Open sights. yes or no

A Rem 700 I bought new in 1964 came with open sights as rifles did back then. I took time to sight in the open sights first before the scope was mounted... Three years later on a back country hunt , first morning out I slipped on a frosty Aspen log . Me & the scope hit the ground hard. The eye piece of the scope struck the Aspen log & bent it down & broke the rear lens. The scope was junk. Way back in with no scope fix available I finished my hunt with open sights. As it turned out it was a successful hunt. Without open sights it would likely have been a ruined season. Most all my rifles have open sights. I would feel unprepared to hunt without them now.
A couple years back a younger hunter said he did not want to spoil the lines of his rifle with open sights. Since my rifle to me is a tool that I depend on I was surprised to hear such a comment. Are there others that put looks ahead of function?

I have a 375 H&H with flip mounts.If I go into a swamp after a wounded animal I want open sights

I want open sights on my rifle....and hope to "never use them. I use quick detectable (Leupold) base/rings, and always have my back-up scope with me (at camper) zeroed and ready for service. If I were on a horseback wilderness hunt, I'd find a way to have it with me! memtb

I would feel that if the sights get into the scope, and can't be cowitnessed, then they are just in the way of the scope. I suppose however there are plenty of work arounds to make it work if one really felt strongly about it.

dfanonymous said:

I would feel that if the sights get into the scope, and can't be cowitnessed, then they are just in the way of the scope. I suppose however there are plenty of work arounds to make it work if one really felt strongly about it.

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I can see mine in the scope....if I look for it. It looks a little like a mirage, and has never really been a distraction. When I first put my rifle together, the sight seemed to be more obvious than it is now. Now..... I have to make a conscious effort to see it. For me, having the irons is worth the slight possible inconvenience! memtb

memtb said:

I can see mine in the scope....if I look for it. It looks a little like a mirage, and has never really been a distraction. When I first put my rifle together, the sight seemed to be more obvious than it is now. Now..... I have to make a conscious effort to see it. For me, having the irons is worth the slight possible inconvenience! memtb

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I know what you mean, I had the m4 front sight in the way of the trijicon acog for quite awhile. Hardly knew it was there. If I had one in the way of a PM2 or Premier however would have drove me crazy since I tend to focus on multiple things at once in the scope.

When I re-barreled my pre-war Model 70 to .338 RUM I maintained the original look with the sights it originally came with. The youngsters in the group continue to remind me I can't see them any how. Kids are cruel, with no sense of history, or aesthetics, and have no memory of needing a ride to go hunting prior to obtaining their own drivers license.
Probably better choices by using rails, reflex sights, and spare scopes.
At any rate my 2 most recent builds have no sights, and really have clean lines, and look good in their own way.

I have used both open sights, with detachable scope on my 375H&H rifle used in Africa, a couple of my AR's, and my classiic rifles, ie. Model 70's.. Never paid much mind to the very rare occasion when there was any co-witnessing, which is easily ignored, and didn't effect accuracy with these rifles anyway. For at least the last 30 years of open country hunting, my precision rifles have not had open sights. Perhaps I'm fortunate, or just learned to be more careful carrying a scoped rifle, but in five decades of hunting, I have had one case where a fall resulted in damaged scope mounts. It was due to my own negligence, not using my flashlight walking to a stand in the pre-dawn.... Stepped in a badger hole...lesson learned! Turned out a replacement rifle was accessible, and the eventual low light/250+ yard shot on a whitetail would have been highly unlikely with an open sight back-up anyway. Surely open to debate, but my logic is that I have a far greater chance of breaking a bone, then a well mounted scope.
Safety first, protect your rifle..... a close second! IMO...

I think everyone should learn how to use iron sights before using a scope.
All my 1911's have them.

The only rifles I have with iron sights are 10/22's. None of the hunting rifles I own came with them - could be a generational thing. If I am more than a couple hours away from home, I always have a back-up rifle in the truck that is ready to go if my primary rig fails for whatever reason.

20 years ago, you couldn't pay me enough to shoot a scoped rifle. I hated it. I couldn't get the eye relief right, parallax was a killer, and I was just plain inaccurate with them, crazy as it may seem. I was brought up on iron sighs and was extremely proficient with them out to 100 yards. Fast forward 20 years, and I've learned to properly mount and use a scope. Now I wouldn't give it up for the world. Funny how age changes things. Only my smaller caliber rifles still have iron sights on them now, but everything I shoot wears a scope.

Years ago I felt iron sights were a necessity, now I have great glass on all my rifles including my backup gun. So iron sights are not even a thought when building or buying a new rifle. Not to mention I am usually hunting with someone and can always use theirs in a pinch.

KyCarl said:

....I think everyone should learn how to use iron sights before using a scope.......

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I set up a 17HMR for the little kids. 10.5" LOP, and a Burris fast fire 2. A lot more fun, and the kids are busting balloons in a few shots.

We started ours out with a Chipmunk when they were about 5 and moved up.
Close targets! Success is important at first then more changing!
I have the 'Munk ready for the new grandson!