Some officers, and even some trainers, argue it’s a waste of time to use your sights in firearms practice. After all, you’re not likely to use them in a sudden gunfight.
ILEETA instructor Kevin Davis, a well-known and outspoken critic of questionable trends in training, disagrees vehemently with that philosophy of pistolcraft.
True, he concedes, you may not consciously achieve sight alignment when firing at an unexpected life threat. But building sighted fire into hundreds of training repetitions can still be essential to accurately delivering deadly force when your life is on the line.
You’re most likely to use sights in actual combat in what Davis calls “non-spontaneous events.” For example, say you see an armed suspect when you respond to a gun call, there’s distance and little movement involved, and you have time to get behind cover before issuing a verbal challenge. You’ll probably consciously establish sight alignment.
In contrast, “in a spontaneous event you have — or perceive — little if any warning before you’re forced to react to a suddenly emerging deadly threat,” Davis explains. “Here you’re already well behind the reactionary curve. With a good draw stroke, you may start shooting as soon as your muzzle clears leather and begins pointing in the direction of your assailant — and properly so.
“Research has shown that in surprise situations, the eyes tend to focus on the threat, not on your sights. But if you’ve practiced correctly with sighted fire, you ultimately are likely to bring your gun to eye level and acquire sight alignment without being conscious of it.”
Repeatedly practicing sighted fire “creates an ‘unconscious competence,’ based on developing muscle memory,” Davis explains. “Even though under intense stress you may not be aware of seeing your sights, you will bring your pistol to the same place you would if you did consciously see them. Your eyes, pistol, and target will all be on the same line. Your hit rate then is likely to tremendously improve.”
Muscle memory grows from repetition, Davis says. “The more repetitions, the more clearly established the movements become in your brain circuitry. But it does not take thousands and thousands of reps to develop a proper motor skill, like some trainers insist. Two hundred to 250 reps can establish the pattern, and then you maintain it from there.”
Not all the repetitions have to be with live fire, either. “Dry firing is an excellent way to imbed your firearms motor skills.”
In police firearms instruction, Davis says, “there is a movement in some quarters away from the tried and true, in an effort to shortcut training. But we should not confuse what the body does under stress with how we need to train.
“The quality of training has a direct impact on your real-world performance under stress. Two-handed, eye-level, sighted shooting should be your default in training. Anything else, is a compromise.”
Kevin Davis consults with agencies throughout the country on firearms, use of force, and other training issues. He can be reached at: trainerKevinDavis@gmail.com or through his website.
