Thread: Aiming without sights

Is there a certain way to learn how to instinctively shoot without using the sights on a pistol? Especially at speed. Not after small groups.

I know about the sight picture/alignment but I'd rather keep my concentration on the target rather than have a blurry target and sharp front post.

I'm guessing it is just going to be 10s of thousands of rounds at paper and plates. I suppose I should join the club, just not interested in competition shooting, I just want to blast away.

I read about the technique in 'Inside Delta Force' by Eric HANEY, great book.

buy an imitation air pistol of the one you use, that will save some money, then practice. I can't imagine its much different than using a shotgun for instinctive shooting. I know I never see the bead on the shottie if I'm doing it right, only the duck.

If scores are anything to go by, I don't think I use my sights at all in competiton😆

I think as distance increases instinctive shooting for the average person would be all over the place. I would rather take the point whatever of a second it takes to get some form of alignment to shoot somewhat accurately.

Everything would have to be perfect regarding grip, position etc to be on all the time.
In saying that I am sure there are a lot of good shooters who can shoot well instinctively and in turn speeding them up.
I know I shoot a lot of close stuff, especially when on the move without having the gun at eye level. Again my scores usually indicate that😆


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I got taught close target = look at it, point and shoot. Medium range start looking for sight picture.

So stuff that's at under 3m, look at it and point. Try it on a target at home, I was surprised how effective it was (for me).


shows fast shooting by just looking and pointing.

Experience, meaning lots of trigger time will teach you how to point shoot. As you get better you will be able to extend the distance at which you feel comfortable doing it. Everybody is different. I point shoot as i move past close targets, 8ft is my maximum comfortable range right now to hit alphas on the move, i wont point shoot at that range if i also have 2 or 3 targets to be shot from that position at longer distances, so stationary, i stay on my sights and just transition, i may point shoot the last target as i move off the position though. So its stage dependant for me.

When i do it im looking at the target and depending on what my body position is in relation to the target i may also be looking down the side of my gun or over the top of it. Theres realy no hard fast rule, its just what you feel comfortable with.

I liken it to shooting a shotgun at something from the hip, you just know wether you will hit what youre aiming at because you know your limits.

If youre talking about shooting steel targets at 30 meters from the hip and with ease then tell me what the secret is if you ever find it!

Muscle memory is basically what it boils down to
After a certain time everytime the gun comes up its lined up.
When I was shooting 3-4 times a week in Auckland my muscle memory was awesome and IPSC times super fast. Blury front sight on target, pull the trigger
6 months off after a thumb injury and I sucked! - still suck - The gun feels foreign in my hand..Its back to sights for me, and at this rate for a while yet as just dont get the time behind the gun.

that is an awsome book and i think it just comes down to thousands and thousands of rounds. another good book that is quite similar is "cold zero by chris whitcomb" its about the FBI hostage rescue team

Did the Sundance Kid put out a book on it? I remember him being very good!

Originally Posted by Maca49

Did the Sundance Kid put out a book on it? I remember him being very good!

So was little Joe Cartwright but Savage1 is talking real world.

The sights are there for a purpose. Lots and lots of shooting using a flash sight picture will eventually produce good muscle memory and allow the development of close-range instinct shooting (up to about 8 metres). Any further requires a flash sight picture. All of this is dependant upon good shooting stance and trigger squeeze, built up over thousands of practice rounds. Start slowly and allow your speed to increase naturally - don't force it or you will just be practicing poor techniques and never achieve your goal. One medium speed shot delivered accurately is miles faster than 3 or 4 lightning fast misses! Once you start getting good results you must still reinforce those skills with regular practice. With the proper technique and sight picture, most pistols can be surprisingly accurate out to 50 metres, and good revolvers to well past 100 metres. Joining a club is the best way to get the correct advice (provided you ask the right people).

Originally Posted by Rushy

So was little Joe Cartwright but Savage1 is talking real world.

Sundance was a real person Rushy. We shoot a competition with rifles from the hip at Xmas times, about a two ft disc at 50 metre, most people shoot low into the ground,

I know that Sundance was real but Robert Redford only played him.......or was that Paul Newman.

Roberto

Once you build up your muscle memory by going over and over your draw or rapid alignment then your actions and shot placement will start to become instinctive. I do not see any benefit of moving backward to a "BB pistol" as you will loose the "recoil management/control" part of the drill. Remember that any change in stance or grip will make for inconsistent results.

"Speed is fine Accuracy is final"

Start slow, and get consistent shot placement before speeding up the drill. Eyes on the target and squeeze, you will be surprised.

Practice, practice and more practice.
Break a typical stage down into its basic components and practice each component separately. Concentrate on areas that you are weak at like weak hand.
Each stage is made up of dozens of components when you think about it.
Use a timer to measure your times (Try different things and see what works for you best) and your speed should be such that you shoot all A zones preferably.
Red dot or open sight I would still be trying to see at least a flash of dot or front sight on the centre of your available A zone even while point shooting.

Point shooting tips:
Practice your draws. I good clean grip on your pistol is vital, more so than the speed of the draw.
Practice drawing and engaging close targets stationary, moving forward, backwards, to the left and to the right.
Try strong and weak hand only with and without a prop weight.
Watch your moving speed while engaging targets as if you try moving too fast you may get trigger freeze and run past a target, normally breaking the 180 deg in doing so.
Finish each shoot before looking at the next target. Your pistol will follow your eyes and it can be common for the second shot to be missing from close targets as your eyes have already moved off the target before the final shot it released.

Good luck