Sam squanch
69 Cal.
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Then he should run for political office!
Do you aim or point and shoot instinctively?
- Thread starter Trinidad Bill
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I shoot my hand guns instinctively also. I practice simply by taking a few golf balls. Throw them out in front of me. Load my gun, holster it and draw and shoot. Back drop is all soft beach sand and a hillside (big hill ).
In time you will be surprised how accurate you are.
Like Wyatt Earl said. Fast is good. Accuracy is Everything.
In time you will be surprised how accurate you are.
Like Wyatt Earl said. Fast is good. Accuracy is Everything.
Pure fiction. There was another tale about how Quantrill's men could empty their revolvers into the mouth of a cannon while riding past at full gallop. Its fun to fantasize...
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We can do, as well as already have done instinctive aiming. How many times have you thrown a ball or a rock and hit your target. There are no sights on ones arm or wrist. If you needed sights to hit your target all the time...professional baseball pitchers would be out of a job.
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When I was the age to first have a 22 rimfire (early 1950's) my Dad and I was at a gun club that had a guest shooter. Herb Parsons who represented Winchester was there to show Winchester's and his shooting skills. Herb started the show using a Model 63 22 rimfire shooting at washers in which he stated he was shooting thru the hole. So every time he tossed a washer up and fired the washer simply dropped. Even though I was young he wasn't fooling me. Then Herb turned and looked at the crowd and said "I think you feel I am not actually shooting thru the hole?" And that blew me away. Herb stated he would then shoot the next washer on the right side, and would spin to the right and then the next washer on the left side. And this he did over and over. I was totally hooked, never was I ever to see another shooting display like this again. Herb Shot many different Winchester's that day at all different type targets, and scored 100 in the trap shoot.
Well he planted the seed in me to want to be able to shoot like that. And to be able to hit aerial targets you need to learn to be able to instinct shoot with out sights. Matter of fact the sights were removed to help me not use them. It took weeks of every day practice before I was able to even start hitting pebbles tossed in the air. But then I hit one, missed a couple and then hit a couple. Since I was young and determined it only got better from that point. It seemed everything I could see as a target was easily hit. In the air, on the ground, a bird in the tree or in the air, all was needed to look at the target and shoot. The down fall was that it was necessary for me to shoot nearly every day, or I started missing again. With the ammo supply taking all my funds including savings, trouble getting grades in school, work needed on my Dad's farm, and my interest in saving for a car some day in the years to come kind of took over.
So for a short time in my life I was able to show off my skills as a shooter. But to be able to keep the skills of shooting without sights was not in the cards for me. While I was never as good as Herb Parsons was, I will admit it was very much fun trying and I will never forget that day watching Herb. Being able to say yes I did that once in my life is good enough for me. But now that I can hardly see the sights I might have to relearn those skills. Or better yet just shoot my cannon.
Well he planted the seed in me to want to be able to shoot like that. And to be able to hit aerial targets you need to learn to be able to instinct shoot with out sights. Matter of fact the sights were removed to help me not use them. It took weeks of every day practice before I was able to even start hitting pebbles tossed in the air. But then I hit one, missed a couple and then hit a couple. Since I was young and determined it only got better from that point. It seemed everything I could see as a target was easily hit. In the air, on the ground, a bird in the tree or in the air, all was needed to look at the target and shoot. The down fall was that it was necessary for me to shoot nearly every day, or I started missing again. With the ammo supply taking all my funds including savings, trouble getting grades in school, work needed on my Dad's farm, and my interest in saving for a car some day in the years to come kind of took over.
So for a short time in my life I was able to show off my skills as a shooter. But to be able to keep the skills of shooting without sights was not in the cards for me. While I was never as good as Herb Parsons was, I will admit it was very much fun trying and I will never forget that day watching Herb. Being able to say yes I did that once in my life is good enough for me. But now that I can hardly see the sights I might have to relearn those skills. Or better yet just shoot my cannon.
CaptainVane
Colt ‘51 & Remington ‘58 .36; Colt ‘48 .31
As an archer and former horse owner, i love this picture…
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CaptainVane
Colt ‘51 & Remington ‘58 .36; Colt ‘48 .31
And some wonder how the Mongols beat the Roman Empire, skill baby skill.
Ya, Mongol/Hun on my mother side and dam proud of it.
Ya, Mongol/Hun on my mother side and dam proud of it.
I miss it!
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Of course he’d say that! Someone has a gun to your head and you’ll say most anything they want you to say.
Maybe take a hint from professional shooters. Just shoot like a girl. And notice that she is raising to eye level.
Hip shooting only works in the movies.
Hip shooting only works in the movies.
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I think the revolver was primarily designed for point shooting as it was a close quarters weapon often used on horse back that pretty much nullifies rear/front sight line up. Still while point shooting the front sight certainly comes into play!
This pretty much explains why most sights on percussion revolvers were rather crude for precision/bullseye or long range work.
Then you would not mind holding the target for me - at 200 yards.....
you guys are funny. one the one hand you claim that open top colts were sighted in at 75 yrds from the factory and the next min you declare that you were never supposed to use the sights in the first place and it was only intended for close and dirty point shooting...
Honestly? I can instinctively shoot a bow..I can instinctively shoot a rifle,,
But for some reason I have never figured out in near 50yrs of shooting all that stuff,, I can not shoot hand gun without sights!
And do poorly with the sights!
Truth.
For all you guy's that can draw and hit with revolver, I'm the back-up guy on the hill on your flank.
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Many years ago I got pretty good at point shooting, especially with 1851 navy but was far faster in my IPSC days always using sights. Even super fast super close stuff we all used sights. Even Jerry Miculek uses his sights.
(Off topic a bit) And it even works for swords. I apply this technique to fencing weapons …. close my eyes and extend the arm. The blade should be in line with my arm. If not, adjust the grip angle until it is.
The sights on most .44 pistols were regulated at ~75 yards. Take second to line up the sights, squeeze the trigger, and anyone who has conquered pistol fundamentals will be able to consistently hit the torso of human silhouette targets offhand. From a rest like a bench or a fence post most full-size .44s will make 6in groups or better, and I've seen a few folks who get under 3in with a tuned gun and a disciplined reloading method.
I'm sure there were some who practiced snap shooting, especially at close range. But any formal military training with a military revolver of that era would have included use of the weapon's sights. The fact that more than a few surving antiques have some kind of modified sight leads me to believe that many realized the advantage of a sight vs. snap shooting and had the gun modified for a closer range where they expected to use it. That said, a "belly button" hold with any of these old guns would also have put a round in the center of the torso at close range. There's no reason not to "see what you're shooting" even with the factory sights, just need to learn your gun's ballistics with a few targets and pick a point on a man accordingly, such as aiming at the belt on a closer threat knowing that whether it hits 2in high or 5in high, it's going to end in a shot to the chest.
I use my sights for anything beyond spitting distance…
