Iron sights

[TONY R]

Nice day went for a run out on the bike, called at a mates for a cupa, he has just lost his dad.

Known these people all my life, got looking at some old photos he brought from his dads , big shooting and fishing bloke his dad.

Noticed a couple of deer stalking photos taken up in the highlands early 1960s, main rifle he looked to be using was according to my mate a sporterised enfield 303.

Iron sights no scope we got to debating this and to thinking why no iron sights today.

Its not like a few use them, i can not remember seeing anyone using open sights in more than 30 years on stalking rifles.

I did hunt far a short time with iron sights on my tikka 690 just for the fun of it, but never took it sereiously as an option never mind a long term solution. And i notice a few using open sights on the USA alaskan mountain men type tv shows, noticed one guy with open sight allegedly hunting moose the other day on just such a show.

Anyone left who hunts deer with iron sights regularly or have they all gone now in these modern times we live in. .

Edited May 28, 2016 by TONY R

[winnie&bezza]

Yes I saw one of those programmes, I think it was a Bruce party one where they row down river and take herding caribou. He shot from the boat and took one or two that were going at a fair pace with iron sights.

[TONY R]

Yes I saw one of those programmes, I think it was a Bruce party one where they row down river and take herding caribou. He shot from the boat and took one or two that were going at a fair pace with iron sights.

Duno i thought it was yukon men and some guy on an ATV looking for moose.

I have seen a few using them in the states africa etc on the net, but over here its just not seen.

[winnie&bezza]

Probably my been done on a few programmes. Always thought iron sights would be easier for driven boar and close deer.

[shoot and be safe]

I learnt to shoot with iorn sights and could hit less than a two inch group on a 300 yard range back in the day.

Not shot a rifle since with the exception of a deer experience day which included a cull animal (scoped 308).

 

I have never been into scopes as they are expensive and I would think prone to inaccuracies if they had a knock in the wrong place.

 

Im all for old school shooting, keep the tradition alive

[welshwarrior]

I've hunted with iron (express sights) a fair few times and in fact I'm just rebuilding an 8x60s that's not fitted for a scope at all, so I will be.

 

Shooting with iron sights is becoming a lost skill.

[69chris]

ill admit not anything like stalking but i use my rossi .357 lever rifle with buckhorn sights for fox/rabbits out to around 50/60 yards on a regular basis,

well, when i say regular i mean i take it up into the high seat with me along with my 308 but recently the rossi has seen more action

[Bleeh]

I think to the most part it's because getting a rifle in the first place, then getting it zeroed, is such a pain in the backside more most shooters that I don't really want to start ******* about with the optics unless it's going to be permanent. It's also a sad state that I don't really get to go target shooting for enjoyment with the bigger bores because of range restrictions/not wanting to annoy the farmer and pure cost.

If I had access to the sort of shooting ranges and ammunition prices you get in the US, then I think people would see occasional iron site use as a slightly more common place.

But there's still a place in my heart for shooting coins with a break-action iron site air rifle.

Edited May 28, 2016 by Bleeh

[Lloyd90]

I think it doesn't help with our firearm laws.

 

In America etc where you can go out on the weekend and pick up a new rifle every week if you should so wish it's much easier to just pick up guns and tinker around with them.

 

They have lots of customisable parts for many guns and all that, if you could easily mod and chop n change rifles it might be a bit more common over here.

[Graham M]

I learnt to shoot with iorn sights and could hit less than a two inch group on a 300 yard range back in the day.

Not shot a rifle since with the exception of a deer experience day which included a cull animal (scoped 308).

 

I have never been into scopes as they are expensive and I would think prone to inaccuracies if they had a knock in the wrong place.

 

Im all for old school shooting, keep the tradition alive

You could hit LESS than a 2" group at 300yds with open sights. Bloody hell I don't think many of us could do that with a scope on.

 

G

[shoot and be safe]

You could hit LESS than a 2" group at 300yds with open sights. Bloody hell I don't think many of us could do that with a scope on.

 

G

it was back in the days I was in the air cadets. We were shooting prone position at targets with L98 (bolt action version of the SA80) rifles. The regional team I was in, shot at the national competition at Bisley for all the different types of cadets (army, sea, air etc). We all had a great time and I dread to think how many rounds we shot that week and all the weeks running up to Bisley.

 

I dont know of I could do it (probably couldn't) now as apart from the day I had with elk hunter I havent shot a rifle since.

 

All good times.

[Graham M]

Sub 1 MOA at 300 yds with a L98...........................................

