Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting First deer with open sights

I agree, got a nice H&R Garand I’m gonna use also.

BRAVO! Beauty Deer :o)

KB

Nice buck Hanco!

Heck yeah! Bullet did its job! Nice one too! Congrats!

Nice. I've taken several the last few years with a peep sighted M336 38-55 using cast bullets. In some of my hunting spots it's about perfect for the job.

Think it might have over penetrated, Hanco?

Beautiful buck and rifle! It must feel really great to be able to take game with that old classic with iron sights. My goal this year is to take a deer with my M54 Winchester in 30 WCF using my powder coated cast bullets. I haven't had surgery so will need almost perfect conditions to be able to pull it off. Turned 74 yesterday and my eyes feel every day of those years, but I'm gonna try!

Good shooting David!

I do most of my hunting with rifles and handguns having only irons. I enjoy hunting with open or peep sights more then I do with scoped rifles. Why? I can't really say. I just do.

In the last 20 years or so, (maybe closer to 25 years) I have killed more then half my animals with just iron sighted weapons. Sure, there are low light conditions and longer ranges I can't shoot in, but that doesn't bother me a t all. I just get closer or come back the next day. But in the last 25 years I can't remember even one time when I had the feeling "I wish I'd have brought a scoped rifle". It may happen to me some day, but so far it has not.

Maybe it's just how you start? I started out when I was a very young boy using my Dad's Savage M99 in 300 savage with open sights. That was in the 60s,--- 1963 I think. in 1968 I started using a 270 with a Weaver 4X. So I have a history going way back and using both scopes and irons, but the fact that I started out killing deer and cayotes with iron sights probably ingrained into me the comfort of having only irons on some rifles and it never seemed lacking to me. to be without a scope.

So welcome to the fraternity Hanco. May you repeat that process many many times.
Happy hunting.

Eyes are getting old, in spite of cataract surgery. I have a slight scar on my dominant eye that messes things up. Glasses can't fix it. I can use a peep sight ok but buckeyes? Forget it. I have lasers on 2 pistols. I can see them much better than trying to wrinkle up my eyes for the open sights.

Congrats Hanco ! The last deer I killed with irons was in 2018. Started out with iron sights when I was young and Killed a shyt load of deer, small game and varmints with them. Couldn't figure why anybody'd need a scope to kill a great big critter like a deer. Eyes ain't so good anymore so the iron sighted rifles don't get much use these days.

Nice deer……Congratulations on both the kill and your newfound ability to see!

I’m surprised that you didn’t have open sight kills in your youth……when you could see! memtb

I didn’t start hunting until I was about 23. My life growing up wasn’t so good. One of the old plumbers I worked with took me to his hunting lease in Ozona Texas. I was hooked, been going ever since.

Congrats on both: the newfound sight and open sights kill!

My first kill was with my H&R 12ga....not exactly the same/same though.

I use both but does feel better when using iron sights. I'm glad you got both sights' back.

Sorry that you missed hunting during the “prime of life” …..about 6 through your teens! Happy that you had someone introduce you to hunting. And, especially pleased that you still enjoy it. May you enjoy many more years doing that which you love! 👍 memtb

Thank you for that!!

Hanco, I'm 71 and had cataract surgery in both eyes summer of 2022. I couldn't believe what I had been missing and gave the eye surgeon a hug thanking her. She thanked me saying nobody had ever responded to her that way before. I stressed to her she really changed my life as far as my shooting sports. Neal

Very cool, Hanco.

Nice buck and nice rifle.

Nice buck, and rifle

Great deer!