Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Iron Sights...ever heard of them?

Kinda sad many of our forerunners (not 4 runners) had to get by with iron sights. I'm past 60 now and play the trombone when reading and shoot without glasses. At our gunshow this weekend past I admired a custom BP rifle that had the rear sight moved quite a bit forward...that trombone thing again. How many folks know that at one time "ALL" rifles had iron sights...Cat you listening?

I'm not quite as "OLD" as you so it took me a few minutes to "Get" the trombone thing!
That feller had his thinking-cap on when move the rear sight out so it would come into focus!!

90% of my shooting is done with irons. Most of the matchs I compete in, optics are not allowed. It does harder the older I get but I'm still good with match type diopters like these.

You are left handed?

I'm 54, and discovered long ago, that I can shoot better with short barreled handguns, simply because the sights are closer together.(grin!) also like short barreled carbines...
Virgil B.

What's an ir..ero..irrn...iron, yeah that's it, iron sight. What's an iron sight?

Must be from the iron age of course. Probably back when they made them out of iron tubes before steel and aluminum. Long time ago for sure, haven't ever seen one of them iron tube scopes.

By George, I think you've got it. Sometime after the Chinese developed gunpowder and the end of the Bronze Age which signaled the beginning of the Iron Age home 'smiths made iron-tube scopes with thin iron reticles! Must have eventually used some crude form of glass at some point. I'd love to see one of those iron scopes.

Irons? You mean like this Lyman setup on my old Springfield 358 Norma Mag?

yea, "they don't make 'em like they use to..." but there is probably a REASON for that!

Dave

When I started shooting in 1948, at age 14, there just weren't many scopes floating around on big game hunting rifles. Some of the more affluent hunters had Weaver scopes mounted, like the 330, and I think Lyman make the Alaskan 2 1/2, or 2 3/4 power back then. Some guys had them too. All factory rifles came with irons however.
Varmint hunters back then used some of the old Unertl's, Litschert's and Fecker's. Woodchuck hunting was big in that era, and I liked doing that more than Deer hunting 'cause you could hunt all summer long, in PA, my home state.
At age 42, my eyes took a turn for the worse, and I could no longer use iron sights. I've been using scopes since then. However, over the last two months, I've had the lenses replaced in each eye, and now I can see good enough to use iron sights again. So,, to reward myself, right after I had the second lens installed, I took four iron sighted 22 Rimfire rifles and a Browning Buckmark to the range and spent an afternoon shooting and reliving the old days. It was a blast, being able to actually see the rear sight, the front sight and the target all at one time. It's been 30 years since I could do that.
So, the next thing I thought about was Deer hunting this Fall with an iron sighted rifle; which means I'll be FORCED to buy a new rifle.. Of course, I'll have to mount a good aperture rear sight on it too.
Just like a kid again....

Don

DMB good for you. Hope you remember how to use open sights? ")

Well, my first new centerfire rifle was my highschool graduation present purchased in August 1957. As was family tradition, the rifle could be any make model or caliber, as long as you could buy ammo for it at the Three Forks Hardware.

With the raves about the 308, I selected the best rifle I could think of. It was a 99F Savage with the lyman 57 peepsight straight from the factory in 308 Winchester.

Back then, we all learned to shoot receiver sights with both eyes open, and it wasn't unusual for 3 or 4 guys at the range to shoot 3 shot groups with factory 180's into 3 or 4 inch groups at 200 yards using peeps.

I still can't believe people use scopes for elephants, Cape Buffalo, rhino, lions, etc. Wouldn't dream of it myself.

Don't get me wrong. I have several small bores, several elk rifles and a couple of medium bores with scopes. They are great for long range shooting when the quarry is stationery.

Before ya'll bring out the flame-throwers why don't you give irons a chanch. I gave scopes a chanch about 30 years ago and in some situations I love em. Ditto for receivers.

Wayne

I have 3 XS ghostring setups and two NECG CUstom Express setups. They do have their applications, no doubt.

I don't think any sighting system as is quick as a red dot. A well mounted low power scope would be next. Ghost rings come third. With everything else slower. I don't see any reason a low power scope shouldn't be fine for elephants etc.

Still using them( but I'm not THAT old!)
Cat

I love to hunt with my Pe 64 M70 Super Grade 375 and can do well with the Lyman aperture sights but it works even better for these old eyes after I had DeCot make a lense for my hunting glasses with an inverted bifocal at the top of the lens....thus when I drop my head on the stock, sights are very crisp and focused.....works especially when shooting handguns....

I have one gun(Sav110) with a scope and I am thinking about taking it off and putting on a ghost ring. I like the iron sights since I was taught to shoot with a Sav99 that has semi buckhorns I also have a Sav99td that has ful buckhorns,I am like so many others of us with "Old Eyes"in need of bifocals.I am hoping that sometime soon I can put the tang peep on the two 99s.