Eye shooting aids?

Any you guys use any type of eye shooting aids?

I shoot irons. I wear +0.75 diopter clip on flip up readers. The non aiming eye lens has been lightly bead blasted to a matte finish which lets light in, but will not allow my left eye to focus on anything. On the right lens, I have a piece of black electrical tape, one inch long by .75 wide with a 2.5mm hole in it as a "poor man's aperture" which I happen to like better than a bought one. To make a perfect hole in the tape, use a medical biopsy punch available at ebay for $3. They come in sizes 2mm up to I think 5mm, in 0.5mm increments. I tried 3mm, then 2mm, and settled on 2.5mm.

Any pictures?

Pic attached

Thanks a bunch. Interesting.

I wear progressive lenses so the eyepal gives me consistency as far as where I'm looking through my lense and evens out the sight picture/target blur. The additional +0.50 flip down lens makes the front sight crystal clear.

Over my normal glasses, I use a clip-on adjustable iris with a 0.75 diopter lens glued on it for both irons and dot.  And, I use a very small white translucent occluder on my non-aiming lens.

Were do you buy a diopler lens for your glasses?

smsnyder wrote:Were do you buy a diopler lens for your glasses?

Thanks for the spell check! (fixed).  Mine was from a ClearSite set, but the "l" must have wicked in from the glue. . .

Ed Hall wrote:Over my normal glasses, I use a clip-on adjustable iris with a 0.75 diopter lens glued on it for both irons and dot. 

Hi Ed,

How have you been?  Just curious why the +0.75 is used for the dot scope?  Thanks.

Norman

xmastershooter wrote:

Ed Hall wrote:Over my normal glasses, I use a clip-on adjustable iris with a 0.75 diopter lens glued on it for both irons and dot. 

Hi Ed,

How have you been?  Just curious why the +0.75 is used for the dot scope?  Thanks.

Norman

Hey Norman,

Good to hear from you.  The answer is practicality (and a little bit of laziness).  I need the 0.75 and the iris for irons.  I need the iris for the dot.  I found that the diopter didn't degrade the dot and I didn't really have a good method for mounting it after the arm broke off the original clip device.  Since it made no real difference for the dot, I took the KISS route and hot glued the lens to the adjustable portion of the iris so I can still make changes to that part.

Ed hall wrote:I found that the diopter didn't degrade the dot and I didn't really have a good method for mounting it after the arm broke off the original clip device.  Since it made no real difference for the dot, I took the KISS route and hot glued the lens to the adjustable portion of the iris so I can still make changes to that part.

Fascinating!  I knew of a high master shoot high master scores while using with a +1.50 add and without an aperture for the dot.  This nonsense stopped when he reached 2660's. 

Norman

Norman,
Do you remember Doc using a telescope objective lens mounted to his shooting glasses? He machined an attachment to hold that big long lens to his shooting glasses frame. As I age and my eyes go to hell I can understand his desire to go to that much trouble to see the sights.
Jon

Hi Jon, I never did see Doc's telescope invention, but I admire those who think outside of the box.  You are absolutely correct about aging and in fact, this year may be my time for cataract surgery.  My best advice to shooters would be to shoot as much as possible and at many places as possible.  Many fond memories at Camp Perry.  Life has a tendency to present many road blocks along the way.

Norman

So now. I wonder why none of the HM's or even Master's have mentioned Champion
http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=CategoryBody&c=OPEYCH
or Knobloch
http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=CategoryBody&c=OPEYKN
Frames and accessories?

I understand that they are not perfect and quite expensive and, for many shooters, the fact that they might not offer the best eye protection is an important issue. BUT, from my very limited exposure to top class shooters, they are certainly a popular choice!

radjag wrote:.......I understand that they are not perfect and quite expensive and, for many shooters, the fact that they might not offer the best eye protection is an important issue.......

I'm probably biased, as I spend a good part of every year volunteering at an eye hospital in India, but from my point of view, how can anything be more important than eye protection?

