One of the Very Best Videos I've Seen. Brought me back to Reality. Just took the borrowed the battery eating red dot off my rifle and returned it to rightful owner. Saved me a bunch of money. I just quit looking at Scopes, Red Dots, and Hologram Sights. Will just wear my reading glasses so I can see the front sight plainly. GONA put a rear peep on one that I let the scope go with another one to my son. Not concerned about another replacement scope for that one now. Thanks For Well Done Videos. I'm 75 years old. Been shooting for 68 years. Thought I "NEEDED" Scopes. Not.
Thanks for posting this. I am a U.K. airgunner .I have just ordered a rifle with open sights for informal competition shooting & the information you have posted is invaluable. I am getting excited to be shooting again. Cheers.
When I was a kid in highschool, I used to shoot on the JrROTC rifle team with Remington 40X 22's. As stated, I could see everything clearly. Now, at 55, my eyes love scopes... I really enjoy your videos, there's so much honestly presented, usable information. I appreciate your efforts and all the nuggets of knowledge you throw in. Again, thanks!
@Furn333 If you still got your eyes, get to an optician and talk to an eye surgeon. It's often possible to get a lot back with special glasses, contacts or laser surgery. Now you have to see what you'd do to get it back.
Never really cared for a telescope, other than for extremely long distance shots. That would be over 200 yards for me. Your knowledge and skills just earned you another subscriber. I think you are at least on a par with Paul Harrell, and Hickock45
I've never watched a video from you that I've cut short. Thanks for the education, the reminders, and off-handed factoids that make you go, "hmmm....."
Thank you for an excellent video. I just inherited my grandfather's favorite target .22 - a modified Savage Model 19-NRA which has Number 10 peep sight on it for the rear sight. The front sight is a ring that he brazed onto a dovetail and then soldered music wire into it to give a cross hair within that ring. I've never shot another rifle so easy to acquire hold on target precisely. This helped a lot in explaining exactly why it's working so well for me.
Great video, I miss the days when rifles came with Iron sights and the wonderful wood stocks. I'm afraid we'll never see those days again but it sure was nice to have lived them.
Another beautiful discussion. I have been slowly changing my mix of firearms in favor of iron sights - for all the reasons you cite. Great truth is spoken here.
I tried aperture sights for the first time last year. It was a carry handle sight on a cheap AR-15. I took it to a long range shooting range and was pinging 18"x18" steel plates at 400 yards with ease. Aperture sights are surprisingly effective.
Imagine if this guy was your Grandpa ! You’d be be a great shooter. One of the most interesting and genuinely helpful guys out there. ☝️ Thanks for all you do
+10 ! Thanks for sharing Sir ! So many people don't know or understand how accurate they can be. Folks, this old man knows what he's talking about. A wealth of info. Take the time to learn how to use a peep and you won't be sorry. The US military and others around the world use them on their standard issue weapons. So take his advice. They are a joy to use.
I use to shoot on my High school rifle team single shot bolt action 22LR at 50 meters in off hand , kneeling, sitting and prone with shooting sling with peep sight and globe and the 10 ring was the same size as the 22LR bullet some of the best shooting lessons and marksmanship i have ever learned
I have to let you know the wings of a buckhorn sight have a purpose. They are there as a frame of reference to help you adjust your sight picture, on the fly, for windage, elevation, and leading a moving target. With practice, you will know where your bullet hits when you move the top of the front sight to align with the corners of the wings on either side.
Great video! Thanks for demystifying the iron sights. I am 57, and just bought a Pedersoli replica of a target Remington rolling block. It came with a basic full buck-horn rear sight, and what I though was a rudimentary Partridge post front sight. I didn't wanted a scope on it since it is an old gun design & look, but there was no way I was going to be able to see both front and rear sights. I was concerned that the Skinner barrel mount would put the peep sight to far from my eye, but I guess with the right aperture size I should be fine. I decided to give it a (now) educated try... Thanks! :-)
Wish I had received this instruction back in 1966 when going for my Boy Scout Marksmanship Merit Badge. With no idea what I was doing, the embarrassment and humiliated was hasn't been forgotten for 53 years.
Great video. One front sight that you didn't cover was my favorite the old Redfield Sourdough with the beveled brass insert. I've managed to get two of them. One on a 98 Mauser with a Lyman rear and one on a sporterized 1903 with a Redfield rear. With all the gun gaak we can get these days you would think someone would make these again.
Superb! I learned so much about eyesight and aiming; it's so much all in our brains! And kudos for respecting the looks and feel of a rifle. Concidentally, I just this week decided to pull the cheap scope off my inherited 30-06 Rem 721 and go back to iron peep sights, partly because I can get back to the stock cheek weld, so it points better, but also the simpler and more "boresighted" sight picture. The best lens is no lens.
The full buckhorn rear sight did serve other purposes. One could sight the front bead nested in the upper notch/gap for longer range shots without adjusting using the sight ramp. The larger opening between the lower notch and upper notch was useful for close range snap shots. Proponents claim they can more quickly take shots at game that appears at various ranges without making sight adjustments with less Kentucky Windage guessing.
What a frightning look you have when you're aiming. I don't wanna be the one spotted! Best regards from France... And again thanks for your time and teaching.
Very informative for those unfamiliar with all of types of iron sights. Actually, I think full buckhorns are better than semi-buckhorns since they can be used like a modified ghost ring and don't obscure as much of the target as the Mickey mouse ears of most semi-bucks. One last note about the Sgt York movie with Cooper, which is one of my favorite war movies. In the movie they have York and his companions all using the US Springfield Modle 1903 which is incorrect. The Springfield arsenal simply didn't have the capacity to produce the 2 million rifles needed when America suddenly entered the war. However, Winchester, Remington, and Eddystone had been producing the P1914 Enfield for the UK for several years by then. It was an easy matter to change out the chambering from the British .303 to the US 30-06 and the new rifle became the US model 1917. This was the rifle carried by the vast majority of the American expeditionary forces until the end of the war and it's what York would have used. He also did not use a confiscated German Luger, but instead a standard Colt US mode 1911. Hollywood will always climb a tree to tell a lie when they could have easily stood on the ground and told the truth.
Another fantastic video. Thank you very much for spending the time to create these masterpieces of detailed knowledge. There is a certain magic in your presentations. This one changed the way I'm approaching some custom work.
