Aiming a pistol

[DannyD]

Hey Folks,
I bought my first pistol and will be sighting it in this weekend.
My question is about how to line up the sights.

Assuming I line up the frontsight to be level with the rear sight when looking down the barrel, Where should the target be? Directly behind the front sight?
I noticed when doing this while handling the gun this week, that the target becomes greatly blocked out.
Should the target be just above the front sight while the front and rear sights are level?

[Rebel Hog]

For images of other popular sight combinations, Click This Link.


Aiming the Pistol


Essentials of Pistol Sighting


FM 3-23.35 Chapter 2, Pistol Marksmanship Training

[Bulzeye]

Great links Rebel.

I have all mine set up as center of mass.
I find most handguns with fixed or windage-adjustable-only sights are aligned this way from the factory, at least for reasonable handgun ranges.
I like the bullets to hit exactly at the top of the front sight so there is no guessing

[DannyD]

Thanks Reb,
That was a lot of very helpful info

[eldeguello]

ORIGINAL: DannyD

Hey Folks,
I bought my first pistol and will be sighting it in this weekend.
My question is about how to line up the sights.

Assuming I line up the frontsight to be level with the rear sight when looking down the barrel, Where should the target be? Directly behind the front sight?
I noticed when doing this while handling the gun this week, that the target becomes greatly blocked out.
Should the target be just above the front sight while the front and rear sights are level?

The previous answers explain the sight picture. When shooting a pistol, focus your eyes on the sights, and allow the TARGET to appear blurry. (In other words, don't worry too much about how well you can see the target, because it is the SIGHTS you need to be looking at!!)

Concentrate on keeping the sights aligned during the trigger squeeze, as a slight misalignment of the sights will displace the point of impact of the bullet on the target a considerable amount. But if the sights are perfectly aligned when the shot breaks, even if the sights are "wandering around" a little in relation to the center of the bullseye, the shot will still be a good one!

[DannyD]

Thanks Elde,
First time shooting a pistola. I'm looking forward to getting out there this weekend and learning

[biscuit jake]

Eldeguello gave a really good tip about letting the target be blurry. If you keep your field of focus on the sights, then the handgun will do the shooting for you. If it does not all come together the first shoot, then just keep trying. Some shooters are like a duck to water, and some take a bit, when it comes to pistols. I personally sight in for a 6 o'clock hold, an old military habit.

[fornra@yahoo.com]

The 6 o'clock hold and trigger control, breathing and squeezing. Don't piss away your ammo, stay focused and you'll be surprised how fast you'll improve