[sciolist]

What the maker says is irrelevant. Just shoot the gun and see how it prints for you. This is very simple for most shooters, and a bit more complex if you are using a wide range of ammo types.

Pick a distance to zero the gun at and decide how you want the sight picture to be, then do the math. If you're changing the rear sight, then you need to account for that before figuring out the front sight height.

As an example, I generally like my pistols to print so that all of the hits in a 20-yard group are directly above the post (theoretically the lowest hit is tangent to top of post).

 

[mavs]

I would have bet this is the case. Just my opinion, but combat hold makes the most sense, to me. It’s the only one where A) you know exactly where point of impact should be and B) you aren’t covering the point of impact with the sights (you can see the point of impact). All the other holds have some sort of guess work baked in, and I don’t like that, personally.

Obviously point of impact is dependent on distance. I wonder, is there a universally recognized distance at which combat hold should work for pistols? Any closer and it will hit low, any further and it will hit high (albeit not much if you’re within 15 yards or so).

Again, not anything that I have seen from Glock says anything about any of that.

Don't know about Sig.

 

[Lt. Donn]

A "target hold".....can you explain that ?

Hold so the bullseye sits on top of the front sight...AKA the lolipop sight picture

 

[Bradley T]

It has to do with target's distance. A 4yd "combat hold" becomes "target hold" at 25 yards.
Trajectory and line of sight aren't ever the same line, they just intersect a couple of instances somewhere, sometime.

GSSF Indoor competitions have a shooter firing at five different ranges out to 25 yards. It teaches you about adjusting your "holds."

 

[Wererat]

I don't recall any defense-oriented arms using picture 1 -- that's IMO for dedicated target pistols shooting at known distances where the 'pumpkin' is the inner rings (think typical NRA slow-fire target).
Glocks gen 1-4 use picture 2 with their default sight. Gen5 uses picture 3.

If you prefer the other, the easiest change is the front sight. An example: Glock part 47284 is the Ameriglo Bold sight for gen3-4 with .180" front, part 47285 is the same for gen5 with .200" front. Alternatively change the rears from 6.5mm (gen1-4) to 6.1mm (gen5) as Glock labels their stock sets. Taller front or shorter rear lowers POI. For drift use a sight pusher or cheap-o methods but I'm not responsible for broken tritium vials.

 

[billorights]

Just be sure to hold it down range.

 

[DirectDrive]

As I said, most Glocks do not have adjustable sights so it's sometimes difficult to "adjust the gun to the shooter."

I guess I never heard that to be a "basic fundamental" from anyone.

On a Glock, it's caveman-easy to remove & replace the front sight.
Therefore, it's simple to make your Glock a 6:00 or center or combat hold gun.
It does not matter how the factory set up the gun.

Bench it to test it and then make adjustments as needed.

 

[DirectDrive]

Just be sure to hold it down range.

That's the "downrange hold"
It's an advanced hold not shown in any diagrams.

 

[Dhains1963]

Shoot it. That's the best way. Sounds like a smart a** answer, but all weapons shoot different. Also, center hold for me might be different aiming point for you depending on how you hold your gun, our different body types, etc...

 

[SK2344]

In all my 25 years owning and shooting Glocks and other handguns, Including Revolvers with fixed sights, and I have been using my sights the way I was taught from the beginning! I have always aimed with the front sight dot resting just bellow the Target and I think it's called, "Dot the I", if I'm not mistaken! I have been very successful shooting this way and I always qualified top in my class every year! Works for Me!

 

[SK2344]

Shoot it. That's the best way. Sounds like a smart a** answer, but all weapons shoot different. Also, center hold for me might be different aiming point for you depending on how you hold your gun, our different body types, etc...

In all my experience shooting Handguns, All Guns Shoot the Same and you pull the trigger and the bullet comes out the front! I was trained on the Revolver and I carried one as my duty weapon for many Years and I had to qualify with this Handgun with Fixed Sights every year! I always used the same method shooting with fixed sights and it was the, "Dot the I" method! If I had a gun with Adjustable Sights, I always adjusted them to this Method so I was able to shoot all my guns the same way! Never a Problem for Me!

