Side Blinders and Glasses

I've never used side blinders. I noticed some shooters do, and some don't. I'm curious to try them but don't have a good set of safety glasses to put them on. Any recommendations for a good set of safety glasses and blinders I could try? Something that's not too expensive maybe. I always shoot with cheapo hardware store safety glasses. It's all I ever had.

Cut your own from a gallon milk jug.  The price is right for a trial run.  Do a good job and they will look as good as store bought.  Use a hole punch for the temples.

You shoot without safety glasses?

davekp wrote:You shoot without safety glasses?

Gosh no. I've been using cheap hardware store classes and would like a nice comfortable set of "shooting glasses" with side blinders.

The problem with hardware store glasses is that they can, and usually do, have distortion in the lenses.  These glasses aren't optically fine as they are usually either thermoformed or injection molded.  Neither process is conducive to optical quality.  

I would also suggest that you look at using quality shooting glasses, from the life's of Serengeti or even RayBan.  They don't have to be glass, but they do Ned to be optically clear.

Bill Blankenship at a Camp Perry Pistol Competitor's meeting stated that he never wore blinders. He said he considered them a crutch.

Wobbley wrote:The problem with hardware store glasses is that they can, and usually do, have distortion in the lenses.  These glasses aren't optically fine as they are usually either thermoformed or injection molded.  Neither process is conducive to optical quality.  

I would also suggest that you look at using quality shooting glasses, from the life's of Serengeti or even RayBan.  They don't have to be glass, but they do Ned to be optically clear.

I'm not saying I like the hardware store stuff. I'm just saying it's all I've ever had and I'm looking for actual shooting glasses now. The hardware store glasses are ok if you had nothing else (like me in my position) but they shift and move and you're right I notice a distortion in some. So I was hoping that someone could recommend a good typical brand or model.

you dont need special blinders, coolest ones i seen is a friend took two of his old NRA cards and cut slots in them to slip on his glasses, you can get them from larry carter for cheap too

BE Mike wrote:Bill Blankenship at a Camp Perry Pistol Competitor's meeting stated that he never wore blinders. He said he considered them a crutch.

Note to self.  Get some or make some I need every crutch I can get at this point.   Don

BE Mike wrote:Bill Blankenship at a Camp Perry Pistol Competitor's meeting stated that he never wore blinders. He said he considered them a crutch.

Said by a guy who could castrate a nat at 50 yards with a 45, crutch to him maybe but not to the multitudes of us who struggle. Tim if you were prescription glasses get your prescrip and go to Zenni.com and order some they are 20.00 complete, if you dont need prescrips then check out gargoyles clasic 85 with or without side shields, these are poly carb and balistic rated and one of the very few that have no distortion on the edges. they run around 60.00 from retailers but are 80.00 on gargoyles. you wont find a better safety shooting glasses than these. 

http://gargoyleseyewear.com/safety/85s-side-shields-black-clear-side-shields . here they are for 63.00 and if you would wear with a pink nose piece i found them in a google search for 45.00

https://www.amazon.com/Gargoyles-Performance-Eyewear-Classic-Polycarbonate/dp/B00VX2TIX4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1486664486&sr=8-3&keywords=gargoyles+classic+sunglasses

If my shooting glasses didn't wrap around the side of my head, I'd wear side blinders and not to limit side vision, for safety.

Back when I was wearing Decots with the wire frames I had a 22 shell go over my screen and land between the bow and my eye.  Put on a side shield as soon as got home but eventually replaced the Decots with Rudy Project "Rydon" shooting glasses.

- Dave

Blinders are for horses..... so either you eat hay or you don't

You might find side blinders are helpful at some ranges, depending on the relay and time of sunrise / sunset. Camp Perry, first relay for example. I generally don't use, but i keep a set in the box for those special occasions. Be prepared, but not fanatical.

Just ordered a pair of prescription aviators from zenni for $11. If I like how the front sight post looks... I can always spring for the fancy coatings or transitions lenses or whatever. Can't beat that.

Chris Miceli wrote:Blinders are for horses..... so either you eat hay or you don't

Coming from someone whom's location is "Haymarket, VA" 

Could not help myself, just had to say it 

Clarence;
That uses side blinders for protection.
Keeping my eyes are very important to me.

CR10X wrote:You might find side blinders are helpful at some ranges, depending on the relay and time of sunrise / sunset.  Camp Perry, first relay for example. I generally don't use,  but i keep a set in the box for those special occasions.  Be prepared,  but not fanatical.

