Using the edge (or corner) of the front sight

[WrongHanded]

This may possibly apply to long barreled revolvers depending on rear sight adjustment, as well as ironsight rifles. I'm curious if anyone has experimented with using one edge of a square blade (or post) front sight rather than zeroing at the center of the blade.

The only reason I even thought about this was that after installing a new front sight on my Henry lever action, I noticed I accidentally had POI at the left corner of the sight. But when considering shooting at a small target with a 1/8" thick blade, the edge of that blade (or rather the top corner) seems as though it may be easier to line up than finding its center (especially when the blade may appear wider than the target).

I'm not sure I'll keep the rifle in this condition, but I may experiment a little more with it like this first. I also recall how even a NM front sight on the M14SA I once had would make a target at 300m look pretty small. And I wonder how drifting the front sight to use a corner rather than its center may have effected my shooting.

Has anyone else tried this? If so, how did it work out for you?

 

[ford8nr]

Never tried it, but I could see if you had a square rear notch and square front post the small gap between them could be used as an aiming point.
I'd be more inclined to get the narrowest front bland rear sight possible. Or narrow front sight / peep rear.

 

[WrongHanded]

Never tried it, but I could see if you had a square rear notch and square front post the small gap between them could be used as an aiming point.
I'd be more inclined to get the narrowest front bland rear sight possible. Or narrow front sight / peep rear.

Great point about the rear sight. I only considered the view using a peep sight. It may not work too well with a notched rear such as on a revolver.

 

[Jim Watson]

Local dealer/shooter said he zeroed his pistols to hit at the top left corner of the front sight.

 

[243winxb]

Rifles & aperture sights.- My better groups were using the smaller aperture hole & front round hole. Target used is a round black bullseye. The front hole needs to be large enough to see white around the edge of the bull.

Handgun sights.- getting just the rignt amount of day light on each side of the front post makes a difference for me.

Tested with a Ruger mk1 5.5" bbl front sight, thats removeable with one screw. The factory width of the front sight worked best. As i made the front post thinner, groups got bigger. When shooting ISU rapid fire, 5 shots in 4 seconds, seeing more light on the side of post didnt help.

My Feinwerkbau M65 air pistol had an adjustable rear signt blade. It allowed as much or as little daylignt on the sides of the front post. The least amount of light was best, up to a point. To little light hurt accuracy.

Both types need the eye to focuse on the front sight.

Have not tried the OP's method. Sights used for hunting and target shooting may be very different. Test and go with what works for you.

 

[Caplock]

I have a Smith & Wesson 1911 that I have to use the left side of the front post if I want to hit small bulls eyes. Id prefer to use center of the post but dont have a sight pusher.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

One trick high power shooters have long used is to hold the front sight at the lower right corner of the target frame and adjust the zero for hits in the center of the bull.

 

[patmccoy]

I'd suggest that it is not a good idea. Our brains are used to "symmetry", and the subconscious mind will automatically move the front sight to the center of the rear notch just as you fire.

The apparent width of the rear notch should be either twice the apparent width of the front sight, or three times the apparent width. This gives either a half width of light on each side of the front post, or full width of light on each side with the wider notch. I prefer the 2x width, but have tried both and find the 3x width works OK when doing rapid target acquisition and firing. Too little light on the side of the post allows light diffraction, and an apparent shift in the target (similar to mirage shift).

The two "basics" of firing a rifle or pistol are: 1) align the sights on the firearm (which cannot get out of alignment with themselves, as they are welded or screwed onto the gun), with your aiming eye, and the target; 2) fire the gun without disturbing the alignment. Anything else would be techniques to aid the basics.

Your method actually causes a slight misalignment in the "sighting system" (eye, sights, and target). You may find smaller groups becasue you are concentrating on the sight more than with a "normal" sight picture.

 

[beag_nut]

I'd suggest that it is not a good idea. Our brains are used to "symmetry", and the subconscious mind will automatically move the front sight to the center of the rear notch just as you fire.

The apparent width of the rear notch should be either twice the apparent width of the front sight, or three times the apparent width. This gives either a half width of light on each side of the front post, or full width of light on each side with the wider notch. I prefer the 2x width, but have tried both and find the 3x width works OK when doing rapid target acquisition and firing. Too little light on the side of the post allows light diffraction, and an apparent shift in the target (similar to mirage shift).

