Most handguns and AR-15 variants come with pre-mounted iron sights.
While you may want to purchase an optic immediately, it is still best for you to learn how to use these sights in case of an emergency.
After all, you never know when your optic will go kaput in the middle of your shooting session.
Let’s get on with the guide.
Contents
How to Aim With Iron Sights: The Basics & What to Learn
Accurate, precise shooting comes with a lot of patience and practice.
Iron sights are not like regular modern-day optics. You can’t just take a look and know automatically through a single aiming point where the bullet will drop.
Aiming with iron sights is a unique technique all on its own.
Before you start shooting, here are some things you’ll need to be aware of when aiming with iron sights:
Sight Picture
Sight picture is what you see when you line your sights up.
This should consist of the rear sight, front sight, and target on top of each other.
Many shooters start by lining their front sight up with their target.
IMPORTANT TIP: Focus on the front sight.
Because of the different distances between the target and front and rear sights, everything else should be blurry but the front sight.
What is really important here is the front sight focus. The front sight should be “pointing” to your target. This is the accepted sight picture for target shooting.
The proper sight picture should make it easy to identify where your shot will land.
For shotguns, you can take a look at our Guide on Shotgun Bead Sights for more information.
Sight Alignment
Sight alignment is the proper relationship between the front and rear sights when shooting.
For proper sight alignment, you want to be able to connect your eye, front sight, rear sight, and target in a straight line.
This proper sight alignment allows for an accurate prediction of where your shot will hit.
Be sure that the sight radius or the distance from the rear to the front sights of the firearm is correctly aligned.
Because rifles have a longer sight radius than pistols, they are better built for precision shooting.
When your sight alignment is off, you can expect inaccurate shots regardless of distance.
Stance and Body Position
Be sure that you are in the proper shooting position. Shooting stances vary between situations and firearms.
Whether you are standing, kneeling, or prone, make sure you are comfortable and stable throughout the shooting process.
Breath Control
Breath control affects your movement more than you realize.
If you just hold out your arms in front of you, you’ll see that your breathing causes small movements in them.
The proper method to manage breath control would be:
- Take in a deep breath before taking the shot.
- Slowly breathe out.
- When you feel at your stillest and most relaxed, focus and pull the trigger.
Mastering this breathing pattern helps for a steady, accurate shot.
As tempting as it may be, NEVER hold your breath when trying to attain the perfect sight picture or when shooting.
Not having enough air could result in slight tremors that manifest in inaccurate hits.
Trigger Control
Trigger control refers to how the shooter properly activates the trigger to minimize movement.
For proper trigger placement, place the trigger between the fingertip and the first joint of your trigger finger.
When firing the gun, SLOWLY press the trigger while keeping note of the motion of the gun.
Be careful not to make other movements, especially when firing.
Pulling the trigger with the tip of your finger or the first knuckle can cause unnecessary motion of the gun, thus throwing the shot off.
Follow Through
Follow through refers to what happens after the trigger is pulled.
The biggest issue with follow-through is usually the anticipation of recoil after the shot.
Recoil is the reactive momentum of the rifle or the “push” that it gives after shooting.
TAKE NOTE: More weight = less recoil.
Most new shooters tend to tense up when pulling the trigger as they expect the recoil. This can disrupt the precision of the shot and make it difficult to fire continuous shots.
Be sure to fix and tighten everything before you pull the trigger. Remember to hold your position after the shot.
Types of Iron Sights
The sight picture you get depends on the iron sights you have.
There are two main types of rear iron sights:
- Open sight: An open sight has a notch in the rear sight, usually in the shape of a U or V.
- Aperture sight: Also known as a peep sight, this type of sight has a circular hole in the rear sight
The front sight is usually a post with a straight or rounded tip. However, some front sights are hollow in the middle or are fitted with a fiber optic front blade.
SIDE NOTE: Most factory irons are open sights. Most aftermarket sights (bought separately) are peep sights.
How to Aim With Iron Sights
Now that you know what to be aware of, let’s move on to how to aim with iron sights.
- When aiming, properly align the rear sight, front sight, and target. This can take some practice to get right. Don’t fret if it takes some time for you to line it up and shoot properly; you’ll get faster over time.
- For both types of iron sight, focus on the front sight and line it up with the rear sight.
- Once properly aligned, you can aim it at the target accordingly.
This is personally the best way to shoot with the most accuracy possible.
Shooting with just the front sight and target aligned can result in a shot that hits too high or low. Aligning the rear sight with the target properly can help with this difference.
However, don’t be afraid to adjust accordingly if the scenario you’re in calls for you to first align the front sight with the target.
Aiming With an Open Rear Sight
Open rear sights are rear sights with a notch available