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**44 AMP** · May 9, 2012, 11:14 PM

The use of iron sights for fine shooting is becoming a lost art. You've gotten some fine advice. With peep sights, you eye autmatically centers the top of the front sight in the circle. You can see when it "looks right".

Put the target on top of the post, and shoot. You'll need at adjust a bit till the rounds hit the center of the bullseye with the hold, but once done, tis done, and you can work on being consistant with your hold and squeeze, and that is what makes small groups.

With leaf type sights, the traditional semi-buckhorn, etc, you have to put the top of the front sight (or the bead) in the bottom of the rear notch (or alternately, top of the front sight level with the top of the rear,and centered), consistantly the same way, and then sight the gun either for the 6 o'clock hold or sight it for the bead to cover what you want hit. These sights do fine when you are shooting at things. Peeps do fine on things, and have an advantage (easier to use well) on tiny things, like a spot on a piece of paper.

Back before 1900, the best shots were getting 1,000yard groups in the 10" range, with iron sights, using .45 caliber blackpowder rounds, with at drop at that range measured in multiple yards. Irons aren't impossible to use with great accuracy, they just need more from the shooter to do it.

May 9, 2012, 11:14 PM	#12
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,832	The use of iron sights for fine shooting is becoming a lost art. You've gotten some fine advice. With peep sights, you eye autmatically centers the top of the front sight in the circle. You can see when it "looks right". Put the target on top of the post, and shoot. You'll need at adjust a bit till the rounds hit the center of the bullseye with the hold, but once done, tis done, and you can work on being consistant with your hold and squeeze, and that is what makes small groups. With leaf type sights, the traditional semi-buckhorn, etc, you have to put the top of the front sight (or the bead) in the bottom of the rear notch (or alternately, top of the front sight level with the top of the rear,and centered), consistantly the same way, and then sight the gun either for the 6 o'clock hold or sight it for the bead to cover what you want hit. These sights do fine when you are shooting at things. Peeps do fine on things, and have an advantage (easier to use well) on tiny things, like a spot on a piece of paper. Back before 1900, the best shots were getting 1,000yard groups in the 10" range, with iron sights, using .45 caliber blackpowder rounds, with at drop at that range measured in multiple yards. Irons aren't impossible to use with great accuracy, they just need more from the shooter to do it. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.