 

 

 

[lincs1963]

Hardest to use, most dangerous 'military' rifle ever put into service, piece of junk. Ok for knocking tent pegs in.

[TONY R]

Old iron sight 303 at 1000 yards dont look too shabby.

[lincs1963]

I was, of course, not referring to the grand old SMLE but the cadet GP rifle. Just thought I'd clarify that.

[ChrisAsh]

Do you ever look back at the queens medal shooting by HM Forces at Bisley using No4's in the sixties. they did not do to bad with iron sights.

 

Mind you the forces shooting, was shoot where you can, with what you can, and normally only the first shot counts

[TONY R]

Do you ever look back at the queens medal shooting by HM Forces at Bisley using No4's in the sixties. they did not do to bad with iron sights.

 

Mind you the forces shooting, was shoot where you can, with what you can, and normally only the first shot counts

This was kind of how most people caried on in shooting back in the 1960s, like my mates dad with his 303 you used what you had or what was there in the family. not so much what you wanted to own or the lattest and greatest new model out there, we live an a Materialistic world fueled by media and marketing where if you dont have the new model phone car computer tv gun whatever you are so missing out.

[welshwarrior]

This was kind of how most people caried on in shooting back in the 1960s, like my mates dad with his 303 you used what you had or what was there in the family. not so much what you wanted to own or the lattest and greatest new model out there, we live an a Materialistic world fueled by media and marketing where if you dont have the new model phone car computer tv gun whatever you are so missing out.

Isn't that the truth and with marketing the manufactures have safes them sells the hard work of fitting iron sights. Leading us to believe that our scopes will never fail mid hunt and leave us unable to carry on. Hence why the rifles I take on trips have iron sights and 2 scopes in QR mounts and yes I've needed to use my back up iron sights on a trip before now.

[Savhmr]

Whilst I think that everyone ought to learn on iron sights, there's no denying the precision that good optics now bring, and for long distance shooting, no one can argue that a good scope is preferable to iron sights. Where iron sights I think come in useful is on rapid target acquisition, so things like driven Boar or woodland shooting is where I'd find them most useful. I don't have the best eyesight any more so iron sights are out for me and I'd never argue preference for them over a really good scope other than keeping a rifle light weight. I've never had a scope fail on me in over 30 years either so just can't see any argument against the extra precision that a scoped rifle gives me. Back in the day, I regularly shot L1A1s with iron sights (and S.U.I.T....Trilux sight) and we were expected to shoot 2moa on a good day (ie good enough for the job).

Edited May 31, 2016 by Savhmr

[Albert 888]

 

The is my pride and joy with brindle appeture sights,does well at 100m and 300m.

Not for hunting, just target.

[Graham M]

I had a P17 set up very similar to that. It had been converted from 30-06 to 7.62 with a Shultz & Larsen barrel. Could manage 47+ at 600yds but sold it when the range at Tiddesley Wood was closed to us civilians. Couldn't be trusted on Military ranges apparently. Not like the young cadets who would constantly shoot all over the shop.

Heard a rumour that one of the cows in the adjoining field was shot by one of them some years ago.

 

 

G

[Albert 888]

Mine is the p14 with fultons 7.62 barrel and a 1/14" twist. I managed to graft the internal box mag into stock,with a bit of help and a vertical miller,so it's now capable of feeding 5 into the chamber. I was after a p17 mag but had to make do with a p14. I'm getting 80 + freehand with at 100m.

[Graham M]

Used to shoot ex 50 over the 300,500 and 600yd course, so 47+ was pretty good.

 

Are you shooting ex 100?? if so 80+ standing freehand is pretty good shooting with aperture sights.

 

1-14 twist on a .308/7.62??? surely it's a 1-12.

 

G

[Albert 888]

That's good going. Shooting prone of the elbows. I tried kneeling and standing, I'm not very good.Nra 100m it says on the target we shoot at. I was confused, I measured it 4 times in a row as I dint believe it. My other 308 is a 1/10" twist, both shoot the 155g Amax with 46g 0f n140 very well and also the Russian surplus stuff with the 147g silver bullet head.

[Zapp]

Hardest to use, most dangerous 'military' rifle ever put into service, piece of junk. Ok for knocking tent pegs in.

 

It (the Cadet GP) was indeed an absolute pile of poo. Rattly, wobbly trash. Someone on here was looking for a straight-pull rifle asking about getting one a few years back. I really hope he came to his senses.

 

Are they still in use? I've not seen one since 2003 when we babysat a load of cadets on the range, but then I left in 05 so wouldnt have had any reason to see them since then.