Scopes Are Great… But Iron Sights Feel Right

Garciamarquez1918 · Feb 4, 2026

Gun fit can make a huge difference with express sights. With proper fit when you put the gun up it's pointing and aiming where you're looking. Which at least helps those of us with declining eye sight use them for a few more years. And no you don't have to have expensive custom stock work done, so long as you're willing to have your silk purse rifle look like a sow's ear.

Flbt · Feb 4, 2026

CBeck said:
Why Don’t We See More Hunting with Iron Sights? I know the topic comes up in various forms from time to time, but not a whole lot of discussion around it.

Plenty of people bow hunt at distances much closer than what a rifle with iron sights is capable of, yet hunting with irons seems increasingly rare.

I grew up shooting iron sights and still genuinely enjoy them. I’ve been shooting my .22 without a scope for the last 40 years, and I still do to this day.

What got me thinking about this recently was having to send the scope on my .375 Ruger Hawkeye African in for repair. With the scope off, the rifle just feels… right. The irons fit me like a glove, the balance improves, and the rifle handles exactly as it was clearly designed to…. not to mention just the reduction in weight alone.

I fully understand the advantages of a scope: extended range, precision, low-light performance, etc. This isn’t meant to be a “why limit yourself” debate. What did give me pause, though, was hearing a few people say they’d rather rent or borrow a rifle than hunt with iron sights if their scope failed (reading through the QD mount post earlier). I understand that in Africa, where a single drop of blood can equal a trophy fee, that concern is very real. (so is it the cost of not using optics?)

I often see criticism of the long-range, scoped-hunting crowd—people suggesting they’re not hunters, but snipers—yet I rarely see anyone advocating for iron sight hunting.

I’m curious—how many of you still enjoy shooting and hunting with irons? Would you consider going on a safari with iron sights only? And has anyone else had that moment where a rifle just feels so damn good without glass on top?

I still have a few iron only and tought the kids
To use them but for deer and hog you would lose a lot of hunting time using iron only.

Flbt · Feb 4, 2026

I still like irons for running game.
And have them on my serious use rifle.

CBeck · Feb 4, 2026

Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I’m not even hunting — I’m just spending time with my rifle. lol

No scope. Just irons and a rifle that actually feels like it was designed to be carried and shot.

Don’t get me wrong, I like good optics… but it turns out I wasn’t missing animals — I was missing my rifle.

Probably says more about me than anything else. Ha!

KJE81 · Feb 4, 2026

All of my rifles have quick release scope mounts and open sights, it just doesn't look right without them.

The open sights on my only Africa-capable rifle look like this, I chosed that particular configuration mostly for aesthetic reasons but as it turns out the night sight is actually really good for quick shots on short distance.

leslie hetrick · Feb 4, 2026

i use open-peep sights and scopes on my rifles and enjoy target shooting and hunting with them. when i use the open or peep sights its on lazy walking or still hunting in pretty heavy brush with shots from mere feet to maybe 80 to 110 yards at most. this converted o3 springfield will shoot 4-5 inch 3 shot groups at 300 yard repair targets with the right size bullseye(big), from a bench rest.

Wyatt Smith · Feb 4, 2026

I like iron sights quite a bit. And have a few that are irons only.
There’s just nothing quite like a 30-30 with irons for sub 100 yard work.

spike.t · Feb 4, 2026

Basically use iron sights all the time ...very occasionally the scope goes on the 7x57 or 30-06..but as some said it makes the rifle too heavy and to me clumsy.....got some qd mounts for my cz 550 416 rigby....it's synthetic stock and barrel trimmed..weighs about 9.5lbs....when I put the scope on to zero it.....it felt like a railway sleeper....too heavy....put 3 or 4 rounds through it but didn't sort zero and it's not been back on....will get around to finishing zeroing it some time...but it and the m98 7x57 and m12 30-06 are just so nicely balanced without a scope I much prefer it.....the 500 jeffery will remain untouched by a scope

....have scopes for the other rifles but all have iron sights...even my .22 hornet prefer the open sights...

CBeck · Feb 4, 2026

spike.t said:
...when I put the scope on to zero it.....it felt like a railway sleeper....too heavy....

I’ve been using scopes for so long, and so convinced they were the only sensible option, that it wasn’t until I had to send one back for work that I realized how good the rifle actually feels and handles without it.

Kind of an eye-opener, honestly.

