I've been shooting steel matches with a Glock 34 fitted with a fiber optic front sight and a plain black rear sight (classic Heinie/Dawson setup). I've been having trouble hitting the plates, always shooting too high or low.

 

Last weekend at the steel match, I broke out the Beretta 92FS with a standard 3-dot setup just to switch things up. I immediately started connecting on every shot. It's like my vision had been restored.

 

I'm planning to try out the 92FS at IDPA to see if it helps improve my scores there as well.

 

Any thoughts on fiber optic/black sights vs 3-dots? Is the ideal pistol for IDPA very different from the ideal pistol for shooting steel?

 

Thanks

 

-- A.S.

You shouldn't be lining up the dots at all. The outline of the front sight - crisp, clear, and centered in the notch of the rear sight - is what gives you hits.

 

The FO is there to help you pick up the front sight in your visual plane as you bring the sights to eye level, not to line up with the rear dots.

 

You are probably relying on the FO on the Glock. The Beretta doesn't have the FO so you are reverting to your fundamentals - proper sight picture using the outline of the front sight - and getting your hits.

 

Try removing the FO rod or putting something over it like a small peice of electrical tape so you can't see the FO dot and shoot a few drills. Without the front dot, you will have to use something else for your aiming reference, most likely the front sight outline itself. See if that gets you back in the zone.

 

Good luck!