Aging eyes and sight picture

I am at that age and as a result, in combination with this being my first year of BE, started immediately down the path of setting up my guns with dots. Things haven't been going well, particularly with my K38 as you might guess, when it comes to re-acquiring sight pictire in rapid. So with the season about to start, I went old school and took the dot off (my RF also) and curiously enough found a much more comfortable sight picture using a center hold.

I intend to pursue this at least up to the first match of the season, but am interested in input from those experienced shooters. Is there a quantifiable degredation in group size that one is giving up when using this over the six o'clock hold? Is this technically a less precise style or have there been in Bullseye's long history, very successful shooters who used this hold exclusively; in other words is it really shooter dependent and have there always been a fair number of shooters using this hold? I suspect not since every target shooting publication or instruction manual, espouses the six o'clock hold. I have heard that some shooters use both; the center hold only for rapid. I'd prefer not to mess with my sights that much, even if I were equally effective with both.

I'm more curious about the technical history (testing) and use of the hold and your experiences and opinions regarding any statistical significance that relates to level of precision attainable. As I say, at this point I need to lock everything down and stop tinkering so I can focus on fundamentals from here on out this season; so I am using it regardless.

I'm putting the Matchdot on my grouse gun:lol!:

Ed

IIRC Bill McMillan of the USMC used a center hold, as well as, other top shooters when iron sights ruled. The advantage that many feel the six o'clock hold gives is an easier determination of sight alignment, due to the contrast of the white part of the target and the black sights. Proponents of the center hold feel that the six o'clock hold invites "picking off" the shot when everything looks perfect. If a center hold works for you, there is no reason to not use it.

I use a center hold or a deep sub six when shooting irons.

A pair of reading glasses helps keep my focus on the front sight.

itb, I'll never set the world on fire with my BE skills but if a Merit Optical Device is legal I would recommend that you give one a try. Sharp sights and a clear target.

Mine goes with me to the range ALWAYS.

WV1911S.

About my 5th year of Bullseye. Started chasing leg points in 2007. Tried all sight pictures, initally 6:00, then Center mass as recommended by the AMU. Eventually the Pistol coach at Ohio State University suggested Deep Sub-6. Started earning points and made the P-100 and distinguished in 2009. Think like a machinest and drive the front sight toward perfect alignment within rear notch (somewhere between the black and the bottom of the target.)

WV1911SHOOTER wrote:itb, I'll never set the world on fire with my BE skills but if a Merit Optical Device is legal I would recommend that you give one a try. Sharp sights and a clear target.

Mine goes with me to the range ALWAYS.

WV1911S.

Hi WV, The Merit iris is legal, but the caution is if the iris is stopped down too far, the bull will be too clear. This is exactly what bullseye

shooters do not want; the bull should fuzzy but noticable. You are focusing on the front sight only, aren't you?

Tony

Hi Guys, the six-o'clock hold is the worst way of sighting when using "open sights". Center mass is okay

but most open sight NRA Bullseye and ISSF pistol competitors use the sub-six sighting method.



Tony