Drag a strong magnet around in the sand, to find that peep sight hunting knob. Use some fine wire mesh and sift the sand. Hope you find it. Getting down on the ground is the easy part. Getting back up off the ground is a workout! Blessings GunBlue490! Christ Bless! Hawk.
I dropped a screw and lost it. The other screw I had was the same but they were a unique pair. I dropped the 2nd screw and watched where it went. It landed about a foot away from the other screw.
Wonderful, sir. I shoot an iron sight AR-15, a U-sight Iver-Johnson, and a peep sight equipped Marlin 81, and this fills in many of the blanks of understanding for me.
I had a Lyman peep sight installed on my 16 in. Model 94 Win Trapper. I took several deer in the Kentucky woods with this Trapper in .45 Colt. My longest shot was probably 70 yards or so in the heavily wooded property I owned. I never took a shot that didn't result in an immediate, clean kill. My peep sight shot placement was identical to the scoped rifle shots I made with other rifles from 6.5x55 to .300 Win Mag. Recently, when I bought my latest rifle, a pretty CZ527 Lux in .22 Hornet, I decided to go with an NECG aperture sight rather than a typical scope. I'm having the time of my life shooting it, even though I now peer through the aperture using my no-line bifocal glasses!
Great Video as usual. As a youngster, the open sight was the only alternative I knew....a scope was out of the question more for financial reasons than anything. I was very accurate with my 511 Remington bolt action .22 in the teenage days with the young eyes and could shoot the bottle cap area rather than just hit the bottle. I remember the original instructions for how to sight in as you explain....to put the front sight at the bottom of the circle. For some reason that just did not set right with me as I reckoned the sight should be placed on the center of what I was aiming at and I adjusted the elevation of my gun to do that. Any gun I shot after that I did the same. This applied to a revolver or pistol also. When in the Navy and we had to qualify, I did the same thing, and I never had accuracy issues....I guess it is like you say, you hit what you point at.
Great insight! Thanks!! I used to shoot a FN FAL 7.62 back in the early 90’s and loved the iron sights. We were trained to hit an A4 sheet at 300m. Great sights🙏🏆 true, I was 19 back then. At 52 now I doubt I could hit a barn door at 100🫣😂
You know I never thought about open sights this way as thanks for the outstanding detailed info as this vid is a great experience for shooters....I prefer open sights even though my eyes don't see so well anymore....Good info....
Great video. I concur on your findings. Peep aperture and Patridge front is the most practical sighting system for almost any rifle. Personally, I would've kept the Tech Sight on the 10-22. Just more practical is all.
Very good explanation on how to use the peep. I never understood how anyone could use one, until I stopped using as an open notch site, and started looking through it. Nose to T handle. Like its nickname ghost ring, it ghosted away. It's like your eye becomes the rear site.
I love iron sights, but do admit they are becoming more of a struggle to use in my mid fifties. I try to sight a rifle in using the 6 o'clock hold on where I want to hit on the target. That way what or where I want to hit is not obscured by any part of the sight. Love your videos here in rural Indiana!! I own the same model 99 you have and what a great instrument it is!!
Very good video on an important but often not discussed topic. For myself with my old eyes I have found my preferred hunting sight is a ghost ring rear combined with a fiber optic (Williams, Hi Viz, etc.) front sight in orange or green. In the thick brush I hunt in t is very fast. I adjusted so at 100 yds. the bullet hits at the top of the front sight. The precision is high enough so that at 100 yds. I can put 5 of 5 shots into a playing card with my Trapper Carbine 94ae. A lot of deer can attest the combination works very well.
Excellent info; just what I needed. I can no longer see my bead front behind the blade rear on my REM 550-1 and do not want to put a scope on such a beautiful specimen.
You can buy that Williams rear aperture sight for the Ruger 10/22 with a partridge front sight, but it does have a gold bead on it. You can hide that gold bead with black carbon.
Dear Sir, I want to tag one of my favorite video of yours to wish you a very Merry Christmas. Problem is alk your videos are my favorites. Thank you for increasing my knowledge of all things guns. Blessed be you and your family. Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you, your family, and Benny. Rick Mansberger
Best presentation on iron sights I have seen! Feel this is becoming a lost art with todays shooters especially with iron sights not even being put on so many weapons. I have never used a scope to shoot or hunt an am considered very old fashioned . Did shoot a Garand in CMP service rifle for a few years but no expert marksman. Love the Savage- the ergonomics of it was designed perfectly for the iron sights !
I try to put Redfield peep sights on every Winchester lever action, but they’re so hard to find now. Lyman still makes their sights, but they switched to aluminum, are a little cruder than the original sights, and are about $115 in 2019. I like the Skinner sight for Marlin’s and Millet’s for the Ruger Mini-14. You said it best, unless you need to magnify the target to see, a receiver sight is just as precise and faster. Basically, I use scopes beyond 200 yards, except for service rifle competition. For that, we shoot receiver sight out to 800 yards. BTW, Gun Parts Inc (Numerich) sometimes has Redfield target knobs for sale. Their prices tend to be reasonable, but availability is iffy. Thanks for another excellent video.
Thanks for watching. Yes, I'm familiar with those products and sources. I've purchased from Numrich for over 40 years. For the Mini-14, I've found nothing more authentic, precise, and fully adjustable than TechSight.
I find that if I slightly squint my left eye, my brain differentiates the two images and I get a crisp, immediate sight picture from my right eye with any kind of sights. It's just as effective as closing the left eye, but I don't have to squint to the degree that I lose the peripheral vision or visual acuity in general from the left eye. So that's my trick for shooting with both eyes open. I don't know if it will work for you, but it's easy to try. And it doesn't mean there isn't merit to developing techniques that don't involve squinting. But it's the fastest way for me to get right on target.
Thank you for your sensible and informative videos. I had lost hope for scoping my old drilling what with the cost of claw mounts and expensive optics. You now have me thinking in terms of peep sights. I was recently shown a magnetic (neodymium) scope mount for a low-powered Weaver. The user swears that it is rock solid and stays in "zero". The appeal to me is the non-invasive quality of its mounting to the gun (I'd rather not tap the rib, which is swamped and tapered). I'd love to have your thoughts on this approach and if you suggest I try, I'd also like a recommendation on a tappable epoxy. Thanks again for your support of our rights and our use of firearms.
