Shooting Fundamentals: Sights
Author: Graham Dunne
When I entered the Marine Corps, 35 years ago, the emphasis on shooting fundamentals was high. I left the Marine Corps believing the Corps did two things very well: teaching rifle marksmanship fundamentals, and teaching leadership and followership.
In regards to rifle marksmanship, the training was top notch. In retrospect, the only criticism I would make is that some of the training was antiquated, or rather based on making tight groups on targets, not necessarily appropriate for combat.
For example: we would remove the sling from the rear swivel, running our non-dominant arm through the sling, attaching it tightly above the bicep, similar to a tourniquet, to make a very tight shooting mount. While this is in fact very effective, it is also very unrealistic to think someone would do this in combat.
As a sniper and police SWAT officer I was fortunate to attend dozens of shooting schools. As the years passed, so did many of the beliefs in the training world. Much of what we learned evolved, while some concepts stayed the same.
While Marine Corps fundamentals of marksmanship training was excellent, my only criticism would be regarding how they taught us “sight picture”. (Note that during my enlistment we did not have holographics, only iron sights.)
You can break down the fundamentals of sights in two parts: “sight alignment” and “sight picture”. Sight alignment means the sights are aligned horizontally and vertically, and sight picture is how the sights looks in relation to what you’re shooting. In those days we were taught to focus on the sights, not on the target. In other words, the sights would be crystal clear and the target would be fuzzy. Below is a rendition of such.
That may be ok for shooting a target hundreds of yards away, but what about up close? If I’m clearing a building, or attacked on the street, it is counterproductive to be focused on your sights. In the last decade or so the gun world has come around, and progressive instructors are now teaching to look through the sights, not at them. Meaning you are neither target nor sight focused, each has equal focus. Below is a rendition of such.
FBI statistics tell us that the average shooting in the U.S. is 2 yards in distance, and 2.5 seconds in duration. That said, I don’t believe most will have the time or the wherewithal to find their sights. Therefore, it is imperative shooters index their target with proper grip and stance. At close range a shooter will be on target without sights if their grip and stance is correct. They will index the target with their upper torso in an “isosceles” triangle shooting platform, creating an arrow towards whatever they are pointing at. Additionally, shooters can index their target by pointing with their thumbs, creating a natural point of aim towards their target. See my grip below.
Try this: go to the range and cover your sights with blue painter’s tape. Aim using your non-dominant thumb. Within 25 yards you will find you are on target with proper grip and stance. For this experiment to work, you must resist looking around the blocked sights, and look through the blue tape as though it was there. Occluded vision drills demonstrate how convergence vison will mirror the image over the blocked eye.
The concept of looking through your sights verses sight focus works the same for holographic sights. (Red and green dots.) The advantage is there is only one focal point verses two. Without going down the red dot rabbit hole, holographic sights are the future and have many benefits. They also have a few negatives and require formal training to be fluid.
For more information regarding the occluded vision drill, see my short video on youtube titled “The power of the thumb.”
About the author:
Sergeant Dunne is a former Marine and police officer, with 30 years of service. He has served as a SWAT operator and sniper, and was a full time academy instructor for 8 years. A police Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross recipient, he is founder and lead instructor for Ragnar Tactical.