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Shooting glasses and optics

Th1nor

Private
Minuteman
Jul 2, 2021
56
41
Norway
For NRL, PRS rifle use.

Tried a few shooting glasses the last year. But they all have bad glass and deteriorate with use. Great for safety yes. But what's the point of having high end optics? When they all look cheap and shitty throu the glasses.

Anyone found a solution for that?
 
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Lens wise, I shoot with Bluetech indoor lenses. They will still have a yellow tint, but no where near as bad as traditional shooters.

They sharpen contrast as good if not better than traditional yellow shooters BUT they DON'T change color of the intended target. Great for hunting as you can't afford to not see color correctly. Indoors at the range they are even better still.

Try them side by side as a marksman and you'll see. That's my suggestion.
 
I can use my shooting glasses with pistol no problem , but not with my rifle scope there I use the scope as a the glasses adjusting everything until its clear and pretty .
 
Lens wise, I shoot with Bluetech indoor lenses. They will still have a yellow tint, but no where near as bad as traditional shooters.

They sharpen contrast as good if not better than traditional yellow shooters BUT they DON'T change color of the intended target. Great for hunting as you can't afford to not see color correctly. Indoors at the range they are even better still.

Try them side by side as a marksman and you'll see. That's my suggestion.
We don't have indoor rifle ranges. And my main issue is with clear glass.
But there was a yellow glass included in my Wiley kit. Will give them a go, thanks.
 
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Hunters HD Gold lenses are awesome. Rudy Project makes some great glasses as well.
 
For NRL, PRS rifle use.

Tried a few shooting glasses the last year. But they all have bad glass and deteriorate with use. Great for safety yes. But what's the point of having high end optics? When they all look cheap and shitty throu the glasses.

Anyone found a solution for that?
Randolph Rangers. Get real shooting glasses and forget about it.

 
Hunters HD Gold lenses are awesome. Rudy Project makes some great glasses as well.
I am friends with the owners there. Most folks don't know that same company (different "side" ) has been doing the lenses for half the city of Birmingham for decades. It's where all of the optometrist send their frames to have the lenses done if they don't do them in house. Legit outfit for sure.
 
Pit Vipers.... I've shot them all, Oakley, Hunter Golds, etc. Pit Vipers (the real ones) put them to shame.
 
Are you saying that you NEED glasses to shoot or you're looking for just safety glasses for range time? PRS and our 22 LR matches don't require safety glasses so no issue there. If you're looking for prescription shooting glasses, I bought through Tactical RX (https://www.tacticalrx.com/) for 3-gun and the range and they were/are great glasses. Andrew is great over the phone and very helpful.
 
Are you saying that you NEED glasses to shoot or you're looking for just safety glasses for range time? PRS and our 22 LR matches don't require safety glasses so no issue there. If you're looking for prescription shooting glasses, I bought through Tactical RX (https://www.tacticalrx.com/) for 3-gun and the range and they were/are great glasses. Andrew is great over the phone and very helpful.
Many matches REQUIRE glasses. This is based on the range's policy. I have been to many matches... Some require you to have glasses (due to insurance) and others don't.
 
Are you saying that you NEED glasses to shoot or you're looking for just safety glasses for range time? PRS and our 22 LR matches don't require safety glasses so no issue there. If you're looking for prescription shooting glasses, I bought through Tactical RX (https://www.tacticalrx.com/) for 3-gun and the range and they were/are great glasses. Andrew is great over the phone and very helpful.
Safety.
And preferably some that don't cost 3-400usd. I'm in Europe, so anything only sold in the US will add 30% for me. In my experience all glasses scratch and deteriorate over time.
 

I use these. I like the bendable nose pieces. The thin temples fit under ear muffs nicely. I buy a couple pairs at a time, when they get scratched.... I toss them and break out a new clean/clear pair. When new the glass is perfectly clear.

I thought that they were MIL-PRF-32432 rated, but they are Z78+
 
Safety.
And preferably some that don't cost 3-400usd. I'm in Europe, so anything only sold in the US will add 30% for me. In my experience all glasses scratch and deteriorate over time.
Think about what you said in your first post (emphasis mine): "what's the point of having high end optics? When they all look cheap and shitty throu the glasses."

I'm not trying to be an @$$ here - think it through. Why buy a great scope and cheap out on shooting glasses?

