What is a "6 o'clock hold"?

[txgolfer45]

I've never heard of that phrase before.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[Tim Burke]

Placing the sights at the bottom of the bullseye. For many people, this is a more repeatable index than centering on the bullseye. If you are shooting at a known range with a bullseye of a known diameter, it is very easy to zero your sights so that you strike the center of the bullseye with a six o'clock hold.

 

[txgolfer45]

Thanks!

 

[Greybeard]

What works best for me is to have just a small sliver of white between the top of the front sight and the bottom of the (black) bull.

 

[Confederate]

Yes, instead of putting your sights directly on a VHS recording of a Rosey O'Donnell interview, you put them just under the VHS recording of a Rosey O'Donnell interview.

 

[Husker1911]

By utilizing the 6 O'clock hold, you're able to see the entire target. You're not obscuring, or covering up the target.

 

[MarshallDodge]

It helps with the application of "Aim small, Miss small".

Your eye tends to focus on the whole bullseye rather than the center.

 

[Danny Creasy]

Caution - the six o'clock hold is more of a target thing. It works best with a rifle or pistol sighted in at a given distance on a non-changing target. However, the late and great Elmer Keith liked using a six o'clock hold for hunting game animals.

A dead center hold is usually better for combat simulation games like IDPA or IPSC. Oh, and although I have never been in one and hope to never be in one, I would think that the center hold is the better choice for a real gunfight.

 

[Danny Creasy]

Further comment.

I competed in the "O" Class of CMP Sporter (3 position, .22 LR Sporters, -7.5 lbs, 50 yards, deliberate and rapid fire) for a couple of years before switching to the "T" Class as of late. My rifle of choice was the CZ Special which comes with the finest set of factory square notch open sights known to man. The black bull is about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Some "O" Class shooters like to use a six o'clock hold on this relatively massive black bull. However, after they modified the bull and changed from a solid bull to a bull with a white 10 ring, I sighted in the Special to take a size o'clock hold on the 2 inchish white 10 ring. I found that I could shoot much much better with the more precise aimpoint.

 

[TonyB]

Growing up ,my father called it"Pumkin on a post.."

 

[DogBonz]

This is how i learned to shoot

With an old GI 1911a1. The gun shot about 2" high at about 25 yards. My grandpa said that the old Colts shot this way so that you could see more of your target (read German soldiers) and were not obscuring any of it. I remember that if you aimed for the bottom of a soda can you would get a direct COM hit every time, and you could see the whole can. Pretty neat, but all of my guns are now sighted in so that POA is POI.

 

[glen walker]

Imagine the target (bull's eye, either able or dog targets, whatever) squirrel, 'coon, whatever, as being the face of a clock. Start out (ranging in, sighting in, whatever you wish to call it) with the tip of your front blade sight at 6:00 on the 'clock's face'. Squeeze off a round. Check point of impact. (where the projectile struck the face of the clock) Adjust from there and in no time you'll be smack on....

 

[Bob R]

A picture is worth 1000 words...or something like that.

bob

 

[Plink]

The gun shot about 2" high at about 25 yards. My grandpa said that the old Colts shot this way so that you could see more of your target

If the guns were regulated to shoot that way deliberately, it was probably to help overcome the tendancy to shoot low under stress. A gut shot isn't nearly as effective as a chest shot.