To Aim or Not to Aim, that is the question?

Firearm Training
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A recent article I wrote on the various ways to “aim” your fighting pistol.

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Good article and well stated. I will opine that without NPA (Natural Point of Aim) that non aiming is much more difficult in point shooting without a solid foundation or stance.

Cheers,

Craig6

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Nice article. I remember doing “point and shoot” drills in the military with the 1911. Amazing just how accurate you can get with practice. Of course, at close range, ya don’t have to be too accurate with a 1911 to be effective.

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Good article.
Actually it answered my question, how do I aim… I never knew it was called “Subconscious Sight Picture”
Thx for sharing it. :+1:

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An excellent article and right on point. There are some situations where you are not going to have time to aim but just point and shoot without using your sights. Such as a firefight that you don’t have cover.

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I read in a recent article about shooting accuracy in the Old West that the typical cowboy couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn - with a handgun. With a rifle, most of them by far were crack shots.

I thought about that for a while and concluded that when they were shooting their SA revolvers, like in all the westerns I’ve ever seen, they relied on an instinctive point of aim which, without a lot of practice and guidance, did them little good. Their rifles were mostly shot from a butt-to-shoulder position, meaning the sights were positioned right where they would do them the most good.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’ve seen documentaries on instinctive shooting where teens learn to shoot flipped quarters in flight with a BB gun. And how Annie Oakley was a world renowned expert on this matter. (Ref: Buz Fawcett’s Instinctive Shooting.) Finally, Cunningham’s book suggests that in an emergency situation, you can focus on the target rather than on the front sight as most of us were taught. (Ref: Protect Yourself With Your Snubnose Revolver, by Grant Cunningham, see “Unsighted Aiming,” page 91.) Looks like there’s support for both approaches.

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The way we teach it in Defensive Shooting Fundamentals is the balance of speed and precision. If I have to take a very accurate shot, I’m going to use the sights and close an eye. If I have to take a very quick shot, I’ll be focused on the aggressor(target) with both eyes open and my gun in and parallel with my sights.

To Aim or Not to Aim, that is the question? The answer is yes… depending on the situation. :wink:

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I suck at aiming but excel at pointing.

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@F.F.T Thanks - good read!

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The most important thing to remember is that smooth is fast & with the 1st shot, just concern yourself with the front sight on center mass. forget lining up the rear sights. you will be very close & getting the 1st shot off with a hit give you an enormous advantage. I have done this at 10 ft. & you will hit your target if you are a practiced shooter. After the 1st shot it’s no different than the range as far as recoil memory & knowing instantly when to fire again due to practice at the range. Practice, practice, practice and you will eventually become accustomed to rapid fire with a particular gun

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Aim2point or Point2aim…that is the question…