I CAN'T SEE 9mm

[cassandra]

I just finished a USPSA match and I'm perturbed because I'm really having trouble telling seeing my hits, especially in the later stages when the paper is really getting beat up. I know you're just suppposed to know, if you got your sight picture right. But still, I'm blowing chances to better my score by undershooting.

I don't think it's my eyesight, but I will get my eyes checked.

Is this just me or a problem with shooting 9mm? Good reason to go to .45?

[rhino465]

No, it's a good incentive to rely on your sight picture both before and after each shot (remember that each shot requires two sight pictures). If you're always looking for your hits, you will never learn to call your shots. Look at this as an opportunity to improve your skills rather than some kind of handicap. If you're waiting to see holes in the targets, you're going to slow. In addition, sometimes looking for hits can make you miss! If you allow the gun to dip on your last shot because you're looking for the hits, you will shoot too low. I've been told that I was "admiring my work, but it's not that pretty yet" when I did it.

In some situations you won't see your hits at all and you have to rely on calling your shots. The first that come to mind are IDPA stages with shirts on the threat targets or even a "real life" defensive situation.

It may be frustrating now, but you'll be glad you pushed yourself eventually.

[another okie]

Make your shots, trust your sights, and move on. If you are looking for your hits you won't finish until sundown.

[DLebowski]

45 acp

[dhoomonyou]

just part of aging.

I'm wearing Varilux (progressive) lenses.

Needless to say I am spending a LOT of time putting up fresh targets in order to ID my hits quickly.

I like the SHOOT NC targets.
around $15 for a multi pack (60?-70) at Natchezss.com

BUT get your eyes checked anyway.

[davidalyn]

The USPSA shooters are telling you to trust your sight picture and not take the time to look for hits. I think you already know that, but your not quite to that level yet.

My suggestion is to work on trusting your sights, if you don't, you will have a difficult time getting better in action shooting sports.

I shot a USPSA match yesterday (approx. 130 rounds total). I am 54 years old and also wearing Varilux (progressive) lenses. I was shooting a 9mm and I do not remember seeing holes in any targets until after I finished shooting the stages. I also knew that all my targets had the reqired number of hits.
I shot the match clean, no penelties, one D hit, 8 C hits, and the rest A hits. I am no super shooter, I just work on my weaknesses.

Slowing down your shooting enough to see your sights lift off the target is acuatully faster than shooting then looking at each target for holes.

You can do it.

[cassandra]

Slowing down your shooting enough to see your sights lift off the target is acuatully faster than shooting then looking at each target for holes.

You can do it.


Actually I'm not looking. I figure I don't have time and can't make them out - most our targets are in the shade of the tall trees. But then I'd find out later that I totally missed once in a while. Maybe I wouldn't notice that anyway, whether 9mm or .45. Plus, sometimes under pressure I act as if I'm shooting Virginia rules, don't want to overshoot, when we're almost always Comstock. No mikes today, but a couple charlies and a no shoot, & if I'd realized I would have shot more but moved on.

Thanks..didn't really want another gun.





:crying:

[davidalyn]

Actually I'm not looking. I figure I don't have time and can't make them out - most our targets are in the shade of the tall trees. But then I'd find out later that I totally missed once in a while. Maybe I wouldn't notice that anyway, whether 9mm or .45. Plus, sometimes under pressure I act as if I'm shooting Virginia rules, don't want to overshoot, when we're almost always Comstock. No mikes today, but a couple charlies and a no shoot, & if I'd realized I would have shot more but moved on.

Thanks..didn't really want another gun.





:crying:

Would that be the Deer Creek Range?

[9x45]

You can't wait to see your hits at all. Your problem is most likely you can't see the front sight in perfect focus, target can be fuzzy, as well as the rear sight. I got my shooting glasses corrected to razor sharp front sight, and everything is happy. That was 12 years ago, suggested by Mike Dalton.

[cassandra]

You can't wait to see your hits at all. Your problem is most likely you can't see the front sight in perfect focus, target can be fuzzy, as well as the rear sight. I got my shooting glasses corrected to razor sharp front sight, and everything is happy. That was 12 years ago, suggested by Mike Dalton.

OK I'll try to stress that to the eye doc this time. Did you take your gun in to show the doc exactly what you wanted?

[ecmills]

Learn to call your shots. Really learn it. If you can't at least tell that you badly pulled the shot (but not necessarily if it was a C or a Mike) you really need to work on this.

They're not referring to where the sights were positioned as you built up pressure on the trigger. Go out to the range, stick a target in the shade, and back up until you can't possibly see the holes. Now shoot *slow* and watch the front sight like a hawk. Where was it the moment it began to lift due to recoil? Not the millisecond before the shot broke, but that very instant?

And afternoon spent beginning to learn this skill will take your shooting to a whole new level. I'm able to do it about 60% of the time during matches, but you'll never learn to do it there. You need to make time to go practice this without anything else distracting you.

Like everyone else has said, looking at the paper (even at 7 yards) is slooooowww. The only time you should be target-focused on a stage with distant targets is while transitioning to it. As the sights approach the target, you pick them up, squeeze, call your shot(s) and move on. If you focus your eyes on brown after you shoot it, you're wasting time that should be spent transitioning, loading, or moving.

[9x45]

I did take my gun into the optometrist but I called and to let them know what I wanted ahead of time.

[shootingbuff]

Front sight not target focus.

If you have good trigger control and your sights are aligned Bingo.

A TC makes enough of a bigger / cleaner hole in many cases to be seen over rn.

sb