All your videos are very good. I am 65 and have been shooting since I was a kid on the farm. I learned all on my own first with a BB gun than one day while out in the pastor chasing cows my Dad handed me my Grand Farther's 22 and said here you shoot the rabbit. I have been sighting in my blade sights wrong all these years always used center mass. Guess an old dog can learn new tricks.
Center mass sighting is the correct alternative, and is generally used with bead front sights. You were not wrong, just using the other approach, which is natural for many folks on game. But for bullseye targets, it's more precise to touch the bull at 6 o'clock.
A scope also gathers light. It gives you about 20 minutes extra hunting time at the beginning and end of the day. Good Video. I like Iron sights. I'm having a Skinner sight put on my winchester 1895
I spent $75 for Tech Sights aperture sights for a little $200 Marlin, and I also put a $2000 German scope on that Marlin. It's a good enough rifle. That $2000 scope can see things in shadows and failing light that a cheap scope cannot see. I have the scope on see thu mounts, so if the scope is being weird, those $75 iron sights are fully usable underneath. The only .22 I have without aperture sights is a Nylon 66. What can I bolt to on a Nylon 66? PLASTIC? It is one of the most accurate & reliable .22s ever made.
When I was a kid, I assumed that the purpose of the buckhorn sight was to exclude or reduce extraneous stimuli. It never occurred to me that it obscured your target. Of course, I never had hunted with one.
i was hoping you'd mention the drum-aperture type of rear sight, sometimes found on, for example, the sig 550 a.k.a. stgw 90. i still learned alot though from this video - perhaps enough, once thought through, to cover that system as well. thanks. you're an excellent public speaker!
bumppo shepherd Actually, I did cover it. It is simply a peep aperture, no different than any other, except that it can rotate to afford different heights for particular ranges, just as the Tech Sight that I demonstrated has two. The drum sight was designed for guns with rather short, radically curved pistol cartridge trajectories that are adapted to short carbines. If I owned such a gun, or had one at my disposal, I certainly would have demonstrated it, but having retired my badge, I no longer anticipate the need for such a weapon, which others will do, with more range, with just one hole.
Great video which confirms my own recent experience (although i didn't know why until this vid) while trying out some William's firesite beads and Marbles gold beads on my lever actions with poor results. Eventually after much frustration I put the old blade front sight back on the Win94 and was shooting out the 10 ring (with a tang mounted rear peep). Skinner make great Patridge style front sights as well as the rear peeps. I've replaced the front sight on all my un-scoped rifles with these now.
Hello sir, I am new to your videos and like so many others stunned by your knowledge and really appreciate the your time spent educating us/me. I’m 61 years old and back in the day I was on the high school rifle team. I was fortunate in that a fellow team mate allowed me to practice and shoot in competition his personal rifle (a Savage Anschutz Match 64) as a-posed to the very used school rifles a available to us
Actually, I use "wings" to confirm estimated range. You know what a normal man is and use the 18" shoulder width and focus on what the distance is between the wings or between the blade and wing. Just know the front sight (different brands of M1 sights were different widths) pictures and range pictures. Thanks for the video.
I have a win 86 and the full buckhorn had me confused at first.. not sure where to hold until I had a few shots out and discovered the notch at the bottom was the spot.. and wondered why all the useless iron over the top? I guess it's just a style.
Great video, great narrative. I learned a lot. I too like Peep and Patridge sights for the same reasons you mentioned, scopes can be cumbersome and it seems I'm always bumping them.
After seeing that Savage model 99 up close, all I can say is WOW! Very fine rifle with a really nice stick of walnut that shows some figure in the grain. I am seriously considering getting one of those.....if I can find one!
Excellent video as per usual. I started my love for shooting / hunting with an old German made spring air rifle, then progressed onto a Savage .22 semi that was an old gun even when my father was young. I took an awful lot of rabbits with its open sights. Later I got the opportunity to shoot 303 Enfields as part of my initial introduction into military service and when I enlisted full time moved onto the 7.62 FN SLR. Nowadays I notice that the modern technology of optical sights as seen on the Steyer AUG 5.56 hasn't done anything to improve the standard of shooting. I think basic foundation skills and marksmanship starting with iron sights should be the core of firearms training. I'm not a purist and use scopes on my hunting rifles but if gun ownership and ammo prices where different here I would love to maintain some 'scopeless' rifles. I have a lovely old pre '60's BSA .270 (bought thanks to your videos) equipped with Williams sights and tapped for Parker Hale receiver peep sights. I'm very strongly tempted to source the PH sights and give them ago. Thanks for your very interesting and informative videos. Be safe in what you do. Fergus Ireland
Love the channel and your excellent videos sir. Thanks so much. Quick question on the Williams peep sight with the fire front sight, can the front fire sight be used as a patridge post instead of being used as a bead? I ask because not obscuring the target seems like it would be a huge benefit and the peep plus fire sight ought to make a very visible combination. Thanks!
Ah, my perennial dilemma. Thanks for doing this video! I have a 5.56mm NATO ARX "assault" style rifle that I enjoy plinking with out to 600m but that also serves as a personal defense weapon when not at the range. It's a relatively light 6.8 lbs. unencumbered and comes with a precise front post and graduated rear peep style sight that has a rotating disc of apertures marked from 100m - 600m designed for SS109 ammo. I'm continually torn between just keeping it set up with just a light and these iron sights versus putting on my nice Steiner 1-5x24mm scope, which has an excellent true 1x power design, but that adds nearly 2 lbs. to the rifle when you take the mount into consideration. I just can't seem to make up my mind!
Aaron, I'm not GunBlue, but perhaps I can help. Your choice of sights should always be dictated by what kind of shooting you expect to do. When I worked in the retail FA industry, that is what I always told my customers and they were seldom disappointed. Have you considered trying a red-dot or low-power variable optic with a true zero-hold mount? In other words, an optic with a mount capable of true zero hold, which permits you to mount or remove and then reattach the optic without loss of zero? Such a system would seem to offer the best of both worlds - irons when you want, optics when you want.
I have In-Laws originally from Massachusetts. I always thought it was partridge sight because they leave out the “R” in lots of words. I assumed people who were actually pronouncing it correctly had a similar habit of leaving out the “R”. I also wondered what special thing made this sight great for shooting game birds? I always learn something new. Thanks for the videos.
