Mastering Precision: A Comprehensive Guide to Red Dot Pistol Sights

Last time, I talked about getting ready for competitive shooting season and joining in on the fun of practical shooting matches.  In getting ready for this year's matches, I am gearing up to use red dot sights instead of my iron sights.  I was able to outfit my Ruger P89 DC with a Vortex Venom red dot sight, so now I am practicing with it and getting ready for competition this year.  The added benefit is now I don't have to worry about which division to choose.  I sign up using "Carry Optics" and I'm good to go.  Red dot sights work well in both day and night competition scenarios, and work extremely well if you ever face a defensive shooting situation.  As you'll see, faster target acquisition is one of the main benefits of using a red dot sight.

Red dot pistol sights have become increasingly popular among both novice and seasoned shooters. The transition from traditional iron sights to red dot optics can be a game-changer in terms of accuracy and target acquisition. In this article, we will explore the nuances of using red dot pistol sights, highlighting the key differences in techniques compared to traditional iron sights. Additionally, we'll delve into the crucial practice of dry-fire training, a cost-effective and efficient method to hone your skills without the need for live ammunition.

The Evolution of Pistol Sights:

Before we dive into the specifics of red dot sights, it's essential to understand the evolution of pistol sights. Traditional iron sights, comprising a front post and rear notch, have been the standard for centuries. However, the limitations of iron sights, especially in low-light conditions or dynamic scenarios, have paved the way for innovations like red dot sights.

Understanding Red Dot Pistol Sights:

Red dot sights, also known as reflex sights, offer shooters a simplified aiming solution. Instead of aligning front and rear sights, users focus on a single, illuminated red dot projected onto the lens. These sights come in various forms, including tube-style and open or window-style sights, catering to different preferences and applications.

Advantages of Red Dot Sights:

Rapid Target Acquisition: Red dot sights facilitate quicker target acquisition compared to traditional iron sights. The single-point reference allows for faster and more intuitive aiming.

Increased Accuracy: The parallax-free nature of red dot sights ensures that the point of impact remains consistent regardless of the shooter's eye position. This results in enhanced accuracy, especially in dynamic shooting scenarios.

Improved Sight Picture: Red dot sights provide an unobstructed field of view, allowing shooters to maintain situational awareness while keeping the target in focus. This is a significant advantage for both new and experienced shooters.

Technique Differences:

Both Eyes Open: Unlike iron sights, where shooters often close one eye for better focus, red dot sight users are encouraged to keep both eyes open. This method enhances peripheral vision and situational awareness.

Target-Focused Shooting: With red dot sights, the emphasis shifts from front sight focus to target-focused shooting. Shooters align the red dot on the target, allowing for quicker and more natural engagements.

Transitioning from Iron Sights to Red Dot:

For shooters accustomed to traditional iron sights, transitioning to red dot optics may require some adjustments in technique and mindset.

Training and Familiarization:

Start Slow: Begin by familiarizing yourself with the red dot sight on an unloaded firearm. Practice mounting the gun and acquiring the red dot without live ammunition to build muscle memory.

Focus on Sight Alignment: Pay attention to maintaining proper sight alignment, ensuring the red dot is centered in the sight window. Consistent alignment is key to accuracy.

Gradual Range Progression: As confidence builds, progress to live-fire exercises at the range. Start with close-range targets and gradually increase the distance to refine your skills.

Importance of Dry-Fire Training:

Dry-fire training is a fundamental aspect of becoming proficient with red dot sights, offering several advantages for both new and experienced shooters.

Cost-Effective Practice:

Ammunition Savings: Dry-fire training eliminates the need for live ammunition, allowing shooters to practice regularly without the associated costs.

Enhanced Repetition: The absence of recoil during dry-fire practice enables shooters to focus on sight alignment, trigger control, and other fundamentals with increased repetition.

Building Muscle Memory:

Draw and Presentation: Dry-fire training facilitates consistent practice of drawing and presenting the firearm, reinforcing muscle memory for proper technique.

Trigger Control: Without live ammunition, shooters can concentrate on trigger control, ensuring smooth and controlled presses for each shot.

Tips for Effective Dry-Fire Training:

To maximize the benefits of dry-fire training with red dot sights, consider the following tips:

Use a Safe Backstop: Always ensure a safe backstop for dry-fire practice, even though no live ammunition is involved. Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.

