Hunting without magnification

[Borngeechee]

So I had this idea that I wanted to hunt this season with my 45-70 without magnification. Either with iron sights or a red dot. That looks like a hell of a challenge and that's only 50 yards.Do any of you go hunting without magnification?

[hawkenwoodsman]

Try a red dot with 1x magnification.

[stillhunter]

Up until a few years ago I usually always used open sights including with my own 1895g. Then my eyes got old and I was forced to put on optics. As long as your your comfortable with open sights, I say go for it. I always thought it was quicker to get on target and easier to follow what was happening after the shot.

[G-Man]

I love open sights, I have a vernier tang pep on a 54.cal great plains rifle., ca n keep.it on a plate at 200 yards

[Elmo]

I would not try to hunt with iron sights if you haven't practiced with it.  If you do, you'll notice that hitting a paper plate at 50 yards isn't that hard.  I consistently pop beer cans at 50 yards with my Henry 22LR with buck horn sights.

[Borngeechee]

I would not try to hunt with iron sights if you haven't practiced with it. If you do, you'll notice that hitting a paper plate at 50 yards isn't that hard. I consistently pop beer cans at 50 yards with my Henry 22LR with buck horn sights.

I've done 50 and 100 with my 44 lever action with a red dot on paper with no problem and stayed within 4 inches but paper and live are two different things. If I had a bad shot on paper I wouldn't care but just wanna make sure I don't make a bad shot on an animal. I guess I'm just a lil nervous to do it for the first time. Imma be doing as much practicing as I can over the next 2 months. Edited September 26, 2015 by Borngeechee

[16. ga hunter]

hunting with iron sights had been the norm for a very long time. As with anything else if you practice it will be fine. as a kid there wasn't a gun in deer camp with a scope on it other than one sporterized mauser. now every gun in camp has one other than when i take out my 16ga. changing times i guess.

 

[grampy]

I have an H and R 12 g single shot that I used when tracking for Deer Search. It has just a single bead for sights. It has put down quite a few deer that jumped up in front of me that were already wounded. Most all of the other trackers used a handgun. But the shotgun was light and easier for me to to swing on target for quick shots. I also painted the bead blaze orange, to help with a quick target accusation. And practiced shooting this way quite a bit. I also custom made a two point nylon sling that kept it out of the way but I could reach back with my left hand to bring on target very quickly.

[turkeyfeathers]

I have an H and R 12 g single shot that I used when tracking for Deer Search. It has just a single bead for sights. It has put down quite a few deer that jumped up in front of me that were already wounded. Most all of the other trackers used a handgun. But the shotgun was light and easier for me to to swing on target for quick shots. I also painted the bead blaze orange, to help with a quick target accusation. And practiced shooting this way quite a bit. I also custom made a two point nylon sling that kept it out of the way but I could reach back with my left hand to bring on target very quickly.

A nice recoil pad on the H n R I hope. Brother has a 10 bore he's shot 88 turkeys with. I got conned into shooting some new loads on paper for him, Dang thing kicks like a mule.

And we all thank you for donating your time to Deer Search !

[Mr VJP]

The best open sight for hunting is a peep sight.  All you do is look through the rear peep and put the front bead on the target.  It's great on game animals and much easier on the eyes than a rear v notch.  It also give you a longer sighting plane between the two sights as the peep is all the way to the rear of the receiver.

 

I have a peep sight set up on a couple of rifles and have taken deer at 100 yards with them many times.

 

[Hock3y24]

I have quick detach scope mount on my shotgun, if I'm in some thick places I pop the scope off.

[Elmo]

I've done 50 and 100 with my 44 lever action with a red dot on paper with no problem and stayed within 4 inches but paper and live are two different things. If I had a bad shot on paper I wouldn't care but just wanna make sure I don't make a bad shot on an animal. I guess I'm just a lil nervous to do it for the first time. Imma be doing as much practicing as I can over the next 2 months.

 

Then you should be fine.  I don't think nerves care if you're using iron sights, red dot, or scope.  When nerves wants to screw you over, it will.

 

That said, I also say my groups (including the flyer) are doubled in real world conditions just as a general rule of thumb.  i.e. if my groupings are 2 inches with the flyer, then I'm probably shooting 4 inch groups when nervous.  Of course that's just my own personal rule of thumb and not a scientific fact.  I include the flyer because Murphy's Law says that's the shot you'll take when the moment counts.

[nyslowhand]

Very cool challenge! Enjoy it while you can, before the old eyes begin to go to hell and scopes become the norm.

[NFA-ADK]

I have open sights for my model 94 in 44 Mag.  Easy to aquire targets and great for close shots.  Practice will help ensure a good shot, good luck.

[Pygmy]

I used to like open sights and used them frequently before I developed " geezer eyes"....I used to be pretty good at shooting running rabbits and hand thrown beer bottles with my Ruger 10/22...But that was back when Moby Dick was a minnow..

 

I can still use peep sights effectively..My TC Hawken .50 cal. has a tang peep, and I use the issue peep sight when I hunt with my M1 Garand...I have done some accurate shooting at over 100 yards with both of these rifles at targets, but I don't remember ever killing a deer with either one of them at over 75 yards...They work fine at woods hunting range, though...

Edited September 27, 2015 by Pygmy

[bkln]

The point is, practice, practice, practice. No matter what you use. As long as you can hit the target who cares? ACOG, Iron Sights, Leupold, Barska, it's a personal choice.... You talking Chevy vs. Ford debate..... just saying....

[Doc]

These tired old eyes don't have a prayer at long shots without some kind of optical assistance ..... lol. I used to be pretty darn deadly with a peep sight, but they have some limitations in light conditions that aren't ideal.

[nyslowhand]

Ahh, the old adapt or perish adage applied to aging hunters. Goes much deeper than just failing vision, like long hikes to the stand, moving treestands. length of sits, tolerance to bad weather conditions, long drags, on & on.... And my nemesis, a weak bladder!

[Borngeechee]

Here's the set up...

[NYBuckHunter27]

I'm going iron sights on my Mossberg 464 in 30-30, i actually feel its easier to hold on target with iron sights than a scope. but i would be interested in looking into peep sights for this setup as the v-notch now on the gun will probably cover up a deer at 100yrds, but i typically hunt thick cover

 

[Borngeechee]

Once hunted without any scopes. But now... For what? Hunting should be fun! And now, when there so many different equipment  I think, it not only makes it easier to hunt, but also makes it more fun

And I'm thinking the exact opposite. I think the lack of the scope makes it a little more fun. Kind of the same reason some guys like to use muzzle loaders. It adds a little challenge to an already challenging hunt.

[nyantler]

always iron sights or peep.. don't even own a scope.

[gfdeputy2]

do it while you can! I used open sights when I was younger but eyes are not as good as they once were. I prefer a scope now

[Daveboone]

With Iron sights, you can hold a much finer bead by not covering your aiming point with your front site. Use the fine top edge of your site as the aim point, It will also leave more of the target visible.

If you can, set up a .22 with the same sighting system as your deer gun, and practice. With time, you will be amazed at how fine a bead you can hold.

I do have a low powered  (1.5x5 ) on 3 of my rifles, and usually keep it on the lowest power for best field of view and light gathering. Eyes aren't what they used to be.

[Pygmy]

What Daveboone said...

The 6 o'clock hold is standard for target shooters with iron sights, and works equally well for hunting...