Can you aim decently with spectacles, or do you need contacts? I'm right handed, but my right eye is unfortunately  unable to focus outside the range of 9" to 21". I could hit a gnat with a handgun at that distance, but it's not much use for real targets.

I usually wear glasses, but if shooting with a scope, I take them off. When you focus the scope, you can see things perfectly. Same with binoculars and telescopes.

You _should_ be focused on your sights; the target should be a blur.

Of course, you didn't ask that, did you?

Spectacles are fine.

If the target's a blur, how do you know where you are aiming?

At the blur, of course.

Because unlike at least one triggerhappy jerk you hopefully looked before blasting away.

Specs never were a problem with open sights but do get in the way with a scope - but why not just get modern with a laser pointer scope kit and save ammo?

You should target shoot based on your dominant eye not you dominant hand, these aren't always the same. Optically, spectacles can correct you sight more perfectly than contact lenses because astigmatism is difficult to correct with contact lenses. If you use a scope you can have the optical correction performed by a lens fitted to the scope. Generally, with handguns, your accuracy is initially more affected by pyschological factors and motor control than vision

Glasses are fine - you even use telescopic sights. I've not used laser pointers myself but back in the day  the people who did seemed to be overconfident.  Of course that could be because they were the sort of blokes who had shit loads of money to spend on kit;-)

The master eye issue isn't a problem for pistols but is for long arms (shotguns/rifles etc.) There are various fiddles to get round it including something called a cross-over stock if you're made of money.

My left eye is dominant, so I have to shoot lefty. Not that lefty, you moron. Left-handed! Left-handed! Which makes things inconvenient when I'm plinking with my AR15, as the ejected brass frequently tags my right cheek. Yes, they make a left-handed version of those, but I'm not buying one.

You can get a brass deflector, if you have an AR with the carry handle.  They might make them for the flattops as well.

Nice part is the brass lands at your feet, so you don't have to go searching all over for it (in case you reload)

The SLR wasn't kind to lefties either but otherwise wasn't a bad bit of kit. We now use the Steyr but the UK chose differently:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,808713,00.html

>> They brought in assembly-line experts from Rover, the car company they bought in 1988. <<

There's one mistake.  Rover in the 80's was a basket case.

The story seems to be one of bad requirements, bad engineering, and bad manufacturing.


I shot the Steyr AUG when I was stationed in Europe -- very nice.  Not too sure about the "Squeeze a little harder for full-auto" feature -- in the stress of combat, you'd be on full auto the whole time.  :-/

"I could hit a gnat with a handgun at that distance, but it's not much use for real targets."

Maybe you could genetically engineer gnats that land on peoples' foreheads?

Well, sure, but then the foreheads still have to be 9 to 21 inches away (because of his near-sighted-ness).  It's hard to convince your targets to hold still while you creep up on them that close.

Unless they're swatting at a particularly irritating gnat, anyway.

I'm not thinking that vision will be an issue at all with a handgun.  As somebody else said, the psychological and motor control issues are gonna swamp the visual issues.

Hmm, shotgun with bird shot?

Might just piss whoever you're shooting off real bad though... but you'll have a good chance of at least hitting them a little. Especially if it's sawed-off.