Many calibers will not permit this two-hundred-yard sighting range and keep within the six-inch limit. For example, the 170-grain bullet in the popular .30/30 caliber will drop about one foot in 165 yards. This does not mean that this is the limit of the six-inch variation from the line of sight because the bullet starts below the line of sight and the highest point of its flight is beyond the half-way point between the gun and target and thus the six-inch limit is extended beyond the distance of the twelve-inch drop. It does mean that if the sights are set for much over 150 yards, that there is a good chance of missing the vital area of a deer at mid-range unless there is some effort to compensate for trajectory. Similarly the .30/06 with the 180-grain load will drop a foot in about 200 yards. I have never tried the 270 calibers, but have been informed that this gun may be safely sighted for 250 yards, with telescope sights, and the six-inch limit will not be exceeded either above or below the line of sight for at least 350 yards.

For the greatest satisfaction in relatively flat country, most deer guns should be sighted for one hundred yards. This gives the hunter a hunting range of about 150 yards without the need for making allowances for trajectory. The average hunter will have difficulty in hitting a deer beyond this distance unless he has a standing shot and in such cases he will have time enough to make the necessary allowances for the distance. I find that it is not desirable to make any changes in the sights while actually hunting. Aiming high for those long shots may not be as accurate as changing the rear sight to compensate for the increased distance, but, since the distance must be estimated rather than measured, there is about as much chance of error in either method. In aiming high, there is no danger of forgetting to return the sight to its original setting and thus missing an easy shot at some future time.

The sights on a deer gun are important because they are the only control that the hunter has over the bullet's course. These sights are made in many different shapes and sizes. Blade, post, bead, ring and a few other types of front sights are made in different sizes in order to accommodate different shooters and different shooting conditions. Rear sights are made in so many different styles, shapes and sizes that it is difficult for the non-hunter to select any one that will give him satisfaction in the woods. Some of these sights are only adjustable vertically, while others may be readily moved to any position, which the shooter desires. Some of the leaf types have several different sights that may be snapped into position so that the shooter has a choice of sights to suit different shooting conditions. Most of the aperture-type sights have several sizes of apertures for the same reason. Telescope sights vary in power and field of view and are adjustable in all directions.

All of these sights will direct a bullet to the desired spot if they are adjusted properly; but some of them are practically useless to the deer hunter; and some of the others, while giving satisfactory results, are too complicated to be practical. The deer hunter needs a sturdy sight which will not be knocked out of adjustment by rough handling and he needs a sight which may be seen easily without cutting side vision.

The sights on a deer gun are important because they are the only control that the hunter has over the bullet's course. These sights are made in many different shapes and sizes. The deer hunter needs a sturdy sight which will not be knocked out of adjustment by rough handling and he needs a sight which may be seen easily without cutting side vision.