Back To A Fiber Optic Sight

I may be the last person in the shooting sports to figure this out. But here I am.

In 2015, I changed the black front post on my SIG P226 competition gun to a fiber optic sight. I shot with that for a couple years, before going back to the plain black sight. I felt the fiber sight didn't offer enough solid mass in front of my eyes to get good sight alignment. When I switched to the P320, I actually blackened out the SIG Night Sight on the front. I've shot that way with a fair bit of success.

One of the topics of the Brandon Wright class was "target focus" vs. "sight focus." Frankly, this was a new concept to me; I've always used front sight focus for all my shooting. I also felt somewhat constrained to this sight picture by needing distance correction in my eyes. I couldn't see the sights in focus wearing my distance Rx, so I shot without the corrective lenses, which meant I saw sharp sights but blurry targets.

Brandon showed us how target focus shooting works on close targets. He also rightly derided my gun sights throughout the weekend. (All in good humor.) The opportunity to shoot Brandon's gun, while wearing my distance Rx, showed me how valuable the red fiber optic was when combined with target focus. This was an enlightening experience for me. So much so that I placed an order for new sights after the first day of class as soon as I returned to my hotel, even before I showered and went out for dinner.

This weekend I replaced the stock sights on the P320 with a Dawson Precision competition sight set with a black rear and fiber front. I elected to wait until after the Rivanna match, rather than jump into a match with an untested installation. The swap was surprisingly quick and trouble-free.

On Monday I took a trip to the indoor range to try out the new sights. My first group of 10 shots at 7 yards elicited a comment of "Show off" from the range officer, so I figured the sights were installed well. I spent the rest of my time shooting at 10, 15 and 20 yards to confirm the sight picture and point of aim. I wasn't shooting from rest but the sights seem to be where they should be.

When shooting head shots at 10 yards, it was almost breathtaking to be able to see the head of the target through the rear notch, behind the front post. My previous setup required guesstimating the head target location since it was essentially covered by the front post.

I shot some 3, 4, and 5 shot strings as fast as I could see the red dot return. I am still shooting without my distance Rx, which means I'm probably leaning more to sight focus than target focus. Even so, I am enthusiastic over the results and looking forward to getting in more practice.

I need to spend much more time getting accustomed to the new sights and to using target focus for close shooting. I'll do most of that in dry fire. I also have a much needed appointment with my optometrist in a few weeks, so eye glass changes may be coming.

Even though fiber optic sights are pretty much the standard for competitive shooting, I've never really understood how to use them properly. You can teach an old dog new tricks, and I for one, am looking forward to learning a few.

Independence Weekend Range Time

After shooting two IDPA matches in the past week, the only shooting-related activity I had planned for the Independence weekend was gun cleaning. But then a friend texted Thursday evening asking if I wanted to hit the range Friday morning. As much as I prod my friends to practice, I really wasn't in a position to say "no."

We met early in the morning, and except for someone shooting what sounded like a cannon on the rifle range, we had the place to ourselves. No range officers to tell us we're shooting too fast, or remind us about target rules. (The latest decree from on high is that "Targets supported by wooden fabricated stands are less acceptable because of the debris that might be left.") We set up our "less acceptable" stands and had a couple hours of fun and good practice.

The end result of a good practice

Most of our range time consisted of drawing from the holster and firing one, two, or three hits on the target. After each mag's worth of shooting we moved to shoot a different distance, to mix it up a bit; shoot at 7 yards, move to 15, to 10, to 20, etc  That's about as much "training" we're allowed to do there. Despite the limits, we both still considered it a beneficial practice, and fun.

This was also chance to get more feel for shooting without my (now incorrect) prescription shooting glasses. It's a little odd to not see the targets and other distant objects clearly, but at the same time, it's quite thrilling to see the sights in sharp focus. With the old mono-focus prescription, I did need to squint the non-dominant eye when shooting from beyond 12-15 yards. Without any Rx, that's not necessary. Even with the out-of-focus targets, at 25 yards I was able to put 8 of 10 shots in the down 0 zone, with the remaining two in -1. (Disclaimer: Results in practice are no indication of future results in competition.)

