Initially, the way it was written, I read it as that you could focus on the sights with the right, and focus on the target with the left at the same time.

With my normal prescription alone, I simply can’t focus tightly on the front site. With full reading glasses, I can’t see the target. A monovision prescription allows both, which is far less awkward than not being to see either. And with enough practice, the brain adjusts.

Monovision is a well known technique. Monovision vs. GP Bifocal Contact Lenses

Certainly a scope or red dot is superior, but if you want to shoot Iran’s, you are going to need a prescription that lets you see the sights.

 

[M1911]

Looks nice, but HUGE

There are many different red dot options. If you don’t like that one, pick a different one.

 

[DitchDigger]

Get up close, grab ur 9,,,or what ever you got in ur pocket,,,,close one eye ,,,take a deep breath ,,,and shoot

 

[Supermoto]

Before you spend a lot of time and money on new glasses or a red dot . Try shooting with a target focus. Sights blurry, target sharp.

 

[Varmint]

Dumb question but I’m 50 and my reading vision is going to shit, but haven’t had trouble with sights yet, what kind of vision problem is it?

 

[MarkT]

There are many different red dot options. If you don’t like that one, pick a different one.

Agreed. My currenr preference is Shield RMS or RMSc because they co witness with irons without supressor sights, and sit low on the slide. I also have Burris ff2 and Vortex venom which are okay but sit a little too high for me. Many people rave about Trijicon RMR. I have other optics from trijicon but no experience with RMR. I'm sure that is a good option as well.

 

[meh]

A set of hogue X frame grips on that .44 would help mitigate recoil.
Couple that with .44 spl ammo and its like shooting an N frame in .38 spl.

.44 special is about like .45 ACP, I think. In a gun like the 629 shown, it will be nothing.

The S&W X frame grips had to be purchased direct from S&W when I got mine. They are possibly the best off-the-shelf solution. On my 69, I eventually upgraded to a set of custom Jordan Trooper grips custom made for me by Herrett Stocks.

Jordan Trooper Gun Stock

The shape of the Jordan Trooper grips is a little easier on the webbing of the hand than the X-frame grips, but only if I wear gloves (because wood is so much harder than the X-frame grips padded rubber).

 

[M1911]

Dumb question but I’m 50 and my reading vision is going to shit, but haven’t had trouble with sights yet, what kind of vision problem is it?

Go see your optometrist. None of us can say. You might have the start of presbyopia. Or your vision may have just changed (gotten worse or gotten better) and you simply need a different prescription.

 

[Varmint]

Go see your optometrist. None of us can say. You might have the start of presbyopia. Or your vision may have just changed (gotten worse or gotten better) and you simply need a different prescription.

Sorry I meant is it bad reading vision that causes shooting problems or something else? Cause my bad reading vision hasn’t seemed to affect my shooting yet.

 

[M1911]

Sorry I meant is it bad reading vision that causes shooting problems or something else? Cause my bad reading vision hasn’t seemed to affect my shooting yet.

That what I answered. None of us can say. See your optometrist and get your eyes checked.

 

[DeadEyeDan]

I'm 55, have some of the same issues. I bought a SuperRedhawk 7 1/2" 44mag (actually, Lady Radtekk bought it for me as a wedding gift) a few years back. First time I shot it with the factory grips I almost cried. The trigger guard slammed back into the front of my middle finger like a steel hammer. Put Hogue hardwood grooved grips on it, lowers the fingers down below the trigger guard, it was like a different gun. I shoot it with 44spcl, 44mag, and 340gr Buffalo Bore for fun. The BB is pricey, so I only shoot a couple of rounds to remain familiar with it, but the grips made a HUGE difference. Yes, the'll change the bore axis and increase muzzle flip a little, but the gun won't hurt to shoot.

To be fair, I have BIG hands, recoil itself doesn't bother me. I shoot a 12ga one-handed with a pistol grip using slugs, will shoot 357 mag all day, and once went to an Appleseeds event using a Mosin. The Mosin was steaming hot in July so I put it away after lunch and focused on making sure my 12 y/o was having a good time with her 22. Point is, spend some money on the grips, it'll be worth EVERY penny.

As to group size, I'm willing to be there's another factor. Somebody mentioned grip strength and using finger bands. I'd suggest getting a couple of 1-2 pound weights (a 1 liter water bottle would work) and using that to strengthen your arms by repeatedly raising it to a shooting position and holding for a 10 count. I notice when there's a long time between range trips that my gun tends to get heavy FAST, even the polymer xD I use for EDC. That SRH feels like it weighs a TON after a dozen rounds or so.

I also have a Ruger Super Redhawk in .454... after the difficult I had with my .44 Magnums... I’m not even going to try it with full power loads, If I shoot it I’ll use .45 LC cowboys loads I have lying around from my SASS days... probably feel like I’m shooting .38 Special out of that monster... I not a masochist, and don’t remember the pain before. lots of recoil but not the pain I’m experiencing now, probably the beginnings of arthritis...

 

[Varmint]

That what I answered. None of us can say. See your optometrist and get your eyes checked.

I know my problem, opthalmologist says it's old age. I'm curious what is the eye problem called that people have with shooting? If it's just old age I should be having it.

 

[meh]

I know my problem, opthalmologist says it's old age. I'm curious what is the eye problem called that people have with shooting? If it's just old age I should be having it.

Presbyopia, something that all people will experience to some degree as their eyes age, seems to bother some people a lot more than others when shooting with open sights. My guess is that the people who are least affected by it do not suffer from other aberrations that presbyopia can combine with to produce something worse. A defocused front sight is effectively just a wider front sight. If you're concentrating on the front sight just as you did when you were able to focus on it completely with younger eyes, you can still center your point of aim on it and do pretty well. However, toss in a little astigmatism on top of presbyopia, and the result is much, much worse than either in isolation. It becomes no longer possible to center a point of aim on it.

 

[M1911]

I know my problem, opthalmologist says it's old age. I'm curious what is the eye problem called that people have with shooting? If it's just old age I should be having it.

Different people have different eyes with different problems. Most people get presbyopia as they age. Their eyes can no longer focus to close objects.

But there are other problems that can occur as well. Many people who are very nearsighted will have their amount of nearsightedness reduce after 55. So they may be having a hard time seeing their sights simply because the correction they are wearing is no longer correct for their vision.

Also, as we age our eyes pass less light. We may get cataracts.

 

[42!]

I know my problem, opthalmologist says it's old age. I'm curious what is the eye problem called that people have with shooting? If it's just old age I should be having it.

I can't say this enough, @Idoktr. He can check your eyes, but as a shooter knows what to prescribe to help that sight picture. At this point I have glasses for reading and distance, and one for shooting.

 

[Dennis in MA]

In the last few weeks, my right (dominant) eye has been having more and more trouble focusing close. I turned 50 in January and my whole body is going to pot all at once. LOL.

Still crystal clear in distance. Clearer than the 20/20 left eye. But up-close it's left-eye or cheaters. Funny is a lot of folks get glasses so that their dominant eye is distance and non-dominant is close. I got that all sewn up for no cost!

Haven't been shooting since. But arms-length should be OK.

The crime is I was an amateur astronomer in college. I could focus about 3/4" from the eyeball. Made star-gazing in a tellio-scope a piece of cake. Now crystal clear on my right eye is about 16". Damn that fell far!