I do videos in the Orbit surgery area, and am teaching the people at the hospital how to do their own.  After watching eye evisceration a few times through the viewfinder of my camera, that was bad enough - then I glanced at the live surgery....ouch.  I couldn't deal with it.   All because the patient had gotten a foreign body into their eye, ignored it, and one thing led to another.  

Dedicated shooting glasses, with polycarbonate lenses in front of both eyes, ought to be a number one priority, at least that's how I see things.  OK, off my soapbox.

radjag wrote:So now. I wonder why none of the HM's or even Master's have mentioned Champion
http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=CategoryBody&c=OPEYCH
or Knobloch
http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=CategoryBody&c=OPEYKN
Frames and accessories?

I understand that they are not perfect and quite expensive and, for many shooters, the fact that they might not offer the best eye protection is an important issue. BUT, from my very limited exposure to top class shooters, they are certainly a popular choice!

I still use my Champion glasses with diopters and adj iris for shooting irons. 25 yds is easier than shooting 50. At 50 it blurs the target considerably more.
Jon

radjag wrote:So now. I wonder why none of the HM's or even Master's have mentioned Champion
http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=CategoryBody&c=OPEYCH
or Knobloch
http://champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=CategoryBody&c=OPEYKN
Frames and accessories?

I understand that they are not perfect and quite expensive and, for many shooters, the fact that they might not offer the best eye protection is an important issue. BUT, from my very limited exposure to top class shooters, they are certainly a popular choice!

I use shooting frames like above for Air Pistol and Free Pistol but since I am a bullet magnet (ricochets) I like more protection for other types of competition. While I have a bag full of Elvex Rx-500 full lens magnifier glasses (+0.50, +0.75, +1.00, +1.50) I also have +0.75 and +1.00 custom safety glasses made with RX-206 frames. The custom glasses were made at a shooting friendly shop and we spent a lot of time locating the center of the lens in the frames to match my shooting position. I like the iris on my shooting frames so I keep my head in the same position for every shot. Except for the shooting frames all the other glasses get a small strip of translucent Scotch tape as an occluder for the non-aiming eye.

Someday I'd like to get a set of Knobloch K5s which are full frame but have the rail for accessories. Maybe I would shoot like Christian Reitz if I had all the same gear he uses?



https://www.safetyglassesusa.com/elvex-rx-500-safety-glasses-with-black-frame-and-clear-full-lens-magnifier/

https://www.rx-safety.com/shop/master-safety-glasses/prescription-safety-glasses/prescription-safety-glasses-rx-206/

https://www.knobloch-schiessbrillen.de/K5-Shooting-Glasses

Sa-tevp. Thanks, very interesting. I progressed through several different set-ups last year. Eventually acquired a comprehensive set of Champion from a retiring Bullseye shooter. They are perfectly adjustable, but I'm nervous about protection. Had not seen the K5 model before.

That prompts me to think about adding a Knobloch/Champion compatible rail along the top edge of my Gargoyle brand high clarity safety glasses - which I previously used with an Eyepal and clip on blinder. Then I can enjoy both safety and adjustability. Stay tuned!

radjag wrote:...
That prompts me to think about adding a Knobloch/Champion compatible rail along the top edge of my Gargoyle brand high clarity safety glasses - which I previously used with an Eyepal and clip on blinder. Then I can enjoy both safety and adjustability. Stay tuned!

I've considered doing similar or drilling a small hole in safety glasses, finding an appropriate sized brad or nail to mount Champion accessories since they use a post system instead of a rail.

After thinking about the subject and having collected quite a collection of accessories I figured I would share some notes. Since I have no actual talent for shooting I have to rely on coaching, researching everything I can find in any language, exercise, meditation, process and equipment to get good results. I am moving into my late fifties and wear contact lenses as I rely a lot on peripheral vision and hate wearing glasses for everyday activities.

So here goes.

I use several lenses for different pistols and lighting conditions.