Flbt · Feb 4, 2026

Well if the boys can shoot it good enough
They will be deer hunting with open sights.
A buddy just offered me a 45 longrifle
That needs a few parts like the wedge and trigger guard.
Don’t see it working well with a scope .

steve white · Feb 4, 2026

BillyJack1975 said:
I couldn’t agree more. I still hunt with them. I even had factory express sights installed on my featherweight 300WSM as backup, and they do work great. My new 375 Safari Express shoots light out at 100 yds and is pretty handy without the extra weight. I’m planning on hunting Buff and a lioness in a couple of years with it as is. No need for a scope for me. I still hunt open sights with my 30-30 as well. For me, iron sights, puts dangerous game hunting on a more level playing field, at least in my mind. I hunt with recurves and longbows (almost) exclusively. I prefer the challenge.
All of that could change if my eyesight diminishes though. To each their own. But I’m an avid of hunting with irons whenever possible.

I think you have described the perfect corollary! Iron sights compared to scopes is like recurves compared to compound bows, and both require PRACTICE, and familiarity. It is risky to say the least to pick up an iron sighted rifle and expect to be spot on with it until you discover the HOLD, that is to say, does it require a fine bead, a full bead or sit atop a six o'clock bead, etc.
At my age, the easiest way to double the size of the group is to go iron sights at 100 yds +

steve white · Feb 4, 2026

CBeck said:
Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I’m not even hunting — I’m just spending time with my rifle. lol

No scope. Just irons and a rifle that actually feels like it was designed to be carried and shot.

Don’t get me wrong, I like good optics… but it turns out I wasn’t missing animals — I was missing my rifle.

Probably says more about me than anything else. Ha!

Well, you've said several good things there. "Feels like it was made to be carried and shot" means it had the drop at comb for iron sights, otherwise you have to contort yourself to get down on a scope designed straighter stock. Best time I ever spent "with my rifle" I was a teenager developing muscle memory by dry firing at the pine knots in the pine paneling thousands of times. I could raise that 22 rifle with eyes shut, and open them on target, which made skipping shotgun hulls down a dirt road a cinch. (it was a semi-auto) Back then my parents never gave a thought to me doing that indoors while we were also watching TV.

I'll say this for the greater good of those with aging eyes. If you are going to have functional irons, consider moving the rear sight forward as on a Battue rifle. Focusing will be so much easier.

CBeck · Feb 4, 2026

Along the same lines as running a stealthy rifle with iron sights, over the last few years I’ve made a conscious effort to slim down my optics as well—more of a true stalking‑rifle approach, you could say.

I’ve really come to enjoy the more compact scopes, especially the German Precision Optics Spectra 1.5–9×32i. It strikes a great balance between usable magnification and a trim, lively rifle that still carries and handles the way a stalking rifle should.

Sourdough · Feb 4, 2026

CBeck said:
Plenty of people bow hunt at distances much closer than what a rifle with iron sights is capable of, yet hunting with irons seems increasingly rare.

Huh? I shot my leopard at three feet in a full charge with an iron sight double. Instant lights out and ended the charge. Cant imagine an arrow doing that, at least not without the bowman getting a few hundred stiches.

R eight · Feb 4, 2026

I get great pleasure from shooting my rifles with iron sights. In good light, and at unobstructed targets both inanimate or otherwise, I can shoot my rifles accurately with iron sights. I’ll also add the caveat of “over reasonable distances”. Approximately 100 metres or less.

Under the above circumstances I find no difference, between iron and optical sights, in my performance.

I’m the first to admit that when the light is dim and the target barely visible then a scope is the best choice. I would not for one second consider taking an iron only sighted rifle on a once in a lifetime hunt for most game. However, I’ll now contradict myself and say that for dangerous game I’d actually prefer to use irons or a red dot.

Jefferry404 · Feb 4, 2026

My pair of irons only, 505 Gibbs and 416 Rigby.

mark-hunter · Feb 4, 2026

CBeck said:
Why Don’t We See More Hunting with Iron Sights? I know the topic comes up in various forms from time to time, but not a whole lot of discussion around it.

Plenty of people bow hunt at distances much closer than what a rifle with iron sights is capable of, yet hunting with irons seems increasingly rare.

I grew up shooting iron sights and still genuinely enjoy them. I’ve been shooting my .22 without a scope for the last 40 years, and I still do to this day.