When my first grandchild was born (4 years ago), I went to a local gun store to buy a .22 rifle for him and walked out with three. They had some nice used guns with beautiful wood stocks. The bolt action, single shot that I purchased as the training one was cheep. I used one of them for the first time just this year. I took it to the family farm to try and found that with the rear sight all the way down it still shot high. I ground half the rear sight off and created a new notch and I'm doing ok with it now. THEN I saw this video! I don't think it has a removable front sight/post - I could have put on a new, higher one. Any comments? I wish I had thought through things more .....
Yes, the traditional fix for a non adjustable or fully low rear sight is adjustment of front sight height. Lyman and other companies offer front sights in different heights, mounting types, and styles.
GunBlue490, you're the professor, historian and archaeologist of Armory. If everyone knew one tenth of what you know, we would not have any anti-gun enthusiasts.
Excellent Video. Given that I am a novice rifle shooter, this information was priceless. Is it possible to do a video on how to adjust iron sights especially Buckhorn sights. Also, is it possible to do a video on red dots along with the advantages and disadvantages versus scopes and iron sights. Thank you for these excellent educational videos. Godspeed
Paris Pat In view of the fact test I do not currently have an optical dot sight for demonstration, I probably will not. However, I can certainly tell you about them, from personal experience. They provide an adjustable aiming dot, as do open sights. They have lenses that accumulate snow and rsin, as do scopes. They are electronic and require batteries that last a while, but can and do fade when you most need them. Open sights require none, and are always there. I have experienced berserk dot images that broke into little stars. Unusual, but certainly a computer bug. The dots subtend (cover) fairly large areas on a target, from 3 to 8 MOA, which is very imprecise in comparison to a partridge blade that covers nothing, and is accurate to sub MOA. They stand high and cumbersome on a rifle. The original Weaver of El Paso Texas invented them in the 70s, and couldn't get the public to accept them then, for all the above reasons. I tested them recently, and nothing has changed, except for the audience. They offer nothing except a floating dot that I have on the Roger 10-22 which I demonstrated. It's far less money, sits lower, uses no batteries, is fully adjustable, points just as swiftly, and won't go berserk.
Chief? I'm curious. The Redfield sight on the savage? Might you remove the appature or diopter. To have an effective ghost ring? My vision has declined of late, commensurate with my age. At least thats what I tell myself. So I've now aspirations of putting a receiver site on my 94 Winchester 30-30. Hopefully the increased sight radius, removal of the front sight hood and a very fine brass or white bead maybe a remedy for my detracted visual acuity. I had a 99 savage in .300. The front site was, as I recall. Had a very fine gold or brass bead. Tiny but bright. I'd hope to find a similar type for the 94. Thanks for your tutelage. Tropic Lightning Sir!
Great info. I have never owned a rifle with a peep, but as my 61 year old eyes are not what they once were (taken me a decade to admit that to myself) I am finding my semi buckhorn rear sight on my Marlin 336 to be difficult to use. (don't tell anyone lol) I have been considering a peep for it, and just need to know what might be best for me. Woods hunting, with occasional shots in the open at about 75 yards, but mostly woods hunting at about 30 yards. My question: do I need to change the front bead to a patridge sight also? Which you have answered. I always found beads to be a bit tough to use. Thought it was just me. Ramp blade sights always easier.
Great video,I changed to a peep on my muzzelloader after missing a fairly close shot with the stock sights that came on the gun and i have been successful ever since.Also i had a lyman peep installed on a Yugo Mauser that is becoming a favorite of mine to shoot. All your videos are very informative i tell everyone i know to sub. Thanks
Lyman still makes rear target sights. Look up Lyman Products. Recently ordered a globe sight from them. Redfield sadly does not and is now a division of Leopold.
Ricashbringer Yes, but Redfield is only a name used by Leupold and has nothing in common with the company or products that is associated with the Redfield receiver sights, including the scopes that carry the logo now. The original company and everything with it went defunct years ago.
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You have a beautiful natural talent of teaching. I actually feel like I was learning the entire way through!
He's always right on the money and easy to understand
One of the Very Best Videos I've Seen. Brought me back to Reality. Just took the borrowed the battery eating red dot off my rifle and returned it to rightful owner. Saved me a bunch of money. I just quit looking at Scopes, Red Dots, and Hologram Sights. Will just wear my reading glasses so I can see the front sight plainly. GONA put a rear peep on one that I let the scope go with another one to my son. Not concerned about another replacement scope for that one now. Thanks For Well Done Videos. I'm 75 years old. Been shooting for 68 years. Thought I "NEEDED" Scopes. Not.
I could not figure out how a peep sight could possibly be good. Thank you for this.
Thanks for posting this.
I am a U.K. airgunner .I have just ordered a rifle with open sights for informal competition shooting & the information you have posted is invaluable.
I am getting excited to be shooting again.
Cheers.
When I was a kid in highschool, I used to shoot on the JrROTC rifle team with Remington 40X 22's. As stated, I could see everything clearly. Now, at 55, my eyes love scopes... I really enjoy your videos, there's so much honestly presented, usable information. I appreciate your efforts and all the nuggets of knowledge you throw in. Again, thanks!
@Furn333
If you still got your eyes, get to an optician and talk to an eye surgeon.
It's often possible to get a lot back with special glasses, contacts or laser surgery. Now you have to see what you'd do to get it back.
Never really cared for a telescope, other than for extremely long distance shots. That would be over 200 yards for me.
Your knowledge and skills just earned you another subscriber. I think you are at least on a par with Paul Harrell, and Hickock45
u sir are a wealth of knowledge.thank you for sharing the years of experience with us all
Agreed, I totally enjoy Gunblue's lessons.
I've never watched a video from you that I've cut short. Thanks for the education, the reminders, and off-handed factoids that make you go, "hmmm....."
Thank you for an excellent video. I just inherited my grandfather's favorite target .22 - a modified Savage Model 19-NRA which has Number 10 peep sight on it for the rear sight. The front sight is a ring that he brazed onto a dovetail and then soldered music wire into it to give a cross hair within that ring. I've never shot another rifle so easy to acquire hold on target precisely. This helped a lot in explaining exactly why it's working so well for me.
Great video, I miss the days when rifles came with Iron sights and the wonderful wood stocks. I'm afraid we'll never see those days again but it sure was nice to have lived them.
