Fixed Sights vs Adjustable Sights

[Cookiemann]

It has been reccommended by many on this forum that my first handgun should be a 22 revolver.  I, too, think that is the smart choice.  Especially, since everyone should have at least 1 .22 handgun.  
Having made this decision, I need some more info.  I wear bifocals and I am wondering which type of sights I should get on my revover.  Many have adj. rear sights, but then others, like the Ruger Bearcat have no visible rear sight on them.  Having never fired a handgun, I need some advice about choosing the type of sights that will work the best "for me". 
What works best for you and why?  Is it a spendy deal to have adj. rear sight added, after the fact, if I find I can't hit POA with the fixed sights?
Thanks
cookie

[The Old Redneck]

The good thing about adjustable sights is being able to adjust for different ammo. Usually not all ammo shoots to the same point of impact out of a gun. That being said I own guns with both. For the fix sight guns I find a load that shoots to the point of aim and stay with it. The guns with adjustable sights give you the freedom to pick the load you like instead of what the gun likes and adjust the sights for it. Even non adjustable sights can be adjusted some, i.e. the front sight filed down to raise impact when shooting low. Having adjustable sights added to a gun with fix sights can be expensive, depending on what you have done. I have had the front sight replaced with one that is dove tailed to give some windage adjustment with out breaking the bank. With a 22 rimfire out of all the ammo out there something is usually going to be close enough to the sights to make it work. Hopefully someone will give you a better answer than this. On the best sights to use with glasses, good luck, When I passed 40 years ago open sights became a real challange. Over the years I have tried everything that anyone has suggested. scopes and red dot sights are great, but they are not open sights. I shoot more guns with scopes than with open sights because I can shoot better with them now. I would rather be able to see and use open sights. It is easier to carry a gun with a 4 to 6 inch barrel and no scope, just wish I could see well enough to shoot them like I could years ago. Sorry for being so long winded.

[ed1921]

A good sized adjustable rear sight will probably allow you to see the sights & hit the target better.
The adjustable will let you fine tune to your target. And that will be more satisfying to a new shooter especially.

The bearcat sights are pathetic & seldom regulated properly. I have one & like it, but that's my experience with them. Of the single action type the Single Six has a nice adjustable sight.

When sighting the best way to do it, but not what you are inclined to do, is to focus on the sights & let the target blur out. (Yes I did edit what I originally said. I'll blame it on not having had any coffee yet)

Or get a gun that you can add a low or no power scope to or a red dot sight. If you find you can't master the open sights after a while, you could add one.

Shooting offhand takes a while to master. Try also to shoot from a support so you can guage the actual accuracy from your gun and then you'll have a benchmark to shoot for.
.22's can also be finicky about ammo, so try a number of brands. After you get the feel of the gun, keep some records of groups. Best if done from support.  
 
If you have access to a commercial range sign up for some instruction & you should get a good overview of stances, sighting technique, safety (remember Jeff Cooper's 4 rules of gun safety & you can't go wrong). If not & you're someplace you can shoot, set some targets up & blast away. Reactive targets like spinners or clay pigions or cans add to the fun.
 
It's lots of fun, but serious business too. Be safe & join the NRA.

[Redhawk1]

I personally like adjustable sights, but I can shot fixed just as well. The biggest thing about shooting open sight's is concentrating on the front sight.

[blhof]

There is a sort of compromise; the open style red dot sights, holosights-basically a projected red dot on an open lens.  They are a lot cleaner looking and smaller than the scopes.  They are a bit pricey for good ones, but so are good scopes.  The advantages are light wt. and can be used on pistols with 2" muzzles.  Some of the better ones have a variety of sight pictures; from red dot to crosshairs. Their profile is like a large open sight. I've had lasik and have excellent far vision, but my near vision is poor.  I use readers for iron sight shooting with a blurry target, or readers that I can look over to visualize the target then adjust slightly to sight in.  For hunting its Holosights or scopes for best sight picture.

[Graybeard]

If your goal is to actually HIT what you aim at you'd better have an adjustable sight because darn few fixed sight guns will shoot to point of aim for you. I've been shooting handguns over 40 years and I'm still waiting to find the first one that will for me. The only fixed sight guns I have are self defense guns for concealed carry where expected use is at very close range.

Think of it this way. Would you buy a rifle and mount a scope on it if the turret caps were welded in place so you couldn't adjust the cross hairs? If not why buy a handgun with the same handicap?

