Ok What is your honest opinion about this? Do you actually wear eye protection when you shoot looking thru a scope? I do all the time when I go to the range but it really dawned on me when I went to go to the qualification range today. I started thinking back to my Scope that I have waiting to be mounted on my rifle. Every time I picked it up I never put on my eye protection so my question is do you really put them on? Do you prefer it with or with out? Is it really required? It seems like a silly questions but just seeing what everyone is doing. Don't just say it because you know it's the right thing to do. I know when I watch YouTube videos of people shooting long range rifles I notice none of them wearing eye protections. Does it really effect your ability to see a clear picture?
-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
Eye Protection in Long range shooting? Noob Question #2
- Thread starter MikeD987
- Start date
I prefer not to wear eye protection when shooting a precision match. I dont like looking through a 150 dollar pair of glasses, through a 3000 dollar optic....its just not the same.
The only time i like wearing them is when shooting a dot drill where shooters are stacked together like sardines. Lots of dust and sand gets blasted around from muzzle brakes.
At the end of the day i defer to rules of whatever range im at.
The only time i like wearing them is when shooting a dot drill where shooters are stacked together like sardines. Lots of dust and sand gets blasted around from muzzle brakes.
At the end of the day i defer to rules of whatever range im at.
Generally I do wear sun glasses, they are oakleys, so they do provide pretty good protection. I don't really wear them for protection though, other than from the sun maybe.
If they start to get in my way or it is a cloudy day they probably won't be on though. I don't think they effect the optics clarity in any way other than if there is lowlight conditions (very cloudy day, early in the morning or late in the afternoon).
I do believe it is probably smart to wear them though, even though I don't sometimes.
If they start to get in my way or it is a cloudy day they probably won't be on though. I don't think they effect the optics clarity in any way other than if there is lowlight conditions (very cloudy day, early in the morning or late in the afternoon).
I do believe it is probably smart to wear them though, even though I don't sometimes.
They tend to get in the way every now and then, I should wear them while shooting semi autos but I don't its a bad habit to not wear them (sometimes) I just tend to be more comfortable without them.
I pretty much always wear them. But mostly cause they are my prescription glasses and i need them to see lol. When i do wear my contacts instead of glasses i generally still wear eye protection. Especially if shooting a semi-auto since i am left handed so much higher chance of brass to the face in my experience.
But if i was out in the woods by my self (or group of friends) i would have no problem not wearing them. Especially with a bolt action
But if i was out in the woods by my self (or group of friends) i would have no problem not wearing them. Especially with a bolt action
Except that in many cases ignorance is bliss and the act of looking around to gather data about what other adults have chosen given similar circumstances is a sign of the judgment process in progress. Pride and hubris are not signs of maturity or wisdom.
I wear glasses when the sun is bright or dust is blown at me from the wind or muzzles. I know I should wear them all the time, but life is a calculated risk.
Last edited:
As a professional in occupational health and safety, it is interesting that people who have lost an eye, ALWAYS wear safety glasses.
If a there is a problem and gases vent from the chamber, where do they go? On many rifles, right out the back of the bolt.
If a there is a problem and gases vent from the chamber, where do they go? On many rifles, right out the back of the bolt.
Once you see a hot jet of gas shoot brass particles into someone's face and eyes you really get a different perspective on the benefits vs hassles...
Buy glasses that are optically as good as you can afford and wear them.
Buy glasses that are optically as good as you can afford and wear them.
Well I wear the ones they issue me before I deployed. Cross-Series™ - ESS Eye Pro - Ballistic Goggles - Ballistic Sunglasses - Military Eyewear - Eye Protection – Shooting Glasses They work great for when I go skeet shooting etc. Just wanted to hear what people did shooting behind a scope.
Always wear glasses myself. No competitions yet though. Just a good idea IMO.
Our club requires some form of glasses when shooting, your choice of what type of glasses reading, safety, sun, etc...That rule is also enforced at matches including the state match last month.
Our club requires some form of glasses when shooting, your choice of what type of glasses reading, safety, sun, etc...That rule is also enforced at matches including the state match last month.
