TargetTalk

Folks, I'm looking to purchase an adjustable aperature (inner/outer) - Anschutz has the 18mm... if you were looking to shoot 3P would the the benefit of the 22mm system be worth new eagle eye/level? (I'm making the assumption that Anschutz is stricky 18mm)... your thoughts?

The Anschutz iris is made by Centra, so thats irrelevant. I'd go for the 22mm - it lets more light through and I find it much better, even for prone.

Where did you purchase your 22mm front site -- did your get the adjustable aperature? Thanks...

"22mm sight Lets more light thru,"...... what does that really mean to my eye ?

I assumed we are all stareing at the same size aperture
(approximately) that surrounds the bull.

Any extra light, at first thought, seems a waste, or distraction ?

Help me see the light.

Regards
Michael

C'mon guys ? I need help with this 18mm v.s. 22mm quandry.

Michael

While I cannot comment on the amount of light a 22mm lets in vs a 18mm, I can comment on rear sight alignment. If you have a standard length barrel, say 26in, you may have trouble getting enough white from the rear sight around the front sight. If you use a bloop tube, I don't see any reason not to get a 22 mm except for one thing: Anschutz rifle are grooved for 18mm front sights. Feinwerkbau's are grooved for 22mm. That is why there are 18mm and 22mm sights sold. Not because of the amount of light. Personally, I use a standard anschutz front sight with a gehmann glass iris (not a duo iris). However, purchasing a duo sight is a much better deal than purchasing a front sight and an adjustable front iris.

From the location in the optical system the size of the front sight has no bearing on the amount of light that reaches the eye. This is the job of the rear iris.

Additionally, the rear iris also controls the field of view. Less eye relief gives greater field of view and conversely more eye relief smaller field of view. If you wear glasses, minimum eye relief is determined by the location of the glasses and how far they are from the eye.

All things being equal the 22mm globe clearly appears larger than the 18mm globe. Do you like to read your wind flags from inside or outside the sight tunnel?

The standard Anschutz front sight has been 18mm pretty much forever. (Forever in this case being sometime before 1969). This has provided the standard sight picture using the 26 inch barrel. Now, if you use a 22mm globe on a standard length barrel you can probably find a location for the rear sight far enough forward on the dovetail (long eye relief) so you will not be able to see the globe, just the aperature. For what you are doing and your taste you would have to decide if you like this or not. I would note that such a setup would make it impossible to see cant indicators external to the globe but you would have a heck of a view of range conditions inside the front sight.

Now, the 22mm globe is ironically 22% larger than the 18mm globe. If you are using a bloop tube if you increase the distance from the eye to the front sight by 22% from the standard barrel length the 22mm globe will appear as the 18mm did on the standard barrel. Note, you will also need an appropriately larger front aperature.

So in the end I am not sure there is a clear cut answer for when you should switch to the larger globe. Some of this will depend on personal taste. If you are using a long bloop tube is a 22mm globe necessary? Not according to Eric U. He shoots about a 12 inch tube with an 18mm globe. (Last I heard on this topic a few months ago.) Does not seem to be hurting his prone scores.

This really comes down to personal taste. Some folks out there SWEAR by their larger globes others don't care.

In terms of mounting one to your rifle. Centra has front globes or front globe mounts to put just about any globe on any front dovetail. If you want to go this route I would recommend someone like Neal Stepp (817) 595-2090 as he carries Centra and can probably get you set up. Additionally, he is very knowedgable and will take the time to talk to you about what you are doing and what you really need.

Sorry, no definitive answer, just some things to think about.

'Dude

That clears up the quandry, Thanks.
It appears I hve not cared either way on my
collection of guns how it looked. Guess I'll leave them 18mm
and just shoot.
Regards
Michael

There is an amazing amount of very high quality precision shooting accessories available these days. Some things are developed and vanish as an idea that looked good on paper but the shooters never found the benefit.

For many accessories I study them and try to decide if they might be a benefit to me. If I can see where they help some aspect of my performance or offer an upgrade to what I already have I will take the plunge and try them out. Some of these things end up as part of my permanent kit, other relegated to a shelf in the basement until I get the motivation to post them for someone else to try.

That is the bottom line: If you feel something has the potential to help, try it. If it just looks cool then your money is likely better spent on something else.

'Dude