Peep sight aperture double vision?

[ChrisATX]

Hey guys,

I haven't used a peep sight in probably 15 years. Looking in the back of my M1903 today, getting comfortable with the sight, I notice that my front blade is crystal clear, as it should be, but I'm getting top and bottom double vision of the rear aperture, and therefore not sure which image is the real, to center the front blade in, and which is the ghost.

This is occurring with both eyes open and weak eye shut (right handed, right eye dominant).

Any tips before I go waste a buck a round?

Information

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[mtoms]

You know alcohol and guns don't mix

Seriously though I have never experienced what you describe

[emmagee1917]

I have not heard of this either . You might post this in the general talk forum or contact an eye doctor to see if this is a sign of something that may be serious ( like a retnia trying to detach or some such ) .
Short term , set up two targets at 100 yds and take a shot at one with the high peep and at the other with the low . The one you hit with will be the real one.
Chris

[Badger]

Any tips before I go waste a buck a round?

I'm 65 and I had a similar problem. Go to an optometrist and have them check for (and eliminate) any possible physiological problem that could be causing this...

Regards,
Doug

[Allen Humphrey]

Kind of odd. Try covering your weak eye with a blinder (or cover that lens of your shooting glasses) but keep it open. attempting to close one eye for extended periods can be fatiguing.

Also might try experimenting with bigger and smaller aperture size. Raise the sight ladder and run the sight all the way to the top so you can see between the legs of the ladder. Use some dark tape or paper to try different hole sizes. If something works, you can modify the real sight to match. Be sure to do this in "real" light conditions, not your dark basement.

[JGaynor]

The "ghost" image usually occurs with both eyes open. You close the weak eye and the "ghost" disappears. If you are seeing two images with one eye shut it may be a good idea to get a checkup from an opthalmologist or optometrist. If treatment is necessary catch it early.

Regards,
Jim

[Patrick Chadwick]

I notice that my front blade is crystal clear

Lucky you! If I want to see a front blade crystal clear, I have to reduce the aperture to such a small size that other optical effects occur. And that is a clue to a possible cause: are you using a very small peephole? As a rough guide, 1/16" is small enough, below that wierd things may happen, depending on lighting conditions. I see spiderwebs, you see double... with my Luger I see 3 foresight blades (a shadow blade left and right, looks like a mountain range!)... it depends a bit on your personal eye geometry... so open up the aperture, and if the effect disappears, note the minimum size that does not produce the aberration. This is light-dependent - in dimmer light the hole must be enlarged.

Second test: When you get the double-hole effect, try moving your eye up and down relative to the peephole. If the doubling can be made to disappear in this manner, then you first need a real eye-doctor to make sure that the aberration is not a symptom of something serious, as already recommended, and (assuming an all-clear from the doc) an optometrist who understands what you need as a shooter. And that means spending some time getting it right. You will have problems if you simply march in to the opticians with a rifle - what I did was to take along a meter rule with the backsight aperture and foresight taped on at the correct distance.

You are likely to need shooting glasses with a lens specifically adjusted to suit the distances of the foresight/backsight from the eye. And accordingly a second lens if you also shoot handguns, because of the different focussing distance. But in the end, the lenses are cheaper than wasting a lot of ammo and range time.

[ChrisATX]

Btw I had no trouble with double apertures today in natural light.

Lucky you! If I want to see a front blade crystal clear, I have to reduce the aperture to such a small size that other optical effects occur. And that is a clue to a possible cause: are you using a very small peephole? As a rough guide, 1/16" is small enough, below that wierd things may happen, depending on lighting conditions. I see spiderwebs, you see double... with my Luger I see 3 foresight blades (a shadow blade left and right, looks like a mountain range!)... it depends a bit on your personal eye geometry... so open up the aperture, and if the effect disappears, note the minimum size that does not produce the aberration. This is light-dependent - in dimmer light the hole must be enlarged.

Second test: When you get the double-hole effect, try moving your eye up and down relative to the peephole. If the doubling can be made to disappear in this manner, then you first need a real eye-doctor to make sure that the aberration is not a symptom of something serious, as already recommended, and (assuming an all-clear from the doc) an optometrist who understands what you need as a shooter. And that means spending some time getting it right. You will have problems if you simply march in to the opticians with a rifle - what I did was to take along a meter rule with the backsight aperture and foresight taped on at the correct distance.

You are likely to need shooting glasses with a lens specifically adjusted to suit the distances of the foresight/backsight from the eye. And accordingly a second lens if you also shoot handguns, because of the different focussing distance. But in the end, the lenses are cheaper than wasting a lot of ammo and range time.

[Fred G.]

I have the same problem if I don't use my glasses. I have a stigmatism. I see double overlapping images with either eye. This is not an issue of closing one eye. Actually, I keep both of my eyes open. My left eye is dominant and I am right handed. I can also shoot perfectly left handed and it feels absolutely normal to me. But I hold the rifle against my right shoulder and use my less dominant eye.
With my glasses, (they are the kind with the multi focus lenses that allow you to see distant objects through the top of the lenses, and nearer objects towards the bottom of the lenses. With them, I can see the front sight sharply and the peep hole is clearly just One Hole with slightly fuzzy edges that I ignore since I simply place the front sight blade and the target (which is also sharp) in the center of the aperture. However, with the glasses, the rear sight "notch" is too fuzzy and so I don't wear my glasses unless I'm using the peep hole. without my glasses I can easily make out the notch and front sight and target and can align everything well.