Well I guess it would be an advantage just to start learning with them on. Rather than be forced to shoot with them on later down the road.
Nomad is legit! I was able to get replacement lenses for everything that was issued to me. At 40% off it's a steal. Thanks again and it looks like I'll be putting my eye pro to good use again. =)
I always wear my glasses. I like the old Gargoyles (like the Terminator wore but clear, shades and other colors) and the Revision Exoshield. Exoshields are goggles, but they fit really close (providing better protection and make it easier to use optics) they have a full, complete FOV without turning your head (no blind spots) are clear, don't fog and are ballistically rated as good as the Gargoyles (both stopping a steel .22 pellet at such and such velocity).
I wouldn't have bought the goggles, thinking them not useful for this, but they came free with my NODs and trying them on once was all it took to sell me on the idea. I like 'em much better than the ESS goggles we were issued, helmet or no.
I've seen a guy right next to me get his face blow off when he opened a 240 feed tray cover the wrong way (what a mess!) he's blind now, and a few got fragments from 5.56 at very close range on steels. One is lucky he can see, and it would have sucked to have been dropped from a shooting school because he poked his eye out. Seen enough videos of rifles and pistols KB'ing, with or without factory loads.
Quality eye armor is worth it, so find good ones. Good luck.
I wouldn't have bought the goggles, thinking them not useful for this, but they came free with my NODs and trying them on once was all it took to sell me on the idea. I like 'em much better than the ESS goggles we were issued, helmet or no.
I've seen a guy right next to me get his face blow off when he opened a 240 feed tray cover the wrong way (what a mess!) he's blind now, and a few got fragments from 5.56 at very close range on steels. One is lucky he can see, and it would have sucked to have been dropped from a shooting school because he poked his eye out. Seen enough videos of rifles and pistols KB'ing, with or without factory loads.
Quality eye armor is worth it, so find good ones. Good luck.
Bingo. All the guys who don't or never wear them have obviously never taken a pierced primer or case head seperation to the face. There are two types of people. Those who have and know better and those that haven't and have to learn the hard lesson. Wear glasses always.
I came in here to post basically the same thing. After piercing a couple of primers at a match once (load was a bit too hot) and getting the jet of hot gas and particles blasted into my face I was pretty glad I chose to wear shooting glasses.
I used to be pretty lax with my eye protection.
Earlier this year I was shooting (nothing other than a lowly Savage .22WMR) and a couple of pieces of something...to this day I don't know what hit me in the cheek.
Both left little burns.
An inch higher and who knows.
Don't shoot without them now.
Earlier this year I was shooting (nothing other than a lowly Savage .22WMR) and a couple of pieces of something...to this day I don't know what hit me in the cheek.
Both left little burns.
An inch higher and who knows.
Don't shoot without them now.
I would say wear for sure, in my case Smith Optics Aegis Echo with RX inserts but there is lots of choice and for low cost compared to health care! Our club insists as your gun or handload maybe fine but the other guys might not be ...
To the OP. Ok, figure your totally competent, have the best equipment, keep it in top shape and you know there is no way there would ever be a chance you would have a catastrophic failure. Think about the idiot that decided to take the bench next to you to try out Great Grandpa's old revolver that never did work right. Add to that, he decided to do some late night gun smithing. See where I'm headed? You could be blinded for life not by your own doing. Every IPSC match that I've shot requires eye and hearing protection. I can't imagine a rifle match that wouldn't require the same. Eye protection? Yes, shooting, reloading, woodworking, weed whacking, fly fishing (ever seen a hook in an eye? ouch), motorcycling, on and on and on.
But you already knew what the responses would be, right?
But you already knew what the responses would be, right?
Only when shooting untested loads (you never know), shooting suppressed (blowback), or when lots of people are shooting (shit's flying around). For just myself shooting my bolt rifle, nope. I don't see the point of having some nice glass and ruining it by looking through a shitty plastic eyewear.
