Aiming

by
posted on August 6, 2012
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
wiley-clapp.jpg

This question came up in a combat range discussion not long ago. Indeed, when does the aiming process begin? Most present said something about aiming beginning when the gun is at the full extension of the arm and the front sight is visible. Possibly, but I think it happens earlier in the sequence. As a matter of fact, I can make a pretty good argument for aiming beginning at the moment you realize you need to shoot.

In this sense, aiming begins wherever your gun might be on your person and a threat presents itself. It can include the draw if the gun is holstered, but either way, you must establish a positive firing grip. Without a proper grip, which aligns the handgun correctly in the hand, you cannot get a proper view of the sight system.

Hopefully, you will get level ground without obstacles around wherever the fight starts on which to get your stance, but hopefully I will also start getting younger any day now (not going to happen). The point is that good training will create good tactical and gunhandling skills that become habit. And they are part of the procedure that happens in a flash under stress and leads to the quick sight picture—the aim—that saves your bacon. This only comes with training.

Latest

Nra Logo Blue
Nra Logo Blue

ATF Ends Enforcement of NFA Registration & Approval Requirements for Suppressors, SBRs, and SBSs Following NRA Victory in Jensen v. ATF

Today, the ATF confirmed it will no longer enforce National Firearms Act (NFA) registration, application and tax-stamp requirements for short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, suppressors and certain other concealable firearms.

Gun of the Week: H&K VP9CC

Hot on the heels of its CC9 micro-compact, Heckler & Koch introduced a micro companion to its popular VP9 lineup that includes some noteworthy features.

A Raven at 50: Five Days at Gunsite Academy

In Gunsite Academy's 50th year, NRA Director Jerry Kraus made his inaugural visit to the famed training institute and left a Raven.

The Armed Citizen® Oct. 9, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Competition Shooting vs. Combat Training

It's an undeniable fact that competition and combat solve different problems. Mistaking one for the other or rejecting either one is a mistake.

The Truth About DGUs Gun-Control Groups Don’t Want You to Know

Last August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s webpage again posted defensive-gun-use data—essentially, estimates of how many times per year armed citizens in America use guns to defend themselves or others. 

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.