I'm having them added. Never know when you might drop your rifle hunting and screw up your scope
@Furn333 Ain't that the truth.
@@219garry if your scope breaks that easily then you should probably get a better scope.
@@abigailsaoirsefinnegan Never said anything about the scope breaking
@@219garry still..,.a quality scope won't do that. My Aimpoint T-2 can take a shotgun round and hold zero.
Another beautiful discussion. I have been slowly changing my mix of firearms in favor of iron sights - for all the reasons you cite. Great truth is spoken here.
Oh man, I always love your lectures. I’m so glad this came up in today’s search.
I tried aperture sights for the first time last year. It was a carry handle sight on a cheap AR-15. I took it to a long range shooting range and was pinging 18"x18" steel plates at 400 yards with ease. Aperture sights are surprisingly effective.
Yes, they are exceptionally accurate, as they have proven to be for many decades of National Match competitions.
Imagine if this guy was your Grandpa ! You’d be be a great shooter. One of the most interesting and genuinely helpful guys out there. ☝️
Thanks for all you do
Another highly informative and erudite presentation. Many thanks for sharing your extraordinary experience and knowledge with us .
+10 ! Thanks for sharing Sir ! So many people don't know or understand how accurate they can be. Folks, this old man knows what he's talking about. A wealth of info. Take the time to learn how to use a peep and you won't be sorry. The US military and others around the world use them on their standard issue weapons. So take his advice. They are a joy to use.
I use to shoot on my High school rifle team single shot bolt action 22LR at 50 meters in off hand , kneeling, sitting and prone with shooting sling with peep sight and globe and the 10 ring was the same size as the 22LR bullet some of the best shooting lessons and marksmanship i have ever learned
Mr. Gunblue
Thank you for the reply.
I appreciate the information and will continue to stick with iron sights.
Godspeed
I have to let you know the wings of a buckhorn sight have a purpose. They are there as a frame of reference to help you adjust your sight picture, on the fly, for windage, elevation, and leading a moving target. With practice, you will know where your bullet hits when you move the top of the front sight to align with the corners of the wings on either side.
Great video! Thanks for demystifying the iron sights. I am 57, and just bought a Pedersoli replica of a target Remington rolling block. It came with a basic full buck-horn rear sight, and what I though was a rudimentary Partridge post front sight. I didn't wanted a scope on it since it is an old gun design & look, but there was no way I was going to be able to see both front and rear sights. I was concerned that the Skinner barrel mount would put the peep sight to far from my eye, but I guess with the right aperture size I should be fine. I decided to give it a (now) educated try... Thanks! :-)
Wish I had received this instruction back in 1966 when going for my Boy Scout Marksmanship Merit Badge. With no idea what I was doing, the embarrassment and humiliated was hasn't been forgotten for 53 years.
Great video. One front sight that you didn't cover was my favorite the old Redfield Sourdough with the beveled brass insert. I've managed to get two of them. One on a 98 Mauser with a Lyman rear and one on a sporterized 1903 with a Redfield rear. With all the gun gaak we can get these days you would think someone would make these again.
Craig Benz I stumbled across this because I have never used a peep sight before. I have a sporterized 1903 with a Redfield rear.
Superb! I learned so much about eyesight and aiming; it's so much all in our brains!
And kudos for respecting the looks and feel of a rifle. Concidentally, I just this week decided to pull the cheap scope off my inherited 30-06 Rem 721 and go back to iron peep sights, partly because I can get back to the stock cheek weld, so it points better, but also the simpler and more "boresighted" sight picture. The best lens is no lens.
The full buckhorn rear sight did serve other purposes. One could sight the front bead nested in the upper notch/gap for longer range shots without adjusting using the sight ramp. The larger opening between the lower notch and upper notch was useful for close range snap shots. Proponents claim they can more quickly take shots at game that appears at various ranges without making sight adjustments with less Kentucky Windage guessing.
The way those rifles are displayed in the background is so cool
I do agree on the both eyes open part. That’s where Aimpiont comes in when hunting big game. 😁👍
What a frightning look you have when you're aiming. I don't wanna be the one spotted! Best regards from France...
And again thanks for your time and teaching.
Thanks much for the time you take, and experience you bring to your videos.
Very informative for those unfamiliar with all of types of iron sights. Actually, I think full buckhorns are better than semi-buckhorns since they can be used like a modified ghost ring and don't obscure as much of the target as the Mickey mouse ears of most semi-bucks.
One last note about the Sgt York movie with Cooper, which is one of my favorite war movies. In the movie they have York and his companions all using the US Springfield Modle 1903 which is incorrect. The Springfield arsenal simply didn't have the capacity to produce the 2 million rifles needed when America suddenly entered the war. However, Winchester, Remington, and Eddystone had been producing the P1914 Enfield for the UK for several years by then. It was an easy matter to change out the chambering from the British .303 to the US 30-06 and the new rifle became the US model 1917.
This was the rifle carried by the vast majority of the American expeditionary forces until the end of the war and it's what York would have used. He also did not use a confiscated German Luger, but instead a standard Colt US mode 1911. Hollywood will always climb a tree to tell a lie when they could have easily stood on the ground and told the truth.
i have listened to you for some time. I want to thank you for sharing you help me at so many levels. Your Great.
Great info!! Just found your channel while searching for aiming peep sights and looks like I have a bunch of new vids to watch!
Another fantastic video. Thank you very much for spending the time to create these masterpieces of detailed knowledge. There is a certain magic in your presentations. This one changed the way I'm approaching some custom work.
Drag a strong magnet around in the sand, to find that peep sight hunting knob. Use some fine wire mesh and sift the sand. Hope you find it. Getting down on the ground is the easy part. Getting back up off the ground is a workout! Blessings GunBlue490!
Christ Bless!
Hawk.
Ha ha! Too true. My back and joints are over due. For a shot of liquid wrench.
I dropped a screw and lost it. The other screw I had was the same but they were a unique pair. I dropped the 2nd screw and watched where it went. It landed about a foot away from the other screw.
Wonderful, sir. I shoot an iron sight AR-15, a U-sight Iver-Johnson, and a peep sight equipped Marlin 81, and this fills in many of the blanks of understanding for me.