I can imagine if you have some horrible cheap scratched up lenses it might suck, or if you're shooting in near dark conditions and you need every photon you can get into your eye, but other than those situations I really don't think even halfway decent shooting glasses "ruin" anything. Personally, if I look through my S&B without my eye protection on, then put it on and look again I really can't say the image is in any way ruined.
Obviously I'm exaggerating and the effect is not so bad. But I'd like to see eye protection with as clear of glass as in a Henny or SuB, maybe it exists but if so it's way beyond my budget. I doubt most people have that high quality of eye pro. The point is you're adding a limiting factor of worse-quality lenses. Kind of like playing a VHS on your HD TV. It looks better than that CRT from 1995, but....
And with that way of thinking you might not be seeing much of anything in the future. Might as well dump that hearing protection too right? Well it does cut down how good you can hear things with it on.
If you can't imagine looking through that nice scope through shitty plastic eyewear...think of what that nice scope looks like through scarred corneas.
Ya can't take them off once their ruined.
I have worked in machine shops, fab shops and heavy industry for the past 19 years. I have seen a lot of people hurt to extents that hinder their quality of life. I have been blessed with a safety culture that has saved my life and the health and well being of my co workers around me, it continues to evolve.
I have a rust ring in my eye where a metal splinter was removed, very fortunate vision was not hindered. I wear(prescription) safety glasses, I would be a fool not to. PPE is the last line of safety, not the first, there are no guarantees, but without it chances of personal injury are greatly compounded.
People treat eye pro for shooting sports as though it exists for a catastrophic failure event. After a course of shooting, look at what collects on the lenses and connect the dots from there.
I have a rust ring in my eye where a metal splinter was removed, very fortunate vision was not hindered. I wear(prescription) safety glasses, I would be a fool not to. PPE is the last line of safety, not the first, there are no guarantees, but without it chances of personal injury are greatly compounded.
People treat eye pro for shooting sports as though it exists for a catastrophic failure event. After a course of shooting, look at what collects on the lenses and connect the dots from there.
Always wear my safety glasses. Eyes are too valuable to chance it, and if it's predictable it's preventable. Eventually, if you shoot enough, you will have a failure of ammunition or firearm. You want your eyes protected when that happens. ESS Crossbow for me, and don't notice any worse optical quality than without looking through my Premier.
Well, they are your eyes and you can do whatever you like. On my range, you WILL wear eye pro. If you don't wear it somewhere else, I'll just think you are an idiot, and who really cares what I think?
Out of curiosity, what do most people who need glasses wear?
In my case, my right eye is developing astigmatism (so the diopter on the scope can't fix it), so to see the target perfectly I need to wear my actual glasses. They aren't wrap around though, so it still worries me they aren't enough protection. Thoughts?
In my case, my right eye is developing astigmatism (so the diopter on the scope can't fix it), so to see the target perfectly I need to wear my actual glasses. They aren't wrap around though, so it still worries me they aren't enough protection. Thoughts?
The only time you'll catch me shooting without eye protection is if someone is trying to kill me. That is today. As a young man I didn't wear them. A pierced primer changed my tune. Thank God I didn't learn that lesson the hard way.
I use Randolph Ranger XL frames. They have an adjustable bridge so that they fit properly whether my cheek is on a stock, or I'm looking straight ahead shooting handguns. The lenses are interchangeable.
If you need prescription lens inserts I suggest you get them ground by Morgan Optical or Allan Lehman Optical. They are shooters and understand what a shooter needs.
I have a variety of lens colours, including custom dyed colours, both polarized and non to match shooting conditions and targets (note, that I first got these for competitive trap shooting and taking such things as brightness, clouds, glare, background colour, target colour, angle of sun, etc., can actually give you an edge and allow you to maximize contrast).
I also have a pair of "shootoff lenses" (trap shootoffs can happen at the end of the day, even at night under lights). These clear lenses are coated on both sides with anti-reflective coating that maximizes light transmission. I don't believe you give up much light or clarity using these. You would not feel like you're taking away much of anything from the quality of your scope's glass.