[Cookiemann]

Thanks for all the input, everyone. 
PROBLEM SOLVED...Just bought myself a Birthday present.  I bought a Buckmark, 4" with adjustable sights.  I thought I was all set to get a revolver, but that Buckmark just fit my hand so well.  It felt balanced in my hand, so now all that is left is SHOOT, SHOOT & SHOOT some more.

[Casull]

If your goal is to actually HIT what you aim at you'd better have an adjustable sight because darn few fixed sight guns will shoot to point of aim for you. I've been shooting handguns over 40 years and I'm still waiting to find the first one that will for me.

GB, then something is definitely wrong.  I've only had three handguns with fixed sights, but they would all hit to point of aim (at least within my ability to shoot them).  These included a Kimber Stainless II (1911), a Ruger P89 and a stainless 1858 Remington replica (cap and ball).  And, given that adjustable sights are a somewhat new concept (over the history of the gun), I would say that fixed sights must not be that much of a handicap.  Just look at all of the flintlocks and later percussion rifles that were used to great effect with no adjustment other than maybe be drift adjustable for windage and filing the front sight for elevation.  In any event, when you have regulated your load/sights for a particular fixed sight gun, the nice thing is you never have to worry about your sights moving out of adjustment.  Just MHO.

[Lloyd Smale]

I actually prefer fixed sighted guns but its just a personal opinion based on looks and ruggedness in the field. But i have enough guns both ways so that if i have a fixed sighted gun i can run one load and be happy. Like greybeard ive yet to have one hit point of aim for me, at least not with a load i want to use in it. Its not rocket science to ajust them but for the most part and especially for a beginner ajustable sights are the only way to go

[williamlayton]

For pistols, I am a fixed sight guy.
Blessings

[corbanzo]

If you want to shoot for any distance, adjustables are the way to go, especially if you are planning on any good small groups and marksmanship.  Up close and defense where your target could be an 8" round target up to 50 feet, fixed sights are just fine.  I personally also like the looks of fixed sights over adjustable, but I still own mostly adjustable for the targeting reason.  It is true that you can use the front blade to adjust for elevation, but that takes a lot of experience with that particular gun.

[Old Griz]

I had a fixed sight S&W 2206. (We are--or were--talking .22s.) I wanted adjustable sights which required a new slide. It wasn't cheap. Then I discovered I needed adjustable sights on a .22 like a screen door on a submarine. The whole idea behind shooting .22s is to shoot cheap. So, you buy what is on sale. I had partial bricks of every kind of .22 ammo I could think of. They all hit at different points. Adjusting my sights for each one would be an incredable waste of time. I't easier to just see where that particular brand was hitting and just use good old Kentucky windage. I don't think I've ever adjusted those adjustable sights.

[jgalar]

The buckmark is a great pistol - you made a good choice.
If you are familiar with firearms there is nothing wrong with an autoloader as your first pistol. If you don't know a thing about guns than a revolver is much better.

[Boxhead]

I believe a good balance between adjustability and durability lies in the Ruger Old Model Single Six but with a pinned blade front sight that can be replaced if elevation changes are needed. Here's an example of this on a 44 Special of mine.

[greener]

.22's seem to be more sensitive to ammo than centerfires.  My preference with any rimfire pistol/revolver is adjustable sights.  I think adjustable sights on any handgun is a big plus unless all your shooting is 7 yards or less.  Adjustable sights give you more control of POI, ammo differences and distances than fixed sights. 

[papajohn428]

Cookieman, you have chosen well!  I picked the BuckMark over the Ruger 15 years ago, and have never regretted it.  All my kids learned to shoot with it, and some are downright GOOD pistol shots now.  It's a great gun for teaching women and kids, it's not too heavy, the sights are huge and easy to see, and takedown and cleaning is so simple it can be learned in a few minutes.  My standard pistol drill is shooting clay pigeons on the berm at 50 yards, and no clay is safe if I've got the BuckMark with me.  It's not real picky about ammo, feeds almost anything well, and shoots most into braggin' sized groups.  It's the one gun ALL my kids want me to leave them.  I have well over 20K rounds thru it, and it's as good as the day I bought it, even with the original magazines.  If I want to make pistol shooting look easy for a student, that's the gun I use!

Papajohn

[Cookiemann]

That's what I like to hear.  Hey, Papajohn, I was raised pretty close to you.  I grew up in Cottage Hills, just across the river.  Small world

Happy Easter

cookiemann