Making my way to irons

[Doug Hamilton]

I have a NECG ghost ring I'm bringing as a backup for my scope when I go to RSA in August. The problem is the front sight on my 9.3 is black. Anybody have any hi-viz paint recommendations I can put on the front sight?

Also, hood or no hood on the front sight? My rifle came with one, but I took it off.

I missed a good mule deer buck in Colorado one evening while using my muzzle loader. I could not see the front sight which was all dark grey. I had a gunsmith replace the front sight with another that has a tiny red fiber optic bead. The next year I was on the same ridge at last light. When a buck came out the front sight looked like a very small neon light against the buck. That one did the old end-over-end down the wall. The rear sight on that rifle is a tang mounted peep.

I have two .30-30s and a .22 that all have tang peep sights (family heirlooms). I don't actually hunt with these rifles, but if I ever feel the need, I'll be looking into fiber optic fronts for them too.

 

[Warbeast]

If your new a rimfire or even airgun with similar sights are your friend.

At least i go this route often.

And of your want to get serious with it. A well fittet stock for irons will make the whole thing way easier.

 

[sgt_zim]

I missed a good mule deer buck in Colorado one evening while using my muzzle loader. I could not see the front sight which was all dark grey. I had a gunsmith replace the front sight with another that has a tiny red fiber optic bead. The next year I was on the same ridge at last light. When a buck came out the front sight looked like a very small neon light against the buck. That one did the old end-over-end down the wall. The rear sight on that rifle is a tang mounted peep.

I have two .30-30s and a .22 that all have tang peep sights (family heirlooms). I don't actually hunt with these rifles, but if I ever feel the need, I'll be looking into fiber optic fronts for them too.

At someone else's suggestion, I painted my front sight with white fingernail polish.

Also, replaced the NECG with a low XS Ghost ring. I'll be sighting it in this weekend.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

At someone else's suggestion, I painted my front sight with white fingernail polish.

Also, replaced the NECG with a low XS Ghost ring. I'll be sighting it in this weekend.

I hope it works for you, it does for me. Nice thing if it chips off just add a fresh coat.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I hope it works for you, it does for me. Nice thing if it chips off just add a fresh coat.

Many years ago I painted the front bead white on the front sight of my dad's 760 Remington. I first cleaned the bead with alcohol to remove all oil then painted the end of the bead with a spot of flat white exterior primer from spray can. Sprayed some inside the cap for can then used a fine paint brush. It has held up over several years of very hard hunting.

 

[crossone]

Having grown up hunting elk in thick brush and timber, I really appreciate the magnification provided by a scope, especially at close range. The 2 - 4 x magnification can reveal exactly what you're looking at as you press the trigger. Moving from binos to sights simply isn't quick enough to ensure that you're looking at a front shoulder instead of a hind quarter when you drop the hammer (in some instances). I completely agree with carrying an open sight rifle. Rifles without scopes are lighter, are easier to grip, balance better, look better, are just overall more pleasing to look at and carry. I applaud you guys who are going this way and I've been very tempted to do the same thing on my upcoming buffalo hunt, but.... having seen a branch across my sight line at 4x, having seen a bull elk standing broadside through the brush at 40 yards resolve into a bull standing broadside with a calf standing in front of it, having seen a whitetail buck facing me head-on at 30 or 40 yards between two trees resolve into a buck standing broadside with a windfall covering everything below the middle of his neck, I'm just too big of a wuss to do it. Our experiences and personal histories color our worlds. What the Marxists and Commies call, "My truth" does exist to an extent in all of us. I used to, probably still do, compare North Idaho elk hunting as closer to pheasant hunting than traditional elk hunting "out West" in wide-open spaces. It was very hard to get eyes on an elk and the encounters often only lasted a second or two.

We carried cocked- and-locked, I only ever used a 4x (so that I wouldn't be on 9x at 15 yards when I finally saw an elk after many days of hunting), and when we started shooting, we didn't stop until that critter was firmly anchored. There were lots of elk around in those days. Some days you would hear a herd go crashing off ahead of you, sometimes several times a day. Watching the tops of the alder brush 10 or 20 yards away waiving madly as a herd blew past it without even glimpsing tan fur.

Enough. I've made my points.

