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Scorpio64

Eye pro for shooting

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You may want to think twice about those Home Depot glasses you are using when shooting.  Also, If you are depending on Oakley's with a tacticool name like "Flack Jacket"  to save your eyes, you are wasting your money.  Most ANSI rated glasses are tested with a .25"  object moving at 150fps, which is much slower than any object you may encounter if a catastrophic event occurs at the range.  Home Depot glasses may be fine for your workshop, but they are woefully inadequate for shooting.  

I was originally looking for info on the optical properties of shooting glasses because I suspect the glasses I'm using now are causing problems for me when I shoot out beyond 100 yards.  I was looking for data on refractive indexes and other really boring shit when I came across this write up on Lucky Gunner.  It lists a bunch of tests performed beyond what mil-spec standards are, and I was very surprised to find out what is good eye pro and what is just fashion.

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As a Navy Corpsman, I had the opportunity to see the results of a number of injuries, including those involving the face and eyes. I was astounded to see how crucial eye protection, sometimes referred to as “eye pro,” was and how effective it could be. I saw a number of potentially vision-threatening fragments of metal and other debris stopped by good eye protection. In one case, a large chunk of metal hit a Marine in the face, partially penetrating the lens of his glasses and causing him to lose vision in that eye. Without that eye protection, he most likely would have been killed.

 

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It’s important to note that the ammunition you see here exceeds military and civilian testing standards. This test was harsh because we wanted to find the most protective eyewear on the market – and then we wanted to see when that “best eye pro” would fail.

Therefore, I introduced a few more powerful types of ammunition and used them on the eye pro which successfully protected the face from the slower/lighter ammo. All shots were taken from 25 feet. The types of ammunition used include:

While I still have not found the answers I'm looking for regarding the effect of non-prescription eye pro on long distance shooting, I thought you may benefit from this article.  here's the full write up.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/eye-protection-shooting-glasses-review/

 

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I use Ballistic rated Oakley’s which are rated for MIL PRF32432 and ANSI Z87.1 (2010) - specifically MFrames 3.0 with clear lenses for “Social” work and ballistic  Det Cords when at the range.

I know that Smith, Wiley X, and ESS also make glasses that meet those requirements.

Your eye and ear pro choices are no joke. Those are not places to cut corners and get something “just as good”.

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@Scorpio64:

Thank you for posting this very interesting and important article.  I think many shooters just assume that their eye protection is adequate for the purpose of shooting.  The article you posted makes clear that you get what you pay for and not all eye glasses / eye protection can be counted upon to do its intended task.  It is incumbent upon each of us to do the necessary research to determine what eye protection will do what we want it to and invest in it before we go to the range.

FYI, awhile ago I did the extensive research and ultimately purchased two different shooting eye protection products, one to be used at an indoor range for handguns and rifles and a second different system with removable and interchangeable different colored lenses for outdoor sporting clay shooting.  Both meet or exceed the important ballistic impact standards They are noted below....

AVB-AMG

1. Indoor Range Use:

Wiley X – Talon Advanced Clear Lens w/ Matte Black Frame
Product Number: CHTLN!1

MSRP: $95.00

http://www.wileyx.com/Tactical/ProductDetail/chtln1_talon-advanced-greyclearmatte-black-frame

Characteristics:

  • Shatterproof Selenite™ Polycarbonate Lenses that Meet the MIL-PRF-32432(GL) Ballistic Standards. ANSI Z87.1-2010 High Velocity and Mass Impact Standards, and EN 166 FT at High Speed at Temperature Extremes Standards
     
  • 100 Percent UVA/UVB Protection With Distortion Free Clarity
     
  • T-Shell™ lens coating resists scratching in extreme environments
     
  • Foil™ Lens Coating Provides Anti-Fog Protection
     
  • Arch9™ Lens Design Compatible with the Universal Prescription Lens Carrier (UPLC), Offering the Wearer Unequaled Lateral Protection and Resolving Optics
     
  • Fully Adjustable Telescoping Temples Fit a Wide Variety of Head Sizes, Provide a Low Profile, and are Night Vision Goggle (NVG) Compatible
     
  • Clear Lens for Night, Indoor, Overcast, and Very Low Light Conditions: Light Transmission 90%
     
  • Compatible with Wiley X's Prescription Lens Carrier (CHX), sold separately

Background:

In 1987, Wiley X, Inc. began its quest to become a world leader in the research, development and marketing of protective eyewear and gloves for military, law enforcement and civilian markets. It has contracts with and is standard issue for some of the U.S. Armed Forces and elite Special Forces units,  Wiley X has set the benchmark for safety, style, and utility in the premium performance sunglass category by absolutely insisting that all adult premium eyewear products meet the ANSI Z87.1 safety standard for High Velocity / High Mass Impact. Many models also meet various MIL-SPEC ballistic military standards for both goggles and spectacles.  Wiley X is the only premium sunglass manufacturer in the world whose entire adult line exceeds OSHA occupational safety standards. Based in Livermore, California USA, Wiley X, Inc. is a Veteran founded, family owned and operated ISO 9001 certified organization.

