I’m shooting more and more pistols with iron sights lately. Of course, this includes all the international disciplines, but I’m gradually moving back to irons in Bullseye too. Oddly enough, my scores are more or less the same as with red dots – which means that the equipment is not the problem, the problem is with my fundamentals 🙂

First thing I noticed is that the perceptible movement of the iron sights is much smoother than the red dot. Ever tried to place the red dot in the center of the slow fire target – and keep it there? Noticed how shaky is it? Now try the same thing with irons. Sure, they will move and wobble, but the movements are much smoother, so it’s easier to accept that wobble and keep pulling the trigger.

One more observation I made recently when I acquired a very nice revolver, but with a huge rear sight notch, three or four times wider than the front sight. Well, I shot it anyway and I realized I don’t really need a rear sight! Well, not exactly, but as long as the front sight is where it should be, at six o’clock under the black, the rear sight naturally takes the same place every time – as long as my grip is consistent, my natural point of aim is consistent, my trigger pull is consistent, and all other stars are aligned too. Then it is just a matter of adjusting windage and elevation so that the sight picture looks good.

What really helps with iron sights is the proper eyewear, of course. Ask your eye doctor if you can bring your guns to your next eye exam (of course, make sure they are unloaded, don’t bring any ammo, use chamber flags, and observe all the safety rules). Make a lens for your dominant eye that will help you focus on the front sight and make everything else fuzzy (usually plus 0.5 to 0.75 diopters, but your mileage may vary).

Up the irons!