Have a good day yall. I appreciate everyone's posts and the opportunity I have to read everyone's posts and contribute to the discussion.

 

[sgt_zim]

Having grown up hunting elk in thick brush and timber, I really appreciate the magnification provided by a scope, especially at close range. The 2 - 4 x magnification can reveal exactly what you're looking at as you press the trigger. Moving from binos to sights simply isn't quick enough to ensure that you're looking at a front shoulder instead of a hind quarter when you drop the hammer (in some instances). I completely agree with carrying an open sight rifle. Rifles without scopes are lighter, are easier to grip, balance better, look better, are just overall more pleasing to look at and carry. I applaud you guys who are going this way and I've been very tempted to do the same thing on my upcoming buffalo hunt, but.... having seen a branch across my sight line at 4x, having seen a bull elk standing broadside through the brush at 40 yards resolve into a bull standing broadside with a calf standing in front of it, having seen a whitetail buck facing me head-on at 30 or 40 yards between two trees resolve into a buck standing broadside with a windfall covering everything below the middle of his neck, I'm just too big of a wuss to do it. Our experiences and personal histories color our worlds. What the Marxists and Commies call, "My truth" does exist to an extent in all of us. I used to, probably still do, compare North Idaho elk hunting as closer to pheasant hunting than traditional elk hunting "out West" in wide-open spaces. It was very hard to get eyes on an elk and the encounters often only lasted a second or two.

We carried cocked- and-locked, I only ever used a 4x (so that I wouldn't be on 9x at 15 yards when I finally saw an elk after many days of hunting), and when we started shooting, we didn't stop until that critter was firmly anchored. There were lots of elk around in those days. Some days you would hear a herd go crashing off ahead of you, sometimes several times a day. Watching the tops of the alder brush 10 or 20 yards away waiving madly as a herd blew past it without even glimpsing tan fur.

Enough. I've made my points.

Have a good day yall. I appreciate everyone's posts and the opportunity I have to read everyone's posts and contribute to the discussion.

No disagreement with any of that. I finally put a scope on my 45-70 because of the thick timber where I deer hunt, and I'm not getting any younger.

I'm bringing an aperture as a backup for my upcoming hunt in Limpopo.

 

[crossone]

Does anyone know if there is a way to mount a red dot/reflex on the front base of a Talley removable rings setup? Seems like if you had a way to mount a red dot if your scope gets damaged that would be a good move.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Does anyone know if there is a way to mount a red dot/reflex on the front base of a Talley removable rings setup? Seems like if you had a way to mount a red dot if your scope gets damaged that would be a good move.

If you're locked into Talley, I don't know. It could certainly be doable with other rings on a generic pic-rail. These Warne QD rings work with either Weaver bases or standard pic-rails. They hold zero very well.

 

[crossone]

If you're locked into Talley, I don't know. It could certainly be doable with other rings on a generic pic-rail. These Warne QD rings work with either Weaver bases or standard pic-rails. They hold zero very well.View attachment 602838

I already have a set of Talley's mounted on my rifle. So...I guess I'm hoping to work with what I have.

Thank you

 

[Rule 303]

Does anyone know if there is a way to mount a red dot/reflex on the front base of a Talley removable rings setup? Seems like if you had a way to mount a red dot if your scope gets damaged that would be a good move.

Talley rings look like they clamp onto a rail or similar. If so just have a ring on your red dot, remove standard scope and attach red dot ring to mount. This is what I do with several of my rifles where I have an Aimpoint and standard scope.

 

[crossone]

Thanks Rule! What are the odds that a photo of your setup could find its way onto this thread. Sounds just like what I'm looking for.

I'm a little hung up on, "If so just have a ring on your red dot". I'm an engineer but only a chemical engineer, I'm afraid, so my brain is freezing up when I try to compute this.

You guys are awesome !

 

[Rule 303]

Thanks Rule! What are the odds that a photo of your setup could find its way onto this thread. Sounds just like what I'm looking for.

I'm a little hung up on, "If so just have a ring on your red dot". I'm an engineer but only a chemical engineer, I'm afraid, so my brain is freezing up when I try to compute this.

You guys are awesome !

I am not good with technology and having trouble with my image hosting at the moment. But just look at the photo Ontario Hunt has attached. Looks just the same only one ring on the shorted Aimpoints.

