{"id":5682,"date":"2020-07-07T14:50:38","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T14:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/?p=5682"},"modified":"2023-03-15T14:18:15","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T14:18:15","slug":"sight-alignment-and-sight-picture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammunitiontogo.com\/lodge\/sight-alignment-and-sight-picture\/","title":{"rendered":"Sight Alignment and Sight Picture – How to Get Shots on Target"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hitting your target seems like a pretty simple concept. Just line up your sights and pull the trigger and voil\u00e0, instant success. Right?<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve spent even five minutes shooting a firearm, you know it isn\u2019t nearly that straightforward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While proper sight alignment and sight picture are relatively simple concepts, things rarely work that simply in practice. If it did, we\u2019d all be sharpshooters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at these basics of marksmanship, and how we can properly use these concepts to improve our shooting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sight Picture and Sight Alignment – What\u2019s the Difference?<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve spent any time lurking around a gun range or scrolling through online shooting forums, you\u2019ve probably heard the terms \u201csight alignment\u201d and \u201csight picture.\u201d These two terms get tossed around a bunch in shooting circles, and unless you had a really good teacher (Thanks, Dad!), you\u2019ve probably heard them used in ways that led you to believe they are the exact same thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although they are related, sight alignment and sight picture are not the same thing. These two concepts are actually quite different.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference? Keep reading to find out.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Sight Alignment?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sight alignment is the way you line up your front and rear sights on your firearm. Lining them up properly is crucial to actually hitting your target. Do it wrong, and you\u2019ll be throwing shots in any number of directions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Achieve Proper Sight Alignment<\/span><\/h3>\n

To accurately hit where you\u2019re aiming, your sights need to be aligned for both vertical and horizontal equilibrium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before red dots and lasers were really a thing (back when I was marching to and from school uphill both ways), shooters could rely on good old-fashioned iron sights. Even if you like shooting with a red dot, you should still know how to use your iron sights. It\u2019s just a good skill to have. Technology is prone to fail, and iron sights (paired with good shooting fundamentals) are much more reliable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While sight styles differ from handgun to handgun, the general design and function is the same across the board. You have some sort of post mounted over the muzzle and a rear aperture near the opposite end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That rear aperture may look like a football goal post or a tiny letter V. No matter what it looks like, the idea is to line up your front post evenly in the notch of your rear sight. This is your horizontal alignment and ensures you won\u2019t miss right or left.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The top of the front sight should also be even with the top of each post. This is your vertical alignment and ensures your muzzle is pointing straight ahead.\u00a0 If the top of your sights don\u2019t line up, your point of impact will miss your mark high or low.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Proper sight alignment is the same whether or not you have an object in your sights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Sight Picture?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sight alignment (while super important) is only half the equation. The other half is sight picture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The sight picture is what your eye sees when you have your sights aligned and aimed at your intended target.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For a shot to impact exactly where you want it to, you need to both align the sights properly, AND aim them in such a way (using your sight picture) that you hit the target where you intended. The goal is to marry your point of aim (where you want the bullet to hit the target) with your point of impact (where your bullet actually hits the target).<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Achieve Proper Sight Picture<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Proper<\/p>\n

What should your sight picture look like?<\/span><\/p>\n

As you look down your weapon toward your target (with properly aligned sights), you should see a slightly fuzzy target, a front sight that is sharp and in focus, and a blurry rear sight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maintaining focus on your front sight (while practicing proper alignment) is crucial for shooting consistency (and ultimately accuracy).<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the faster you can do this, the better. That’s why you’ll find a lot of trainers and other online resources talking about fast sight picture acquisition<\/a>. At the end of the day, most strategies come down to one thing: practice. If you put in the time, you’re going to improve. If you don’t, it’s hard to see gains.<\/p>\n

Understanding Eye Dominance<\/span><\/h2>\n

Most people are well aware of their dominant hand. It\u2019s the hand you use to write, hold a fork, throw a ball, and pull the trigger. (Approximately one percent of the population can use both hands equally well. Hats off to the lucky few who are truly ambidextrous.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Just like most people have a dominant hand, they also have a dominant eye. And just like your dominant hand tends to be stronger than the other, your dominant eye is also stronger than your non-dominant eye.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re like the majority of the population, your dominant eye matches your dominant hand. However, some shooters are cross dominant, meaning they are right eye dominant, but left hand dominant, or vice versa. While we don\u2019t have any real, solid research numbers, many experts estimate that around one third of the population is cross dominant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plenty of shooters just assume they should aim with whichever eye matches up with their dominant hand. However, understanding your eye dominance is actually more important for accurate shooting than hand dominance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you consistently shoot far off to one side of your target, despite having proper sight alignment, you might be aligning your sights with your non-dominant eye.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Determine Your Dominant Eye<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you aren\u2019t sure which is your dominant eye, there is a simple test you can do right at home to find out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n