6 o'clock hold

longbowman2 · 08-06-2008, 07:27 AM

For you handgun shooters. When you talk about holding a 6 o'clock just how low are you holding? If you were shooting at a pop can at 25 yds. would you hold just on the bottom of the can or just below center of the can or what?

CZ2506 · 08-06-2008, 07:37 AM

I've always thought of the 6 o'clock hold as keeping the top of the post at the bottom of the notch and centering the target in the notch. With my Anaconda (at 25 yards), I would center the pop can in the notch and put the top of the post right on the centerline.

Rifle Loony · 08-06-2008, 07:37 AM

Set the "kill zone" on top of your front post....

Solved that "problem" with having a set of Redhawk "hunter sights" put on my Blackhawk. It required milling off the front blade and cutting a dovetail for the new sight, then the new sight staked into place. The rear blade swap was a simple R&R.

That gave me a fine brass bead and a wide shallow "v"....much more precise than the standard square post and notch......

Briman · 08-06-2008, 07:52 AM

The 6 oclock hold is really only for target shooting only. For a hunting/plinking/defensive handgun, the sights need to be set so that the point of impact = point of aim (point of aim being the top edge of the front sight on a standard black front balde sight). With some of the combat type pistol sights, the sights are set so that cover the target with or put the target on top of a white or glowing triangle or dot.

mauser06 · 08-06-2008, 11:12 AM

i shoot like briman...where i want the bullets to go is right where the top edge of my sight it(i still call it a 6 oclock hold...in my eyes im still holding at 6 oclock compared to dead on line i do with my .010" bow pins....)

hard to explain in text...

thats the way i was taught to shoot pistols/ARs/combat shotgun...whatever you do, be consistant. if you want your bullets to hit what is at the top edge of your sight, you have a good sight picture and a good refrence...no guessing..top edge of the sight every time..

longbowman2 · 08-06-2008, 11:43 AM

Thank you all for the input. I've been shooting guns and bows for over 40 yrs. but when I started shooting handguns I found that this 6 o'clock thing kept coming up and nobody seemed to agree on it. Anyway, this helped and I know that I'm pretty well where you all suggested right now.

HEAD0001 · 08-06-2008, 12:50 PM

The six o'clock hold means you put the entire "target area" on top of the front sight. And the front sight is not set down into the notch of the back sight, it is level with the back sight.

So if you are shooting a can-what part is the target. The entire can?? Or the center of the can??

Actually the back sight is as important as the front sight when shooting this hold. You are not trying to set the front sight down into the notch, you need to keep them both level.

I use this hold for revolver and pistolopen sights. By shooting this way it allows you to visualize the entire target. I prefer that. Tom.

Rifle Loony · 08-06-2008, 12:57 PM

Good for a lot of reasons....

Including hittin' little stuff out to 60+ yards............

2FNSLO · 08-06-2008, 02:38 PM

Here is an interesting article that does a pretty good job of explaining it...

http://accurateshooter.wordpress.com/2007/09/09/usamu-article-explains-sight-pictures/

usmc1978 · 08-06-2008, 07:40 PM

HEAD0001 has it. '6 o'clock hold' is the same as what back country folks call 'pumpkin on a post,' cuz the bullseye should look like a pumpkin sittin' on your front sight post.