how many of you hunt with irons?

[olympia]

I have been watchign Yukon Men alot lately and it seems like alot of these guys stick to good old iron sights, how many of you guys hunt with irons?

[Dannybuoy]

I have just started using peep sights on the mod 600 rem .308 I got from my Dad . It certainly takes some practice ....I think the fact that I now wear glasses doesn't help any .

[Ubertuber]

I use my 30-30 Marlin 336 with iron sights fairly regularly. It's very satifying when I do bag a deer with it, reminds me of when I was young.

[Rodd]

I like the idea of both, so if I fall and smash my scope in a creek(happened twice to me), then my rifle isn't basically useless.. Can revert to the Iron sights. Smart on long trip.. IMO

[sawmill]

Every rifle I own or have owned has Iron sights.Like Rodd says,if you bust your scope all you have is a loud club.I had a scope failure once,iron saved the day.I will never own a rifle without sights.

[One Shot]

I have just started using peep sights on the mod 600 rem .308 I got from my Dad . It certainly takes some practice ....I think the fact that I now wear glasses doesn't help any .

In fact peep or aperature sights will improve your ability over regular sights particularly if you have sight issues or wear corrective lenses.

[Mr. Dean]

I go both ways, depending on the gun I'm using.

[lilhoss]

My Marlin,in the .30-.30 has the see through mounts.That's my go to gun when I hunt in the thicker brush or timber when it is pissing rain,wet snow ,etc.It only has a 4x on it,but I've used the irons 75 % of the time when It goes.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Marlin_buck.jpg (http://javascript%3cb%3e%3c/b%3E:;)

[Drillbit]

No big game hunting with irons. I only use them for trap shooting with my 10/22, or for fishing/camping with my trapper 30-30.

[LYKTOHUNT]

This year I am thinking about going after bear with my old thuty thuty

[325]

I recently purchased a Winchester 1892 in 44 mag, and am seriously considering shooting a bear with it this spring. The 1892 is a piece of art.

[Singleshotneeded]

Small game only now, but I did bring down a couple of moose with dad's old .303 Lee Enfield sporter back in the early 80s.

[steel_ram]

Often when hunting timber, especially during pouring rain, I'll carry one of my unscoped rifles. If there's a good possibilty of a longer shot (100 yds+) I prefer a scope. Never known anyone to have a good scope fail and have to switch to irons.

[gunpower]

I remember the days when nobody had or even knew of anyone that had, a scope.
Scopes were very rare back in the 50's and early 60's. I was taught to shoot with iron sights.
Old age has weakened the eye sight so I now use a scope, but I still can use iron sights!

[squamishhunter]

100+ year old Winchester 30-30 from my grandpa with iron sights for brush hunting.

[Big Lew]

The 32 special rifle, manufactured in 1905, that my Dad passed down to me, and I have passed down to my son, has custom iron sights. Most of the many, many deer my dad shot were with that rifle. Both my son and I have shot deer with it. With it's long barrel, it is extremely accurate even for a novice. He shot a huge 4 pt mulie on the north side of Kamloops Lake about 58 years ago and I have a black and white picture somewhere of it on top of a sedan. It caved in the roof a bit.

[ianwuzhere]

nope........... not much anymore- most everything has scopes

[olympia]

My Marlin,in the .30-.30 has the see through mounts.That's my go to gun when I hunt in the thicker brush or timber when it is pissing rain,wet snow ,etc.It only has a 4x on it,but I've used the irons 75 % of the time when It goes.http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Marlin_buck.jpg (http://javascript%3cb%3e%3c/b%3E:;)hey lilhoss, how did you get that deer to stay perfectly still and lean a 30-30 against the fence above it and not spook it?

[HarryToolips]

Other than small game, I've hunted with my old iron sight 303 but haven't got nutin wit it yet......yet....

[lovemywinchester]

I love hunting with my old Win 32 special. I think it can force you into becoming a better hunter with not having the advantage of a scope. The need to be closer to the game will hone your stalking skills and make you pay attention to the wind and other environmental factors in a deeper way.

http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/zippogold/chbuck.jpg

http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/zippogold/blackbear1.jpg

http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/zippogold/IMGP5662.jpg

[Sitkaspruce]

Will be hunting exclusively with my Savage 99 in 300 savage this year.

Cheers

SS

[quadrakid]

I,ve taken many blacktails with iron sights,don,t see a lot of long shots in the Quadra alderbottoms.

[Montana]

I shoot a Winchester Model 64, 30-30. The Model 64 is a little longer than the Model 94, which helps me with my old eyes....I can see the sights better with the longer plane. Here's a buck I killed a couple years ago with it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/stonebroke/whitetail-buck-october-24-2010-007_zps9d37d9bb.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/stonebroke/media/whitetail-buck-october-24-2010-007_zps9d37d9bb.jpg.html)

[pieter]

have shot a lot of cougar bear and dear with the model 94 30-30 over the last 50 plus years

[BCKyle]

I was hoping to get out for my first bear hunt with my model 94 30-30 with williams peep on it. But I haven't put in enough time yet... I'm fine at 50 but I'm not shooting it well enough out to 100 yds yet so it will practice a bunch for the deer season. Looking forward to still hunting a bunch with it this year for deer though!

But for the bears it's the 30.06 Vanguard 2 all scoped up with a crappy Bushnell...

[Philcott]

have shot a lot of cougar bear and dear with the model 94 30-30 over the last 50 plus years

Pieter, hopefully I can carry on the tradition with that model 94.

