[Marshall Stanton]

I'll plead ignorance here, and ask for some feedback from you fine folks here on the forum.

I've been looking at some apeture type sight inserts for Ruger revolvers.  They simply replace the rear sight blade on stock Ruger sights.  

With my heavily corrected vision, I'm beginning to have trouble focusing on three planes at once.  Thus my handgun shooting abilities are beginning to wane, simply from sight acqisition, and definition deficiency.

I thought that those apeture type rear sight inserts might just be the ticket to putting the precision back into handgunning once again!

Has anyone here ever used them?  I once saw a gun about three years ago, a Ruger 5.5" Redhawk with these sights, and it seemed at the time that they were a pretty useful improvement.  At the time, I assumed they were a home-built sight, but perhaps they were indeed the commercial version.

I would be interested in feedback on these.   You know, curiosity killed the cat!

Thanks, and God Bless,

Marshall

 

[MT Callahan]

Marshall,

The aperture sight theroy, as I understand it, works on the principle of the human eye automatically finding the center of the circle created by the rear sight. It seems to me that the further away the rear sight is from your eye, the harder it would be to find the center. I could be all wrong here but it seems like this sight system would be harder to use than a regular blade type sight. I have not used this sight system so I'm just thinking out loud (or typing quietly, whatever). I can see myself holding a handgun out and floating it in circles trying to center the front post.


The express style handgun sights I have used were great. I wouldn't make a shot much past 50 yards with one, but they allow you to aquire a sight picture in a hurry. Guess that why they call them express. I would like to try an express rear sight with a thin blade front instead of the normal brass bead post. That may be worth a try.

I'm blessed with excellent eye sight at the moment but who knows what time will bring. When sighting what problem do you have? What is hardest to focus on or what can't you see at all? I wonder if we can make an educated guess as to what will work for you.

 

[Marshall Stanton]

MT,

I'm glad the Lord has blessed you with great vision!  It is a gift!

What I am speaking of, is that when acquiring a sight picture, with irons, that the rear sight totally fuzzes out of focus when concentrating on the front sight/target relationship, and when conciously focusing upon the rear sight/front sight positioning, everything beyond that front sight is a massive blur!  It can and does create a challenge when trying to do any precision handgun work!

Conventional apeture sights on rifles, (and a certain set of not so conventional Ashley sights-thank you!) cure the problem for me on long guns... that leaves the sixguns to remedy!

Hope this at least in part explains the delimma many of us experience when our sight begins to change.

Thanks guys... looking for answers!

God Bless,

Marshall

 

[Jack R]

Marshall,

I have the same problem with focusing for a good sight picture with iron sights. I found a variable apature that clips on my glasses, you only have to buy one and you dont have to change sights. I first saw the apature used when my wife and I took our son to a national championship match in Atlanta(ISU). Most of the pistol shooters were using them for all disciplines (sp).I got mine from Champions Choice in Laverne Tennessee(a suburb of Nashville) also Neal Johnson in Colorado Springs sells them and I believe Accuracy International in Montana. Most of the precision shootihg equipment manufactures market them, mine is from AHG (Anschutz).

God Bless,

 

[Contender]

At one time Magna Port sold a C-More rear aperature sight blade to replace the blade on a Ruger Blackhawk revolver. It fit the stock Ruger rear site.

They also had some neat front site replacement inserts made of some kind of tough plastic that won't break. They had a little kit of all fancy bright colors. The front blade on my SBH is Hot Pink! You pick that up real fast in the woods.


Marshall is getting ready to say the SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS...........cope word.

Actually, I have a 1x Burris on a Contender 41 Mag barrel. Simply puts a cross hair on the target with no magnification.

Regards

 

[MT Callahan]

Contender said the scope word!!! Somebody put him in time out!

 

[Contender]

"The better to see you with my pretty!" said the wolf.


(evil laugh)

 

[MikeG]

Marshall, my dad found that a Merit Disk helped him shoot see handgun sights much better.  Although he used to shoot silhouettes, he just can't see the sights on his Redhawk very well without the disk.

Actually instead of buying a real Merit Disk he just made a punch and makes little circles out of black vinyl electrical tape, which he sticks to the upper left hand corner of the right lens of his shooting glasses.  Placement of the disk on the lens isn't critical when shooting a handgun, and if you get it high enough it isn't in the way when using a rifle.

 

[James Gates]

I have some real messed up eyes!!! I am very fortunate in having a young eye doctor in Ganiesville that is a shooter! He is known through the South as the most brilliant in the state. My needs are not for target shooting, but rather fast sight alinement under hunting situations. I've tried them all from Merit, tape with holes in it, sunglasses spray painted on the right lens with a small hole, you name it! They all cut the image sharp...for target work! None are worth a flip if a Tusker is shaving the hair on your butt.
Here's what he did for me and his recommendations...if catrracts are not present....I wear progessives, so he ground a small bar near the bottom that throws the focal point at arms length.This gives me a better focus on the sights, but doesn't blur out the target completely....next are his thoughts....widen out the sides of the notch in the rear sight..this allows more light and helps define this front sight. If you are shooting groups with more horizontal spread than vertical this helps. Forget any colors on the front sight except black! You "think" red is helping, but is not. Shortened the distance between sights..Yes, that's what the man said..the closer the sights the more they are in the same focal plane! 5" to 6" barrels are best, longer you lose definition, shorter you lose alinement. Aperture sights are a must for me on open sight rifles, but I'm not sure on pistols. I would like to talk to someone that has used them.
I do know that I can see and shoot better with my 6" barrels than my 7 1/2" now. I'm even thinking about bobbing my SBH back to 6" barrel.
Best Regards from The Hammock....James