Integrate Movement: Incorporate movement into your dry-fire drills to simulate real-world scenarios. Practice engaging targets while on the move to enhance your overall shooting skills.

Combine with Live-Fire Sessions: While dry-fire training is invaluable, it should complement rather than replace live-fire sessions. Regularly mix in live-fire practice to validate your skills and make necessary adjustments.

Wrapping It All Up:

Mastering the use of red dot pistol sights requires a combination of understanding the technology, adapting shooting techniques, and incorporating effective training methods. Whether you're a new shooter looking to enhance your skills or an experienced marksman seeking a competitive edge, the transition to red dot sights, coupled with consistent dry-fire training, can significantly elevate your shooting proficiency. Embrace the evolution of firearm optics, invest time in learning and practicing, and unlock the full potential of red dot pistol sights for unparalleled accuracy and precision.

Back to The Fundamentals

When I see a student struggling with defensive pistol handling and marksmanship techniques, it is most often due to not practicing the fundamentals of basic pistol handling.  Either they don't know the fundamentals, or they are rushing through each of the phases of proper pistol handling to hastily get the gun up and on the target.  But this rushed and "unpurposeful" attempt at pistol presentation is leading to wasted movements and poor marksmanship.  Too many times, the student does not have the pistol presented in a good defensive posture, and then the shots tend to be scattered and not as effective as they could be.

The Pat McNamara video below is one of the best that I have found to illustrate the basics of pistol handling.  He breaks down the fundamentals of pistol handling into its most basic components.  Each of the pistol handling "phases" can be broken down into specific components, each of which is deliberate, has a proper form, and each of which has a very specific tactical purpose.  Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and fast is deadly.  Hasty and hurried, especially in a gun-fight, will get you killed.

When watching this short video, all of the phases and techniques he describes are important, but specifically, I would like to draw attention to his comments on trigger finger placement.  Trigger finger placement has a HUGE influence on proper marksmanship.  I have tried this technique myself.  It works.  I too was a product of training where the pad of the finger (splitting the distal phalange, as Pat calls it) is the proper placement.  But after watching Pat's videos, talking to other competitive shooters, and actually practicing it myself, I have found that actually syncing the finger all the way in, usually until the finger joint is on the trigger, provides a great deal of advantage when it comes to making sure that there is no undue influence on the trigger that would cause shots to be off. 

Pistol grip, trigger finger placement, pistol presentation, and firing the shot are all indeed a matter of physics and proper tool usage.  Using physics and mechanical principles over wasted and forced movements will win for you every time.

So what can you do?  Practice, practice, practice!  And not all practice has to be done at the range.  Dry-fire practice is an excellent way to practice those movements, such as drawing from a holster, pistol presentation, trigger finger placement, and a smooth steady trigger squeeze.  Remember, slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and fast is deadly.  Performing that slow repetition, over and over again, will help you with what is referred to as "deep training" to help build muscle memory.  Then you can go to the range and put that deep training and practice into play, and then concentrate on marksmanship.  

For more on "Deep Training" techniques, by the way, read Tim Larkin's book, "When Violence is the Answer."  I have found the methods and techniques discussed in this book to be an anexceptional resource for all types of training, whether it is hand to hand, non-lethal tools employment, or basic firearms handling.

I will be posting some videos soon that will show how I have set up my own dry fire practice area, and how I get the most out of my practice time using slow and deliberate techniques to build up to that smooth and quick defensive pistol delivery.  So stay tuned!

To purchase the LASR App that I use in my own dry-fire practice, plus a lot of good dry fire training gear, visit Shooter Technology Group and use my discount code GONZO58.

To Receive a 10% discount on Live Fire Drill Cards, a shooter's training log and some great training ideas visit Burnett LFDC!

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and recommended products.

Acceptable Accuracy - Next Level Training

Bullseye discipline shooting and defensive shooting are very different with regards to the dynamics involved (obviously), but also in what is referred to as acceptable accuracy.  As Mike mentions in the video, putting holes in a small group on paper targets for a score is a lot different than putting effective rounds into a bad guy to stop a threat.   This video provides a pretty good discussion of the difference between bullseye accuracy and defensive (combat) accuracy.  The idea is to stop the threat.  More hits to an acceptable level of accuracy within an acceptable are (i.e. "center mass") creates more likelihood of incapacitating a threat.

