Watching the front sight is important to accuracy, but there’s more out there to pay attention to! READ MORE
SOURCE: Team Springfield, Rob Leatham and Rob Pincus
It’s amazing what “over thinking” can do to your accuracy. Whether you’re in competition or self-defense mode, speed and accuracy are a key part of your shooting acumen. So why do we let fixating on the front sight deter both of those elements?
DON’T FIXATE — JUST AIM
One of the biggest myths about shooting is that we only need to see the sights when firing the gun — the front sight in particular. If it’s bullseye accuracy you are after and the speed of the shot is of little to no concern, knock yourself out. Take aim, put your finger on the trigger and then idle for several seconds, double and triple-checking your sights before firing.
If it’s close and fast, though, and time means winning or dying, you will need another tool.
The truth is when the goal is speed, you will go slower if you “over-aim.” This is because fixating on the front sight can hinder your ability to pull the trigger.
You should be able to get the accuracy you need with an increased level of speed by not requiring that crystal clear front sight.
Here’s why: Often while going for that perfect sight picture, an internal mental battle occurs. Going for “perfection” instead of accepting “good enough,” increases the likelihood of mistakes. Flinching (pulling the gun out of alignment) increases due to the hesitation of pulling the trigger. This of course leads to poor accuracy and it’s slow.
Keep it simple and speedy.
Point the gun at the target, aim, move to the trigger and fire. This should all occur very quickly. Not always one smooth motion, but still done fast. Faster than you can read this sentence.
There are so many old sayings like “slow is fast” or “smooth is fast,” and so on, but just remember this: Fast is fast and accurate is accurate. Sometimes fast is violent and not perfectly clear visually.
Too slow — just like too fast — is bad. Remove any hesitation once the decision to fire has occurred. Only an obstruction of the target or a late decision to abort the shot should stop the process.
If you’re a competition or defensive shooter who wants to maintain a fast pace, don’t bother trying to maintain a perfect, clear sight picture for every shot. It’s not going to happen.
WATCH THE VIDEO
