Open sights?

[Malt 379]

Does anybody on here use open sights these days? I remember my Dad taught me to use them before he taught me to use a scope. The reason I ask, is that my mate bought a gun a few weeks ago, and we had a little plink about in the garden with them, before we put the scope on. To be honest, I'd forgot that I wasn't a bad shot with them! I think they'd be quite handy for close quarter, fast moving pest control, eg. ratting. Just some thoughts on the matter, I know it's supposedly 'uncool' to have a rifle without a scope these days.........

[woz 260]

i recon everyone that is learning how to use rifles should learn to shoot with open sights..its a good grounding for the future...

[Ratman2 2]

I raised this very subject last year on AirgunBBS and got flamed for it . As a young lad some 45 years ago my dad bought me a new Diana and tough me how to shoot, I progressed through the ranks up to a BSA Meteor and kept that little airgun for years.

I was a crack shot with open sights and could hit almost anything within the guns range, clothes pegs on the washing line, bottle tops held in place with plasticine, match sticks on a dart board.

I still do a bit of open sight plinking with a Meteor.

[kurgan 5]

My first gun was a metor with no sights and im pretty sure it helped me shoot well ,when you move on to sights being able to point the gun in the right direction and hold the gun naturaly is a good starting point in shooting.

[Coney 3]

My first x3 guns all had open sights as I couldn't afford Telescopics and believe it or not the open sights on a plastic stocked "Crossman" pump up rifle were the best!

[andy s410c 61]

Had no choice to have open sights on my Meteor & HW35 as a teenager in the mid ,s could,nt afford even a basic 4x32.Found them spot on for close quarter feral shooting in the old mills & bridges in Sunderland docks ...those were the days!!Even managed to bag a rabbit or 2 as well,don,t know how i would fair now in this clinical age of the PCP shooting a springer is something i have,nt done for a few year now

[Malt 379]

Had no choice to have open sights on my Meteor & HW35 as a teenager in the mid ,s could,nt afford even a basic 4x32.Found them spot on for close quarter feral shooting in the old mills & bridges in Sunderland docks ...those were the days!!Even managed to bag a rabbit or 2 as well,don,t know how i would fair now in this clinical age of the PCP shooting a springer is something i have,nt done for a few year now

 

It was the HW35e I learnt to shoot with! You used to have the interchangeable reticule on the foresight. Cracking gun, but bloody heavy!

[mad al 146]

myself I think it is the other way around it's open sights that are cool

[theobenmike 0]

My first gun was a haenel mod 1 drp with open sights and no dovetail grooves to fix a scope on to. As a young lad I used to shoot starlings off the guttering with it (back in the days when it was legal) and many a starling fell to the trusty haenel, God knows how as I have still got the gun and I chrono'd it recently at 3ft/lbs and the barrel moves up and down when the guns closed.

We recently went close up ratting with open sights on my HW80K. It allows you to get on to the target quicker and it's a lot easier to follow things on the move than with a scope. Ideal for short range pest control

 

Here's a pic of the haenel

 

 

And a view down the sights

 

[Malt 379]

My first gun was a haenel mod 1 drp with open sights and no dovetail grooves to fix a scope on to. As a young lad I used to shoot starlings off the guttering with it (back in the days when it was legal) and many a starling fell to the trusty haenel, God knows how as I have still got the gun and I chrono'd it recently at 3ft/lbs and the barrel moves up and down when the guns closed.

We recently went close up ratting with open sights on my HW80K. It allows you to get on to the target quicker and it's a lot easier to follow things on the move than with a scope. Ideal for short range pest control

 

Here's a pic of the haenel

 

 

And a view down the sights

 

How old is that gun mate? It looks like something you'd come across at a fairground.

[Geoff.C 0]

I raised this very subject last year on AirgunBBS and got flamed for it . As a young lad some 45 years ago my dad bought me a new Diana and tough me how to shoot, I progressed through the ranks up to a BSA Meteor and kept that little airgun for years.

I was a crack shot with open sights and could hit almost anything within the guns range, clothes pegs on the washing line, bottle tops held in place with plasticine, match sticks on a dart board.

I still do a bit of open sight plinking with a Meteor.

 

Me too Ratman, I still have an old Meteor that I bought brand new (£8 in 1968 I think). It's still a lovely smooth shooting gun, just great for a plink in the garden.

[theobenmike 0]

How old is that gun mate? It looks like something you'd come across at a fairground

 

Not really sure what age it is, I'll try and find out and get back to you

[comanche 3,038]

Still use the ten quid Relum break-barrel .22 I bought in the early seventies with my school lunch money.(Damn ,let's hope me Mum does'nt see this).Open sights are quick to lay on target and are not prone to get out of adjustment if the rifle gets rattled about a bit .I do own an HW 97 K with a scope but the Relum is my is daily companion for cage trap work and opportunist shots. It's sad that so many decent modern break- action air-rifles have no provision for iron sights as after a few years of use play in the barrel joint makes it impossible to zero a scope.

[andy s410c 61]

As a teenager i had a mate who owned a Relum Tornado(i think??) well it was a underlever anyway.I had my trusty HW35 & he was forever "tuning" his Relum basically pouring loads of 3 in 1 oil into the cylinder to keep the leather washer in good order & when blue smoke was coming out of the barrel end he used to say"thats more powerful than my 35!!"Oh the joys of dieselling :11:

[comanche 3,038]

As a teenager i had a mate who owned a Relum Tornado(i think??) well it was a underlever anyway.I had my trusty HW35 & he was forever "tuning" his Relum basically pouring loads of 3 in 1 oil into the cylinder to keep the leather washer in good order & when blue smoke was coming out of the barrel end he used to say"thats more powerful than my 35!!"Oh the joys of dieselling :11:

Oh Man ,The Relum Tornado was the posh one I could,nt afford!About twelve pounds I think.Actually the Relums were notoriously easy to tune a bit.Very accurate compared with the BSA's of the day. Now I know that the picture below shows the Relum with a telescopic sight aboard -a cheap "Mountie " -but it's in keeping with the spirit of the subject matter I think.I could take you to the exact spot where I shot that bunny even now. I was my first .

Edited March 21, 2008 by comanche