What got me thinking about this recently was having to send the scope on my .375 Ruger Hawkeye African in for repair. With the scope off, the rifle just feels… right. The irons fit me like a glove, the balance improves, and the rifle handles exactly as it was clearly designed to…. not to mention just the reduction in weight alone.

I fully understand the advantages of a scope: extended range, precision, low-light performance, etc. This isn’t meant to be a “why limit yourself” debate. What did give me pause, though, was hearing a few people say they’d rather rent or borrow a rifle than hunt with iron sights if their scope failed (reading through the QD mount post earlier). I understand that in Africa, where a single drop of blood can equal a trophy fee, that concern is very real. (so is it the cost of not using optics?)

I often see criticism of the long-range, scoped-hunting crowd—people suggesting they’re not hunters, but snipers—yet I rarely see anyone advocating for iron sight hunting.

I’m curious—how many of you still enjoy shooting and hunting with irons? Would you consider going on a safari with iron sights only? And has anyone else had that moment where a rifle just feels so damn good without glass on top?

You stated already all the reasons for using the scope.
I am in that group.

I also shoot pistol fairly well, with iron sight, and mainly for competition.
But few years ago, I realized I need reading glasses to shoot pistol accurately.
So, not for me.
Age.

Drop of blood equals trophy fee:
When hunting dangerous game (or any other animal) on that safari which maybe you will never be able to repeat, and you need to pass the bullet at 40 yards, between bushes, branches, and leaves. You need to have scope, to clearly define a fraction of vital area, of the darkish animal in the shadow to place a bullet perfectly, and you need scope.
That situation is maybe the only chance you will (ever) have, in a short ten day hunt.

Industry:
Another factor omitted, not mentioned:
Many rifles today are made and sold without iron sights.

The time factor:
If I would have the time to hunt cape buffalo 365 days per year in my back yard, I might be able to afford iron sights as primary sighting method.
I would hunt every day, till I get a perfect chance to place the bullet properly. If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow then the day after.

But I cannot hunt buffalo 365 days a year.
I will have 10 days hunt, on 1000 USD day rate, and I must make the best out of it. I need scope.

CBeck · Feb 5, 2026

I’ll throw one more thought into the mix.

I think the rise of modern optics has fundamentally changed our idea of what “acceptable accuracy” looks like. Today, if a rifle doesn’t shoot sub-MOA groups, it’s often dismissed as junk. Before the widespread use of telescopic sights, I don’t believe most hunters were measuring performance in fractions of an inch the way we do now — maybe I’m wrong, but the expectations were certainly different.

That shift seems to have changed how we judge what’s acceptable for hunting.

I’d wager most people here could still pick up a rifle with iron sights and keep every round inside an 8–10 inch vital zone at reasonable distances. Yet many would say that level of accuracy is unacceptable by today’s standards, even though it’s more than sufficient for ethical hunting.

Just another angle to consider in the iron-sight conversation….

MS 9x56 · Feb 5, 2026

I guess I am the outlier. I am currently approaching my 69th birthday, 8 years ago I went to my optometrist due to having to look over my glasses to see clearly. I had worn glasses since I was 5 years old. The eye dr tested my eyes and said the reason you can’t see through your 20-200 prescription glasses is that your eyes have improved to very near 20-20. I asked “I thought eyesight gets worse as we age.” Dr said it is rare but happens in some cases but your improvement is something I have never seen before. Now I still need readers for up close. I have since gone back to shooting iron sights as I hunt in thick cover 90% of the time. Of my rifles I have 5 that currently only wear irons. I don’t feel handicapped and have taken several animals out to 200 yards with no issues. Most of my shots are 20-60 yards but occasionally I will get one on an old logging road or while passing along a field or open timber. I was on the rifle team for my unit in the service and so I am completely comfortable shooting open sights. Besides it would seem improper to put a scope on my Mannlicher Schoenauer or Remington model 14. Just one old hunters experience and musings. The rifles just seem livelier in my hands, quicker to shoulder and sights aligned on target.

Bandera · Feb 5, 2026

Why Don’t We See More Hunting with Iron Sights? AGE.
The hunting crowd is aging.
I do like and can see the fiber optic sight inserts for iron sights in low light. But that does not help me identify clearly what I am shooting. Again aging eyes.

Scopes Are Great… But Iron Sights Feel Right

Garciamarquez1918

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