Focus on the front site… But can you?

When teaching people to be more accurate with pistols, the two most important fundamentals are trigger control and sight alignment.  The bullet will go where the sights are pointing when the trigger is pressed.  It is that simple.  It just isn’t easy.  If your sights are perfect, but you move them while manipulating the trigger, then you won’t be accurate.  If your trigger manipulation is perfect but your sights aren’t aligned well, then you won’t be accurate.  It is the latter issue that I’m going to discuss here.

You have probably heard a thousand times that you need to focus on the front sight.  Let’s quickly review why.  This illustration shows proper sight alignment.  I personally use the tops of the sights, rather than the dots, for vertical alignment.

If you are misaligned by as little as 1/32 of an inch, you could be off by inches at the target.  Of course, this depends on your distance from the target.   

The next picture shows you what perfect front-sight focus looks like.  Notice you can even see the ridges in the front sight post.  This image exaggerates how blurry the rear sight is in real life but illustrates the clarity of the front sight.

Now here is what it looks like when you don’t, or physically can’t, focus on the front sight.  Notice it is impossible to be sure that the front sight is aligned properly with the rear sight.

I have found many students don’t realize they physically can’t focus on the front sight.  The reason is because they are far-sighted and to see something in focus at arm’s length they rely on bifocals, computer glasses, or reading glasses.  Many times, they aren’t wearing such glasses while shooting. 

 Here is the test I do with students.  While demonstrating sight alignment in the classroom, I’ll hold something with small text in front of the student.  I hold it about where their front sight would be located when shooting.  I’ll ask him or her to read the text to me.  When they say they can’t, I’ll ask them to use their bifocals and then they say, “Oh! It says…”  Point being, they couldn’t focus on the front sight without bifocals, but weren’t aware of it.

 What does this mean for your ability to defend yourself?  Well, at close range, probably not much.  However, if you must take a precision shot, the fix is to raise your chin and look through your bifocals.  Probably not something you will do naturally under stress.  So, you need to train and practice. 

 On the range, we always wear eye protection.  Our range eye protection may even be prescription, but is it a prescription for near-sightedness, farsightedness, or bifocals?  If you aren’t wearing prescription eyewear on the range, it is physically impossible for you to focus on the front sight, and you can expect accuracy to suffer.  There is an inexpensive hack for this situation.  Buy some stick-on bifocals, like these.   I’m not endorsing this brand or specific product, just providing an example.  Stick them on the top half of your shooting glasses in front of your dominant eye.  This will allow you to keep your chin down and focus on the front sight.  When it is time to look down range, raise your chin.  In some cases, your non-dominate eye may take over to see down range.  Since these stick-ons come in pairs, you get two for one and can change them out if they get scratched or dirty.

 Another fix is to use a red dot optic.  This solution resolves the focal plan issue altogether allowing the shooter to focus on the target and overlay the red dot.

 Give the reading test a try.  See how well you can focus on your front sight.  Know your limitations and train to overcome them.  And… if I’m being held hostage with a knife to my throat, and you need to save me, please use your bifocals and focus on the front sight.  Wink. 

P.S. Don’t forget about good trigger manipulation.