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Do you focus on the dot or the target?


AzShooter

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I shoot Steel Challenge matches in the Rimfire Open Pistol class. I use a Ruger Mark IV with a C-More red dot sight and a 12 minute dot so I can pick it up fast.

Starting at a low ready, pointing the gun at a pole in front of the first targets I would keep my eyes on the dot and on the buzzer I'd move the sight onto the first target. I changed this week after a great practice session while concentrating on the first target and then bringing the gun to the target and firing as soon as the sight hit the center of the target.

After that I would move my eyes to the next target and push the gun towards it and releasing the shot as the gun was centered. This helped me pick up a great amount of speed and accuracy.

What do you concentrate on and why? The target or the dot?
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Attention on target. Shot breaks when the dot is there. Attention to next target, etc. Somewhere in the blogs, Brian talks about this. I also have a DVD where he does an interview with Matt Burkett and mentions the same thing.

 

As you probably know, the issue from a physiology point of view is that the dot and target are both in the same plane and so you can pick which to put your attention on. With irons, there are three planes and, if for no other reason than trial and error, one should focus on the front sight most of the time. IIRC, In the interview Brian said he at first tried putting his attention on the dot but found better results when putting it on the target.  He might weigh in on the this and clarify any points. For me, I tried both and the target focus was far and away better.

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I have found that I am more accurate when I focus on the dot (PCC). But if shooting with both eyes open, I'm faster when I focus on the target and maintain acceptable accuracy for open targets.

 

As for where to focus when starting, I always look at the target and bring the gun up to where I am looking.

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On 10/17/2017 at 4:25 AM, AzShooter said:

After that I would move my eyes to the next target and push the gun towards it and releasing the shot as the gun was centered. This helped me pick up a great amount of speed and accuracy.

yes

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  • 10 months later...
On 9/22/2018 at 9:53 PM, Rnlinebacker said:

very simple:

if target is 25yards or less:Target focused

if target is greater than 25 yards: greater sight focused and blurry target but not totally front sight focused

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

huh?? OP has an open gun.

 

As for your suggestion, with irons, shooting at a 24.9 yard target with a target focus is probably not the most accurate strategy for most of us

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huh?? OP has an open gun.
 
As for your suggestion, with irons, shooting at a 24.9 yard target with a target focus is probably not the most accurate strategy for most of us
It's not hard at all if you train it in to your fundamentals. I can hit headshot Alphas as I zero my pistol irons at that distance. Try it in practice it's not scary

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On 10/17/2017 at 4:25 AM, AzShooter said:
I shoot Steel Challenge matches in the Rimfire Open Pistol class. I use a Ruger Mark IV with a C-More red dot sight and a 12 minute dot so I can pick it up fast.

Starting at a low ready, pointing the gun at a pole in front of the first targets I would keep my eyes on the dot and on the buzzer I'd move the sight onto the first target. I changed this week after a great practice session while concentrating on the first target and then bringing the gun to the target and firing as soon as the sight hit the center of the target.

After that I would move my eyes to the next target and push the gun towards it and releasing the shot as the gun was centered. This helped me pick up a great amount of speed and accuracy.

What do you concentrate on and why? The target or the dot?
AzShooter is online nowReport Post   progress.gif

If you look at all the Really fast shooters in steel challenge, they will tell you that you always look at the first target and bring up the gun to your sight line.  after that shot, you focus on your dot.  I can say from experience, it's faster on the first shoot looking at your target  here's why...If you're focusing on the dot in front of you, you have to lift the gun and your eyes up, acquire the target and fire the shot.  Looking at the target with your eyes eliminates the problem of having to find the target.

Two questions for you:

1) have you learned to call your shots or do you wait to hear the hit on steel?

2) do you know what is an acceptable sight picture on a 10" steel plate looks like with your 12moa dot?

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I'm starting to call my shots but every so often I wait to hear the hits on the far targets like in Outer Limits.  

 

On the 10 inch plates my sight picture is the bottom of the plate, just above the stand.  If I see the dot I know I will hit that plate.  5-To-Go is the perfect example for me.

 

 

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3 hours ago, AzShooter said:

I'm starting to call my shots but every so often I wait to hear the hits on the far targets like in Outer Limits.  

 

On the 10 inch plates my sight picture is the bottom of the plate, just above the stand.  If I see the dot I know I will hit that plate.  5-To-Go is the perfect example for me.

 

 

You need to learn to call your shots.  Waiting for the ding on steel will slow you down.  You also need to know what is an acceptable sight picture on the steel with your dot.  For example, here's what I did.  In the picture below, I tested what hit the plate and what didn't.  I now know what's an acceptable sight picture that will hit the plate.

steel hits.png

steel hits1.png

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On 11/21/2017 at 10:23 PM, Dranoel said:

I'm burning holes in the targets with my eyes. I see the sight, whether iron or dot, for 1/1000 sec as I squeeze the trigger. If you are seeing your sights lift, you are already late to your next target.

how do you call your shots if you don't see your sights lift? Just by feel?

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What you said is perfect.  Keep perfecting that and try to increase the speed of transitioning your eyes after breaking the shot to the next plate.  

 

Depends on distance etc, but from my personal experience I focus more on the targets on stages like smoke and hope and more on the dot for speed option.  Try it out and see what works well for you.

 

BEST way to think of it is soft v hard sight picture.  

 

 

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3 hours ago, Janskis said:

how do you call your shots if you don't see your sights lift? Just by feel?

 

Were the sights on target when I squeezed? Do I have proper trigger control? If the answer to either of those is "no", I don't squeeze the shot off. If the answer is "yes" then I already know what I need to without seeing the sights lift. If the answer is "no" and you are squeezing the shot off anyway, then you need to go back and work on your fundamentals and discipline.

 

If the the sights were properly aligned on the center of the target when I squeezed the trigger, I KNOW where that shot went. WHat is the sight lifting going to tell me that I don't already know?

 

Calling the shot AFTER the bullet has left the barrel is damn near useless. Know where it is going to go BEFORE you send it. THAT is calling your shots. Everything else is just guessing.

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