I have a set of black side blinders for when the sun shines in behind my glasses.  Don't need them very often.

When you use side blinders they cut off your peripheral vision which your body uses to keep its balance. This might make standing steady a little harder. Try standing still with and with out the blinders to see if they make a difference on how still you can stand.

A few years ago there were quite a few different blinders available at Perry. Federal and Winchester gave them away as well as a few others. I have a pile of them from Springfield. White on one side and flat black on the other. I'm not sure what brand of shooting glasses I have but are the ones that the guy that sets up next to the AMU trailer sells. I keep those Springfield blinders in my shooting chair available when I need them. Most of the time I don't need them but there have been days at Perry they helped block the sun during first relay. However last year, I don't know why but the guy shooting next to me managed to get a .22 brass behind my glasses. The first one I was able to shake off but the next one stuck to me just below my eye. I got the range officer to allow me time to attach a blinder on my left side. Though I kept getting hit with .22 brass no others managed to get by the blinders!

dronning wrote:If my shooting glasses didn't wrap around the side of my head, I'd wear side blinders and not to limit side vision, for safety.

Back when I was wearing Decots with the wire frames I had a 22 shell go over my screen and land between the bow and my eye.  Put on a side shield as soon as got home but eventually replaced the Decots with Rudy Project "Rydon" shooting glasses.

- Dave

+1

I've also had casings come in through the side and hit me around the eye.  I wear prescription glasses, so I bought some cheap (~$5) slip-on clear plastic side covers from Amazon, specifically to prevent this.  I never noticed a change to my balance with the covers on, but that's probably because everything to the side of the lens is horribly out of focus all the time, so it's not a big loss in vision for me to have the side covers on.

DavidR wrote:

BE Mike wrote:Bill Blankenship at a Camp Perry Pistol Competitor's meeting stated that he never wore blinders. He said he considered them a crutch.

Said by a guy who could castrate a nat at 50 yards with a 45, crutch to him maybe but not to the multitudes of us who struggle. 

It seems to me that the majority of masters and high masters seemed to end up with just the basics, excluding scopes. I don't know if it was that they tried all the accessories/ enhancements and found out that they just did as well or better without them or if they didn't feel the need for them in the first place. Having a set of high quality safety glasses or prescription glasses definitely are a must. Having low quality lenses can lead to eye strain over the course of a match. I'm just guessing here, but I think that Bill was suggesting that he needed confidence in his system/ shot plan and he didn't want anything to detract from that. At the upper levels, it is really that mental toughness and therefore the ability to focus, which separates the winners from the also rans.

I've met and talked to Bill many times at Perry, also at Ft Benning. Really nice guy and naturally a great shooter since he proved that many times! I never talked to him about blinders, I use them rarely but they have come in handy from time to time as I mentioned before so I keep a pair handy though usually us just one.
Also remember when looking at old photos of the matches at Perry and others no one had ear muffs or shooting glasses on except a few that needed glasses in every day life. No sure if Bill was in that group back then but it was as they did shoot years ago.

You may not see the relevance here but I am gonna say it anyway.  When the sun shone brightly on a white butterfly flickering about 90 degrees to my left, just as the hammer was falling, my shot went left.  My left  eye was occluded to the front, but no blinders.

Check out these new magnified safety glasses for shooters at Creedmore Sports.
Just what a farsighted pistol shooter needs.
https://www.creedmoorsports.com/product/2497/New-Items

I use one of these shooting hats instead of side blinders when needed (at ranges that face other than north).
https://www.creedmoorsports.com/product/SHOOTING-HAT-BLUE/shooting-headwear

Check out these new magnified safety glasses for shooters at Creedmore Sports.
Just what a farsighted pistol shooter needs.
https://www.creedmoorsports.com/product/2497/New-Items

I got a pair of these for Christmas.  I like the fit and concept of these but the prescription piece is in the upper, inner corner.  This requires my head to cant down and to the right to use them.  They are designed for a two handed, combat type stance and hold.  I called them and the only other type they have would traditional bifocals at the bottom of the lens.  Nice people to deal with and they took them back with no problems so the search goes on.

John

Froneck wrote: I'm not sure what brand of shooting glasses I have but are the ones that the guy that sets up next to the AMU trailer sells. 

I'll bet you mean Clarence, he sells Randolph Ranger and other models by Randolph. He worked on mine many times, though I've since switched to mainly Knoblochs now, I still use my Randolphs for skeet, trap and sporting clays. (I'm actually a rifle guy just starting to dabble here in BE)
Mike B