I had a Lyman peep sight installed on my 16 in. Model 94 Win Trapper. I took several deer in the Kentucky woods with this Trapper in .45 Colt. My longest shot was probably 70 yards or so in the heavily wooded property I owned. I never took a shot that didn't result in an immediate, clean kill. My peep sight shot placement was identical to the scoped rifle shots I made with other rifles from 6.5x55 to .300 Win Mag.
Recently, when I bought my latest rifle, a pretty CZ527 Lux in .22 Hornet, I decided to go with an NECG aperture sight rather than a typical scope. I'm having the time of my life shooting it, even though I now peer through the aperture using my no-line bifocal glasses!
Great Video as usual. As a youngster, the open sight was the only alternative I knew....a scope was out of the question more for financial reasons than anything. I was very accurate with my 511 Remington bolt action .22 in the teenage days with the young eyes and could shoot the bottle cap area rather than just hit the bottle. I remember the original instructions for how to sight in as you explain....to put the front sight at the bottom of the circle. For some reason that just did not set right with me as I reckoned the sight should be placed on the center of what I was aiming at and I adjusted the elevation of my gun to do that. Any gun I shot after that I did the same. This applied to a revolver or pistol also. When in the Navy and we had to qualify, I did the same thing, and I never had accuracy issues....I guess it is like you say, you hit what you point at.
Great insight! Thanks!! I used to shoot a FN FAL 7.62 back in the early 90’s and loved the iron sights. We were trained to hit an A4 sheet at 300m. Great sights🙏🏆 true, I was 19 back then. At 52 now I doubt I could hit a barn door at 100🫣😂
That's what we had on our FNC1A1 rifles in 1968. I like peep sights. Some called the front sight a Patridge and some called it a blade.
You know I never thought about open sights this way as thanks for the outstanding detailed info as this vid is a great experience for shooters....I prefer open sights even though my eyes don't see so well anymore....Good info....
This explanation of different sight types incredibly informative and comprehensive. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge.
Great video. I concur on your findings. Peep aperture and Patridge front is the most practical sighting system for almost any rifle.
Personally, I would've kept the Tech Sight on the 10-22. Just more practical is all.
Very good explanation on how to use the peep. I never understood how anyone could use one, until I stopped using as an open notch site, and started looking through it. Nose to T handle. Like its nickname ghost ring, it ghosted away.
It's like your eye becomes the rear site.
I love iron sights, but do admit they are becoming more of a struggle to use in my mid fifties. I try to sight a rifle in using the 6 o'clock hold on where I want to hit on the target. That way what or where I want to hit is not obscured by any part of the sight. Love your videos here in rural Indiana!! I own the same model 99 you have and what a great instrument it is!!
Very good video on an important but often not discussed topic. For myself with my old eyes I have found my preferred hunting sight is a ghost ring rear combined with a fiber optic (Williams, Hi Viz, etc.) front sight in orange or green. In the thick brush I hunt in t is very fast. I adjusted so at 100 yds. the bullet hits at the top of the front sight. The precision is high enough so that at 100 yds. I can put 5 of 5 shots into a playing card with my Trapper Carbine 94ae. A lot of deer can attest the combination works very well.
Recommend a ghost ring for a Ruger 10/22?
Excellent info; just what I needed. I can no longer see my bead front behind the blade rear on my REM 550-1 and do not want to put a scope on such a beautiful specimen.
Thanks for all the great instruction you provide for the shooting community.
Yet another great video giving open and honest opinion. Many thanks for your time and effort from Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Geoff Pickford
Much appreciated, from New Hampshire, of the New England states, USA.
You can buy that Williams rear aperture sight for the Ruger 10/22 with a partridge front sight, but it does have a gold bead on it. You can hide that gold bead with black carbon.
Another great video! I have a Skinner peep on my 1894 winchester and love it! Back to basics. Keep up the good work.
I've always used all iron sights as if they were Patridge sights. I don't like covering up the target. The tangent concept makes a lot of sense.
Thanks, Love the info and the the history. Young eyes see far, old eyes see ahead
Dear Sir,
I want to tag one of my favorite video of yours to wish you a very Merry Christmas.
Problem is alk your videos are my favorites.
Thank you for increasing my knowledge of all things guns.
Blessed be you and your family.
Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you, your family, and Benny.
Rick Mansberger
Best video on the subject by far. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Best presentation on iron sights I have seen! Feel this is becoming a lost art with todays shooters especially with iron sights not even being put on so many weapons. I have never used a scope to shoot or hunt an am considered very old fashioned . Did shoot a Garand in CMP service rifle for a few years but no expert marksman. Love the Savage- the ergonomics of it was designed perfectly for the iron sights !
I try to put Redfield peep sights on every Winchester lever action, but they’re so hard to find now. Lyman still makes their sights, but they switched to aluminum, are a little cruder than the original sights, and are about $115 in 2019. I like the Skinner sight for Marlin’s and Millet’s for the Ruger Mini-14.
You said it best, unless you need to magnify the target to see, a receiver sight is just as precise and faster. Basically, I use scopes beyond 200 yards, except for service rifle competition. For that, we shoot receiver sight out to 800 yards.
BTW, Gun Parts Inc (Numerich) sometimes has Redfield target knobs for sale. Their prices tend to be reasonable, but availability is iffy.
Thanks for another excellent video.
Thanks for watching. Yes, I'm familiar with those products and sources. I've purchased from Numrich for over 40 years. For the Mini-14, I've found nothing more authentic, precise, and fully adjustable than TechSight.
I find that if I slightly squint my left eye, my brain differentiates the two images and I get a crisp, immediate sight picture from my right eye with any kind of sights. It's just as effective as closing the left eye, but I don't have to squint to the degree that I lose the peripheral vision or visual acuity in general from the left eye. So that's my trick for shooting with both eyes open. I don't know if it will work for you, but it's easy to try. And it doesn't mean there isn't merit to developing techniques that don't involve squinting. But it's the fastest way for me to get right on target.
I recently purchased a sporterized 1903 Springfield with a 19" barrel and a Lyman 57 SMF peep sight. I hope this will work for my 1950's eyes.
Thank you for your sensible and informative videos. I had lost hope for scoping my old drilling what with the cost of claw mounts and expensive optics. You now have me thinking in terms of peep sights. I was recently shown a magnetic (neodymium) scope mount for a low-powered Weaver. The user swears that it is rock solid and stays in "zero". The appeal to me is the non-invasive quality of its mounting to the gun (I'd rather not tap the rib, which is swamped and tapered). I'd love to have your thoughts on this approach and if you suggest I try, I'd also like a recommendation on a tappable epoxy. Thanks again for your support of our rights and our use of firearms.
