If you have old eyes & bifocals can you still see the sight lift?

[Grelber]

I think a big improvement opportunity for me might be to do Bill drills out the wazoo & try and develop better front sight tracking & better aim when fired recognition skills.

Don't know what is realistic though, late 50's eyes with vision correction is not what you would pick up off the shelf if you were building a shooter.

I do have a clear sight picture during slow fire so perhaps it is possible that the tracking skill could be developed, just don't know what a realistic goal would be.

Thoughts or suggestions appreciated.

 

[mongo404]

If not mistaken 2 seconds is the goal at 7 yards on this drill. Its doable. I have hit 1.74 seconds before. I think Rob and Chad have done better.
Seeing the sight raise every time I question that one. Seeing the gun centered in the A zone or down zero OK Ill buy that one. At 7 yards most of us are using index IMO.
Several of the older guys will say I just cant see that fast. The saying is see what you need to see to make the shot!!
In the Past I have done some testing of my own. I found out that to See the sights consistently raise I have to slow my splits down to a constant .22 But where is the fun in that when I know I cant hit a .11

The only way you can find out what is realistic for you is to go do it, and push yourself. Push right to the point of out of control then back off a smidge.

.8 draw .2 splits

 

[Grelber]

Seeing the sight raise every time I question that one. Seeing the gun centered in the A zone or down zero OK Ill buy that one. At 7 yards most of us are using index IMO.

In the Past I have done some testing of my own. I found out that to See the sights consistently raise I have to slow my splits down to a constant .22

Hmmm, maybe a better practice would be to move the target back to the distance where index is not good enough ?

 

[Hardscrable]

I share your problems plus a little -60's & trifocals. Also I was taught to shoot long guns at about 7 years old with one eye closed. I did this for decades before ever shooting a handgun which I now shoot almost exclusively. I have talked to accomplished shooters, read instruction articles, etc and tried & tried to shoot with both eyes open focusing on front sight and just cannot consistently do it- I see two sights. With trifocals to see the front sight clearly I need to use that little tiny middle lens- almost impossible to do with any speed except on the first shot. Tracking the sight is basically just a blur. Again I have read, talked, taken training but can't seem to accomplish. I was told to get "shooting glasses". I talked with 2 eye doctors recommended & got 2 ideas on what my lens set up should be. A third told me I needed multiple combination depending on what I was shooting (action/moving like USPSA vs. stationary like Bullseye). I shoot competition for fun & I go into it knowing I will never top the 30 yr olds with young bodies and perfect eyesight. Aside from fun, I use competition to better my skills should I ever need to use a firearm in self defense. If that need arises I probably would not be wearing shooting glasses nor able to call time out while I change glasses. I also during my informal shooting sessions use only safety glasses at times to duplicate a self defense scenario occurring without ( maybe knocked off) my prescription glasses. I would say you should investigate, talk to accomplished shooters/trainers, go thru some trial & error, and see what you can do or believe is possible. Only you can determine what is a realistic goal for yourself.

 

[rvb]

I do have a clear sight picture during slow fire so perhaps it is possible that the tracking skill could be developed

I can't speak from experience re: bifocals (just near sighted w/ astigmatism and wear contacts), but I would think if you can see a clear sight picture then you could track the sights. Actually I believe you can track the sights w/ a less than perfect sight picture as I've had a rough time getting a good prescription the last couple years (on the verge of getting OLD).....

Bill drills are ok. So are mag dumps into the berm (get rid of the distraction of aiming/targets and just learn to track the sights).
I also recommend Timing Drills... those helped me the most. (Bill drills have lots of other distractions, draws, timing expectations, only 6 rounds, etc. When you're learning to track the sights, it might take a few rounds for you to settle in and really see/track the sights... by the time you do that the drill is over. Bill drills w/ full mags are better.)

"seeing fast" isn't a muscle or eye clarity thing, it's training the brain on what visual inputs to focus on. I don't think being 50 would be a limitation (maybe I'll change my mind if I get to be that OLD)

edit: now if the sight is crossing a line in your bi/tri-focal, that could cause it to appear different or in a different place, that could ruin your day. can the rx adjust the line up or down to suit where you are looking when shooting??

