My last range session was a learning experience

[extremefishin00]

I visited the Chickahominy Shooting Range this past Saturday with my cousin, so we could put a few rounds through his XD-40 and my P99, as well as his M4. When I started shooting my P99, I was very disappointed. The range was only 15 yards, but I was getting patterns, more than groups. After a couple of magazines, I put the gun down, and thought a bit. Then I took off my glasses, and fired what would turn out to be one of the best 5 shot groups I had that day. It was then that I realized I was focusing on things way too much. Rather than just focusing on the front sight, I was trying to focus on the target, the rear sight, and the front sight. Trying to line all of those up was causing me to get a different sight picture each time. Taking off my glasses, the main thing that was in focuse was the front sight. When I started focusing on the front sight, I was getting 2-2.5" groups. I wish I could have figured this out a couple of magazines sooner though. lol

Chris

 

[Jim Watson]

A lot of us wear shooting glasses that focus on the front sight, and you will see some people getting in funny positions to see the sights throught their bifocals.
But get some safety glasses. A hot case in the eye won't do your shooting a bit of good.

 

[extremefishin00]

Jim,

Don't worry, I usually only shoot with my glasses on. I just took them off for a couple of rounds to see how I would do. Of course, I know it just takes one empty casing or piece of lead to change things forever. Once I realized what the difference was, I put the glasses back on and focused primarily on the front sight.

My glasses have actually saved me a couple times from flying casings. Nothing like watching the case eject from the gun and fly straight toward your face..

Chris

 

[richyoung]

ALWAYS were your eye protection! It saved me from being blind. I don't see worth a hoot out of the left eye anyway, so all I have is the right eye. One day I was shooting a small cheap .22 automatic made by a company whose name rhymes with the composer/performer of the "Dukes Of Hazzard" theme. The "arm" dissambled itself in mid-shot, and the striker came howling straight back out of the firing pin tunnel at warp factor eight and took a nickle-sized divot out of the shooting glass lens over my one good eye. Had I not had the glasses on, at best I would have been out in the middle of nowhere with my one good eye speared like a martini olive. At worst, I would have been dead with a firing pin in my brain. Always protect the ears and eyes. (And if you are hot-rodding .38 Super, or some other 9mm cartridge to make major, rubber grip panels with steel inserts are cheap insurance as well.)