The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - I think I've had it wrong all these years

Sigma 40 Blaster · October 18, 2008, 05:44 PM

There's a great deal of difference between a precise sight picture, a flash sight picture, point shooting, and spray and pray.

I have been shooting IDPA for about a year now and my outlook on all four of those things has greatly changed. I am far from a pro shooter and don't present IDPA as tactical training or anything other than a good test of a variety of shooting and gun handling skills.

When I buy a new gun (or new ammo with an old gun) I will begin with precise sight pictures so I can get an idea of POI. I have never bought a gun that required any sight tweaking.

After I have an idea of how the gun "aims" I work from the holster, my goal is to obtain a good hit as fast as possible. I have a 3-6 inch target I consider a good hit depending on distance. 7 yards and closer I do well with a flash sight picture, basically just enough to see that the front sight is centered and the top is even with the rear sights. This is not a precise alignment...just a quick check to make sure I'm on target.

As the distance increases that "flash" sight picture gets a little bit longer because I know a deviation in my sight picture will affect my shot more @ 15 yards than at 7. At 20 yards or better I'm almost back to a "precise" sight picture but I'm still not striving for "one ragged hole".

I regard point shooting as a good tool for rapid fire at 3-5 yards with a completely clear backstop. I don't do this from the hip but with my gun indexed at my pectoral muscle, slightly canted to the side so the slide doesn't hit me during recoil.

I think being able to get good hits as fast as possible is the primary objective for competitive or defensive purposes. I can think of scenarios where precise aiming, flash aiming, and point shooting could all mean the difference between life and death (your own or someone other than the bad guy(s)). Understand the difference in the three techniques and what situations they would be applicable and get good at all three.

Working from the holster is very important during practice (or just at home doing dry work if you can't do it at the range) because in real life you do not have time to pick your gun off of a bench, slip a fresh mag in, rack the slide, loosen your shoulders up, get into your stance, and aim for an X. If a typical SD situation is only 3-5 seconds long and it takes you 3 seconds to clear leather and get off a good shot you're in trouble. Distance and movement (either you or the BG) are very important variables in that equation that dictate the type of shot you will take.

October 18, 2008, 05:44 PM	#21
Sigma 40 Blaster Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: East Texas Posts: 997	There's a great deal of difference between a precise sight picture, a flash sight picture, point shooting, and spray and pray. I have been shooting IDPA for about a year now and my outlook on all four of those things has greatly changed. I am far from a pro shooter and don't present IDPA as tactical training or anything other than a good test of a variety of shooting and gun handling skills. When I buy a new gun (or new ammo with an old gun) I will begin with precise sight pictures so I can get an idea of POI. I have never bought a gun that required any sight tweaking. After I have an idea of how the gun "aims" I work from the holster, my goal is to obtain a good hit as fast as possible. I have a 3-6 inch target I consider a good hit depending on distance. 7 yards and closer I do well with a flash sight picture, basically just enough to see that the front sight is centered and the top is even with the rear sights. This is not a precise alignment...just a quick check to make sure I'm on target. As the distance increases that "flash" sight picture gets a little bit longer because I know a deviation in my sight picture will affect my shot more @ 15 yards than at 7. At 20 yards or better I'm almost back to a "precise" sight picture but I'm still not striving for "one ragged hole". I regard point shooting as a good tool for rapid fire at 3-5 yards with a completely clear backstop. I don't do this from the hip but with my gun indexed at my pectoral muscle, slightly canted to the side so the slide doesn't hit me during recoil. I think being able to get good hits as fast as possible is the primary objective for competitive or defensive purposes. I can think of scenarios where precise aiming, flash aiming, and point shooting could all mean the difference between life and death (your own or someone other than the bad guy(s)). Understand the difference in the three techniques and what situations they would be applicable and get good at all three. Working from the holster is very important during practice (or just at home doing dry work if you can't do it at the range) because in real life you do not have time to pick your gun off of a bench, slip a fresh mag in, rack the slide, loosen your shoulders up, get into your stance, and aim for an X. If a typical SD situation is only 3-5 seconds long and it takes you 3 seconds to clear leather and get off a good shot you're in trouble. Distance and movement (either you or the BG) are very important variables in that equation that dictate the type of shot you will take.