All your videos are very good. I am 65 and have been shooting since I was a kid on the farm. I learned all on my own first with a BB gun than one day while out in the pastor chasing cows my Dad handed me my Grand Farther's 22 and said here you shoot the rabbit. I have been sighting in my blade sights wrong all these years always used center mass. Guess an old dog can learn new tricks.
Center mass sighting is the correct alternative, and is generally used with bead front sights. You were not wrong, just using the other approach, which is natural for many folks on game. But for bullseye targets, it's more precise to touch the bull at 6 o'clock.
Interesting video, I love the simplicity of iron sights not to mention the speed and weight difference of not using a scope.
A scope also gathers light. It gives you about 20 minutes extra hunting time at the beginning and end of the day. Good Video. I like Iron sights. I'm having a Skinner sight put on my winchester 1895
Thank you for this detailed info. You’ve obviously gleaned this extensive consideration of the peep/patridge precision iron sight
Good solid stuff.
What was the name of the two stage, looked like a peep sight patridge post setup at 33 minutes?
luv these videos reminds me of when I was way younger discuss things with my granddad wow the wealth of knowledge and experience there generation have
I spent $75 for Tech Sights aperture sights for a little $200 Marlin, and I also put a $2000 German scope on that Marlin. It's a good enough rifle. That $2000 scope can see things in shadows and failing light that a cheap scope cannot see. I have the scope on see thu mounts, so if the scope is being weird, those $75 iron sights are fully usable underneath. The only .22 I have without aperture sights is a Nylon 66. What can I bolt to on a Nylon 66? PLASTIC? It is one of the most accurate & reliable .22s ever made.
Well heck, I'm in my 60,s, and I just fuzz in the rear sight to the front sight, and I hit what I'm aiming at. Technique is the key.
When I was a kid, I assumed that the purpose of the buckhorn sight was to exclude or reduce extraneous stimuli. It never occurred to me that it obscured your target. Of course, I never had hunted with one.
Thank you for settling the Patridge / Partridge controversy once and for all.
Now, what's a barley corn?
i was hoping you'd mention the drum-aperture type of rear sight, sometimes found on, for example, the sig 550 a.k.a. stgw 90.
i still learned alot though from this video - perhaps enough, once thought through, to cover that system as well.
thanks.
you're an excellent public speaker!
bumppo shepherd
Actually, I did cover it. It is simply a peep aperture, no different than any other, except that it can rotate to afford different heights for particular ranges, just as the Tech Sight that I demonstrated has two. The drum sight was designed for guns with rather short, radically curved pistol cartridge trajectories that are adapted to short carbines. If I owned such a gun, or had one at my disposal, I certainly would have demonstrated it, but having retired my badge, I no longer anticipate the need for such a weapon, which others will do, with more range, with just one hole.
buckhorn sights are for ranging the part where the horns meet are for a longer shot than the base of the sight
Great video which confirms my own recent experience (although i didn't know why until this vid) while trying out some William's firesite beads and Marbles gold beads on my lever actions with poor results.
Eventually after much frustration I put the old blade front sight back on the Win94 and was shooting out the 10 ring (with a tang mounted rear peep).
Skinner make great Patridge style front sights as well as the rear peeps. I've replaced the front sight on all my un-scoped rifles with these now.
Hello sir, I am new to your videos and like so many others stunned by your knowledge and really appreciate the your time spent educating us/me. I’m 61 years old and back in the day I was on the high school rifle team. I was fortunate in that a fellow team mate allowed me to practice and shoot in competition his personal rifle (a Savage Anschutz Match 64) as a-posed to the very used school rifles a available to us
Actually, I use "wings" to confirm estimated range. You know what a normal man is and use the 18" shoulder width and focus on what the distance is between the wings or between the blade and wing. Just know the front sight (different brands of M1 sights were different widths) pictures and range pictures. Thanks for the video.
Still remember my 200 yards dope for my m14 32 up 10 right
Fantastic review of all iron sight systems.
That's the way I was taught many moons ago.
Refreshing information. Thanks.
I have a win 86 and the full buckhorn had me confused at first.. not sure where to hold until I had a few shots out and discovered the notch at the bottom was the spot.. and wondered why all the useless iron over the top? I guess it's just a style.
Great video, great narrative. I learned a lot. I too like Peep and Patridge sights for the same reasons you mentioned, scopes can be cumbersome and it seems I'm always bumping them.
Thanks for the heads up on the Gil Hebard guns book. Great reading.
What is a good peep or ring sight for a Ruger 10/22?
Best FREE education anywhere. LOL Thank You!
I love my redfield on my sporterized FN Mauser in 7x57. Really looking forward to taking a whitetail this fall.
Wonderful Video. You nailed it and it is so easy to follow along. You remind me so much of my Dad.
Once again proof that Knowledge is useless unless it is shared... Well Done Sir!
After seeing that Savage model 99 up close, all I can say is WOW! Very fine rifle with a really nice stick of walnut that shows some figure in the grain. I am seriously considering getting one of those.....if I can find one!
Excellent video as per usual. I started my love for shooting / hunting with an old German made spring air rifle, then progressed onto a Savage .22 semi that was an old gun even when my father was young. I took an awful lot of rabbits with its open sights.
Later I got the opportunity to shoot 303 Enfields as part of my initial introduction into military service and when I enlisted full time moved onto the 7.62 FN SLR. Nowadays I notice that the modern technology of optical sights as seen on the Steyer AUG 5.56 hasn't done anything to improve the standard of shooting. I think basic foundation skills and marksmanship starting with iron sights should be the core of firearms training.
I'm not a purist and use scopes on my hunting rifles but if gun ownership and ammo prices where different here I would love to maintain some 'scopeless' rifles.
I have a lovely old pre '60's BSA .270 (bought thanks to your videos) equipped with Williams sights and tapped for Parker Hale receiver peep sights. I'm very strongly tempted to source the PH sights and give them ago.
Thanks for your very interesting and informative videos.
Be safe in what you do.
Fergus
Ireland
Love the channel and your excellent videos sir. Thanks so much. Quick question on the Williams peep sight with the fire front sight, can the front fire sight be used as a patridge post instead of being used as a bead? I ask because not obscuring the target seems like it would be a huge benefit and the peep plus fire sight ought to make a very visible combination. Thanks!
