While optics are becoming more and more the standard option for sights, it is surprising how the skill of being able to use old fashioned iron sights can make a big difference in your ability to hit any target at any time. Some of the old school of gun owners still use these sights exclusively and avoid the new types of scopes that seem to take a lot of the skill factor out of making the shot.
Practice Makes Perfect
This is not to say that target practice, competitive shooting or hunting with a scope doesn’t also take skill and practice, but it does mean it doesn’t involve having to work as hard to sight in the target.
With both crosshairs and red dots in scopes, the shooter has to focus on the red door or the position where the vertical and horizontal crosshairs meet and place that over the intended target. With the use of the iron sights, it takes the ability to position the target, the front sight and the rear sight all in the correct alignment to hit what you are aiming for.
Two Sights
Unlike the scope where there is one area to focus on the target, the sights have two. The front sight will be the key area of the focus, but as it is in relation to the target and to the rear sight.
The mistake most people make is to focus on the target and keep the front sight as a guide or a soft focus. The more effective and accurate method is to focus on the front sight and use the target as the soft focus.
The front sight should be in the center and fully seen through the rear sight. It is not important if the rear sight is not crystal clear, keep the focus on the correct position of that critical front sight in the middle of the rear sight and in the soft focus of the target for greatest accuracy.
