Glock Sight Picture: How to Master It & Shoot Better

Having a hard time hitting your mark with your Glock?

Getting frustrated because you just can’t hit a bull’s eye?

Do you feel like you’re wasting your money on fancy optics that just don’t help you make your mark? 

You need not give up just yet.

You may need to focus on getting a good sight picture. 

What Is Sight Picture?

Sigh picture refers to the resulting picture when you have good sight alignment.

Sight alignment is the relationship between the front and rear sights when aimed at a specific spot at a distance.

It should show a focused front sight in line with a fuzzy rear sight and target. 

Sight picture and alignment make all the difference between a real shooter and someone who just likes to play around with guns.

Glock Sight Picture

Glock sights are just like any other sights on any other pistol. 

As long as you know how to use Glock sights, you’ll know how to shoot any hand gun.

There are two factory Glock sights: One with a front dot and another with three dots to help you aim and hit your target. 

These two sights don’t have much difference.

Using Glock Iron Sights

Most Glocks, like the Glock 43, go best with iron sights, which are exposed combat sights located on the front and rear of a pistol.

To shoot well with a Glock, you must know how to use them properly.

There are two sights on iron sights:

• Rear sight: This has a space in the middle at the rear of the gun, closer to your eye. 
• Front sight: This is usually a small dot or sight post at the end of the gun’s barrel, further from your eye.

Using iron sights is simple:

1. Hold up the hand gun properly.
2. Look through the rear sight aperture.
3. Adjust your handling of the gun so that you can see the front sight post centered between the two “arms” of the rear sight.
4. For proper sight alignment, the top of the front sight post must line up with the tips of the rear sight aperture, with equal space on either side.
5. Squeeze the trigger.

What to Consider When Sighting

Now that we know about proper sight alignment and sight picture, what factors play into sighting?

Let’s find out.

1. Eye Dominance

You probably know that most people either have a dominant right hand or a dominant left hand.

But did you know that the same applies to your eyes too?

One eye is usually better than the other eye. For most people, that eye matches their dominant hand. 

For example, if you have a dominant right hand, you’re likely to have a dominant right eye.

It may be tempting to just go with whatever eye matches your dominant hand, but take note that some people may be cross dominant.

This means that the dominant hands of these people are the opposite of their dominant eye. 

So, for instance, you could be right-handed but have your left eye dominant. You could also be left-handed but right-eye dominant. 

You can do a simple test to figure out eye dominance without going out to the range:

1. Find an object that can be your target. It can be a shooting target in the range or a water bottle.
2. Hold your hands out at arm’s length, overlapping your hands together to make an opening like a triangle.
3. With both eyes open, position the object in the middle of that triangle opening made by your hands. 
4. Close your left eye first while keeping open your right eye.
5. Open your right eye and close your left eye.
6. The eye which has the object in the middle of the opening is your dominant eye!

Eye dominance is important, especially for competition shooting. It lets you know how to align your sights. 

If you align your sights with your non-dominant eye, for example, you are more likely to be off-target. 

Thus, it usually also dictates the best stance for you. 

2. Eye Open or Closed?

Is it better to have your non-dominant eye closed or open?

It depends on the kind of situation you find yourself in. It may be good to aim with one eye closed for better focus if you’re shooting out on the range.

However, if you are in actual combat, it may be best to shoot with both eyes open for maximum situational awareness.

The option to shoot with your weaker eye closed or open depends on your skill level.

When aiming with pistol iron sights, it is recommended that beginners start by shooting with one eye, especially if you notice double vision when focusing. 

However, as you grow in skill and experience, you may move on to shooting with both eyes open for better depth perception.

TAKE NOTE: This will take some training to get used to. 

Don’t rush it and force yourself to shoot targets with both eyes open if you aren’t ready.

You may end up developing some bad shooting habits that will be more difficult to unlearn later on.

3. Focus

It might be a (shooting) mystery as to where to look when aiming with so much going on.

Should you look at the rear or front sight? Or should you look at the target?

You can’t possibly look at everything in an equal light.

While your focal point boils down to what you would personally prefer and what works best for you, we recommend that you focus on the target for a Glock. 

4. Sight Holds

While sight alignment stays the same regardless of whether you’re using a Glock or a Sig Sauer, the sight picture may vary between guns and even distances.

The different sight pictures are known as “holds.”