CHAMPION SHOOTING GLASSES - CHOICE OF CHAMPIONS champion main world olympic superolympic filters accessories articles

presented by Precision Sports, Canada

SHOOTING GLASSES BY CHAMPION

This article was originally published in AIM magazine,
the official publication of the Shooting Federation of Canada, Issue No. 40, 1993,
and updated December 2016.



While there are many a thing a shooter must accomplish in order to execute a "perfect shot", one aspect of prime importance is to achieve a proper sight picture. This means, basically, the proper alignment of the aiming mark on the target, the front sight, and the rear sight. Of these three elements, the focus of the aiming eye should fall on the front sight, leaving the other two slightly blurred. This is especially true in the case of pistol shooters. Here's why.


For those lucky people who have 20/20 vision, this may not be a problem - except when the course of fire is as long as almost two hours and the eyes get tired and focusing becomes increasingly difficult. However, people who wear correctional lenses usually have their lenses made for distance or reading, or both. But the front sight falls into neither region. An intermediate prescription obtained from a special eye examination is necessary. This is when shooting glasses come into play. A good pair of shooting glasses with the right accessories, when properly used, will help you focus on that front sight effortlessly, adjust to changing lighting conditions, block off stray light from the sides or above, and hence help you shoot better.


Champion shooting glasses have been around for many years and are very popular in Europe and other parts of the world. Many world class shooters chose Champion because of its superior design and unmatched quality. In the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, 13 out of 21 medals in seven shooting events were won by shooters wearing Champion shooting glasses; seven medal winners did not wear any shooting glasses, and only one wore another brand.


The top-of-the-line Champion shooting glasses is the SuperOlympic Champion model. Its superior design, the high-tech materials used ( titanium ) and its flexibility make it a distinguished product. The most outstanding feature is the five micro-adjustment rings on the frame. They allow fine adjustments of the height of the nose-piece ( there are two different lengths of nose-piece stems available ); individual sideways movement of the left and right lens holder / blinder systems; and individual adjustments of the left and right sides for temple length. The most valuable aspect of all these adjustments is that they can all be made while the shooter is actually wearing the glasses. This, of course, ensures extremely precise fine adjustments with least amount of work.


The bridge on the nose-piece, as well as the end of the sides, are made of non-slip silicone. The hinges on the sides of the frames are spring-loaded to provide maximum comfort.


The lens system allows infinite fine adjustment to position the lens at exactly where the shooter wants it to be. Aside from the choice of three lens-holder sizes ( 42mm, 32mm, 25mm ), each of the left or right lens-holders can be adjusted up and down, forward and back, turned left or right on a vertical axis, and tilted front and back on a horizontal axis.


No matter what your head position is while you shoot, and no matter how your line of vision goes while you aim, there will always be a way to adjust the lens so that you will look out of the centre of the lens perpendicularly, hence achieving the maximal optical acuity your lens was supposed to provide for you. Gone are the days when you have to tell your optician to position the optical centre slightly to the upper right quadrant of the lens ( such as in the case of a right-eyed, right-handed pistol shooter ). Gone also are the days when you have to look through the lens at an angle instead of perpendicularly, and tolerate a slightly distorted image due to prism effect. This slight distortion could very well cost you the one point you needed to beat your fellow competitor to win that championship!


Other than the Olympic Champion there are other models such as the World Champion 1, World Champion 3, World Champion 4, Olympic Offset / Archery Champion, and the ingeniuously designed SuperOlympic Champion. Each has its own special features for shooters of all levels and needs.


Champion has an extensive line of accessories and spare parts to make a system of its shooting glasses. There are coloured filters ( gray, brown, yellow, orange, in 3 sizes ), a polarizing filter ( 42 mm ), lens-centering devices ( 42mm, 32mm, 25mm ), nosepieces ( short for pistol, long for rifle, trap, or skeet ), adjustable iris diaphragms ( 42mm, 32mm, 25mm, left or right ) - the choice is varied to suit your individual needs. Whether you shoot pistol, rifle, or shotgun, you will find your perfect setup. And as your technique and needs grow, there is always room for expansion or upgrading because the system will always grow with you.



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