air guns, rifles mostly,

have become a pursuit for me now.

I'm now in the process of making a new front sight for an air rifle.

i, personally, prefer open sights for the taking of game for close in ranges (100-150 yards, generally) beyond there it's scope time. air rifles are 'close range' hunting tools for the biggest part; just like archery tackle.

oh, there are air rifles that're very capable of taking big game, but not at very long distances; those 'longer' distances are when i go to the centerfire rifles with scopes.

there's not much game in north America, that can't be taken within 100-150 yards with a 357 magnum carbine, as an example, most deer, coyote, fox, bobcat, mt. lion even smaller black bear. now i know there are many other calibers in that category that will take bigger game I'm just using the 357 as an example...you could also say the 30-30.

point in mind about open sights vs scoped rifles at those ranges: if you are able to see a target as large as a deer or coyote at, let's say, 70 yards, your rifle should be sighted in well enough for you to place the projectile where it will do it's job as intended, using just YOUR own eye(s) and open sights.

when harvesting an animal, all that's necessary to do so is to disrupt major organs and their function as quickly and as massively as possible; "pinpoint" accuracy is NOT a "must" all one must do is hit the heart, brain or lungs, with an adequate projectile, traveling at an adequate speed, to disrupt/destroy them. when you do that...it's instant "lites out".

now...if you're shooting at an "X" in a bulls-eye at a competition...or if you're shooting at a deer at 400 yards...that's a little different; then a scope is a "must".

it's all mostly, just personal preferences on the part of each shooter. but i recall my days on the range at Ft Ord, California with an M-1 Garand shooting at targets at up to 500 yards away with open sights...i could barely see them under optimum conditions. i could have used a scope then but the U.S. Army had something to say about that.