 

[G-Lock808]

I would have bet this is the case. Just my opinion, but combat hold makes the most sense, to me. It’s the only one where A) you know exactly where point of impact should be and B) you aren’t covering the point of impact with the sights (you can see the point of impact). All the other holds have some sort of guess work baked in, and I don’t like that, personally.

Obviously point of impact is dependent on distance. I wonder, is there a universally recognized distance at which combat hold should work for pistols? Any closer and it will hit low, any further and it will hit high (albeit not much if you’re within 15 yards or so).

Aren’t you covering your poi with you front sight with the combat hold?

 

[Schrag4]

Aren’t you covering your poi with you front sight with the combat hold?

Not really. If your shooting a 1” circle, you can see the top 1/2”. Your know it will hit the very center if you put the top of the front sight on the very center of the circle. No other hold gives you that precision.

 

[mavs]

Not really. If your shooting a 1” circle, you can see the top 1/2”. Your know it will hit the very center if you put the top of the front sight on the very center of the circle. No other hold gives you that precision.

Actually that's not correct.

With a combat hold, you are completely covering the bull's eye with the front sight.

 

[Schrag4]

Actually that's not correct.

With a combat hold, you are completely covering the bull's eye with the front sight.

Ah yes, I apparently was thinking of center hold. My bad.

What’s funny is unless the sights are parallel with the barrel (they shouldn’t be), every gun will require combat hold in the first few yards, then it becomes center hold, and eventually, 6:00 hold. It’s up to you to figure out what those distances are, and for which ammo.

 

[342152]

Do the gen 5 9mm only maintain combat sight picture with 147gr only? From what I’ve read on here it’s preference whether to get gen 4 or 5 sights. I want combat at 25y with 124 gr also.

 

[SargeMO]

What the maker says is irrelevant. Just shoot the gun and see how it prints for you. This is very simple for most shooters, and a bit more complex if you are using a wide range of ammo types.

Pick a distance to zero the gun at and decide how you want the sight picture to be, then do the math. If you're changing the rear sight, then you need to account for that before figuring out the front sight height.

As an example, I generally like my pistols to print so that all of the hits in a 20-yard group are directly above the post (theoretically the lowest hit is tangent to top of post).

You saved me a bunch of typing- thanks.

 

[sciolist]

You saved me a bunch of typing- thanks.

Ya, it's not massive rocket science. Just decide the zero distance and how you want the gun to print there.

For Glock, I have a pretty good collection of Dawson fronts from over the years. My rears are always the same on carry, and also on production. So I know for certain Dawson makes a front that will work.

I get the rear sight immediately if I don't already have it in stock, and put it on. Then I put on a mock-up front that's either the height I think is right or close, with a little blue loctite.

Then wait for a day with decent conditions and print the gun, and order (if needed) the real front based on that, and hose it down good with red loctite. I've swapped fronts to change widths, but never had to swap height after the initial installation.

Adjustable rears on Tanfos are a bit more complicated. You don't want to run the elevation screw out too far for stability reasons. A lot of people seem to like the shortest front practical, but I like to have some vertical aspect ratio in my sight picture. And when shooting at higher rates, I make a lot of use of the post area below the fiber.

Another thing on the Tanfo's is I want the (silver) slide completely out of my sight picture and also to reasonably minimize ambient glare from it in the sight picture. So it's more of a balance on those guns, while the Glock post height is determined by my choice of rear sight.

 

[342152]

Dawson hasn’t been making sights to order for 2 years. It’s whatever is in stock. Was just looking for an update on how it all averaged out. I think a lot of people know how to zero a pistol. Looking for comments from those who actually went through this process with gen 5s regarding the actual question I asked.Just out of curiosity.

 

[Bullwinkle J Moose]

For all my guns I use combat sight picture. This simplifies things and works for me at pistol range distances.