Hey folks. I've recently been shooting a lot of steel with pistol and rifle, and have been relying on standard safety glasses as eye protection. Not only do they not look cool, I'm not sure if they are recommended for shooting. Does anybody have any suggestions of shooting glasses I can take a look at. Thanks.
shooting glasses?
- Thread starter prodigalson
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My glasses will fog up as well. But only when I am shooting and it's mostly my right eye (right eye dominant). Figures. There is a product called zookie, I use it on my motorcycle visor so it doesn't fog up. There may be other products like it but I keep a little bit in my range bag.
Meh, overpriced unless you're getting them at .gov discount or issued. I have the M-Frames with the thin arms for the range at work. They're nice under the Peltors at least, but still not my first choice. I'm eyeballing the Rudy Project sets they have, especially for photo-chromatic lenses.
PM [MENTION=150]NOMAD[/MENTION] to see if he still has the discount code for ESS. Their glasses are very good as well.
Yeh, really.
I have quite a few and they are the best. No fogging, excellent optical quality and great protection.
So let me ask you this: How much is your eyesight worth? Or better yet, have you even seen a blind person target shooting?
Playing with explosives has no guarantees. Pay the extra money people and get the best protection you can afford.
Oakley is far from the only name in the business of impact resistant lenses and I wouldn't even consider them the bar everyone else must meet, simply at par like the others. Many makers have lenses and frames that exceed ANSI Z87.1 standards. Rudy, ESS, Wiley-X, Smith, and others all exceed that standard as well. I've seen all those brands take a licking, some saving guys' vision in an IED blast, others failing to stop the onslaught of shit that comes after you, but they all meet the standard.
I buy Oakleys only because I get them at .gov discount; I have two sets of M-Frames (the only Oakleys I can wear while shooting due to their massive lens size), a set of Half Jackets (frame in my FOV), and have the Splinters (frame issue with iron sights on my M4) on my head as I type this. But that's only because I have bought them all at usstandardissue.com at a considerable discount than what civilians must pay. The way I see it, everyone else can pay for their massive advertizing campaigns and sponsorships of professional sports figures. I'm not bashing Oakley, they're great glasses, but what do you think they're really worth when I can get them at 40-50% off? I'll say it again, overpriced.
Here's my recommendation on selecting shooting glasses: Find a set that makes the standard for impact resistance, what fits your face, what doesn't impede your vision when sighting, and what you will actually wear 100% of the time when you should be wearing them. The baddest pair of glasses that are uncomfortable and don't want to wear are worthless compared to the set you will, and I'll take a $35 set of comfortable Wileys on my face over a $250 pair of Oakleys on the bench because I lose my view of the sights when looking through them.
My Oakleys fog up too when I leave them untreated without the anti-fog compound that Oakley ships with their lenses, so they're not exempt from that either. Any glasses will fog up under the right conditions unless you have an active fan blowing air onto them, but that fan is also blowing onto your eyes as well. Get the eye drops, you're going to need it.
I buy Oakleys only because I get them at .gov discount; I have two sets of M-Frames (the only Oakleys I can wear while shooting due to their massive lens size), a set of Half Jackets (frame in my FOV), and have the Splinters (frame issue with iron sights on my M4) on my head as I type this. But that's only because I have bought them all at usstandardissue.com at a considerable discount than what civilians must pay. The way I see it, everyone else can pay for their massive advertizing campaigns and sponsorships of professional sports figures. I'm not bashing Oakley, they're great glasses, but what do you think they're really worth when I can get them at 40-50% off? I'll say it again, overpriced.
Here's my recommendation on selecting shooting glasses: Find a set that makes the standard for impact resistance, what fits your face, what doesn't impede your vision when sighting, and what you will actually wear 100% of the time when you should be wearing them. The baddest pair of glasses that are uncomfortable and don't want to wear are worthless compared to the set you will, and I'll take a $35 set of comfortable Wileys on my face over a $250 pair of Oakleys on the bench because I lose my view of the sights when looking through them.
My Oakleys fog up too when I leave them untreated without the anti-fog compound that Oakley ships with their lenses, so they're not exempt from that either. Any glasses will fog up under the right conditions unless you have an active fan blowing air onto them, but that fan is also blowing onto your eyes as well. Get the eye drops, you're going to need it.
Have you read this comparison? I was very surprised by some of the results.
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/eye-protection-shooting-glasses-review/
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/eye-protection-shooting-glasses-review/
An excellent read, thanks. Reaffirms why my M-Frames are what I wear when I'm out and about, but damn are they uncomfortable for full time use.
I've used quite a few of these including Oakleys. So far my favorite are the offerings from Rudy Project. I've found them to be better than Oakley I fit, durability, adjustability and lens quality.
I've been using these Gargoyles for years. I don't think they make 'em anymore, but my wife worked there and I got 'em in all kinds of shades, with and without side shields, full lenses and 80% lenses. They'll stop the usual .22 steel pellet too. I never shoot, load or work with power tools without 'em. Really nice eye armor is comfortable enough to actually want to wear, and it doesn't scratch nearly as easy, IME. These glasses are going on 12 years old, some were used in training in the military. I took care of all of them, and for the most part, all are still in excellent to near new condition. Any quality set of eye armor should hold up well and be comfortable, particularly if they cost north of $80 (there's good stuff for less, just be careful).
In addition to the Gargoyles, I've used the ESS goggles with good results (but they're big and best suited for the helmet, the ones I had anyway) and then when I got NODs recently, TNVC sent me these Revision "Exoshield" goggles that fit (seal) real close to your face and provide nearly a full, unobstructed view, but with full coverage and they don't fog up (they don't!). They're very light, fairly inexpensive for what you get ($45) and they'll work with or without a helmet because the strap uses velcro and elastic. Much, much smaller than your average military goggle, but with the same protection level. I love mine, I may even get an extra set. Never would have tried them had TNVC not sent me these freebies though.
