Week 136: Sweet Sixteen

[BN]

scw2, that's a question that doesn't have a definite answer.

It depends on your gun and ammo. You have to shoot it and see. If you are driving the dot at close range, it might hit near the top of the sight at distance.

I usually try to sight in my guns to hit at the tip of the front sight at 25 yards. On my G-17 that means I have to drive the dot at 5 yards as I found out the other day. One time I sighted a pistol to hit at the top of the front sight at 7 yards. Then it was hitting several inches high at 25 yards.

I can just barely see good enough to see the card at distance. Beyond 10 yards, I had to walk up on the target to see if I hit it.

Check some ballistics charts to see what I mean.

[Mr_White]

One time I sighted a pistol to hit at the top of the front sight at 7 yards. Then it was hitting several inches high at 25 yards.

I like to imagine bullets as determined little unicorns streaking a slightly rainbow shaped path to the target.

[BN]

I had to leave before I could explain more.

Look at your pistol from the side. Notice that the sights are higher on the pistol than the barrel. The barrel of your pistol is actually pointed up. After the bullet leaves the barrel, it will travel up and at some point, the bullet will cross the line of sight and then travel in a Unicorn rainbow arc above the line of sight. Then at a later time it will come down because of gravity, and start to travel below the line of sight. The bullet weight and velocity will determine the exact Unicorn rainbow arc.

Your pistol is only exactly sighted in at the 2 points where it crosses the rainbow. When we are shooting very close, small targets like those **&^%*#@ 1" squares is where I have a problem.

My PM9 was hitting high at the longer range. If I had held low on the target, my score would have been better.

Does that clear anything up??

[scw2]

I had to leave before I could explain more.

Look at your pistol from the side. Notice that the sights are higher on the pistol than the barrel. The barrel of your pistol is actually pointed up. After the bullet leaves the barrel, it will travel up and at some point, the bullet will cross the line of sight and then travel in a Unicorn rainbow arc above the line of sight. Then at a later time it will come down because of gravity, and start to travel below the line of sight. The bullet weight and velocity will determine the exact Unicorn rainbow arc.

Your pistol is only exactly sighted in at the 2 points where it crosses the rainbow. When we are shooting very close, small targets like those **&^%*#@ 1" squares is where I have a problem.

My PM9 was hitting high at the longer range. If I had held low on the target, my score would have been better.

Does that clear anything up??

Thanks! Actually it makes perfect sense. I guess there is no 'quick' answer and I just need to test out how my gun is sighted in at X distance and adjust my aim based on how far away my target is. One more wrinkle in mentally calculating how to aim a gun that I never really considered.

[scw2]

Ran this drill again, this time with vertical cards. Definitely easier to see, but shooting this made it clear I'm pushing shots left even when I'm not pushing shots low. I need to improve trigger press and grip. Started at 10 yds, failed at 18 yds (tried and missed left twice). Should practice calling my shots doing this drill.

[DEG]

Great drill. I shot this cold about five minutes ago. Gen4 Glock 19 with HD sights. Stock trigger and everything else with an Apex extractor. Federal Lawman 115 grain ammo.

I started at 7 yards, and ended at 20 yards. I missed one shot at 17 yards, and one shot at 19 yards.

[That Guy]

Gun used: Walther P99 with Trijicon HD sights. First shot at any given distance was DA, if I missed, following shot was SA.

The description did not say anything about the orientation of the cards, so I placed them vertically. This made actually being able to aim at them with the HD sights much easier. Also, not having a tape measure with yards on it, I used meters.

Starting distance was 8 meters. Ran out of ammo at 20 meters.

This was my first live fire training for two weeks. I had warmed up with three (particularly poorly shot...) FAST drills before this. I was actually quite surprised how well I was able to shoot this, considering my overall performance today...

[DEG]

Ran it again this morning after I warmed up with about 10 FAST drills and some strong hand/support hand at 7 yards.

Same gear and ammo as earlier today. Started at 7 yards, and ended at 21 yards. One miss at 15 yards and the other at 21 yards.

[JHC]

Shooting this thing cold is legit guys.

[JHC]

After considerable warmup I repeated this with a couple twists. SHO with the RTF2 G17 and freestyle with the G42.

RTF2 G17 HD sights, I started at 25 yards, got a hit and hit in 5 yard increments, hitting at 40, missing 3 at 45. https://www.flickr.com/photos/780361...posted-public/ other marked hits from B8 warmup and card hits from freestyle POI check, before SHO. I commonly see a couple inches of elevation of POI at 25 yds with SHO/WHO vs freestyle which I assume is due to less grip pressure and more recoil movement before the slug exits the barrel (shrug)


Then freestyle with the G42, HD sights - 7, 10, 15 yards, hit at 20 yards then, missed 3 from 25. https://www.flickr.com/photos/780361...posted-public/