Laser Sights For Training

Where Aiming and Firing are often well-discussed topics for shooting, “Ready” deserves some consideration in itself. This article will discuss ready positions for handguns and how to use laser sights as training tools. For illustration purposes, I looked for a copy of that famous image of Charlie’s Angels where the three ladies are standing in the pose, back to back to back with their firearms held in various positions. Alas, no such image seems to exist on the internet. The older, original version had a silhouette of the three ladies with one of them empty handed and the newer version of the franchise prefers to show the three in the famous pose empty handed showing off their martial arts skills.

Now, considering that a typical handgun with ammunition can weigh several pounds, and, add to that any accessories, such as scopes, flashlights or lasers, then the heft can really grow. Add to that fact that when aiming your pistol or handgun, your arms are at or nearly at full length. After holding the firearm at arms length for a few minutes, that weight can seem to grow. As fatigue begins to set in, the firearm will become less steady. The muzzle will tend to do loopy figure eights or even shake. This may not make much of a difference in point blank-range shooting but it can mean the difference between hit or miss at greater distances, even when considering center-of-mass shooting. That’s where the ready position becomes important.

In the ready position, the firearm is kept close to the body, where leverage makes it easier to hold, and the muzzle is pointed in a generally safe direction. One can argue that there is no safe direction to point a loaded firearm but there are certainly safer directions. If you have a laser sight with momentary activation, that’s best kept off. Finally, and very importantly, the trigger finger is resting on the trigger guard and not on the trigger itself. Generally, handgun ready positions can be broken down to the Low-, High-, and Middle-Ready positions.

Low Ready

Low-Ready is where the arms are extended and the firearm is pointed downward. This helps guard against fatigue; however, the problem comes in when transitioning from the Low-Ready to the aiming position. First, as the arms are fully extended, they are easily blocked in close-quarters situations. Lets hope we never get that close to the bad guys, but that is always a consideration.

Second, and more importantly, there is no natural stopping position between the Low-Ready and Aiming positions. So imagining that you’re at low ready and you spot your target. You’re raising a several pounds object at arm’s length. In order to stop on target, you’ll need to slow down your approach to aiming position or you will pass your target and aim high for a moment. Either way, it slows you down and there will be a wobble until you home in on the target. Activate your laser sight and try the transition from low to shooting positions

High Ready.

High-Ready consists of holding your firearm at shoulder level off to one side of your head (in order to not block your vision). As opposed to the low-ready position, you will need to drop your firearm into the aiming position in a motion similar to casting a fishing line. Like the low-ready, there is no natural stopping point so you must slow down as you near the aiming position or you will pass your target and end up with greater wobble as you home in. Again, engage your laser sight and perform the transition.

Center Ready.

Center-Ready position holds the firearm close to the chest with it pointing generally for- and slightly upward for comfort and safety. Like other positions, the firearm is close to the body, which uses leverage in your favor. The difference is in the motion of transitioning from ready to aiming. This transition uses a natural, thrusting forward motion and has a natural stopping point; your arms length. At any position during the transition, the firearm is directed toward the target and a shot can be taken if necessary.

As much as possible, the center-ready position eliminates the wobble one would naturally experience when rapidly deploying to the aiming position. Again, deploy the laser sight and follow the beam as you perform the transition.

Improving the aim on the draw.

The best way to improve one’s aiming is to go to the range and shoot often. Practice and repetition helps improve muscle memory to make the motion automatic. Another often overlooked training tool is the laser sight and the laser trainer. When you perform the transitions, the beam will tell you exactly where you’re aiming throughout the process and how much wobble it takes to get on target. Laser grips, such as Crimson Trace LaserGrips can add the power of a laser without the added bulk of a rail-mount laser. Laser trainers are designed to activate momentarily when the hammer drops to mimic a shot being fired. Although you don’t want to get completely dependant on tools like lasers for aiming, they can be very handy for both training and real life situations.

By: Stephen Fischer

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Stephen Fischer is a Professional Geologist, avid Outdoorsman and owner of ClearlyOptics.com.  Clearly Optics offers discount Laser Sights, Rifle Scopes, Binoculars and other shooting accessories.