Some thoughts:
We cannot choose the distance at which our next critical incident will occur. If I my wife are out in a park, an urban/suburban “greenway,” or wild area, doing our “citizen scientist” thing, we may some distance apart, and there may be a steep-banked ditch or creek between us. I may not feel obligated to defend a total stranger, at extended distances, largely because it can be difficult to assess the truth, at distance, but, if my wife, son, or grandson is being attacked, at any distance, I will know who the bad guy is. (My wife is a Texas Master Naturalist, affiliated with the Texas Parks and Wildlife department, and also on the Environmental Services Board of the city in which we reside. I am often her pack mule and assistant photographer.)
Some attackers, especially if they have pre-self-medicated, will not be impressed by the mere presence of random holes being made in their bodies. It can, then, become necessary to hit specific very parts of their anatomies. Aiming can become important, even at close range.
In my one lethal force incident, I was looking over the top of the gun, but, the sights were visible, in the lower area of my field of vision. The hit was exactly where I wanted it to be, for both windage and elevation, but, I wonder if that would have been so, had there been no sights, whatsoever, on my GP100, and if the distance had been farther than two to three yards. Notably, nothing on this planet points better, in my hands, than a 4” or longer-barreled Ruger GP100. (Some few others point about as well, for me, but none better.)
I worked for a big-city PD for about 34 years. The first target position, of each duty pistol qual, was “hip shooting” at two yards. 20% of my shots were fired without sighting. My groups were always decently centered, left-to-right, but the hits were vertically strung, especially if I was firing a shorter-barreled weapon. Vertical stringing may be OK, if an opponent is standing erect, but, not all opponents are so cooperative.
During one qual, the front sight went flying, from my Colt Stainless Combat Commander, a not-uncommon event when sights were staked. I finished the qual, with no misses, out to 25 yards. I looked over the top of the slide, to make sure the front sight hole was in alignment with the rear notch. My group was larger than would have been desirable, had I been able to use the sights. Had I not been able to align that nicely center front sight hole, and the rear sight notch, as references, I wonder whether I would have done as well. Notably, a full-sized Government Model points much better, in my hands, than a Commander-sized 1911. That extra steel provides a farther-forward balance point, which helps me to “feel” where the muzzle is.
I do not claim to be an expert, or to have all of the answers.