Posted: 9/8/2007 5:04:34 AM EDT
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What are some technique or tips on aligning pistol sights quickly and smoothly? |
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Shoot in IPSC matches. Seriously, there is no better way to learn and reinforce rapid target acquisition and rapid transitions. Plinking at the range won't cut it. Where in AZ are you ? We have some of the best shooters in the world at the Rio Salado range. Come and shoot matches there regularly, and I guarantee your shooting skills will improve by leaps and bounds. |
I live out in Tempe, AZ. Been to a few of the IPSC shooting matches on the weekend, but I work 50 plus houra week on nightshift and am a part time student, so time is limited.  I want to try to sqeeze more trigger time in on the weekends though. |
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Real basic but, the two things that helped me the most was ... 1) Before every string you shoot, remind yourself; "Front sight ... watch the front sight" and 2) Unless you're shooting one-hand for a reason, get your weak hand in your grip ASAP. the sooner you establish the grip you'll end up with, the sooner it becomes one less thing to think about or have to adjust. Stay safe |
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Dry fire at home. www.brianenos.com is out of stock at this time but get this book by Steve Anderson. Refinement and Repetition, Dry Fire Drills for Dramatic Improvement Do the drills dry fire at home and when you get to the range do them live fire. You can even download 5 of them free from benos. You have to train your body and your eyes what to do and how to do it faster. Gringop |
Not sure how you are shooting(what stlye) but I am assuming you are combat oriented. There has been some good advice above from other members, I will add my .02 worth. Quickly aligning the sight will come more naturally when you have you stance and weapon presentation down to an art....Make sure you have the proper grip on the weapon, make sure your presentation is correct, and as you drive the weapon to the target...the sights will just about align themselves. Again the more you prctice, the better you will become...to perfect your draw, presentation, sight alignment you don't even need ammo. Hope this helps |
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TANMAN gives an EXCELLENT description. Wonderful post! The only thing I very slightly disagree about is the "bring the weapon to the head, not the head to the weapon" that many instructors teach. I am actually much faster and more accurate if I bring my head down slightly and lean my head out more forward of my shoulders. It just kind of helps me point my entire body at the target. I've seen some other "real world" shooters do this too so I'm not entirely in bad company! LOL. Try different techniques and find what works the best for YOU. Read TANMAN's post again and give that a try. Buy a shot timer like a PACT. It will REALLY help you work on your speed. Mark |
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One man stops another seeking directions. "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The man replies: "Practice young man... practice!" That is truly the answer. Continuous practice builds muscle memory. Basically, consistency. Put that together with lots of practice and you are headed that direction. Being fast is not going fast. Being fast is being smooth. Practice draws - presentations from the holster. Dry fire frequently. Many exceptional competitive shooters have more hammer falls from dry fire practice than from live fire. (caveat - dry fire after checking the weapon at least three times to ensure it is unloaded. Have no ammo in the area. Dry fire with a safe backstop that will prevent tragic results if you goof and set off a live round!) |
I agree with what BookHound has to say about bringing your head down and forward as well. While this might not be the 100% "proper" way to shoot, neither are most of the other stances we teach. ( meaning that what ever is the most comfortable way for you to shoot is how you should shoot ) Your stance will evolve over time. Once you learn the basiics of the grip, presentation, draw....everything will speed up for you. As everyone here has mentioned before..it is realy a matter of devoting time to the training aspects that don't rely on ammo. Try practicing the different stances ( Isosoles, Weaver, Modified weaver, Combat crouch...etc. ) Pick the one that is most comfortable for you to shoot in. Once you have your stance and presentation figured out, practice it until you are tired of even having the weapon on your side...practice as often as you can, and as mentioned before!!!make sure there is no live ammo in the rooom you are pracicing in for dry fire!!! If you are just getting into training or shooting for that matter...you will find that there is a great deal more to being "fast" that just yanking the trigger quickly. There is a lot of good information on this site, once you sift through what you don't need....practice what you do Thanks |
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I don't want to repeat the excellent responses you've already got, but the best thing about dry-fire practice is that you can diagnose mistakes in trigger squeeze that would be hidden by muzzle-flip during live-fire (bet you knew that already). another consideration is: at what range is your target--25yds or 20'? there are proven/tested point-shooting techniques worth looking into. Ayoob has dubbed the method of looking OVER your sights "stress-point" as part of his "stress-fire" system; Cirrillo used/taught a "sillouette" technique. Experiment and use what works for YOU. |
| thanks bookhound, that needed clarification, I also lean my head down and then bring the gun up to the eye. When I said," have a agressive stance." I meant head down and shoulders forward of the hips with your knees slightly bent. The shot timer really helps to keep up with what your doing and if your practice is doing any good. Using dummy rounds mixed in with live rounds will help you see if your jerking on the trigger. |
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GIJew....makes a good point. Your target acquisition will also be sped up by the distance between you and the target. IE..the less distance the faster your acquisition will be. If you are shooting at realistic distances...say 15yards and in...then you can utilize some of the techniques that GIJew is talking about. Try going to the 3-5 yard line and doing this drill. Pointing in a safe direction(at the target) draw your weapon and come to ready gun. Speed is not a factor at all in this drill...but it will familiarize you with the ready gun position and give your muscles more practice to build in memory. Get a good sight picture..then lean your head to the left of the weapon( you will be able to see down the side of the weapon) look at the weapon..not the target. Fire (1) round. Notice how the weapon reacoils in your hand...repreat looking at the right hand side of the weapon. Again take note how th weapon recoils in your hand. This will get you familiar with proper grip placement and recoil management....NOW..get a good sight picture and close your eyes. Fire (1) round see were the round went ( should be pretty much were you aimed )....What this does is prove the point that you do not have to use our site...at the "combat " distances. Now try the same drill but fire (2) rounds...Usually this is enough for the side viewing...but i like to fire a string of 5-6 rounds wi the eyes closed..you will be amazed how good your "group" can be. ....To utilize this in the real world, do as GIJew had mentioned before...look "over" or "through" your sights, This can give you a very distinct time advantage "faster aqcuisition" when shooting at close distances. As mentioned before...try "all" of the techniques and become familiar with them...then pick what works best for you and master them. Some of the things we read or see practiced are hard to swallow or believe  ...when you come across these "techniques" don't disregard them so quickly...they might actually work( as long as they are not dangerous...or completely loony). If not for you maybe someone else...but if you practice all the different techniques you can... your tool box will have maybe that one more tool that you needed to make a difference. |
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FWIW... Repetitive and lock-solid grip / lock out will lead to more consistant sight intercept. That's what I think you're talking about when you say target acquisition. Solid grip and recoil management will also add to your follow through and faster follow-up shots. Shooting with both eyes open will help out, but if you can't do that now or with a little practice, tackle the grip first. |
+1 Good advise 
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www.uspsa.org/ plug in your state or zip code to find matches near you. 
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As far as head down goes, here is Chris Costa running an Ed Brown 1911:.jpg) I took that picture in a recent class. The guy is VERY fast and has "been there and done that" as a career. What works for one guy might not work for the next, but I find myself running faster and more accurately when in a similar stance to Chris. I've been dry firing more frequently recently and find it really helping to my trigger manipulation. I had slacked off the last couple months and it was showing. Shooting is a perishable skill! Use it or loose it. Mark |