Iron Sights

[Muddyboots]

So @bamban posted a photo of him with kill in 1974 with rifle with iron sights.

So interesting question: have you ever killed a big game animal with iron sights and how long ago?

Me? I killed young buck with good old thurta thurta in a deer camp near @adk hunter. Year? 1970! And best part of that is I left new Case knife on a rock at kill site. I bet @adk hunter found it.

 

[K.E.C. Darkside]

Yes my first 4 years of whitetail deer hunting in the early 70's.
First 2 years a Model 94 in 44 Magnum.
Next 2 years a model 70 in 270 Win.
Those 2 rifles got sold off years ago by my dad.
For small game hunting my granddad let me use his Remington model 521T bolt action with 6 round clip in 22LR.
He eventually put a scope on it.
I have this rifle.
Back in those days most everything was open site.

 

[memtb]

So @bamban posted a photo of him with kill in 1974 with rifle with iron sights.

So interesting question: have you ever killed a big game animal with iron sights and how long ago?

Me? I killed young buck with good old thurta thurta in a deer camp near @adk hunter. Year? 1970! And best part of that is I left new Case knife on a rock at kill site. I bet @adk hunter found it.

Been a while, but several Whitetails with a rifle and an Antelope and a Black Bear with an open sighted S&W 629. memtb

 

[Hand Skills]

Most recently, white tail doe in 2013 (or 14?) for me. Lee Enfield in 303 British, head shot at close range (15ish yards?)

No more decisive than a .223, but a whole lot more gruesome!!

 

[akdad]

Shot a lot of moose with iron sights 30-06, 270 probably at least 5 or so last one maybe 2017?? Hunted a lot in the winter and scopes are just a pain in real cold.

 

[Southpaw Tikka]

2015, 35 rem. Marlin 336, 6-7 yards - love sick 8 pointer

 

[s3silver]

Good topic. Not too many iron sights on rifles these days. I shot a blacktail buck about 10 years ago with a Savage hog hunter 308 with iron sights. Shot was about 70 yards. He was a decent 2x2 and good eating.

 

[crashlanding]

1974, hickory run state park, Pennsylvania, 17 years old, Marlin 336, 30.30, biggest buck anyone in our family had ever killed at that point, my dads policy was no scope until you killed your first one with iron sites.

 

[FlGunner]

Back when I was 10 I killed a small Georgia 4 pt with a Winchester 94 30-30. About 25 yd shot from the ground with open sights.

 

[Guy M]

A few, but not many.

Couple of mule deer in the mid 1990's with a traditional cap lock 50 cal muzzle loader.

Couple of mule deer 15 years or so ago with iron-sight 223 AR-15.

Mule deer with a 44 mag S&W 629.

Those were all at modest range, none beyond 50 yards or so. When I went into the brush to follow up a bear wounded by another hunter, I thought about removing the scope on my 375 H&H, but just dialed it down to 1.5x instead. That worked. Ended up shooting the bear at about 15 feet. Going to the sights would have been a great idea.

My 45-70 Marlin is set up with a 2.5x Leupold in quick detach rings. I replaced the standard Marlin sights with a Skinner barrel-mount peep sight and used one of their "bear buster" front sights. It's set up real well for either scope or sights, but I haven't taken game with the sights yet. Hoping to do so someday.

Regards, Guy