sight picture for handgun?

[sqroot3]

I'm planning on filing down the front sight on my RIA tactical, which is shooting low even with a center-of-mass sight picture (let alone a 6-o'clock sight picture). As I venture forth, should I be sighting with center-of-mass or with the 6-o'clock hold? I have read several articles and threads on the internet about this, and there is no consensus. FWIW, I will probably be doing only casual target shooting in the immediate future.

Thanks!

 

[PAPACHUCK]

What ammo are you testing with?

A heavier gr bullet will print higher on the target. If you are already using 230gr. then a lower ft sight may be in order. If not using 230 gr, try it.

 

[Sam1911]

Agreed with Papachuck. Switch ammo first. Heavier projectiles will hit higher.

If you've got the load you want to use and it hits low, file the sight until you get the sight picture (vis-a-vis the point of impact) that you want.

If you're bullseye-plinking a "6-o'clock" hold is favored by most. If you're "combat" or practical/action shooting a center of mass point of aim is better beacause you don't have a consistent target dot to set on your sight post for every shot.

I do have to caution you, however: Shots hitting low are most often attributable to a shooter's technique that needs improvement. If you have some shooting buddies who are accomplished marksmen, have them shoot your gun using best techniques and see where it hits. Then have them run you through some "ball & dummy" drills or some such to critique your shooting habits.

Hate to have you file down your sights early on and then find that they're all wrong when your skills improve.

Good luck!

 

[The Bushmaster]

Shoot from a bench rest with the idea of eliminating as much human influence as possible. No matter how many times you cut a board it will still be too short. So make sure the front sight IS the problem...

 

[Comanche180]

You could swap out the rear sight for a taller one, that's easier and reversalbe vs grinding off the front.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I have read several articles and threads on the internet about this, and there is no consensus. FWIW, I will probably be doing only casual target shooting in the immediate future.

I use 6 o'clock for bullseye shooting and center hold for COM shooting but it just depends on where the (fixed sight) gun is shooting. I consider it lucky to get a fixed sight gun that is dead on.
For instance I have three Polish P-64 pistols. One shoots right, one left and one center.

In most of my shooting I use targets that combine both a bullseye and COM areas. They are printed on 8.5x11 inch paper. They have a one inch bullseye, a 4x6 inch elliptical circle for a small COM target and the whole body of the target has about a 7x7 inch size for COM practice.

My RIA shoots a little high when using a 6 o'clock hold on this small a bullseye. The sights are set for about a three inch bull.


The second target I use is a silhouette that has the same target areas as the head target. The head is my favorite of the two.

 

[content]

Hello friends and neighbors // I had the same problem with my CZ2075RAMI.

The CZ , when slow firing, was shooting 6 inches low when only 15 feet away. I can usually have my revolver hits inside the four inch target (yellow jacket: 5 -- 4 inch yellow targets on a black back ground) at this range and was greatly dissapointed in the CZRAMI 40s&w semi (my first semi larger than .22lr)

My indoor range does not allowed rapid fire so I was holding back watchful of trigger slap ...

When practicing outside, I move off the X and shoot at two ,closed medium pizza box, targets alternately, at 20 feet, using a S&W 6",586 ,.357 and S&W 1 7/8", 442, 38+P. Shooting as fast as I can.

Well... I tried it with the RAMI and WOW, that is what it is made for, firing 2, 8 round and 2, 12 round mags AFAP the semi preformed great.

Ammo: 165gr. PMC/WWB/Blazer stacked one after another in that repeating order in all three mags. One double feed in after market 12 rounder.

Just my experience...YMMV

I just bought 2 boxes of Federal 180gr. to try out next.

 

[sqroot3]

thank you for the helpful tips!

my target load is 200 gr lswc on top of 4.0 gr bullseye, a very comfortable recipe i got after reading many, many posts on various sites on the web. i will try some 230 gr bullets as you suggest once i get my hands on some.

over at m1911.org many RIA owners have stated that their tactical shoots low and often to the left out of the box, but I will certainly hand mine over to a more experienced friend who can corroborate my guess that my gun is shooting low. i will definitely use a benchrest when sighting in.

re swapping out the rear sight i have read that ria sight dovetails are cut smaller than most, and if i'm going to be filing away the dovetail on my new rear sight to make it fit in my slide, i might as well just file down my front sight first.

after getting friends' input i will start slow with filing. heck, if i sight it to COM first, i can always salvage by further filing it to 6 o'clock, and if i REALLY blow it, i can file the rear sights too, right? just kidding, i will be conservative, and yes, i do know i can use the formula for calculating how much to take off. thank you guys!

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I recommend the center of the spot you want to hit as your aiming point with a defensive handgun. The "6:00 hold" really has only one use, formal target shooting at a black bullseye on a whitish background. Here you use the bottom center of the bullseye as your aiming point and adjust the sights to put the bullets into the X ring. At the long distances in formal target shooting (25 or 50 yards), a center hold would obscure your bullseye. This also means your aiming and actual impact points are different.

 

[jim243]

Leave the front sight alone!!! Buy an adjustable rear sight. You may want to sell the pistol in the future and chopping up the front sight will not help in resale value, were as a adjustable rear sight will add value to the gun.

Jim

 

[thorazine]

You mean people actually use the sights on handguns?