Safety is a major piece of the equation, sure. I've been shooting for a bit over 60 years, with about half of that in competition. I could write a small book about stuff that's happened to me and to people around me. I don't shoot without glasses, especially competition, Especially with autoloaders, ESPECIALLY clay target and steel.

Having the right glasses for the discipline, the right lens for lighting conditions, staying comfortable in the glasses all day - it doesn't make sense to maximize firearm and optic, then hamstring clarity, comfort, and potentially safety with crappy eyewear. I still shoot skeet with the Decot Hy-Wyds I bought in 1980-something. I want wraparound glasses for pistol and rifle, so, after shopping and asking around, I purchased this Rudy Project Rydon Performance Kit a few years ago. They're holding up well and are almost as comfortable as the lighter "wire frame" Decots.

I went through the same avoidance exercises, not wanting to spend big $$ on something so mundane as "safety glasses." It was foolish. Spend thousands and thousands of dollars on scopes, and too cheap to spend a few hundred dollars on one pair of good glasses? Nonsense.

I don't know what brands are available in your location in Europe, but I urge you to check with well-known sport glasses companies like Decot, Rudy Project, and others. Make the investment. Be done.

Good luck.
 
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I went through the same avoidance exercises, not wanting to spend big $$ on something so mundane as "safety glasses." It was foolish. Spend thousands and thousands of dollars on scopes, and too cheap to spend a few hundred dollars on one pair of good glasses?
Thanks for your reply.

I do see your point.

My experience so far. Is that a 200$ pair of glasses. Scratch and degrade like a 10$. Makes me not eager to spend even more.

Unless someone comes up with a better solution. I am leaning towards trying getting lots of cheap ones. And change as needed. If I'm not happy then, I can see about getting one of the expensive ones recommended.
 
Thanks for your reply.

I do see your point.

My experience so far. Is that a 200$ pair of glasses. Scratch and degrade like a 10$. Makes me not eager to spend even more.

Unless someone comes up with a better solution. I am leaning towards trying getting lots of cheap ones. And change as needed. If I'm not happy then, I can see about getting one of the expensive ones recommended.
If we're talking about o-so-stylish big-$ sunglasses, I won't disagree. My driving sunglasses cost that much and I do have to be careful with them; I broke a temple with a bump that my shooting glasses would have absorbed with no issue. The sunglasses are incredibly lightweight and comfortable for all day in the car, both for eye strain and actually wearing them, but they are fragile.

But if we're talking about shooting glasses that get banged around in a range bag or on your face, soaked in sweat for hours on end, covered with dust and wiped off dirty, have easily replaceable lenses and wear parts, and may be called on to stop a piece of high-speed metal or clay headed for my eyeball, in addition to not putting a chunk of optical crap between me and a $1500-4000 scope... different beast altogether.

Like I said - I resisted, so I understand your point of view. If the cheap throwaway ones work for you, that's really all that matters! I'm not saying you're wrong in your viewpoint; I'm just saying that good shooting glasses, not flimsy sunglasses, don't "scratch and degrade" as you've experienced.
 
Thanks for your reply.

I do see your point.

My experience so far. Is that a 200$ pair of glasses. Scratch and degrade like a 10$. Makes me not eager to spend even more.

Unless someone comes up with a better solution. I am leaning towards trying getting lots of cheap ones. And change as needed. If I'm not happy then, I can see about getting one of the expensive ones recommended.
My very long experience w Randolph Rangers and Decot is far different. They are IME far, far better in every way than $20 cheapies.

and I have worn them for decades shooting competition skeet week in and week out.

you like cheap glasses, you should buy cheap glasses. But don’t do it because you think they are in any way equivalent to real quality shooting glasses.
 
the ones I have used are oakley ballistic and wiley x rogue. Those are the most common high end glasses here.

found one called the "Rydon Shooting/Hunting" more expensive but out off stock.
anyone with experience with those?
 
Yes. This is the Rudy Project Rydon frame with a very similar lens set (one or two colors are different) to the Rudy Project Rydon Performance Kit whose link I posted above. I've been satisfied with them; they've been through a bunch of matches and have endured the sweat and dust/dirt of three North Carolina summers (heat & humidity to wilt a cattle gate) with no sign of wear. I did have one lens that had a scratch on it and Rudy Project replaced it through my optometrist where the insurance I carried at the time paid for part of the cost.

The only thing I wish were different is that the temples were thinner, so as to be a bit more comfortable with muffs after a couple hours' wear. I wear custom-molded plugs, not muffs, at matches; on range trips, the muffs are on&off with every line-cold period. This is a very minor quibble. A better set of muffs with larger, softer ear cups would also do the job, and I have not seen a wrap-around frame of any brand with thinner temples.
 