[Koot]

Got my first Elk with an Iron sighted 45-70 this past fall. Shot was about 50 yrds in a small sub alpine meadow.

[Dannybuoy]

Got my first Elk with an Iron sighted 45-70 this past fall. Shot was about 50 yrds in a small sub alpine meadow.

Nice ! how do you like the gun? Is it new to you ? what type of sights?

[Walksalot]

I think iron sights is excellent as long as one's eye sight remains good. Using iron sights with poor eyes is unfair to the animals you hunt. Personally there is no way I would use iron sight to hunt with because my eyes have gotten tired from me looking through them for so long. I even have to bump my scope up to 8 power.

[Koot]

Dannybouy,
I love the Marlin. Its the GBL (I think) that holds 7 and has the bigger loop lever. I have XS aperture sights that work quite well. I carried it on every hunt last year except for late season Mule deer. I will do the same this year as well.

[sawmill]

I used to take my scope off for hunting bear in Hazelton.Too thick of bush for it,iron sights probably saved me at least once.

[Sofa King]

one of my .22's has always had iron sights.
and, like most other's answers, my 30-30 has always had iron sights.
and if i ever do get the marlin 1895SBL, it will definitely be iron sights.

[Sofa King]

op, a bigger concern is that you've been watching "yukon men" alot.
i hope you know better than to believe "anything" you've seen on there.

[Greenfields]

Iron sights only...I prefer peep sites.

[BromBones]

Most often hunt with iron sights, except for mountain hunts.

Used the factory buckhorn sights on my Marlin 45/70 for years and took many critters with it. Last year I swapped them to Williams Firesights which are better in low light. Also use a Ghost Ring peep on my 450 Marlin, with a fiber optic front bead.

[Montana]

When I was growing up I'd guess that 90% of the people used iron sights... Of course that was in Vermont where the cover is heavy. Scopes weren't all that reliable back then. It was common for them to fog up. My first scope was a Weaver. That would have been around 1965 or so. I bought it in the summer and was practicing with it shooting woodchucks and the lenses shattered. I was leaning over a fencepost shooting at a woodchuck and the lenses just shattered when I shot. I brought it back and got a refund and went back to iron sights. Since those days scopes have come a long ways of course and are extremely reliable nowadays, but that wasn't always the case.

I have several guns with scopes now and enjoy shooting them, but it's really not much of a challenge.... The iron sights are more fun. If a person can't hit a critter, target, etc. with today's scopes, bipods, rests, rangefinders, etc. out to 400 or 500 yards they should probably take up golf. It doesn't take much skill to put the crosshairs on whatever your shooting at when the scope is on 9 power and squeeze the trigger if you have a steady rest. I'm not knocking it.... I do it and enjoy it. I'm just saying it's very easy to do.

[riflebuilder]

I used to use irons until the eye went now it is scopes only. that beeing said I always like them and had an old Mdl 92 in 348 win. I miss that rifle.

[Rhyno]

I like to take my 45/70 out for bear and moose in the thick stuff when I lived in Terrace.

[Bushbum40]

I have a nice ruger in '06 with a brand new redfield scope on it. That being said, every damn time when im headin out for deer, my hand just wants to go for my marlin lever! Something about that ol timey lever action with those nice buckhorn sights, just works. And will keep on workin. Nothing wrong with iron sights!

[Gateholio]

I don't mind using a rifle with good iron sights, like aperture or sturdy open sights, but most rifles that come with irons come with crappy irons. The telescopic scope is a far superior aiming device for almost all rifle shooting, so I mostly use those, although irons still have their place.

[Philcott]

Since we are talking iron sights I have a question for those of you with older eyes. I have a win 94 and am a bit worried about seeing as well as I need to to aim properly. I see the front sight quite well but the rear is blurred. What have you discovered to help? I really don't want to go to a side mount, rings and scope since they will weigh almost as much as the rifle itself.

[Gateholio]

Try an Aperture (peep) sight with a big opening.

[Philcott]

Is there anyone in the Greater Victoria area with a peep sight on their rifle I could come over and have a look through? Maybe I should make something up myself to try?

[olympia]

Since we are talking iron sights I have a question for those of you with older eyes. I have a win 94 and am a bit worried about seeing as well as I need to to aim properly. I see the front sight quite well but the rear is blurred. What have you discovered to help? I really don't want to go to a side mount, rings and scope since they will weigh almost as much as the rifle itself.

how about a red dot sight? they are small and light and go for about 120 dollars(bushnell) i bought mine from international shooting in surrey

[Glassman]

I bought a mint shape Win 94, 30/30 made in the early 40s from a garage sale for $125 that has buckhorn sites. Went out with it once but never shot any deer with it yet. Maybe this year it will graduate from camp gun to deer gun

[new hunter]

If I think I'll be in thick bush with little clearings I like to pack my 3o3 with Irons.
I like open sights but if theres any chance of seeing deer at range past 70yrds I reach for a scoped rifle .

[Hunt-4-Life]

I was at the range today and was having trouble with getting my 10-22 to group well. I had a look at the scope and realized that it had slowly slipped forward and was no longer properly mounted on the rail. So I took the scope off and shot with the open sights. Took a few rounds but once I got the hang of it again, I started hitting grouse sized rocks at 80, 90, and 100 yards offhand shooting, and had a blast doing it! I'm leaving the scope off this season.

[anglo-saxon]

Took my 1940's original PCMR Win 94 out last night for a walk. Could pack that all day and not notice it. Great little 100 yard gun.