The lenses are thick (much thicker than your typical wrap-around sport shades) and should offer significant protection. And the optical quality of the lenses available is outstanding. They should appear optically perfect (I said "appear"!). They do not suffer the distortion that happens with wrap-around sport shades.
I'm pretty sure your typical shooter would consider the cost of getting set up with frames and lenses like the Rangers pretty steep. Especially for non-prescription or "plano" lenses. But taking into account the cost of your rifle, scope, and your irreplaceable eyes, I think they're well worth it. I own two frames and a host of lenses and I've never regretted the outlay for a minute. Amortize them over the rest of your life and they are dirt cheap.
EDIT: I also always wear side shields with them; keeps out the wind and dust and my neighbour's empties.
I use Randolph Ranger XL frames. They have an adjustable bridge so that they fit properly whether my cheek is on a stock, or I'm looking straight ahead shooting handguns. The lenses are interchangeable.
If you need prescription lens inserts I suggest you get them ground by Morgan Optical or Allan Lehman Optical. They are shooters and understand what a shooter needs.
I have a variety of lens colours, including custom dyed colours, both polarized and non to match shooting conditions and targets (note, that I first got these for competitive trap shooting and taking such things as brightness, clouds, glare, background colour, target colour, angle of sun, etc., can actually give you an edge and allow you to maximize contrast).
I also have a pair of "shootoff lenses" (trap shootoffs can happen at the end of the day, even at night under lights). These clear lenses are coated on both sides with anti-reflective coating that maximizes light transmission. I don't believe you give up much light or clarity using these. You would not feel like you're taking away much of anything from the quality of your scope's glass.
The lenses are thick (much thicker than your typical wrap-around sport shades) and should offer significant protection. And the optical quality of the lenses available is outstanding. They should appear optically perfect (I said "appear"!). They do not suffer the distortion that happens with wrap-around sport shades.
I'm pretty sure your typical shooter would consider the cost of getting set up with frames and lenses like the Rangers pretty steep. Especially for non-prescription or "plano" lenses. But taking into account the cost of your rifle, scope, and your irreplaceable eyes, I think they're well worth it. I own two frames and a host of lenses and I've never regretted the outlay for a minute. Amortize them over the rest of your life and they are dirt cheap.
EDIT: I also always wear side shields with them; keeps out the wind and dust and my neighbour's empties.
Last edited:
I wear my work safety glasses. You can just get a set of them made for shooting and they can have attached side shields if you wanted them.
I only wear a cheapo pair when I'm testing a new load, if there are a bunch of people at the range. I wear my oakley sunglasses for the most part when shooting semi autos or if it is very sunny when shooting my bolt guns.
I know I should wear a good pair all the time when I'm shooting, especially since I'm young. But it's not always comfortable/ convenient. But once I get some extra spending money, I'm gonna order a pair of ESS glasses using the 40% discount code from NOMAD.
I know I should wear a good pair all the time when I'm shooting, especially since I'm young. But it's not always comfortable/ convenient. But once I get some extra spending money, I'm gonna order a pair of ESS glasses using the 40% discount code from NOMAD.
Being blind isn't comfortable or convenient either 
Doesn't have to be a fashion statement. It's about protection. I don't wear super cool high speed eye pro. They are my work safety glasses. Not cool but work. Wear them all the time whether a cheaper pair or your cool pair but wear them.
Doesn't have to be a fashion statement. It's about protection. I don't wear super cool high speed eye pro. They are my work safety glasses. Not cool but work. Wear them all the time whether a cheaper pair or your cool pair but wear them.Scroll up and pm Nomad for 40% off they have a great selection of Eye pros that allow inserts for your prescription. It's got to be somewhat good if The Army uses them Army wide. I went to the local store on base to check the prices out and Nomad's discount beats it by a lot!
I'm glad this was a good topic to discuss. Went from Anti-eye protection to pro eye protection.
To the OP: After working with hundreds (and soon I can say thousands) of shooters on a public range that also has lots of large scale matches....I can say without a shadow of a doubt that shit happens. I wear glasses all the time now. Whether I'm the shooter, RSO, RO, Match Director, coach or spectating. I've had brass, lead, wood, gravel and foul language...all flung at my face. Each time I said I was glad I had the glasses on.