(Edited by James Gates at 4:51 pm on Feb. 16, 2001)

 

[Bill M]

Hi Marshall,
Your posting on having trouble seeing all 3 planes while sighting a handgun brings the same reality back to me.  Though I have had glasses to correct my distance vision most of my life, as a younger man I could use any set of sights and put the bullets where I wanted them.  Though my doctor says my eyes are in excellent health and my eyes are only 20/30, I still have the same focusing problem you have.  I think what my doctor really said was I have excellent 46 year old eyes.  

Of late I have tried getting rid of the bright red front sight (it helps in bright light) that was always my helper in poor light.  I tried widening the opening in the rear sight and that helped some.  The problem is I have been trying to help the problem instead of curing it as with receiver sights on a rifle.  I really like the Glock handgun sights where you stick a white ball in a white box.  I don't know how precise it really is but it solves a lot of problems.  

The one idea I have seen but not tried is the new fiber optic sights that are becoming popular.  It strikes me that putting a red dot between 2 green dots would not overtax my aging eyes and would allow greater focus being put on the target.  Maybe someone (with older eyes) on the forum has some experience with these on handguns.  The human eye is blessed with excellent vernier vision so there may be some potential here.  You may note that such an arrangement is now an option on some factory Ruger revolvers.  

As for peep sights on handguns, I saw such an arrangement for sale some years ago but never tried them.  Hope this helps or at least triggers a few ideas to leapfrom from.  Looking forward to 20/00 vision in Heaven!

God bless...............  Bill M

 

[Marshall Stanton]

Found those appeture sight inserts for the Ruger revolvers... some forthcoming!  The price is reasonable, so we'll see what they do!

As for the Sssssssc.....p word, on a hunting handgun, I'll pass for now, preferring to remain somewhat of a traditionalist... I still like a handgun holster that I don't have to bring my mule to tote around for me!

I'm awaiting, tongue in cheek for these sight inserts... film at eleven!

God Bless,

Marshall

 

[James Gates]

Marshall..Let us know if they work..Who knows, anything to get a better sight picture...if they do work, I'll get some and try them and then take them over to show Dr.Lang
Best Regards to All....James

 

[Phil Uruburu]

Marshall, in a 1945 Pacific Gun Site catalog there is a listing for apperture sights made by King gunsights for a peep sight for the Smith target revolvers and also one for Colt target models. Based on the pics, they were made to set in the original dovetail slots and were only adjustable for windage. By the way, the Merit Optical Attachment was listed for sale back then also.
Phil uruburu

 

[Boulderdash]

One source of aperature sights for handguns is:
http://hunting.about.com/gi....te=http

I bought one of these and put it on my Ruger Blackhawk in .30 Carbine. Installation was a snap. I have yet to try it. The pistol doesn't fire. I am assuming that the gunsmith thought he was doing me a favor by changing the springs. Order from Wolffe on the way.

 

[Boulderdash]

Disregard the above post. I noticed that this thread was very old, and the One Ragged Hole sight was covered in detail since then.

 

[R L Parker]

Been reading this forum for a year now, what a place too learn! Gotta reply to this one. Recently bought the "one ragged hole" blades from Brownells. Put the smaller one on my BH 45, the larger on my single six. Credit myself for some fair eyesite for the age of 47, just never got along with the Ruger sights. Wow! Don't claim to be a great pistol shooter, but I'm sure doin better now!

 

[humpty]

Brownells carrys the One Ragged Hole sights. You get 2 aperatures for about 25 bucks.  I shot a SBH with one, and was convinced enough to buy them. I'm 60 and have trouble focusing on the front sight. It sharpened up much like a peep on a rifle.
I will put one on my SBH.
They also carry the Marble tang sight, which I put on my marlin 1894CB.
Humpty

 

[barber]

I put One Ragged Hole aperture sight on my Ruger RH, and it is great for my 70 yr old eyes. It comes with 2 different size apertures, I use the large one. It's great.

 

[mcumpston]

The conventional wisdom is that apeture sights don't work well on handguns as they tend to cause you to shoot away from the primary light source.  It seems that you can do good work with just about any sight if the light is ideal- bright but difused and non directional.  
Very likely if the ad-on apeture works for you, weak drugstore reading glasses will too.  Under some conditions, I find that I can see my sights better with one diopter lenses. The target is fuzzy but the sights are sharp.

Sights with plenty of light on either side of the blade -such as the Ruger GP/SP arrangements and some of the Smiths often work well for me without correction.

 

[Sean]

Marshall, Did you ever get those sight blades?