Paper To Game

In rimfire competition I used a tiny aperture and it carried me through Olympic tryouts. For big game I like hole diameter to match rim thickness at roughly 0.1" and give me eye relief to 3". For fast shots in cover, a big hole is best. My .375 M70 Winchester has a Redfield receiver sight with no disc (I aim through the threaded hole). Still, new “ghost ring” sights can be too big for fast, accurate aim, if like me you “crawl” the stock. A thin rim can vanish in your peripheral vision.

Apertures seldom appear on dangerous-game rifles. Open sights let you point as with a shotgun at big beasts when a second’s delay matters. A shallow V is my favorite design — it’s very quick and more accurate than it looks. On some, a bright line, delta or diamond marks the center

Buckhorn and semi-buckhorn open sights obscure much of the landscape. Even flat-topped rear sights block too much of your vision if the notches are deep. Multiple-leaf open sights on quarter-ribs add cost and complexity. For me, an open-sight zero should send bullets to the top of the bead at 100 yards, and to its center between 150 and 200, depending on the load. Shots will land inside the bead as far as you can aim accurately. Multiple-leaf sights seem to present the wrong leaf every time, no matter how well you plan. And heavy recoil can pop the leaves up — and down.