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What Are the Best Pistol Sights for Old Eyes?

I've been wearing 'progressive addition' lenses for quite a few years now. It did take some getting used to but in the end it was worth since I really didn't want the lined bi-focals.

I love them for off hand shooting with or without my red dot sight, but hate them for bench resting. I just can't seem to get low enough over the bag/bench to be able to use the part of the lens I need for precision 'bulls eye'/target shooting. Hard to explain, but it just doesn't work real well.

So I had another pair of glasses made to compensate. Actually they turned out to be real close to those I use for closeup work like mechanic work on my truck or even welding.
 
jumpinjoe said:
I've been wearing 'progressive addition' lenses for quite a few years now. It did take some getting used to but in the end it was worth since I really didn't want the lined bi-focals.

I love them for off hand shooting with or without my red dot sight, but hate them for bench resting. I just can't seem to get low enough over the bag/bench to be able to use the part of the lens I need for precision 'bulls eye'/target shooting. Hard to explain, but it just doesn't work real well.

So I had another pair of glasses made to compensate. Actually they turned out to be real close to those I use for closeup work like mechanic work on my truck or even welding.
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^ Yup, the eye(s) has/have to look through the sweet-spot(s) in the lens(es), in order to make it work.

This was a huge problem for me, which I discovered at my first *_rigorous_* carbine course.

Since I have a northern-Chinese/Korean featured face, I have a very low -virtually no- nose-bridge, so this makes it hard for my shooting glasses to stay in the right spot on my face, to properly align with my eye, particularly as I lay down in the prone. My solution is to use some 3M Automotive Trim/Molding tape combined with an overlay of medical tape to build-up my own "non-slip bridge" on the shooting glasses.

For those who have an ophthalmologist/optometrist who is a shooter or who may be aware of and caters to the needs of our hobby, letting them know what and how you shoot may help you get superior results with less trial-and-error.
 
TSiWRX said:
^ Yup, the eye(s) has/have to look through the sweet-spot(s) in the lens(es), in order to make it work.

This was a huge problem for me, which I discovered at my first *_rigorous_* carbine course.

Since I have a northern-Chinese/Korean featured face, I have a very low -virtually no- nose-bridge, so this makes it hard for my shooting glasses to stay in the right spot on my face, to properly align with my eye, particularly as I lay down in the prone. My solution is to use some 3M Automotive Trim/Molding tape combined with an overlay of medical tape to build-up my own "non-slip bridge" on the shooting glasses.

For those who have an ophthalmologist/optometrist who is a shooter or who may be aware of and caters to the needs of our hobby, letting them know what and how you shoot may help you get superior results with less trial-and-error.
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Possibly try some of those stretchy tubular ended glasses straps to help retain glasses where needed?
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Sunglasses Straps - Neoprene

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PunchySunshine said:
is there a top shelf RDS that could mount on my TRP Operator and still keep the iron as backups?
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I think you’d have to go to a 2011 for the ability to mount a RDS.

My P226 is my home defense handgun, and I have it setup with suppressor height night sights and a RDS (Romeo 1 Pro) which allows for absolute cowitness. That way if the optic breaks, dies, or otherwise isn’t useful, I have full iron night sight capabilities.

Usually with any pistol to get full cowitness, you’re going to need suppressor height sights. Not always though, as the Hellcat with the Wasp will cowitness because the optic sits low enough.
 
I really the combo tritium/fiber optic sights coming out these days, particularly the TFX PRO sights. They have the very bright front sight in orange but also a tritium vial on the front and a tritium rear sight. I have these on several of my handguns now and they seem to be very easy to pick up both during the day due to the orange sight and at night due to the tritium......side not, I took my new Beretta APX Centurion to the place I've been taking my handguns to have night sights installed for about 10 years this last weekend. Not only did he shatter the stock front sight on my Beretta taking it off, he shattered the new front night sight putting it on......I was not a happy camper...lol They already ordered a new set for me, same sights, but they're going to pay for them plus not charge me labor this time, a nice gesture for sure, but the same guy always does my sights and he's never had any issues at all, weird.
 
TSiWRX said:
^ Thanks, bruddah - but when there's nothing for the bridge on the glasses to hold on to, well, even taping the glasses to my face won't help much! 😅

That said, glasses-retainers are a definite, when we go on roller-coasters! :cool:(y)
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There's alternatives....some sorta wacky, some not.
This one doesn't look too rough.... hats with built in glasses:
Adult P-Cap with grey sunglasses for prescription wear | T ...


While some of these may? :)

hat with built in glasses at DuckDuckGo

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neil0311 said:
I think you’d have to go to a 2011 for the ability to mount a RDS.
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Nope, the bottom half doesn't have that much to do with it. :) It's more prevalent on 2011s, but there's plenty of single-stack 1911s with them, too:

RDS on 1911? - The Firing Line Forums

RDS on 1911? Gear and Accessories
thefiringline.com

www.personaldefenseworld.com

Battle Royale: Ranking 4 High-End, Optics-Ready 1911 Pistols

Nowadays, you can purchase all manner of “optics-ready” handguns, even revolvers. Reflex sights are popular because they make it easier
www.personaldefenseworld.com www.personaldefenseworld.com

:)
 
GREAT & timely article for my old eyes!! I recently purchased a 1911 Loaded Target. My Old Eyes are having difficulty with the front sight so this past week I spent HOURS trying to locate a sight that would fit (.330" X 60 degree Dovetail, .18" tall -- as specified by a Springfield rep I contacted). Ameriglo responded back to me and stated they do not make that size. I called Dawsons and they said that size is extremely difficult to come by. What do you recommend for a replacement? I wanted a tritium or fiber optic. Any suggestions? THANKS!!!!
 
