BSA Dioptre Sight set

Indoor Target Shooting is a precision sport and, whilst 10 Metre (the main high-profile discipline) may sound very close target-wise, the skills required at the highest level remains impressive. Shot at the Olympics for example, it takes no prisoners, as the top exponents are trying and usually succeeding to place pellet after pellet, on what is effectively a bull the size of a pin head, so the level of dedication is there for all to see.

Dioptre system

No scopes are allowed for this type of shooting; instead, the dioptre sighting system is used. In essence, it works on the very simple principle of the human eye finds it easier, if not near instinctive to centre a circle within a circle. The rear unit is fully adjustable with an aperture (first circle) and a soft rubber eyepiece to help cut out back light and accentuate the view. The front is in a tunnel and shows as a small circular ring that the shooter can centre in the rear aperture and, with the target’s small, round aiming point being hopefully, perfectly centred. Keep everything perfectly centralised and the shot will connect with the bull; well, that’s the theory!

Box of tricks

BSA sell their own Dioptre Sight Set and this comes neatly packed in its own padded box. Inside, we get the main dioptre rear sight block, the rubber eye piece, the foresight assembly, and a small bag of foresightelements. Preparation is about as simple as it gets, and just requires the rubber eye-piece to be pushed into place, onto the back of the main rear sight assembly.

The foresight is a plastic moulding, but still has a precise feel about it. The base is a small dovetail clamp, so is designed to fit onto a dovetail rail, which many guns feature on the barrel. BSA can supply an adaptor tube for some of their rifles to offer a dovetail rail too. Once in place, the central element can be changed for a slightly different specification, which can subtly alter the image as the shooter views the target.

To change it, one of the knurled collars simply unscrews slightly to allow the new element to be dropped into its slot within the housing. Once it is fully in place, the collar is re-tightened. The rear sight is an all-metal construction, feels well made, and is suitably robust. This just clamps onto the rear dovetail/ scope rail of the rifle and is easily adjusted by hand, courtesy of the one large knurled bolt on the clamp. Set in the correct position with regards to eye relief, so that the eye just gently nudges the rubber cup, and this will then help cut out back light, and promote a sharper picture. Hand pressure from the bolt is easily sufficient. It’s fully adjustable for both windage and elevation, and both the adjustments are shown on mini scales across the unit. There is no magnification used and, in use, the sight picture in conjunction with the ring foresight, is clear, precise, and works really well.

So, there we are. Fancy getting into indoor target shooting, then this set could well be the starting point. Having used several dioptres over the years, I can certainly vouch for the quality of this unit, when compared to some more basic efforts and it seems reasonable value for money, given everything you need is here.