I'm a big believer in eye pro at the range or when shooting in general. I've heard of, and seen first hand myself, way too many horror stories to NOT wear eye pro. If I had to leave one behind, I'd rather be missing ear pro than eye pro any day, it's that important. Usually when shit goes wrong at the range, and you don't have eye pro, it's by sheer luck alone that you don't suffer a catastrophic eye injury. Trust me.
In addition to the Gargoyles, I've used the ESS goggles with good results (but they're big and best suited for the helmet, the ones I had anyway) and then when I got NODs recently, TNVC sent me these Revision "Exoshield" goggles that fit (seal) real close to your face and provide nearly a full, unobstructed view, but with full coverage and they don't fog up (they don't!). They're very light, fairly inexpensive for what you get ($45) and they'll work with or without a helmet because the strap uses velcro and elastic. Much, much smaller than your average military goggle, but with the same protection level. I love mine, I may even get an extra set. Never would have tried them had TNVC not sent me these freebies though.
I'm a big believer in eye pro at the range or when shooting in general. I've heard of, and seen first hand myself, way too many horror stories to NOT wear eye pro. If I had to leave one behind, I'd rather be missing ear pro than eye pro any day, it's that important. Usually when shit goes wrong at the range, and you don't have eye pro, it's by sheer luck alone that you don't suffer a catastrophic eye injury. Trust me.
If you need corrective lenses, then the Rudy Project offers a snap in insert that you can remove when you don't want it in there. You don't even notice the frame of the corrective snap in; and it works very well for pistol, clay shooting and hunting. Not so good for rifle from the bench due to the smaller size of the corrective lens, and not well at all for prone shooting.
OK, after seeing this and reading it through, I've contacted NOMAD for his discount code for the ESS Suppressor series. These are also adaptable for three different RX inserts, so that's how I'm going to go.
If you need prescription lenses keep in mind that Randolph Rangers are made for shooting sports and several companies, including Randolph, Morgan Optical, Lehman Optical, will grind lenses for these frames. The lenses are very thick, optically excellent, and no inserts required to futz with.
I concede they may not look as high-speed as the Oakleys, but if you're after performance rather than image, they should be considered. Moreover, you can have the lenses custom tinted for bright conditions. Polarized. Treated with AR coating on both sides to maximize light transmission -- important if you do low-light shooting. The lenses can be switched easily by the end-user. I have frames where a hoop goes around the ear -- little chance of them falling off while running around.
I'm not sure all the glasses discussed include all these options. I've just owned two pairs and a host of different lenses for years now and they are one of the few purchases I've had zero regrets about and no need/interest in trading out or upgrading.
And no, I have no connection with the company.
I concede they may not look as high-speed as the Oakleys, but if you're after performance rather than image, they should be considered. Moreover, you can have the lenses custom tinted for bright conditions. Polarized. Treated with AR coating on both sides to maximize light transmission -- important if you do low-light shooting. The lenses can be switched easily by the end-user. I have frames where a hoop goes around the ear -- little chance of them falling off while running around.
I'm not sure all the glasses discussed include all these options. I've just owned two pairs and a host of different lenses for years now and they are one of the few purchases I've had zero regrets about and no need/interest in trading out or upgrading.
And no, I have no connection with the company.
ESS offers a snap in snap out RX insert as well. As for the best none helmet goggles the V12 were the best ones. They stopped making them a few years ago. I hope they bring them back again. I do have a new set of them up for sale in this thread as well as a few other sets of extras I have here.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/options-accessories-sale/218002-few-pairs-ess-eyewear.html
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/options-accessories-sale/218002-few-pairs-ess-eyewear.html
I love my Rydon by Rudy project... you get a pretty good deal on the "shooting kit" which has 4-5 lens. I got my at the eye Doc with Rx insert.
Great clarity and fit.
Great clarity and fit.
For shotgun sports, I use the Pilla's (HiDefSpecs) because they give really great contrast for the clay pidgeon. For pistol and rifles, I use Randolph Rangers. Rangers come in different sizes and are adjustable to the wearer's head and face,versatile because you can get several lenses of different light gradient for outdoor, indoor, cloudy days, etc, and it takes about 10 seconds to change the lenses. Depending on the model and your RX, you can get those same lenses with a prescription without adding the weight of the clip in's or clip on's. Now that tactical sunglasses are getting so expensive, the Rangers start looking more comparable in price.
I use and like the Randolph glasses.if you ever get into shotgunning, there are different colors that help with different clay target scenarios in sporting clays.
I have used Oakley, Randolph, and Rudy Project. I loved the Rudy Project Rydon glasses. They fit great and you could barely tell they were on your head. Unfortunately I have had to have the lenses replaced 3X times because some kind of chemical reaction occurred in the interior of the lens that made it look like someone had rubbed vaseline over the lens. There was no defect on the outer or inner surface of the lens. I am not the only person to which this has happened. Rudy Project replaced the lenses without any grief but it just got to be too much trouble to send them back.
I like the 'wrap around' of the lenses on the Oakley half-jackets but the Randolph Rangers are great glasses as well. I first started using the Randolph's for trap shooting but eventually started using them for everything. Oakley's are great when there is crosswind.
I like the 'wrap around' of the lenses on the Oakley half-jackets but the Randolph Rangers are great glasses as well. I first started using the Randolph's for trap shooting but eventually started using them for everything. Oakley's are great when there is crosswind.