I've generally found that, for irons, Tritium is king. As noted in the video, fiber optic sights can really pop if you're outdoors shooting on a sunny day, but other than that, I've found them lacking. We tried the laser thing and it moved around so much, it was distracting. I secretly believe the more a laser moves, the more you try to steady it, and then it moves even more.

All of our pistols have Tritium sights and I love them. I even found some novak-cut 1911 night sights that fit on our Ruger 9E.

I'm just working my way into the world of red dots. I have the Hex Dragonfly on the XDM Elite Tactical OSP and (assuming Springfield does a good job resolving my intermittent Hellcat's issue with the slide not locking back on empty), I plan on putting a Hex Wasp on that pistol.

Red dots have taken some getting used to, but I like the idea of being target focused.
 
McGreggles said:
I'm farsighted and the issue I have is double vision when focusing on either the target or the sight. Will the holosight help with this at all? Any suggestions from others experiencing something like this? Thanks in advance.
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1st, I'm assuming you're referring to a red dot sight when you say "holosight". I don't know whether you shoot with one or both, but I use a RDS on my Hellcat, although not a "Holosun" brand and shoot with both eyes open. I never focus on the sight itself, only out on the actual target as recommended by the makers. Don't know if that would help, just offering it up for consideration. Let us know.

And I don't mean to make light of any problem a fellow shooter might have to deal with, so please take this in the vein it is intended ............... If I suffered 'double vision' in any shooting scenario, I'd just get two guns, one in each hand for each of the two visions !!! ;);):):)

I can't take credit for that little quip .......... I heard Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer) say it to Johnny Ringo in the movie "Tombstone'.
 
I had that double vision for a short while after some medication. You just got to shoot them both until you figure out which one is the real target lol. The real target turned out to be on the left.

Thankfully it went away when I stopped taking the medication.
 
Mr. Untactical said:
...tried the laser thing and it moved around so much, it was distracting. I secretly believe the more a laser moves, the more you try to steady it, and then it moves even more.
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This phenomenon manifests for irons and dots, too. ;) It's a matter of the shooter training him/herself to realize that this wobble manifests no matter the shooter's skill-level, to accept it, and to -borrowing from Frank Proctor- simply get out of the way of the supercomputer that's sitting inside their skull, and complete the trigger press.

It's really too bad that the video is not available publicly, for free, but for the legendary Pat Rogers' "Carbine 2" video in the Panteo Productions Make Ready series, he ran a pistol-transition demo where his laser switched on. It's plain-as-day that the laser is dancing all over the target, but Pat of-course makes his shots.

For shooters new to dots or a traditional magnified scope, the phenomenon and feeling of being out-of-control are similar: it's only when the shooter realizes that it's normal -and what's more, is also evident in their use of iron sights- that they can accept this visual phenomenon and learn to work through the skill. (y)

McGreggles said:
I'm farsighted and the issue I have is double vision when focusing on either the target or the sight. Will the holosight help with this at all? Any suggestions from others experiencing something like this? Thanks in advance.
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A bit of double-vision will occur regardless - and this is unfortunately the price we pay as humans for the advantages that binocular vision gives us.

Depending on your unique vision (we all "see" just a little differently than one-another), what works for another shooter may or may not work well for you. You'll have to be willing to try out a few different methods, to see what actually works for you, and whether or not you're happy with the compromises that any one of these techniques or methods may exact.

Gabe White's "Vision" article was originally featured on the awesome Pistol-Training.com website by the late Todd Green, but he's since added a few sentences as a foreword (which I believe you'll find very applicable), and is now a part of his own website: https://www.gabewhitetraining.com/vision/
 
Any recommendations to replace a front sight on a Springfield 1911 Loaded Target (need a .330" X 60 degree Dovetail, .18" tall -- as specified by a Springfield rep I contacted)?? My old eyes need a better front sight, preferably Tritium or fiber optic? Finding it very difficult to find one that size. PLEASE HELP!!!!
 
MatthewG said:
Any recommendations to replace a front sight on a Springfield 1911 Loaded Target (need a .330" X 60 degree Dovetail, .18" tall -- as specified by a Springfield rep I contacted)?? My old eyes need a better front sight, preferably Tritium or fiber optic? Finding it very difficult to find one that size. PLEASE HELP!!!!
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Try these guys out ........( www.egwguns.com ), they work with this fit everyday. They can make the cut for most any sight, or they can fit most any sight to this cut. They also sell machine tooling if you can do this work yourself.

Also got a phone # for you ...... (212) 538-1012 .................. give 'em a try. I have no financial or other interest in this company, just happen to know they can handle the job.

Let us know how you make out. (y)(y)(y)
 
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