For those with old eyes

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Happens to us all. However, you don't have to scope a muzzleloader if your eyes can't do the gymnastics required for open sights.
The aperture sight is superior to opens, but they also give a great alternative to scopes.
Many go for the " ghost ring", but for those with old eyes, ghost rings aren't the best choice. Rather, go smaller.
By reducing the size of the aperture, it gives a magnifying effect. Slight, but very useful. You'll know when you have the right size when the front sight suddenly get sharp and even the target gets a little clearer. There's an optical term for this effect, but the name escapes me at the moment.
My eyes need a front sight WAY out there, or very large, to be in focus. With an aperture sight, with a proper size aperture, the 1/16 bead on my 22 inch TC Thunder Hawk is razor sharp. Without it, its a useless blur.
So. If the idea of a scope rubs you the wrong way, or you don't want to spoil a rifle's lines, get a good peep sight and a properly sized aperture and remember to look THROUGH it and not AT, and you may be happily surprised
 
I am 67 and only use reading glasses. Can still see good except reading. I have added peep sights to several of my muzzleloader. CVA Accura, White Bison, and 2 TC Hawkens all 50 cal. I was having issues seeing the front sight which effected my accuracy. I got a tip on another sight to try 1.25 or 1.50 reading glasses. I bought both and discovered I could see down range and see my front sight. Shorter shots can still make a kill shot with out the glasses. 100+ need them. That's what I recommend along with the peep. My aperture is the .093.
 
This has been a growing issue for me for several years now. I mostly hunt Idaho, which only allows 1x scopes if you want to scope your ML, and only with a note from one's Dr. Consequently, I've always used a peep on my mine. But, I hadn't realized a different size aperture could make that kind of difference, so thanks for posting. I'll definitely have to experiment.
I had been experimenting with shooting with, and without glasses, and found I shoot better without them. My near vision is still sharp, so I can see the front sight better without. Problem is, I need the glasses to be able to find the game in the first place, so I hunt with them on. Then, in the heat of the moment, I've often forgotten to take them off for the shot.
I did try a Cabela's 1x scope a few years ago, but the parallax was so bad, I went back to the peep.

If anyone has some other advice for this situation, I'd love to hear it.
 
i'm 80 years old with bad eyes. For many years my shots on deer/pigs with open sights have been limited to 50 yards. Recently i installed a Williams peep sight on a .54 caliber TC New Englander rifle. What a difference the peep sight made. On Wednesday i sighted the rifle in with patched round ball and consistently hit the 6" gong at 78 yards: i'm good to go at 80 yards.
 
I shoot in the North South Skirmish Association and I'm currently using a 1.0 reading glasses with a Merit. Problem is, Merit is out of production. Some units can be found still in stock in some companies, but that's hit or miss till supplies are gone. So, here's an alternative that's about the same price-

https://gehmann.com/english/products.php?id=67&kategorie=35
 
I too am limited to iron sights. My predominant use of my ML is hunting. I use the smallest Lyman aperture if it's sunny enough, otherwise remove the aperture for "ghost ring" effect in low light - fiber optic 0.060" front. I've required bifocals for decades, and tried reading glasses (+1.25), which allow precise focus on the front sight and not much beyond; OK for the bench, but no way on a hunt (using normal distance lens on left, reader lens on dominant right). After reading this: http://bjonessights.com/power.html I took my prescription, added 0.5 diopter to my right distance lens (and subtracted 0.5 from the ADD), sent off to Zenni Optical. Front sight MUCH sharper, distant vision still very good! Best of luck. Bo
 
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