The two "basics" of firing a rifle or pistol are: 1) align the sights on the firearm (which cannot get out of alignment with themselves, as they are welded or screwed onto the gun), with your aiming eye, and the target; 2) fire the gun without disturbing the alignment. Anything else would be techniques to aid the basics.

Your method actually causes a slight misalignment in the "sighting system" (eye, sights, and target). You may find smaller groups becasue you are concentrating on the sight more than with a "normal" sight picture.

I agree completely. Was taught this more than 60 years ago, and it still works. Got me an NRA Distinguished Expert classification during handgun meets.

 

[ATLDave]

I guess I could see this working well for a specific distance where the shooting is at a deliberate pace. I think if speed is a component/requirement, the subconscious stuff referenced by other posters comes into play.

 

[luzyfuerza]

I'm curious if anyone has experimented with using one edge of a square blade (or post) front sight rather than zeroing at the center of the blade.

The approach that the OP suggests is analogous to using the top edge of the dot on an RDS, rather than the center, for careful, precise shots. Or focusing on the bottom edge of a relatively large target dot as aiming point if the time is available and precision is necessary. Both of these approaches really help precise shooting.

Set up your iron sights to impact right behind a front sight corner, and use this sight picture for careful, precisely aimed shots. Then, when you've got to put, say, a controlled pair into a man-sized target at 15 meters in 1.2 seconds from port arms, put the center top of the front sight close to where you want the holes to appear and press the trigger. The tiny error associated with setting up your gun to impact precisely behind a front sight corner will be irrelevant for this kind of close, fast shots.

You can calculate this error like this: say your target is 15 meters away, your sight radius is 0.40 meters, and your front sight width is 0.072 inches. The error associated with this approach is 1.35 inches

(error = distance to target / sight radius * front sight width / 2).

1.35 inches is nothing for fast, relatively close shots.

 

[jmorris]

I have, also have changed widths and heights of both the notch and post.

 

[mcb]

My model 10 with fixed sights shoots to just shy of the left corner off the front sight. I could fix it but I am use to it now and can hit what I want to hit.

 

[BobbyActually]

The approach that the OP suggests is analogous to using the top edge of the dot on an RDS, rather than the center, for careful, precise shots. Or focusing on the bottom edge of a relatively large target dot as aiming point if the time is available and precision is necessary. Both of these approaches really help precise shooting.

Set up your iron sights to impact right behind a front sight corner, and use this sight picture for careful, precisely aimed shots. Then, when you've got to put, say, a controlled pair into a man-sized target at 15 meters in 1.2 seconds from port arms, put the center top of the front sight close to where you want the holes to appear and press the trigger. The tiny error associated with setting up your gun to impact precisely behind a front sight corner will be irrelevant for this kind of close, fast shots.

You can calculate this error like this: say your target is 15 meters away, your sight radius is 0.40 meters, and your front sight width is 0.072 inches. The error associated with this approach is 1.35 inches

(error = distance to target / sight radius * front sight width / 2).

1.35 inches is nothing for fast, relatively close shots.

Thanks for the clear explanation! This was a big help.

 

[Aintso]

I saw this thread last week, and then yesterday found myself shooting at 50 yds with a Ruger MKII sights out of adjustment. I used the left side of the front sight and found that was putting hits in the black, it worked much better than the wide sight that was about 1 1/2 times the size of the bull on my target at 50 yds. I have several rifles, and pistols with excessively wide sight blades, I'll be trying this more in the future.

 

[AlexanderA]

This technique depends on being able to keep the rear sight, the front sight, and the target all in sharp focus. Only young eyes have that kind of accommodation (being able to shift focus quickly). Us older folks can't do it. If we can see the target clearly, the sights are more or less a blur.

 

[Aintso]

This technique depends on being able to keep the rear sight, the front sight, and the target all in sharp focus. Only young eyes have that kind of accommodation (being able to shift focus quickly). Us older folks can't do it. If we can see the target clearly, the sights are more or less a blur.

I found it much easier to make out the edge of the sight rather than the whole blur that is my front sight. At 61 yo my eyes are crap, and the sights appear as a hazy mirage, with the target actually being clearest as you pointed out.

 

[Captcurt]

My 42 Glock shoots low left of POA at 7 yards, so I hold the left edge of the blade and raise the blade about 1/8" above the top of the rear. I can shoot the 10 ring out doing this.