In general I like a Patridge sight for target work and a bead of some sort for h
Ah, my perennial dilemma. Thanks for doing this video! I have a 5.56mm NATO ARX "assault" style rifle that I enjoy plinking with out to 600m but that also serves as a personal defense weapon when not at the range. It's a relatively light 6.8 lbs. unencumbered and comes with a precise front post and graduated rear peep style sight that has a rotating disc of apertures marked from 100m - 600m designed for SS109 ammo. I'm continually torn between just keeping it set up with just a light and these iron sights versus putting on my nice Steiner 1-5x24mm scope, which has an excellent true 1x power design, but that adds nearly 2 lbs. to the rifle when you take the mount into consideration. I just can't seem to make up my mind!
Aaron, I'm not GunBlue, but perhaps I can help. Your choice of sights should always be dictated by what kind of shooting you expect to do. When I worked in the retail FA industry, that is what I always told my customers and they were seldom disappointed. Have you considered trying a red-dot or low-power variable optic with a true zero-hold mount? In other words, an optic with a mount capable of true zero hold, which permits you to mount or remove and then reattach the optic without loss of zero? Such a system would seem to offer the best of both worlds - irons when you want, optics when you want.
I have In-Laws originally from Massachusetts.
I always thought it was partridge sight because they leave out the “R” in lots of words.
I assumed people who were actually pronouncing it correctly had a similar habit of leaving out the “R”.
I also wondered what special thing made this sight great for shooting game birds?
I always learn something new. Thanks for the videos.
I'm a New Englander and omit many Rs, but indeed, the Patridge sight has none to begin with. 🙂
GunBlue490 Thanks for the response. I’m new to your videos so I’m slowly catching up on some really great knowledge. 👍🏻🇺🇸😀
I stuck a marble bullseye back sight on a marlin 94 loving it .
When my first grandchild was born (4 years ago), I went to a local gun store to buy a .22 rifle for him and walked out with three. They had some nice used guns with beautiful wood stocks. The bolt action, single shot that I purchased as the training one was cheep.
I used one of them for the first time just this year. I took it to the family farm to try and found that with the rear sight all the way down it still shot high.
I ground half the rear sight off and created a new notch and I'm doing ok with it now.
THEN I saw this video! I don't think it has a removable front sight/post - I could have put on a new, higher one.
Any comments? I wish I had thought through things more .....
Yes, the traditional fix for a non adjustable or fully low rear sight is adjustment of front sight height. Lyman and other companies offer front sights in different heights, mounting types, and styles.
GunBlue490, you're the professor, historian and archaeologist of Armory. If everyone knew one tenth of what you know, we would not have any anti-gun enthusiasts.
Excellent Video.
Given that I am a novice rifle shooter, this information was priceless.
Is it possible to do a video on how to adjust iron sights especially Buckhorn sights.
Also, is it possible to do a video on red dots along with the advantages and disadvantages versus scopes and iron sights.
Thank you for these excellent educational videos.
Godspeed
Paris Pat
In view of the fact test I do not currently have an optical dot sight for demonstration, I probably will not. However, I can certainly tell you about them, from personal experience. They provide an adjustable aiming dot, as do open sights. They have lenses that accumulate snow and rsin, as do scopes. They are electronic and require batteries that last a while, but can and do fade when you most need them. Open sights require none, and are always there. I have experienced berserk dot images that broke into little stars. Unusual, but certainly a computer bug. The dots subtend (cover) fairly large areas on a target, from 3 to 8 MOA, which is very imprecise in comparison to a partridge blade that covers nothing, and is accurate to sub MOA. They stand high and cumbersome on a rifle. The original Weaver of El Paso Texas invented them in the 70s, and couldn't get the public to accept them then, for all the above reasons. I tested them recently, and nothing has changed, except for the audience. They offer nothing except a floating dot that I have on the Roger 10-22 which I demonstrated. It's far less money, sits lower, uses no batteries, is fully adjustable, points just as swiftly, and won't go berserk.
Chief? I'm curious. The Redfield sight on the savage?
Might you remove the appature or diopter. To have an effective ghost ring?
My vision has declined of late, commensurate with my age.
At least thats what I tell myself.
So I've now aspirations of putting a receiver site on my 94 Winchester 30-30.
Hopefully the increased sight radius, removal of the front sight hood and a very fine brass or white bead maybe a remedy for my detracted visual acuity.
I had a 99 savage in .300. The front site was, as I recall. Had a very fine gold or brass bead. Tiny but bright.
I'd hope to find a similar type for the 94.
Thanks for your tutelage.
Tropic Lightning Sir!
Great info. I have never owned a rifle with a peep, but as my 61 year old eyes are not what they once were (taken me a decade to admit that to myself) I am finding my semi buckhorn rear sight on my Marlin 336 to be difficult to use. (don't tell anyone lol) I have been considering a peep for it, and just need to know what might be best for me. Woods hunting, with occasional shots in the open at about 75 yards, but mostly woods hunting at about 30 yards.
My question: do I need to change the front bead to a patridge sight also? Which you have answered. I always found beads to be a bit tough to use. Thought it was just me. Ramp blade sights always easier.
Great video,I changed to a peep on my muzzelloader after missing a fairly close shot with the stock sights that came on the gun and i have been successful ever since.Also i had a lyman peep installed on a Yugo Mauser that is becoming a favorite of mine to shoot. All your videos are very informative i tell everyone i know to sub. Thanks
Great info, a very knowledgeable man. Thank you sir.
Thank you for sharing, always a pleasure watching your videos.
Lyman still makes rear target sights. Look up Lyman Products. Recently ordered a globe sight from them. Redfield sadly does not and is now a division of Leopold.
Ricashbringer
Yes, but Redfield is only a name used by Leupold and has nothing in common with the company or products that is associated with the Redfield receiver sights, including the scopes that carry the logo now. The original company and everything with it went defunct years ago.
Love the precision crisp action on a firearm. I mounted a scope on my 10/22 for target shooting but had more fun plinking with open sights
As range officer would say it's not the dope on the rifle it is the dope behind the rifle 😂
Both are necessary
Well said sir. I hope the younger viewers pay attention to so much wisdom gained through experience.