[P95Carry]

Ok - this is pretty much practice, for most part. But - just interested to get input as to any good ''tricks'' folks have found.

I used my SIG226 for IDPA Saturday - great day's shooting but - was aware I still need more draw time to get this improved. Sure - dry-fire and draw practice at home will help but - as ever, keen to learn any ploys I have not yet come up with.

Much of this is - I get gun up on target but am wasting a valuable fraction of second aquiring (with difficulty with these old eyes) ... my foresight. When I eventually get my improved glasses this should be easier but - as yet, no guarantee that sights are ''spot on'' immediately following draw. Grip feels good - control is good - just that final adjustment needed still.

This is most critical on semi no-hit targets - I want to drop zilch but play safe and finish up getting -1's.

[280PLUS]

Is there any way you can make the sight more visible so that maybe you could aquire it faster?

I read somewhere an old police trick is to use whiteout on it.

:)

[P95Carry]

Well - my SIG has nightsights and in daylight these are close to having white dots ... bit like I have on my BHP. It helps a lot.

My point tho is - finding a way to get the sights all but 100% every time - from the leather. I can see my night sights quite well (considering) but foresight rarely comes up ready to rock! :)

[Paul Gomez]

Might I suggest the following:

Draw the gun to point. Confirm correct grip and sight alignment.


Relax your wrists & let the gun droop [but keep your hands and forearms in proper position].

Rebuild your correct grip and reverify sights.

After you've done that about 20 times, retract the gun to chest level and present it from their all the way to point and confirm sights.

As you do this, pay particular attention to getting the gun up and into the eye/target line consistently. You should be able to watch the slide glide forward to it's final position, with a bit of practice.

Repeat x20.

From point/on the sights/ draw back to chest and continue drawing back to your hands begin to separate. Rebuild grip, extend, sights from there. Repeat x20.

From point/back through each previous position until gun is in the rearmost position prior to dropping the muzzle to reholster. Rebuild platform from there. Repeat x20.

From point/back all teh way to holster...Maintain your firing grip on the holstered gun. From holster to point...Repeat x20.

Hands off gun...draw to point x20...

This will work your kinesetic understanding of proper gun alignment. As this becomes consistent and repeatable, you should find yourself with the gun aligned before the gun is locked out on point. Go for consitency, not speed. ;)

[geekWithA.45]

The drill I was taught, similiar to above post:

0) Ritually unload. (duh)

1) Without involving the holster, Obtain the grip that is correct for you and the gun. There is one optimal grip.

2) Preselect a number of target points throughout the room.

3) Place your dominant eye upon the target.

4) From the position at which your gun would be clear of the holster had you drawn, _smoothly_ and without haste bring it up in a rock and lock to the point of aim. FIND the correct biomechanical method of doing this. Having obtained that, repeat until you can do it consistently.

5) Then repeat step 4, using a different target each time. Repeat until consistent.

6) Select a sequence of engagement. From the pseudo draw, engage your first target, and then from that position, engage your next target. Repeat to consistency.

7) As you get more reliable at this, introduce elements of the actual draw, the key of which is obtaining the correct grip as the first phase of the draw, and trigger control, the key of which is another topic.


Above all, operate smoothly, consistently, and without haste.

The ultimate outcome is to achieve a reliable biomechanical action that reliably puts the sight wherever you're looking as a natural consequence of your motions.

[P95Carry]

Paul, Geek - pretty much it eh - practice!!!

Thanks tho for the outline and suggestions - this is useful as a discipline to follow and I will make use of that as a regimen ... only way to go really. Thx again.

[Old Fuff]

Sure do understand the part about old eyes ...

Simple trick that may help. If possible, open up the width of the rear sight notch. For fast work the combined width of the "white space" on each side of the front sight blade (when viewed through the rear sight notch) should be equal to the width of the front sight. In other words if you view the sights with the front blade way over to the right or left the remaining "line of white" on the other side should be the same as the blade.

You may find (much to your surprise) that the wider notch doesn't reduce accuracy, and it's easier to see and center the front blade in the notch.

I also have found that dots on the rear sight in well lighted situations can be distracting, as your eye(s) try to focus on both the front and back at the same time, and in the process the focus shifts back an forth.

