Sight Alignment

[686Wheeler]

Odd question. I'll start by trying to explain my problem. Unholstering the 686 and bringing it up to align the sights one the target, with both eyes open. I cannot get a sight picture with front and rear sight alignment without closing one eye. As soon as I blink one eye I can align front and rear sights on target and be ready to fire. I'm wondering if there is a drill or method for not having to close one eye briefly to get a sight picture. Fire away!

 

[413Maxwedge]

You need to determine which eye is dominant. Hold your thumb up like it's a sight and look at something across the room... a picture or wall clock. Now close one eye.

If your thumb jumps a few inches to the side then that is NOT your dominant eye. But if your thumb stays on the target then that IS your dominant eye.

Im right handed but Left eye dominant, so I need to hold the gun in line with my left eye when shooting.

 

[Sevens]

You did not describe HOW you bring the revolver in to view and I cannot assume how you did this but I can say that professional trainers will teach you to bring your handgun up but also while close-in to your chest — bringing your support hand in to meet up with the gun in your primary hand all still close to your body.

Only at this point do you begin to push the weapon forward while your eyes begin to focus on the sights of a handgun close to you and rapidly moving away from you while your arms extend.

While your arms get to where they eventually need to be, your eyes are trained upon that handgun, focusing in on the sights so that it all comes together at full presentation.

If you are not doing it that way…

I suggest perhaps trying it that way.

 

[Matt_X]

There are degrees of eye dominance. Or one eye may be better at the sight distance.
As a result some target shooters use a blinder over one eye, or like a lot of us grew up doing, close the other eye.

Be interested to see whatpeople come up with

"bloke on the range" youtube tipped me off to the issue of eye dominance and closing one eye (or not).
Olympic Pistol: What's The Deal?

You can skip the background info and go to about the 7 minute mark

Keith Sanderson (olympic level US Army) has some good tips
Been trying to use his tip to drop the eyes to the sights during the lift, but its hard.

 

[wproct]

My right eye is my dominant one, and I shoot right handed. In trapshooting I learned to keep both eyes open for a wider field of vision. However, shooting handguns I normally close my left eye as I don't really need that wide of field of view for that shooting.

 

[stu1ritter]

Read this chapter in the Army Advanced Marksmanship Unit Handbook. It might make things easier for you.

Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol

Stu

 

[MajorD]

Sevens makes good points
To describe this differently, there are basically 3 ways to present the gun, only one of which is optimal:
“Bowling” gun is lowered pointing at the ground and gun is brought up in an arc to firing level
“fishing” gun is brought up above level then brought back down into view.
Neither works well at all.
Optimal is brought to chest level parallel to ground and punched out into view.
I also shoot right hand left eye, and as I punch out my head tilts very slightly to bring the sights in align with my left eye

 

[SVT-THUNDER]

How long have you been shooting pistols/revolvers? I only ask because I’ve had friends who shot a lot of traps with shotguns and struggled with pistol sight alignment for awhile.

I don’t even have to think about it at this point in my life. I draw or pull my pistols up and out and the sight picture is lined up. Muscle memory and daily dry firing is likely why. Ironically, I’m a better shot with 6”+ barrel revolvers as far as putting 5 rounds in an extremely tight group. And no, I’m not competition good. Just accurate enough to get the job done.

My wife use to struggle with this. I had her lean over (R. Handed) and look with her left eye and boom. She was on point. Turns out she spent her whole life thinking she was right eye dominant but wasn’t. And her Dad raised her shooting rifles and shotguns. But she struggled with the shorter sight picture of pistols until then. It looks awkward to me, but she adapted fast and can draw and shoot to the point that I trust her to cover my back should things go sideways.

Some great replies above mine. I’m sure you’ll find enough in that to dial it in and figure it out OP. Best of luck and happy shooting.