-rvb

 

[Snizz1911]

Ryan brought up what I was going to say. Get rid of the target at first and shoot into the berm. Just watch the sights and pick up the pace until your going as fast as you can, while seeing the sights. When you have a target, its adding another variable to take your focus away. I do this pretty regularly when I feel like I'm not calling shots well, gets the focus back on seeing the front sight lift

 

[ModernGunner]

Pushing simply for time and 'fast draw' and fire is fine, but is probably most beneficial as a competitive advantage rather than a tactical one.

The greater possibility in a tactical situation for civilians, typically, is to draw and not fire. In which case 'shoot / don't shoot' practice may be more beneficial.

ALL training is beneficial, to be sure. We should keep in mind, though, that 'training for a trophy' is different than training for a combat scenario. As Wyatt's old adage goes, "Fast is fine, but accuracy is final".

 

[rvb]

Pushing simply for time and 'fast draw' and fire is fine, but is probably most beneficial as a competitive advantage rather than a tactical one.

which forum were we in again????

were fast draws even being discussed?

seems kinda random.

"My cat's breath smells like cat food." [Ralph Wiggum]

-rvb

 

[CB45]

I think a big improvement opportunity for me might be to do Bill drills out the wazoo & try and develop better front sight tracking & better aim when fired recognition skills.

Don't know what is realistic though, late 50's eyes with vision correction is not what you would pick up off the shelf if you were building a shooter.

I do have a clear sight picture during slow fire so perhaps it is possible that the tracking skill could be developed, just don't know what a realistic goal would be.

Thoughts or suggestions appreciated.

So I think you are talking about getting a fast sight picture. You need to train your eyes/brain how to get the appropriate sight picture for every shot, as fast as possible.

Bill drills really don't do this. A successful Bill drill can be done with a proper grip and a good index.

Practice shooting arrays with varying shot difficulty.

There are lots of good shooters with prescription lenses.

 

[mongo404]

Practice shooting arrays with varying shot difficulty.
(Partials at distance suck) But it does help

This ***** will get ya killed on the streets

 

[Coach]

If you can see the sights then you can train yourself to see them faster.

If you are doing drills and watching to see the sight lift during that drill it can be helping.

 

[Rob377]

Not sure about bi focals, but i recently found out my eyes suck. One is nearsighted, one is farsighted, and both have astigmatism. I haven't used any corrective lenses until recently, and while it's still early, I think I prefer shooting without them.


I'd add a +1 to what coach and RvB said about "seeing fast" being a function of practice and training specifically geared toward noticing what that sight is doing.

 

[Rob377]

The other thing is that it's a process. When I first starting seeing the sight lift consistently, it was on splits .25 and slower. After A little while, I starting seeing them at .2, and a little while after that, .17-.18s.

As you train and your subconscious brain starts paying attention to the sight lifting, it gets better/faster at processing it.

 

[Grelber]

Digesting.
All advice is appreciated!!!!

Am wondering if I might aid the process by putting away the 40 major limited gun for a while and shooting 9mm production or single stack.

Am also wondering if reading too much Doodie (or what ever you call it) is making rvb a little bit cranky, but that is not important now.

 

[rvb]

Am also wondering if reading too much Doodie (or what ever you call it) is making rvb a little bit cranky, but that is not important now.

Probably had more to do w being at work on what was supposed to be a day off.... That's a bunch of doodie....
-rvb

 

[Grelber]

being at work on what was supposed to be a day off.... That's a bunch of doodie....
-rvb

+100

 

[Coach]

Digesting.
All advice is appreciated!!!!

Am wondering if I might aid the process by putting away the 40 major limited gun for a while and shooting 9mm production or single stack.

Am also wondering if reading too much Doodie (or what ever you call it) is making rvb a little bit cranky, but that is not important now.

I do not think the gun or caliber matters. Watch for the sights to lift and practice that skill a lot. It will come.

 

[rvb]

I do not think the gun or caliber matters. Watch for the sights to lift and practice that skill a lot. It will come.

Agree w. the difference in center fire calibers being pretty small, but when trying to learn this skill I think a .22 can help (esp given the number of rounds you'll burn up)

-rvb

 

[Rob377]

Seems a bit easier for me to do shooting a nice heavy steel 9mm than it is hardball 45 in a 1911 or Major 40 out of a plastic gun. Not immensely, but enough that I'm better at calling shots consistently with them.

 

[rvb]

Oh, and a red dot really helped my learning curve for tracking the FS. The dot is harder to loose track of.... Once the dot shows you what you are missing on the irons, it's easier to see it w. The irons.

-rvb