I think I was able to shoot as accurately and as quickly, if not more so, than with the prescription inserts. Perhaps I've been forcing the issue in trying to see both distant and close up through my shooting glasses. Without my glasses I can see in the distance well-enough to find targets, and recognize people, although I wouldn't drive a car without them. Even fairly close in, I couldn't pick out the holes appearing in the target, but I was also usually aware when I pulled shot. I'm looking forward to more shooting and experimentation with vision and sight picture. (Fixed it.)

These Old Eyes at the IDPA Match

I've written about my experiences with vision correction and shooting previously. It's been just over a year since I last updated the lenses in my shooting glasses and a regular eye exam about 3 months ago showed no significant change in my vision. However, recently I've begun see a less than sharp view of the sights when using the prescription inserts. Earlier this week during some dry fire it became abundantly clear (heh) that I wasn't seeing the front sight in focus. I wrote it off as being due to low room light, and I found the practice session went a lot better not wearing the Rx glasses.

At this Wednesday’s Black Creek IDPA match as I did a few practice draws in the safe area, even in the filtered sunlight, it was still difficult to see a outline of the front and rear sights. Removing the prescription insert from my glasses allowed a very sharp sight picture. I finally decided to shoot the match without the Rx inserts. Sure the targets were blurry, but they’re supposed to be with a proper sight picture, right?

The match went pretty well for me. As always, the match director made good use of the single shooting bay by using the same targets in multiple stages, and shooting them from different positions and with different requirements. Stage 1 started with the gun on a barrel, shooting six shots through a tunnel created by a sideways barrel and barricade combo, to a target with only the center portion available. One miss and one low shot left me 6 down. The narrow and blurred target zone gave me a good feeling of the vision challenge to expect on the rest of the match.

The next two stages involved shooting four targets from cover behind stacks of barrels and wooden wire spools. Each of the targets required 3 hits each. The shooting order and gun start location changed between the stages. There were options on how you engaged the targets, and most of the views were fairly limited.

The fourth and final stage made use of the entirety of targets and props that made up the first three courses of fire. There was an added twist of requiring a varied number of hits on the targets. We started at the first stage, and put a minimum of two hits on the narrow target through the barrel. Next, we advanced toward the positions used for stages 2 and 3. The right two targets required 3 hits each, and the last two on the left required 4 hits each. Positioning was interesting as there were numerous ways to shoot the stage, all the while keeping in mind cover and engagement order. I lost track of my shot count at the last position, between a reload and a quick malfunction clearance, so ended up putting extra shots on the targets. It all worked out in the end as I finished the stage down 0. 

It was a fun, but hot, match. I didn’t have time to shoot a second gun this time, but after the clean finish on the last stage it was good to stop while I was ahead! The lack of focus in the distance didn’t appear to have much of an effect, and by the end of the match, I didn’t really notice. I couldn’t see my hits on the targets but they say you should “call your shots” anyway and not look for the holes in cardboard. I’ve talked to some other shooters with distance correction who just accept the blur of targets in the distance when shooting. I’ll wait a bit before deciding if I need to update my prescription. I do especially like the idea of not looking through a double layer of lenses, and I found I didn't need squint my left eye to pick out the front sight. I recently switched to a fiber optic on the front sight which also helps in finding that front post.

Sometimes the limitation in shooting is the equipment, not the store-bought stuff, but the parts we are born with.

I Haz Eyes. Again.

My shooting glasses have a prescription insert that is set up with my normal distance lens over the left eye, and the right lens is adjusted to focus on the front sight. I've used this setup for a couple of years and have been very happy with it. However, I've been subconsciously aware for some time that I needed a new prescription, but the last few weeks it moved to my conscious level so I made an appointment with my Optometrist. Aging eyes confirmed, I ordered new everyday glasses, as well as new lenses for my shooting glasses. I picked them all up last Wednesday. As I attempted to attach the new Rx inserts into the glass the frames snapped at the bridge, leaving me with this:

I immediately went to the the ESS website, only to find out the inserts were on backorder. I also noticed that the stock photo of the insert looked different then the product I bought in 2012. I was fortunately able to order the insert from a third-party supplier. The replacement frame arrived a few days later and, sure enough, the lens shape was different. So now I was in the position of having brand new, unused lenses, that didn't fit the new Rx frame. On top of that, when holding the loose lens in front of my right eye, it didn't seem like the adjustment was quite right.