If the lighting is good:
No lens strength for red dot (for now - I mostly shoot iron sights)
+0.75 is used for iron sights on long pistols (Air Pistol, Free Pistol)
+1.00 is used for iron sights medium length pistols (Compact Air Pistol, 22s, Service Pistol, Revolver)
+1.50 for two handed defense pistols

I might go up a +0.25 if the lighting is not as good. If the lighting is really bright maybe drop a 0.25. I have lenses for my Champion shooting frames in 0.25 steps from +0.25 to +1.50 to test with. If I could find 0.125 steps I would try them too.

I like using a translucent occluder as this keeps the light brightness mostly the same for both eyes. I like the occluder to be narrow so my peripheral vision can see references for better balance and stability. I'd like to shoot with no occluder like some of the top ISSF shooters but I am not there yet. I use Scotch brand translucent tape as it can be removed without leaving residue on the lens. I put the tape on the side of the lens near my eye to prevent reflections.

When I can use one an iris is handy not so much for optical adjustment but so my head is always in the same position when aiming. 

A nice feature of the low cost Elvex glasses I mentioned above is they have some very clear lenses and are easy to clean. They are cost effective for determining what may work as far as lens strength.

I haven't had any luck with colored (yellow, vermilion) lenses yet.

Hopefully all this makes sense and helps someone.

Stephen

Sa-tevp 


Very helpful indeed! Thanks.


I've just shot off an email to the Elvex vendor asking if they have spare plain left lens's - if so then I will also buy a set of those RX-500's with a range of diopters. This would be more convenient when switching from dot to metallic sights, rather than having to fiddle with my Champions, and improved safety. But I also need to try them with Eyepal's - I need an aperture to see well.


Regarding the mounting of Champion/Knobloch accessories on safety glasses. Brass or SS standoff screws are readily available in small metric sizes - they are commonly used in computers/electronics. Like this:-
https://www.amazon.com/Hilitchi-360pcs-Female-Standoff-Assortment/dp/B013ZWM1F6/ref=sr_1_9?crid=M82MJLN2TIO&keywords=brass+standoff+m2&qid=1579925206&sprefix=brass+standoff+%2Caps%2C393&sr=8-9



Together with small thumb screws like this:-
https://www.amazon.com/Knurled-Screws-Shoulder-Stainless-Metric/dp/B01MTX8NN1/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=knurled+thumb+screw+M2&qid=1579926076&sr=8-1


Drill a lateral hole through one of the small standoff's at the bottom of the existing threaded hole, fashion a short piece of brass or SS rod of the same diameter as the accessory mounts (I'm thinking to bend it gently to match the curvature of the top of the safety glasses). Drill a small hole(s) through the safety glasses, screw it all together. I need to think through this and decide on the optimum arrangement, but I reckon it will work well.

I will try this as soon as I can.

I wear my shooting glasses every day. From when I get up in the morning to when I take them off to hit the rack. I had a set of trifocals made for everyday wear. The middle lens was adjusted to focus perfectly on the front sight. This is also the lens that focuses on the dash in my rig. Progressive lens just don't work. With only a little tiny spot when my head is twisted just right to be in focus. This also means the sights on my CC are also in focus. When shooting a match with steel sights I have a stick on iris that I place on the middle lens to stop me from moving my head up and down and a occluder that attaches to my hat brim. I also have a special set of tinted glasses that are normal prescription on the left side and only the reading and mid range prescription on the right. The tinted glasses stay in the pistol box.

I have the previous version of these:

https://pillasport.com/products/panther-x7-post-rx?_pos=21&_sid=f9a558086&_ss=r

I can wear them all day and not be uncomfortable.

From 750.00 to 12.00 glasses. Did anyone ever try these super cheap'os to see if they would focus on the front sight?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dial-Adjustable-Glasses-Variable-Focus-For-Reading-Distance-Vision-Eyeglasses-US/333338515889?hash=item4d9c8619b1:g:qlMAAOSwAeBdyOlW