I have worked with defensive shooting instructors who espouse the "other" theory of defensive shooting, that of putting all defensive shots into nearly the same place.  The idea of that philosophy is to create a larger wound cavity in a single place, and a single vital organ.  And then there are others who believe that shooting at a faster cadence, placing more rounds on the target with the highest delivery speed that will allow for accuracy, will be more effective in stopping a threat.  In other words: Putting all shots into as close to a single hole as possible, versus spreading more shots out over a critical area.

Armor Concepts

But I personally adhere to and teach the philosophy of combat accuracy with a greater shooting cadence versus the idea of trying to put defensive shots all in the same hole. Getting a lot of shots off faster, but still having the marksmanship to put them all in the acceptable accuracy zones (in my humble opinion) will increase the likelihood of putting rounds into vital areas and stop the threat.

Whichever you decide to use, remember to practice, practice practice.  Practice both and see which one works for you.  Remember: In a crisis situation, you will never rise to super-star performance.  You will always fall back to your level of training.

Training with LASR and SIRT Gear

When it comes to firearms, especially for us concealed carry practitioners, staying sharp requires constant practice to keep those skills and muscle memory in top form.  Constant practice takes trips to the range and lots of ammunition.  But there is a way for you to get much of the required practice that you need to keep your muscle memory and shooting skills in top form through a method called "dry firing."

There is a very sophisticated method for dry fire training available today known as the light Activated Shot Reporter (LASR) system.  The LASR system is used with many of the laser training aids and laser barrel inserts available for firearms today, and especially the SIRT pistols and AR-15 bolts by Next Level Training.   With these, you can not only get valuable muscle memory training and skills practice but also receive instant feedback on your shooting.

I'm an approved referral agent for the LASR App training system.  When you are ready to check out, click on the "Gift Card or Coupon Code" button at the bottom left of the page, then enter my code GONZO58 in the "Discount Code" box upon checkout as shown in the images below to receive a 10% discount on LASR and SIRT training equipment.

Click on the image below, or go to http://lasrapp.com/

Click on "Add gift card or coupon code"

Enter GONZO58 in the "Discount Code" box:

http://affiliates.armorconcepts.com/74103/5599

Trigger Discipline!

There are four fundamental safety rules that we consistently teach in our firearms classes:  1) The gun is always loaded until you have verified otherwise; 2) Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction; 3) Keep the finger off the trigger until ready to shoot; 4) Know what is behind your target, and between you and the target.  These rules apply to target shooting, and they also equally apply to tactical situations and defensive shooting.  Even if you are clearing your home to look for intruders, for example, you need to ALWAYS be cognizant of these four things while looking for the bad guy.  And if you are in this situation, I hope your gun IS loaded. 

So let's focus on the third safety rule for a moment.  Why is it that we teach keeping the finger off the trigger until sights are on target and you are ready to shoot? 

Two words: Startle response.

When a person is startled, the natural response is to blink, lean the body forward, bend the arms at the elbows, and clench the fists/fingers. When clenching the fists happens, each clenching finger is able to exert about 25 pounds of force. It only takes about 12 pounds of force to pull the trigger of a revolver in double action mode (hammer down).  If your finger is in the trigger and you are startled, you will pull the trigger.  If that happens, think about those other safety rules for a moment.  Where is the gun pointed when the shot goes of?  What is in the line of fire when that happens?

Proper trigger discipline is crucial to ensuring that you will be safe whether at the range or in a defensive situation.  Proper trigger discipline is also a matter of building up muscle memory through practice.  Beginning with the very first movement of the holster draw, the trigger finger should be indexed along the side of the firearm the minute the hand is placed on the grip of the gun.  When at the low ready, the high ready, the retention position, or at the fully extended position, the finger needs to be indexed on the side of the frame.  Only when you have a target in sight and you are ready to shoot does the finger move inside the trigger guard.  Then simply touch and press the trigger.

Defensive shooting is every bit a matter of safety as it is efficient, tactical movement.  Practice, practice, practice.  Practice indexing that finger, and practice moving the finger to the trigger.  Safely done, dry fire is a key training tool in these methods.

Be safe out there!