Range policy dictates appropriate safety attire...that's the reality. There's always one guy who wants to say he can't shoot with glasses on.....I kindly say that he's right - he won't be shooting today without glasses on. Do yourself a favor and wear the glasses and get used to shooting with them. It really is nice to have two working eyes, even though the risk of losing them is low....but don't forget, you have to also account for the idiot shooting next to you. Murphy's Law will prevail.
Range policy dictates appropriate safety attire...that's the reality. There's always one guy who wants to say he can't shoot with glasses on.....I kindly say that he's right - he won't be shooting today without glasses on.
Do yourself a favor and wear the glasses and get used to shooting with them. It really is nice to have two working eyes, even though the risk of losing them is low....but don't forget, you have to also account for the idiot shooting next to you. Murphy's Law will prevail.
Last edited:
I agree, you never know about the guy next to you. I have seen first hand a gas gunner next to a bolt gunner on the line during an event and spend brass bouncing off the bolt gun guys face.
As adults, you are all welcome to do whatever you want but not wearing eye and ear protection is simply stupid. That's right the word is stupid. Between an incident in the military and years of using power tools and hunting I already have significant hearing loss. Hearing loss is a pain in the ass and a definite handicap hunting. Vision loss is an entirely different matter. Two eye injuries, fortunately no permanent loss, have convinced me. Lose your vision and you won't be shooting, you'll be sitting at home listening to audio books.
Being blind isn't comfortable or convenient either
This is very true. Life would be much worse without functioning vision; especially if it could have been prevented by wearing eye pro when shooting.
Smart.
I have membership at a club that used to host a bowling pin shoot. A combination of unfortunate factors led to a round bouncing back towards the line, behind a shooter's glasses (he was facing sideways), and into his eye. Took some major damage to his vision and later some lawyers got paid.
ESS Crossbows for me. Always! I even wear them when doing many things other than shooting as I am accident prone and can do some dumb shit on purpose sometimes. They have saved my eyes from many things.
Why would anyone spend the money for a good to great scope and screw up the experience with a cheap pair of junk safety glasses?
GET GOOD EYE WEAR. There is eye wear every bit as good as high end scopes.
But I use Ranger frames with lenses by Morgan optical. ALL the time when around the range, even if I am not shooting.
GET GOOD EYE WEAR. There is eye wear every bit as good as high end scopes.
But I use Ranger frames with lenses by Morgan optical. ALL the time when around the range, even if I am not shooting.
I wear them all the time. Ive had tons of nice "sun glasses" over the years ranging from 50-500 bucks and to be honest my 15 dollar pair that I have now (I loose glasses a lot) work just fine, have saved my eye(s) on at least one occasion and do not mess with the optical quality. If its bright enough to need sun glasses I dont see a difference through the scope, If its not bright enough I use some good saftey glasses and things are just fine. I have an 11 year old daughter so she knows she has to have eye protection and hearing protection on (unless shooting suppressed) at all times. I have to lead by example and she has asked "why do they not have their glasses on" and most of the time it was at a public range where people are bringing babies without any hearing protection. At that point I just pack up and leave or look to see how long they will be shooting. Ive given countless numbers of cheap earplugs to people at the range and always keep a set of wax plugs that we use for my 15 month old. She wears those and muffs and has no problem watching us shoot. I thought she would be scared and freak out the first time I pulled the trigger but she just kept looking at me like "do that again" Start 'em young and teach them right!
This may change once my S&B PMII comes in. I shoot an XRS now which has semi good glass but I dont see any change with my glasses on, maybe I'm lucky?? If needed I will buy another good set and keep them in my range bag so I don't loose them if I do notice mine mess with the optical quality of the PMII.
Always shoot with at least oakleys on. When im shooting gas guns I try to make sure I have safety glasses. Remember there is only one model of Oaks that are safety rated to ANSI Z87. M frame Industrials for about $120. EVERY other model is not.
Similar threads
