Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Using aperture as a diopter.

My almost 60 year old eyes barely see the rear notch sight on my Savage 99 -- let alone focus on it.

Typically, shooters take the rear sight out, or install a fold down when using a tang aperture.

However, I just installed a tang aperture and I get a sharp and clear picture of both the front and rear sights.

I will try it at 100 yards and report back.

Any thoughts on using an aperture with a rear notch?

No. Looking through the hole is the "magic" associated with tang sights.

Jack

Today I got a 4" group at 100 yards.



I will try it without the rear sight, I will have to knock it out first

You are using 3 sights?

Some of us older guys can't see the rear sight without our bifocals.

The aperture brings both the rear notch and the front post into focus.

My dad has always done the same on his 99. The tang sight makes everything sharper.

Why do you need the rear sight if you have the aperture

An aperture smaller than your pupil will increase depth of field, the same as stopping down the aperture on a camera. That will, as you've found, sharpen up your view of the sights. You can even buy a device (Merit makes it, and maybe others) to attach to the lens of your shooting glasses which contains an aperture, for exactly that purpose.

Using the tang rear peep will have the same effect as the aperture device fitted to your glasses, in sharpening things up. There's a potential downside though, and that is that if the peephole isn't well lined up with the rear open sight, your eye may find the optical centre of the peep (which it will do naturally) and rather than lining up the foresight in the open rear sight will line it up with the peep. Worse, you might find that for some shots you line up with the peep, and others with the rear open sight, leading to inconsistency.

Really though, the rear open sight is quite redundant and, worse, just gets in the way. You can aim more easily, naturally, and almost certainly more accurately, by simply looking through the rear peep, ignoring it, and focussing on the foresight, clearing the open rear out of the way entirely by either folding it or removing it. Your eye will naturally find the centre of the aperture without you even thinking about it.

Here's what happened in all its lurid details:

Step 1) Bought a 99G with a rear leaf sight.

Step 2) Could not see the rear sight without my bifocals.

Step 3) Installed a tang aperture and removed the rear leaf.

Step 4) Took it to the range and I was disappointed to find that I was 18" inches high with the aperture dialed all the way down.

Step 5) Took the rear aperture off to maybe sell it and put a Savage marked rear notch sight into the rear dovetail.

Step 6) Installed a front sight that raised the height from .350" to .470".

Step 7) Got ready to take the newly fitted 99G to the range and I thought I would install the rear aperture one last time and look over the rear notch.

BINGO, with the rear aperture installed I could see the rear notch, the front sight and the 100 yard target all at the same time!!!

Step 8) I like being able to see the rear notch, but I will knock it out next trip to the range and see if the rear aperture alone gives me enough accuracy. 3" at 100 yards would be fine. My goal is to be able to hit a 9: paper pie plate out 100 yards from an unsupported standing position.