2. Outdoor Use – Sporting Clays:

Randolph Engineering – Ranger XLW


MSRP: $170.00  (Additional colored lenses available for additional cost)

https://www.randolphusa.com/re-ranger/frames/build-ranger-xlw/#select-frame-options

Background:

The first RE Ranger products were crafted and engineered in the early 1990s by our late president Richard Waszkiewicz, the son of Randolph Engineering co-founder Jan Waszkiewicz. Richard partnered with the shooting industry’s leading optical experts to design and execute many of the original styles that form the base for our current line.

Our proprietary NexPC™ lenses can withstand a 12-gauge shotgun blast from 10 yards away. All Ranger eyewear has been designed to flex, in order to absorb the force of projectiles before they reach your eye.

RE Ranger is backed by the technology and the company culture that made Randolph Engineering an elite eyewear brand —and a dedicated partner to the U.S. military and Department of Defense for nearly four decades.  Today, RE Ranger continues to strive to deliver the best possible products to our customers. We partner with Olympic and other elite shooters and coaches and spend endless hours field testing in order to create innovative, high quality, and exceptionally high-performance shooting eyewear.

This is serious style for serious shooters. Designed from the ground up by our team of experienced optical engineers, the XLW is the industry’s first 8-base wrap frame specifically made for sport shooting. While some wrap eyewear may distort your vision, XLW lenses are always 100% distortion free.  The Randolph Aviator has been standard-issue to U.S. military pilots since the 1980s, built to precise military specifications—MIL-S-25948, which are some of the most rigid set of manufacturing specs around.  In 2999, Randolph won its first contract for the Frame of Choice (FOC) spectacle program, which provides the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and NASA with an alternative to standard-issue military spectacles.  In 2017, Randolph continues to produce the HGU-4/P for the U.S. Army and Navy and air forces worldwide, and maintains the Frame of Choice contract, now in its fourth five-year term.

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I use the oakley SI M frames 2.0. Ive been meaning to get the 3.0 because i like the way they wrap around better.

Got clear and dark lenses but i usually stick with the clear unless its a crystal clear day with lots of sun.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

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https://blog.safetyglassesusa.com/how-to-identify-ballistic-rated-eyewear/

Safety Glasses USA is where I buy my safety glasses for work. Z87.1 is minimum for lab standard but I encourage better. And it's totally worth having a good pair when working with explosives.

https://www.safetyglassesusa.com/edge-dakura-polarized-safety-glasses-with-black-frame-and-yellow-lens/

These are my favorite pair. Good for indoor and outdoor. Plus the yellow tint is good for filtering out blue light from screens.

https://www.wileyx.com/ProductDetail/acsla04_slay-pol-greygloss-black-frame

These are my favorite outdoor sunglasses. Not terrible indoors.

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I had found this article a while ago. Based on it I now use the Smith Optics Aegis Arc for the range (and while outside, driving, etc.) and the Smith Optics Aegis Outside the Wire for show work in my basement. They came with interchangeable clear and smoked lenses and optionally a yellow lens for use on cloudy days.

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I'm just a recreational shooter, here what I ended up using after trying few options from lucky gunner article.

https://www.esseyepro.com/Suppressor-2X-Kit-Clear-and-Hi-Def-Copper_193_detail.html

It's light and doesn't press against ears/head after prolonged wear with earmuffs.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

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I don't like taking chances with my eyes, which is why I only use ballistic mil-spec rated glasses when I shoot. I love my ESS Crossbow Suppressor kit. Also, my pair of Smith Optics Aegis Arc make for a nice backup or spare pair for when I bring a family member or friend. ;)

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On 6/10/2018 at 1:24 PM, checko said:

I use the oakley SI M frames 2.0. Ive been meaning to get the 3.0 because i like the way they wrap around better.

Got clear and dark lenses but i usually stick with the clear unless its a crystal clear day with lots of sun.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

I have 2 pairs of the SI M frame 2.0 that I got from work.  I love them, very comfortable.  I don't intend to spend the money to upgrade to the 3.0.

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I have 2 pairs of the SI M frame 2.0 that I got from work.  I love them, very comfortable.  I don't intend to spend the money to upgrade to the 3.0.
The rubber on the sides tends to hurt under ear muffs. I think the 3.0 has solved the issue. I have, however, changed ear pro to the surefire sonic defenders so that's not as much if an issue now

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

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