Greg; The golden years are great aren't they? :rolleyes
I'll throw out a few suggestions and ideas knowing all of them don't apply to you, but they may be helpful to other Sterling owners.
Many Uzi owners have drilled and opened up the 100 meter rear peep sight. I didn't have the same problem as you, but I drilled mine out to increase the speed in which I could pick up the front sight. This was especially useful in matches where speed matters and I highly recommend this for Uzi owners and I'm betting Sterling owners may find this useful as well. I'm thinking you have a spare parts kit so this may be worth a try with a spare sight.
John C makes a very good suggestion. The Mk5 "sniping" rear sight has to be used to be completely understood and appreciated, but this may be your best and cheapest option for the issue you're having. Essentially the rear sight disappears in your field of vision and most of what your eye picks up is the front sight. I know it looks weird, but it works. The Mk5 sights are both set at 100 meters unlike the Mk4 rear peep which is 100 and 200 meters.
I know you don't want to move to optics and my preference is also iron sights for many applications. I did own the M-60 Joe Docter optic for a brief period so I'll post a couple of my thoughts. This mount was actually L34A1's brain child and he turned it over to M-60 Joe for production. As you know, it's mounted well forward on the shroud without any modifications to the gun which is a big plus. Most of us found that the forward mount makes the small dot difficult to quickly pick up in the tiny widow when the optic is placed so far forward. It's great for casual plinking, but requiring fast acquisition of the dot during matches killed the use of this optic mount for me and many others.
The current trend is to use only the rear stud to mount an optic much closer to the rear sight which allows the shooter to quickly and easily acquire the dot in the small window. This set up is depicted in the photo below.
A local Sterling owner uses a thin piece of electric wire insulation to fatten up the front sight. The plastic insulation slides snugly over the front sight without marring or permanently altering the sight post. I've tried this and it works well. I understand the front sight isn't your problem, but perhaps others reading this may find it helpful.
I understand the problem of tired old eyes and acquiring a sight picture. You know how I love my Sterling, but I've had a difficult time with it and most of my iron sighted guns the last couple of years. I'd strongly considered the use of optics on my Mk5 but I'd chosen to struggle instead. I've been using reading glasses for over a decade and these bring the front sight into focus but makes distant targets blurry. The glasses I've been using to shoot with have been a compromise at best and I've tried to adjust over time as best as I could. It's been especially difficult for me with iron sighted guns like the M1 Garand at distances of 400 to 500 yards.
I very recently made an appointment with an optometrist and it was life changing. My eyes were far worse than I realized and I'm now the proud owner of two pairs of bi-focals. After the initial exam, he insisted I bring in my Sterling so we could work up a pair of shooting glasses that would address my needs. I packed it discretely and we stepped out went behind his office to find a balance that would work. He didn't flinch when I pulled out the gun and seemed really interested in it. I asked if he wanted to hold it and the grin it put on his face when he shouldered it was priceless. I guess what I'm saying is old age and the problems it brings us may be corrected. I know you currently wear corrective glasses, but perhaps a trip to your doc would yield the fix you're looking for.
On the fixed stock. I briefly considered one but locating or fabricating the end cap, stock spacers, and the attaching hardware killed the deal for me.
Best of luck sir.
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Never argue with a fool. They will drag you down to their level, and defeat you with experience.
