8mm Mauser open sights

[ancestor]

I have an original Oberndorf sporting rifle 1913 vintage in mint condition.The rifle is accurate with both factory and reloads to the limit of my ability. The problem was there is no provision for a telescopic sight. Being of ancient vintage I had always hunted over open sights or for many years apature on 375 mag. With age generally winning I passed both the 375 and 300mags to my son. The Mauser is light beautifully balanced and fits great, of course I couldn't see the sights and the target. Solution a discussion with my eye specialist requesting I needed to see the sights out to 200yards like I could as a 17year old boy.. A trip to the range and the lady set up her magic machine on the rifle and 2 weeks later I had a pair of specs with the lenses balanced giving me my 17 yr old eye sight back. Shooting in thick cover this gives me instant sight on the target and allows a quick swing through on a moving animal with a 6 oclock hold. Much of my hunting has been in rain forest where a view of the animal doesn't hang around. Also I have developed a taste for Tahr and if I can get the old bones worked up may go into the tops this year to try for a few more steaks.

[versifier]

Most of my serious hunting rifles have peep sights, but I have red dots and Scout scopes on others. Nothing is faster on game than a good set of peep sights. In heavy brush here anything with high magnification is a target only setup. I too have a fine old Oberndorf and it is one of my very favorite rifles. These days it only shoots cast bullets, not a limitation at short ranges. I hated the factory triangular front post and the v notched slider, I lost the front sight completely whenever I stepped from bright sunlight into shadow, it cut down on peripheral vision, and it prevented me from using both eyes and knowing the real distance to dinner. I could have put either a peep sight or a scope base on the action, but rather than drill and tap that vintage action, I first set it up with a red dot in place of the factory rear sight. I need glasses too and they help a lot but when I drop mine in the pucker brush I can still put the dot on the critter and know how far away it is because I'm using both eyes. I say that, but 99% of the time I hunt with a peep sighted bolt action or Contender carbine. It has a 2.5 Scout scope on it right now and that's almost too much magnification. The Oberndorf comes when I'm going to be sitting for long periods and I might get a shot over a hundred yards.