Using sights/optics vs. not

[kalnaren]

Had a thought here. It occured to me recently that when playing I seldom actually use the sights on my guns. I find myself more often than not sighting along the side of the gun (or on my G36, which has an SL-8 rail, along the side of the rail) and watching where the shots go for aiming rather than actually using the ironsights. I have an RDS for my MP5 but I've never used it. I don't find the sights/optics overly useful. I always sight when shooting at targets but seldom when playing. Does anyone else do tend to do this? Or does everyone else always use their proper sights? (scoped rifles not included).

[The Saint]

I tend to follow the BBs by eye by habit, too, since I usually don't get the chance to properly zero the sights before playing.

[Danke]

How far away are the targets you are shooting at?

I use either my irons or red dots but I do also watch the impacts in case I have to correct for wind and the like when shooting at a distance. For snap shots I don't line up the sights.

[Kimbo]

Indoor: I guess I pretty much shoot by looking overtop of my sights and not really using them. Probably use the barrel more to line up the shot and correct slightly after the first round is out. Except on long or slow aimed shots, then I'll actually use the sights for finer aiming but then rely less on the sights for the second or third shots. All in all, probably use the sights 10% of the time.

Outdoor: Pretty much exclisively use a scope as most of my shots are long range.

[kalnaren]

I only play outdoor. Most of the shots I take are 50-150ft, seldom less and seldom more. The longer shots sometimes I line up if I have time, but I find at that range the ironsights are useless anyway since I have no idea where my shots are landing.

[grantmac]

I use my optics/irons at least 50% of the time. It depends on what the situation is, getting ambushed vs. making the first shots count. Practicing fast target aquisition is an important skill, like changing mags under stress.

I found going with an Aimpoint set-up really helped me bring my game up from using irons, I think because it makes tracing the BBs path a bit easier and require no lining-up.
Cheers,
Grant

[Bissa]

i use the same method as danke, because at the range of distances that we encounter at our feild, trying to use a sight can just be more of a waste of BBs.

[kalnaren]

Originally Posted by grantmac

I use my optics/irons at least 50% of the time. It depends on what the situation is, getting ambushed vs. making the first shots count. Practicing fast target aquisition is an important skill, like changing mags under stress.

I found going with an Aimpoint set-up really helped me bring my game up from using irons, I think because it makes tracing the BBs path a bit easier and require no lining-up.
Cheers,
Grant

Good point. Perhaps if I had optics that didn't obscure a rather large part of my vision would help.

[FOX_111]

I shoot using nothing else than my sites or optics. I see the BBs in them anyway and can compensate if nessesary.

But relying only on walking your fire to the target is a bad habit IMO.

Learning how to properly aim at different range is the key to good shooting. BBs tracers are just there to help because of their bad ballistic trajectory.

[coach]

Ever since I started using a heavy black to white BB ratio, I've had to use my RDS for target acquisition because I don't know when that white tracer would pop up.

When you use your RDS or iron sights, are you closing one eye or keeping both eyes open? How close to your face are you sighting the RDS or irons? Both eyes open helps to eliminate the tunnel vision one gets when you sight with one eye closed.

My RDS is a huge 42mm so it's quite easy to use the dot to acquire targets but not focus purely through it. Even with a smaller magnified scope I'll try to keep both eyes open.

[Crunchmeister]

For outdoors, I always use my CA M145 Elcan replica. It's been nothing but a dependable, accurate sight. Its 3.4x magnification allows me to use it both for shooting and observation. It also allows me to clearly see the trajectory of the BBs and allows me to compensate for any deviation due to wind with subsequent shots. The only exception is when I use my AK and I use the iron sights, but I don't field that gun very often.

For indoors, I use my EOTech replicas, and they too have proven to be invaluable. Again, I follow the BB trajectory, but I always take the time to adjust my sights before a game so I don't have any issues once the game starts.

For really close-up encounters indoors (like 20-30 feet), then simply pointing the gun is often accurate enough.

[bruce]

I'm so used to using my EOTechs. Couldn't think of playing in a game without them.

[dpvu]

I use an aimpoint on my rifle and it's great. I can't imagine using iron sights anymore because they're so hard to line up properly compared to aimpoints.

[Kuro_Neko]

I've got an old reflex rds and I use it every time I want to actually hit something. About the only time I don't is when all I want is suppressing fire. Keeping both eyes open is a great bit of advice, I do it all the time. It gets rid of the tunnel vision and even gives a better sight picture I find. Iron sights on the other hand are pretty useless. That's the reason everyone and their dog uses at least rds's if nothing else.

Kuro_Neko

[Styrak]

I am another person that probably does 50%/50% looking through and not.
When indoors I almost never use sights, and the last indoor game I played I used my pistol only, which is extremely pointable and I don't really need to use the sights. More of just looking down the slide.