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I use a system that utilizes replaceable lenses. You get to use the lens of your choice for the conditions and you can easily and relatively cheaply replace the lenses when they become scratched. They have the highest safety rating for sunglasses/glasses.
 
OK, if you have to have RX glasses, which manufacturer have you been happiest with for this?
I'm interested in Wiley X, but not dead set on anything yet ------ except that I will never go with the RX inserts that are a separate unit behind the tinted lenses.
 
Don
OK, if you have to have RX glasses, which manufacturer have you been happiest with for this?
I'm interested in Wiley X, but not dead set on anything yet ------ except that I will never go with the RX inserts that are a separate unit behind the tinted lenses.
RX?
My experience with Wiley is the same as Oakley. Fine in the beginning but get scratched and blurred over time. If you don't mind that? If it bugs you, need to get replacement glasses. Or you might try something more expensive. Like i am considering.
 
Buy them cheap and replace as needed. As you say, they get scratched over time.
 
Finally got my new glasses Rx, and in the market for some new shooting glasses too. I’ve been getting by with my old issued Wiley-X from the mid-90s, now on my 4th or maybe 5th set of custom lenses. But they’re getting scratched up again, and now the frames themselves are starting to come apart too… Time for something new.


I really, really liked a set of Oakley carbon blades I tried on until I saw the price; over $400..and not much cheaper for just the frames…and then add another couple hundred bucks in for prescription lenses too.

2D4ADDFC-9CEE-4A27-A7E4-C51EA8B7D4DE.png



I like the slim arms to slide under my headset/ear-pro, and also like the larger lens without the frame on the sides and bottom to expand my peripheral vision too. But again, they’re more than I’m really willing to shell out despite my general “buy once, cry once” approach to my tools and equipment.

Very familiar with tactical Rx, and I like the classic looks of the Randolph Engineering options, but again, I’m ready to try something new.

Seriously considering the Oakley ‘Cable’ design, or a custom set of their ‘CMDN’ frames … but there are features on both I’m not 100% happy with; don’t like the swoopy looking arms on the CMDNs, and even though the arms are ok on the ‘Cable’ design, the frame is a bit heavy for my taste in this application, and it’s a complete frame; not too bad, but still some loss of perpheral vision.

The Rudy Project Rydon’s are pretty close to the Oakley carbon blades, but frankly, almost as expensive too.

rd_rydon_left_900wide.jpg


May as well go with some no-name knockoff frames and just get a set of lenses made…maybe from this place that sells prescription safety glasses; ironically they even sell a set for under $50 that look a lot like my decades-old WILEY-X glasses, LOL

RX-901-BK-RIGHTANGLE-scaled.jpg


Anyone here have any recommendations on something along the lines of those Oakley Carbon Blades, but still available with real ANSI certified ballistic protection?

Thanks in advance for ideas/suggestions,
 
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Randolph Rangers. I started wearing them for clays when I was twelve years old and they followed me to the bird fields. They have a wide array of interchangeable lenses for your shooting conditions.
 
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OK, if you have to have RX glasses, which manufacturer have you been happiest with for this?
I'm interested in Wiley X, but not dead set on anything yet ------ except that I will never go with the RX inserts that are a separate unit behind the tinted lenses.

I've got Oakley Flak jackets with prescription bifocal transition lenses and dark sunglasses through my eye doc. You can also get them through Oakley. First set is two years old. Wiley X and Rudy Project also have that option, just depends on the Optometrist.
 
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Very familiar with tactical Rx, and I like the classic looks of the Randolph Engineering options, but again, I’m ready to try something new.
I've worn Randolph for decades and still do. I've never understood folks who will pay $4k for Schott glass equipped scopes but look at them thru $20 plastic safety glasses.

Ok, I get it...you want something new. Maybe look at Pillas...but you won't like the price of them either.

 
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I've worn Randolph for decades and still do. I've never understood folks who will pay $4k for Schott glass equipped scopes but look at them thru $20 plastic safety glasses.

Ok, I get it...you want something new. Maybe look at Pillas...but you won't like the price of them either.


Thanks…. Yeah, actually have a couple pair of Randolph glasses floating around here somewhere; maybe just get one of them re-lensed…if that‘s even a word. LOL

Really like ‘em but also really like those Oakley carbon dealios.
 
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