A square gold (bronze) insert in the front sight works better then a dot if you are trying to get a precise sight picture. Ideally a round dot doesn’t fit in a square notch, and you either lose time trying to get it right, or shoot too quickly without getting a good sight picture. If the name of the game is “fast and dirty” this may not matter. Otherwise it does.

[jamz]

"Rock and Lock"?


-James

[Malamute]

If precise accuracy isn't important I look over the top of the sights like shooting a shotgun. It's very fast. You can hit running rabbits consistantly shooting like this, at least I could, but never was able to do so with an auto pistol. may work for you with an auto. I was never able to shoot an auto as well consistantly as a revolver for any kind of shooting.

[Archangel]

It's not just practice, but what you practice.

Go back and read Paul's post 20 times. It's very good advice. :)


The one part I want to expound on is this:
retract the gun to chest level and present it from their all the way to point and confirm sights.


I have seen a lot of new shooters do one of two things (and you might not be doing either, but maybe someone else reading this is).

1) Start with straight arms, gun pointed towards the ground, then raise their straight, fully extended arms up to swring the gun onto target.

2) Start with the gun pointed towards the sky / ceiling, and straighten their elbows to swing the gun down onto target.

Both of these are, if not bad form, at least much slower to acquire your sights.

In the draw stroke as Paul describes it, the gun is pointed at the target from the point your weak hand joins the grip (actually, even before that point), which should not be more than a couple inches from your chest. From there, you push straight out to full extension.

As you draw, your eyes should be focused on the exact spot you want to hit with your first shot. As you push out to full extension, your sights will come into the bottom of your vision. You should be able to pick up the front sight less than halfway there. The rear sight will come up around the front sight, and settle into a perfect sight picture (on that point on the target you've been focused on) just as you reach full extension, which is when you break the shot.

So, it's not:
1)extend
2)find sights
3)align sights
4)fire

It's more like:
1)Start extending
1a)Keep extending, find sights
1b)Keep extending, start aligning sights on target
1c)Finish extension, complete perfect sight picture on target, break shot, all simultaneously.


Hope that helps. Now, go back and read Pauls advice again, since mine probably made no sense. :p

[armedandsafe]

Focus on the target. Bring your focus down to a particular point on the target. Focus intently on that point, but DO NOT SQUINT. This should take no more than 2 seconds.

Bring the gun up from the holster, assume your firing stance and THEN look at the gun. Note where the sights point in relation to the point of your focus. Do this a number of times (5 or more.)

If your point-of-aim is always off the same way and amount, either shift your grip or modify the gun's handgrips until you bring the gun up aligned properly EVERY time. I have found I need a little more plam swell than is available in most stock grips, when shooting a semi. Then PRACTICE as discussed above.

If your point-of-aim is not the same every time, your grip is not the same every time you draw. You need practice in obtaining the same grip on the gun every time you draw. Then PRACTICE as discussed above.

Pops

[P95Carry]

Archangel - it did make sense! :) Thing is I have been into comp shooting for a long time - certainly back in 80's I was shooting comps almost every week. back then tho eyes were Ok - and then I guess from mid 90's thru 2000 and more - no comps at all. I do know what I need - and have done it but now with the eyes thing and a fairly new gun - it's prompted me to think it over from ground up again.

Put another way - I have a boatload of experience and shot quite well - but am also prepared to learn any new tricks and/or be reminded of old ones I may have forgotten. Thus this thread.

Fuff - the ''daylight'' deal - indeed - something I did on my 686 back in 80's . I love huge daylight, and always have. Could well be - even tho the SIG is actually quite good for that - I will open up that rear a few thou more each side - won't take much. Thx.

Otherwise - I intend to follow the ''Gomez'' route and concentrate on improving. Next match is third week in may - so hopefully I'll have this better by then.

malamute - I have tried that but find it is a tad too ''iffy''.

[Soap]

I would do exactly what Paul said except I would add a finishing technique. I do all of the techniques he advises but I do my drawstroke with my eyes closed. When I open them, believe it or not, the sights are aligned. This just confims that you kinesetically understand the technique. Once you get used to indexing the gun, you can do this from varied positions and even upside down.

[P95Carry]

Dan - yes - that was something I used to do and will do again. It was always a good ploy even for bullseye folks in old days - to establish whether their grip had bias. From the leather of course - getting that ''sweet'' grip every time needs more work.