If the red dot is not a straight tube then it wont work. Nowadays most are coming set up to slide onto standard cross slot bases/rails. I don't know if any come with bases to slide onto the Talley's, from memory they are fairly narrow.

I have just had a look at the Aimpoint Web site. They no longer make the ones I have but hjave several that are modernized version. The Hunter H34S & L and 900SC and L need two rings, the H2 comes with out base for weaver rails so a single ring, the Pro Patrol Rifle needs one ring. I do not know what the other red dot companies make.

 

[Sideshow]

Furthermore, I resent having to stand in amongst the backwards baseball hat and trigger slapping nitwits.
Cheers,
Velo Dog.

that @Velo Dog made me laugh and totally know where your coming from…..some people see to many movies eh
Stupid ass cross arm hold haven’t they heard of “Newton's third law simply states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”!
Like to see them do it with a big bore now that would sort out those backwards baseball hats

 

[R eight]

I am not good with technology and having trouble with my image hosting at the moment. But just look at the photo Ontario Hunt has attached. Looks just the same only one ring on the shorted Aimpoints.

If the red dot is not a straight tube then it wont work. Nowadays most are coming set up to slide onto standard cross slot bases/rails. I don't know if any come with bases to slide onto the Talley's, from memory they are fairly narrow.

I have just had a look at the Aimpoint Web site. They no longer make the ones I have but hjave several that are modernized version. The Hunter H34S & L and 900SC and L need two rings, the H2 comes with out base for weaver rails so a single ring, the Pro Patrol Rifle needs one ring. I do not know what the other red dot companies make.

You trying to put one on your 550 in 416R ?

 

[Rule 303]

You trying to put one on your 550 in 416R ?

I have one on my 550 in 416R. An older 9000SCL.

I was answering crossone.

 

[PCC600]

Once again I am in agreement with you Spikeman,

I too spent my sordid youth with an air rifle, instead of playing ball games with the “normal” boys (monkeys squabbling over a coconut).
Fast forward a hundred years to now.
These days I live on the outskirts of a city and so, I cannot fire powder burning guns, without negative legal consequences.

However, even though I only have a tic more than one acre here, my house is in a forrested setting.
And as such, I am able to shoot air powered guns on my land, as much as I wish.
As you have pointed out, practice with an accurate air rifle is good practice.
It totally beats no practice at all.

I am blessed to live about 2 miles, perhaps 3 kilometers from a real rifle range as well.
However, ammunition have become oppressively expensive and hard to find.
Furthermore, I resent having to stand in amongst the backwards baseball hat and trigger slapping nitwits.
Therefore, I don’t shoot real firearms as much as I’d like to.

Your air rifle suggestion is golden and I have been suggesting same to people for several years now as well.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

Velo Dog you nailed it . I live in Brisbane 2 miles from a massive shooting complex covering multiple shooting disciplines . I simply can’t stand going there and being surrounded by the morons who go there once , hire some guns and fuck around . Obnoxious and dangerous . Fortunately I can drive 2 hours to a farm and do whatever I want with regards to my weapons .

 

[Philip Glass]

I have decided that 2024 will be the year of open sights for me. I have very limited experience with them, and none while hunting. So, this is the start of a journey.

I will see how comfortable I get at the range before heading to the field. However, I am inspired by articles like the one below. And, I find carrying my rifle without a scope is a joy. My 308 Norma Mag has a pop-up peep. For hunting up north I don't get many really long shots anyway. And, getting familiar with irons will allow me to get the most out of the express sights on my 400 H&H.

Precision With A Peep: Using an Aperture Sight - A Tale of Two Thirties

It is universally believed that you must use a good telescopic sight when you want to get the most in accuracy from your rifle. Precision shooting from the bench requires the minimization of aiming error, which will make differences in group sizes due only to differences in the load or the gun...

ataleoftwothirties.com

I would be interested to hear from folks about how they practice with open sights and how successful hunting is.

I grew up with a Winchester lever .22. I shot that gun so much it was instinctive. I recommend spending lots of time behind an open sighted .22 and then add everything else you can. I was very fortunate in my upbringing and have been very good at target acquisition whether scoped or not. I feel this is due to starting out open sighted for so many years.
You can do it!