how do you aim / align your sights?

BP7

BP7

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how high or low do you generally align your sights - center of mass, 6 o'clock, other? do you change it depending on whether you're doing target practice or IDPA / IPSC / PPC competition? and mostly, WHY do you align it a certain way and has it changed over the months / years of your shooting?

i thought about making this a poll, but there's two many cases to nicely tie in and it's possible that certain people keep the same approach while other change it depending on what they're shooting.
 
I generally set my sights so my POI is right on top of the leveled sight plane.
I do this because I don't like my sights covering what I want to hit. Meaning I want to be able to see what I'm hitting at all times. I shoot bullseye, none of the run-and-gun stuff.
Hope that makes sense.:D
 
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I shoot a 6 o’clock hold on a 4 inch circle at 25 yards. I’ve got some large “targ-dots” that I stick on an IPSC target. From sand bags, I adjust so my group is centered on the black. That’s really only 2 or 3 inches above point of aim, so everything out to 20 yards is a dead-on hold. For close in poppers I hold in the middle and for longer shots or mini-poppers I take the 6 o’clock. On a full IPSC Classic I draw a mental line between the 2 points where the target tapers up (shoulders for the non PC crowd). That puts me in the fullest part of the “A”. On partial targets I forget about the scoring lines and just aim for the centre. When I was shooting black sights I used to take more time aligning. Now that I’m shooting a F/O front, I find myself just looking thru the rear and focusing on the target letting the fibre optic float like shooting a dot. My eye seems to do a decent job of centering without me thinking about it.
 
Viper26 said:
I shoot a 6 o’clock hold on a 4 inch circle at 25 yards. I’ve got some large “targ-dots” that I stick on an IPSC target. From sand bags, I adjust so my group is centered on the black. That’s really only 2 or 3 inches above point of aim, so everything out to 20 yards is a dead-on hold. For close in poppers I hold in the middle and for longer shots or mini-poppers I take the 6 o’clock. On a full IPSC Classic I draw a mental line between the 2 points where the target tapers up (shoulders for the non PC crowd). That puts me in the fullest part of the “A”. On partial targets I forget about the scoring lines and just aim for the centre. When I was shooting black sights I used to take more time aligning. Now that I’m shooting a F/O front, I find myself just looking thru the rear and focusing on the target letting the fibre optic float like shooting a dot. My eye seems to do a decent job of centering without me thinking about it.
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interesting approach - i may try that. so far, i've never put the target ABOVE the sights but rather always intersected it with them. i guess to me, it's the simplest way since the size of the target / circle doesn't come into play like it can with doing a 6-o'clock-hold.

but since IDPA (and likely IPSC) has changing distances, something like what you do might be worth trying.
 
Always and only at 6 o’clock. That is the only way target will instantly talk back to you.
Over the time you start noticing your own mistakes and learn how to correct them.
This is very important when you struggling with proper trigger technique. Also your sights must always be in the white, not touching any of the black assuming you are using proper target for your chosen distance.
 
BP7 said:
interesting approach - i may try that. so far, i've never put the target ABOVE the sights but rather always intersected it with them. i guess to me, it's the simplest way since the size of the target / circle doesn't come into play like it can with doing a 6-o'clock-hold.

but since IDPA (and likely IPSC) has changing distances, something like what you do might be worth trying.
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At the provincials this year we were shooting mini poppers at 45 yards. You had to take a 6, or the front sight would completely cover the target.
 
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This all leads naturally to the next question... How are most factory sights set up? For a 6 o'clock hold or centre hold? :confused: Is there any real rhyme or reason for why a manufacturer might choose either?
 
This gave me trouble when I first started shooting handguns. I learned to shoot with bead sights, at age 8, and got accustomed to putting the bead on the target. I graduated to a thin blade sight (Lee Enfield sniper rifle) and continued to place the tip of the blade on the center of target. Peep sights were my next experience, again centered on the bullseye.

The first time I sighted a handgun, I was amazed at the lack of precision. It took some adjustment to bring the size of target into perspective. I still have a tendency to nudge the sights up til they almost cover the POI. It's a hard habit to break. Now that my eyes are starting to change with age, the sights are begining to blur slightly. I've become more focused on the front sight (a good thing), I think it just gets to be instinctive for most people. Practice makes perfect.
 
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