Tuesday morning I spoke with my eye doctor and we confirmed a further adjustment was needed on the closeup lens. A couple hours later I was surprised to get a call that the glasses were ready. The lenses I had ordered were not in stock, so the Optician had upgraded the lenses at no charge, so I didn't have to wait of the lenses to be ordered. "I know you're anxious to get out shooting," she told me.

A week ago I didn't know when I'd get out shooting again. I did indeed miss a couple opportunities in the interim. However, thanks to super service at my doctor's office, I'm ready to hit the range again. Now I just need to find the time to do that.

And, I think I'll be ordering a spare set of glasses, just in case.

New Eyes

After a meeting with my optometrist, and some trial and error with sample lenses, I am happy to report a solution to my vision issue previously lamented here. The fix is a lens that corrects for close up focusing on my dominant eye, while retaining my usual distance correction on the other eye. Coincidently, this is similar to the solution shared by blogger Fill Yer Hands in a comment on my previous post, which he described here. With the two different lenses I can see distant objects and still focus on the front sight. The front sight once again appears crisp and sharp. The difference between the left and right lenses is small enough not to give me much trouble with normal walking about, and I no longer have to raise the glasses when looking at something close up.

Getting the right adjustment figured out was an interesting process. In order to try out the options offered I spent some time outside the doctor's office, dry firing my pistol towards the brick wall, focusing on signs posted at varying distances. Fortunately no SWAT teams showed up! Both the optometrist and the optician were quite helpful and willing to listen to my needs and spend time discussing solutions. Once we had a decision, the lens was made while I waited and I was on my way. The optometrist also happens to be an old friend who's just getting into pistol shooting so I need to get him out to the range soon. 

In the past I've considered doing away with inserts and getting single lens prescription shooting glasses. The double lens system of the ESS ICE glasses with the Rx insert creates some distortion, and sweat sometimes, to great annoyance, collects between the two. But now I'm seeing an advantage to this set up. As my eyesight changes, and I have been assured it will, I can get a new lens made for about $30, rather than buying all new prescription shooting glasses.

I've not yet been able to do any live fire with the new prescription, but have been doing a lot of dry fire. Finding the sights is much easier now, even in low light. I'm very much looking forward to trying out my "new eyes" in a match soon. However, now that I can see the front sight clearly, I'm going to have to find a new excuse for those misses!

Shooting With These Old Eyes

My main reason for writing these Musings is for my own catharsis. So be forewarned, this post will be random personal rambling and groaning about old eyes, and their effect on my shooting. For quite a few years I've been wearing glasses to correct near-sightedness, or myopia. Most folks, as they get older, trend to being affected by farsightedness, or hyperopia. (Yep, Google-foo comes in handy to find those fancy terms.) My optometrist keeps telling me I'm "lucky." In my case, my vision is sharp within arms-length, and degrades beyond that. This means I remove my glasses to do things such as eating and reading, and gazing into my lovely wife's eyes.

I've been noticing recently that my view of the sights on my pistol is not quite in focus when I'm wearing the prescription inserts for my shooting glasses, while the targets in the distance remain quite clear. The effect is exacerbated in low light. This isn't that much of an issue for close targets as precision aiming isn't so critical. But when I start shooting at targets 15, 20 or 25 yards away, the blurry edges of the sights can lead to a drop in accuracy when shooting at small targets. If I take the glasses off, the sights are sharp but of course everything in the distance is out of focus. What is interesting, and frustrating, is that the crossover point, where everything is in focus with my glasses on is a mere 4 inches beyond where the gun is held. I need longer arms, or perhaps I just need to wait until my vision degrades just a bit more!

It's accepted that "proper" aiming calls for focus to be on the sights, and the target beyond will be out of focus. So, I've considered simply forgoing the corrective lenses when I shoot. However I find it mildly disconcerting, and somewhat uncomfortable, to walk around with distant objects a bit out of focus, even if it's not all the severe. My reading tells me that does seem to be an option that many folks in the same situation choose.

It's a given that I need to get a slightly different prescription for the shooting lenses. Meanwhile I think I'll do some experimenting. On the next trip to the range I'll try going "correctionless" to see how it affects my comfort level walking around. I've also read on The Doodie Project forum a suggestion of correcting for distance only on the non-dominant eye. The poster says the brain will balance the two inputs. That's interesting but I can't test it without breaking my prescription inserts. I wonder if I have an old pair of glasses around that I could try it out with...

Anyone have the same problem? What's your solution?

Update, July 31: Problem solved.