That's a great point! If you are older than 30...or shoot at places other than well-lit 10-meter ranges...IMHO an adjustable-opening iris is a must-have accessory for any target rifle. OEM diiopter-sight eyepieces typically have an opening around 1.0mm which can be tough for other environments.I love my Diana 75. 44 years old and just got it back from David Slade. Seals and buffer replaced, cleaned up and relubed. Still has the factory springs in it. Single digit extreme spread and almost 6.7fpe. Trigger is a measured 1.8oz pull. Although my eyes really struggle to see clearly through the diopter sights, it is one tiny hole on target.
Awesome, well made rifles.
Steve
I have an adjustable Gehmann on my 300s, but find it more difficult to see through. I’ve dialed it both ways and although I can see the target getting brighter, the clarity of the target is horrible. Maybe I’m overlooking something in the setup of this sight.That's a great point! If you are older than 30...or shoot at places other than well-lit 10-meter ranges...IMHO an adjustable-opening iris is a must-have accessory for any target rifle. OEM diiopter-sight eyepieces typically have an opening around 1.0mm which can be tough for other environments.
Gehmann, Centra, and AHG make a vast range of irises, and they can be had with any combination of color filters, a polarizer, and a 1.5x magnifying lens. But the simple variable opening models are economical, smoothly dial in any opening from 0.8 to 3.0mm, and make a huge difference. All these old sights made since the 50's use the same eyepiece mounting thread, too, so a single iris fits them all.
Here's an older Gehmann iris, in an Anschutz sight, on a Weihrauch HW 55.
View attachment 477776
Thanks for the tip, I’ll give that a try.You have an older unit there, maybe the magnification function lens is fogged from age? This seems to be common with the even older Seibert/Hensoldt types, and if you carefully clean it, maybe better performance?
As specie said, checking / cleaning the lens is always a good idea! I'd also note that newer units have a bigger lens with a better focus range than these older ones.I have an adjustable Gehmann on my 300s, but find it more difficult to see through. I’ve dialed it both ways and although I can see the target getting brighter, the clarity of the target is horrible. Maybe I’m overlooking something in the setup of this sight.
I have the Gehman on my 75, I had the same problem with older eyes and used the magnifier in the front sight and made the target clear.MY problem is not seeing the sights , it is seeing that "all gray" sheet of paper that up closer has 24 individual bulls on it !
That’s exactly what my problem was! After specie talked about possibly cleaning the lens, I started looking closer at the sight. I then discovered that the silver collar pictured below is actually a focus wheel….DOH!!!! Shows my limited experience with the diopter sights. After focusing, WOW!!! What a difference!!! Crystal clear. Amazing setupI have the Gehman on my 75, I had the same problem with older eyes and used the magnifier in the front sight and made the target clear.