Eye Focused On Front Sight Pin

[tikka6.5]

I have a problem of my eye focusing on the front sight pin. I am thinking its from some projects I have been working on but not sure.

I have been working on making a peep sight. It was made from a .32 cal case with the head cut off. With the peep sight I could see the target well enough to shoot at 100 yrds and be accurate. I needed a longer front sight pin so I made one from a nail. Its a little larger in diameter than the original pin and a little longer. The new pin is painted flat black. I replaced the .32 cal case rear sight with a thicker piece of brass tubing. I shot the combo of the thicker peep sight and the thicker taller front pin today and this is when I noticed that I couldn't see the target and that my eye was focusing on the front pin.

My question is, is there a way to over come my eye focusing on the front post OR could the problem be from either my front or rear sights?

 

[Erud]

Your eye can only focus on one thing at a time. When shooting with iron sights, the front sight is where your focus needs to be.

 

[kraigWY]

The problem can be an eye problem, not a sight problem.

I'm getting old and so are my eyes. I have to wear reading glasses but I can see quite well at distance. With a rifle, the front sight is still not clear nor can I see the target at all. Without glasses I can see the target but sometimes I have problems with the front sight.

I'm lucky in that I can buy my reading classes at the drug store. So what I do is take a measurement of the front sight to my eye. I then that that measurement to the drug store and find the reading glasses that allow me to clearly see the front sight.

Now comes the 'stickler" With my new front sight glasses I can't seen the marks on my rear sight to adjust. I also cant see to make notations in my score/data book.

Simple fix, I go back to the drug store and buy a pair of "reading" glasses, but for reading and not focusing on the front sight. I take my shooting (front sight) glasses and pop out the left lens and replace them with the left lens of my reading glasses. I can use my right eye for shooting and my left eye for making corrections or notations in my score/data book.

Problems solves for a gran total of $14 and no screwing up my rifle sights.

Regardless you have to find a way to focus on the front sight if you expect any kind of decent shooting.

Note: You can do the same thing with your pistol shooting glasses.

 

[tikka6.5]

I went shooting again today and had no problem with seeing the target and front sight with the iron sight on a Marlin 30/30 and a Henry lever action 22. There must be something with my rear peep sight that makes me not focus on the target properly. I will change my peep sight and see what happens.

 

[eagleskier]

I just saw this on the Magpul site today. "If you can see the big picture, you're not concentrating on the front sight."

I know, everyone is a smart a$$

 

[shovelstrokeed]

Something to try, go back to that 32 ACP case and punch out the primer, leaving just the flash hole.
Mount it on your gun and get back to us. You may have to move or adjust till its closer to your eye.
The overall effect will be rather like a pinhole camera giving you a focus that extends from mere feet to infinity at some cost of field of view.
The most important thing in your vision is the front sight post anyway.

 

[VJJPunisher]

The target should always be blurry, the rear should always be blurry, the only thing in focus is the front sight, sounds like a shooting/shooter error not a sight error.

Try this drill, shoot on a blank white piece of paper, size of paper dependent on distance but is fairly irrelevant. But all blank with no aiming reference. If you are focusing on your front sight post you will be amazed at how tight you can group without even "aiming" at anything. Basically your eye has the natural ability to center the blurry blob of white paper without you the shooter trying to look at the target

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Shooting at a blank sheet is a formal activity in the USMC Teams' guide to pistol marksmanship manual. I can personally attest to the amazing results.

Rear peep diameter and its effectiveness is affected by the distance between the eye and the peep aperture, and independent of that, also by the diameter of the pupil, which is also affected by light levels. While this may sound complex, all it really means is that it makes sense to try different peep aperture diameters. Sometimes the peep is too far away and needs to be larger.

Greg

 

[tikka6.5]

I cut the lip off my rear sight so the hole I am looking through is not as noticeable. I also shortened and made the front sight pin thinner and things are back to normal.

"Try this drill, shoot on a blank white piece of paper, size of paper dependent on distance but is fairly irrelevant. But all blank with no aiming reference. If you are focusing on your front sight post you will be amazed at how tight you can group without even "aiming" at anything. Basically your eye has the natural ability to center the blurry blob of white paper without you the shooter trying to look at the target"

Did this in the past and didn't even know what I was doing.

I will try it again.