correct sight picture/point of aim in USPSA

[nitram]

I have a question that has probably been asked before but I can't find the thread. The traditional sight picture for bulls eye type shooting is fairly straight forward, 6 o'clock hold. I have been trying to figure out what the correct sight picture/point of aim should be for USPSA shooting. Do you (i) put the front sight in a 6 o'clock hold to the A zone, or (ii) set the point of impact to be at the top of the front blade, or (iii) set the point of impact to be covered by the front sight? This is also complicated by the use of a fiber optic front sight. My natural tendency is to put the bright fiber optic rod at the desired point of impact, thus covering the POI with the front sight. I just wondered how other people set up their pistols.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Generally, the best zero for a handgun that is to be used for practical shooting of any kind is to have point-of-impact right on top of the front sight, or perhaps an inch or two above.

Now, for bullseye shooting, the bottom of the bull should be tangent to the top of the front sight, with shots impacting in the 10 ring. But for anything else, zero her so she shoots where she looks.

 

[huntershooter]

"Practical" shooting

POI should be right on top of front sight. I zeroed at 25 yds. What Vern said.

 

[Jim Watson]

I set my sights so the whole group - assuming I am shooting reasonably well -is on top of the front sight. Center about 2" high at 20 yards.
The fibre optic insert comes into play at shorter ranges where I am just kind of shotgunning anyhow.

 

[HSMITH]

I set my USPSA guns up so that the bullet hole appears floating over the front sight just ever so slightly at 15 yards. A SLIVER of target remains between the hole and the front sight if the gun were to not move on firing. Basically this makes the gun hits in the fiber optic at 3-7 yards, right on at 10, a smidge high at 15, and inch or so high at 25-40 yards.

You HAVE to be able to see where the bullet is going to hit, if you don't the hardcover/partials/no-shoot targets/walls/ports etc are going to tear you up. You also NEED to know where it hits at all distances from contact distance to at least 35 yards.

Point of aim on an open target should be the printed A in the lower A zone or slightly above it. Partial targets should be shot far enough away from the covering target/material to assure a scoring hit without penalty, yet as close as possible to the maximum scoring area given.

 

[10-Ring]

For me, I put my sights on what I want to hit...so I guess it's more of a cover instead of a 6 o'clock

 

[lcarr]

The point of aim should be at the center of the A zone. One should note that this is not the center of the overall target. This becomes important at distance as it becomes harder to discern the line of the A zone. Also, the printed "A" may or may not be in the middle of the A zone. For example, targets from Alco place the printed "A" below the center of the A zone.

Lincoln R. Carr
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