# The Art of The Iron Sight



## JBS (Sep 12, 2009)

Pretty cool video.  

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRaRCCZjdTM[/ame]


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## 7point62 (Sep 13, 2009)

Looks like a Sharps 50-90, like dees one dat I gots in mi furry wittle hands.


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## WillBrink (Sep 13, 2009)

JBS said:


> Pretty cool video.



It sure is, but is it "the longest rifle shot ever"? Or is it the longest shot ever with iron sites? They don't mention distance in the vid do they? :)


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## car (Sep 13, 2009)

"I am able to lean over, look thru my spotter scope......" Wow!

Is he a descendant of Quigley?


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## JBS (Sep 13, 2009)

I think the use of an iron sight is an art form.

There is a place near Ghettysburg PA called "Devil's Den", where the Confederate snipers were able to take out Union officers from as much as 600 yards using iron sights.

Just a stones throw from Devil's Den, there's a river that eyewitnesses say ran red with blood.  The rumor for years among the common soldiers was that so many Union soldiers were sniped that the blood ran down into the water.   The truth, though, was the blood loss created enormous thirst.  Bleeding officers would make their way down to the river, desperate for a drink of water.

I've visited the area many times, and it is so peaceful now.  On a cool September day one could stroll through there and never know the blood of patriots that stained the very ground just a short few decades ago.  I imagine that isn't too different from other battlefields.

The iron sight has been getting the job done for so long, I doubt it will be replaced any time soon.


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## car (Sep 13, 2009)

JBS said:


> I think the use of an iron sight is an art form.
> 
> There is a place near Ghettysburg PA called "Devil's Den", where the Confederate snipers were able to take out Union officers from as much as 600 yards using iron sights.
> 
> ...



Not to hi-jack, but the first time I stood looking down at the Devil's Den, imagining what it must have been like to be on _either _side of that fight, the hair stood up on the back of my neck.

You're right JBS, even if you don't have to use them, you need to know how to use iron sights to truly understand marksmanship.


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## JBS (Sep 13, 2009)

WillBrink said:


> It sure is, but is it "the longest rifle shot ever"? Or is it the longest shot ever with iron sites? They don't mention distance in the vid do they? :)



Based on the travel time of the round- and judging SOLELY from the info I can glean from the video, I'm going to guess the shot was somewhere between 800 and 1,200 meters.

I based my guess on 

a. travel time 3 seconds +/-
b. muzzle velocity 400m/s
c. caliber 45 government (again just an educated guess based on the size of the round) or ".45-70"
d. the appearance of the adjustable rear sight in the video (looks like it is maxed out)

If you go any further than 800 yards, it is probably almost impossible to resolve the target, so I'm going to say this guy is shooting center mass at 800 meters.  I can barely resolve a man-sized target at 700 yards with iron sights and I have better than 20/20 vision.  We also can't be sure of the size of the target he is using either.  That black disc could be 3 feet wide!


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Sep 13, 2009)

I have shot 1000yd with a NM AR15 Iron sights, I have also done it with a NM M14 and it is not as hard as some may think. The hardest part is getting your dope right, as for the use of Iron I prefer Iron over glass in some cases. Glass will always show your flaws and get you to fight your natrual movement, that is not seen as much with Iron.


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## 7point62 (Sep 15, 2009)

Sharps 50-90






It will hit a target at 1500-1800 yrds with a slight muzzle elevation.


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## CQB (Sep 27, 2017)

I shoot competitively with iron sights, they're way more fun than glass.


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## Devildoc (Sep 27, 2017)

CQB said:


> I shoot competitively with iron sights, they're way more fun than glass.



I don't shoot competitively anymore (6 kids, grad school etc.) but I love shooting with irons, especially steel.  That's a gratifying "clank" a few hundred yards downrange.

In fact I was at a local range about a month ago shooting the SCAR 17 and HK MR762 without optics to 500 yards.  Easy peasy and darned fun.


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## Gunz (Sep 27, 2017)

CQB said:


> I shoot competitively with iron sights, they're way more fun than glass.



We qualled on M14s at 200, 300, and 500 yards and ever since my litmus of marksmanship has excluded glass. In other words, let's see what you can do with naked iron at long range before you go to a scope. That to me is the proving ground of skill. Get your windage and elevation down, hit your target consistently at 5-600 yards and you'll be a tack driver with optics.


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## CQB (Sep 27, 2017)

True. We have the added advantage of the range being on the coast, so the wind can be entertaining. Reading it is a black art & some of the older guys have a Yoda like ability to read it.


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## Topkick (Sep 27, 2017)

JBS said:


> I think the use of an iron sight is an art form.



True. I know civilians that still don't understand how to use iron sights because they have only used optics from day 1. They bought their first piece and immediately slapped some expensive glass on it. I agree with Ocoka, if you understand iron sights, optics are a breeze.


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## CQB (Sep 27, 2017)

It's a skill that is dwindling. The young guys today would rather respawn & eat pizza than get into the weeds.


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## x SF med (Sep 28, 2017)

I like iron sights.  I like my optics.  I like shooting.  But, I think you need to be proficient with irons before you go to glass.


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## Devildoc (Sep 28, 2017)

This is one of the rifles I was shooting.  I have some video but can't seem to upload (not that anyone cares).  

After shooting a couple hundred rounds with irons, we attached a 10x scope.  Anything under 500 yards was like shooting fish in a barrel.

I will also say, even with the Surefire suppressor, it's still very loud.


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## CQB (Sep 30, 2017)

I posted a pic of my rifle some time ago, with one wag described it as a 'Mad Max Goes to the Drive In" item. I remember that every time I shoot.


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## SpitfireV (Oct 2, 2017)

CQB said:


> It's a skill that is dwindling. The young guys today would rather respawn & eat pizza than get into the weeds.



You must have trained on open sighted SLRs though yeah?


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