Combat Sight Picture [Is It The Best Sight Picture For You?]

Sight picture is one of the most important marksmanship fundamentals…

And over the years, shooters have developed several different sight pictures or “holds” in attempts to shoot faster and more precisely…

Now one of the most popular forms of sight picture is called the “Combat Sight Picture”, and in this article we’re going to answer the following questions…

• What Is A Combat Sight Picture?
• What Are The Benefits Of It?
• What Are The Downsides?
• What Are The Other Common Sight Pictures?

In the end, I’ll tell you if I personally use a Combat Sight Picture when I’m shooting handguns, and you should have all the information you need to determine if it’s the right sight picture for you…

Let’s get started!

What Is A Combat Sight Picture?

Before explaining what a combat sight picture is, it’s important to understand what sight alignment is. Sight alignment is when the shooter’s eye, the rear sight, and the front sight all line up with each other…

Once you have sight alignment, you get your sight picture by lining it all up at a specific target (when you’re aiming)…

Now a Combat Sight Picture (which is also sometimes called a 3 Dot Hold or Combat Hold), is when the center dot on your front sight completely covers the bullseye of your target.

This is very different from a 6 O’Clock Hold (which places the top of your front sight underneath the bullseye or target in general) and the Center Hold (in which the top of the front sight perfectly bisects the bullseye on the target).

Watch This Video To Learn More About the 3 Sight Pictures:

What Are The Benefits Of A Combat Sight Picture?

The Combat Sight Picture has many benefits… First of all, it’s generally considered to be a simple and fast option.

Some people compare it to using a red dot sight on a rifle, in which you simply place the dot on the target exactly where you want the round to go…

The concept behind the Combat Sight Picture is pretty much the same… Place the dot on your front sight exactly on the target where you want the round to go.

In addition to that, the Combat Sight Picture does a good job of keeping your handgun in line with the target, which is helpful when you have targets at several different distances.

All in all, it’s a pretty fast, simple, and flexible sight picture, which is why there are many people who favor it.   

What Are The Downsides Of A Combat Sight Picture?

The major downside to using a Combat Sight Picture is that you cover up a lot of your target when aiming…

You see, with a red dot sight you place the dot on your target exactly where you want to hit, but you can still see everything around the reticle (your whole target)…

But with the Combat Sight Picture, the slide of your pistol, and even your actual sights, will cover up the exact spot that you’re aiming at AND the rest of the target beneath it.

Seeing is an important part of shooting, so this is definitely a disadvantage to the Combat Hold. 

What Are The Other Common Sight Pictures?

6 O’clock Vs Combat Sight Picture…

The 6 O’Clock Hold is another common sight picture used by many shooters. Like I mentioned before, with the 6 O’Clock Hold you place the top of your front sight post either below the bullseye or at the bottom of the entire target (depending on how you zero your sights). 

The benefit of the 6 O’Clock Hold is that you can see a lot more of your target than you can with the Combat Hold, but there are several downsides…

First of all, it’s hard to be very precise because there is going to be a gap between your point of aim and your point of impact. 

Second, when you zero your sights they will be very distance (and target size) specific. If your target is too large, your rounds will impact low and if your target is too far away, they’ll impact high. 

The Center Hold Vs Combat Sight Picture…

Probably the most common sight picture is called the Center Hold… Like I mentioned earlier, with the Center Hold the top of your front sight will perfectly bisect the bullseye on the target.

The benefit once again over the Combat Hold is that you can see more of your target (not as much as with the 6 O’Clock Hold but a lot more than with the Combat Hold)

Also because the flat top of your front sight is your reference point (point of aim), you can aim much more precisely than with both the 6 O’Clock Hold and the Combat Hold.

Where you aim is where you round is going to go assuming the rest of your marksmanship fundamentals are squared away.

Now, the downside is that your sights still cover up some of your target, but as I mentioned before, it’s a lot less than with the Combat Hold.   

Combat Sight Picture – Final Thoughts…

In the end, even though many people really like the Combat Sight Picture, I personally don’t use it…

I like to use the Center Hold because it allows me to see more of my target and aim more precisely (especially with a narrow front sight post). On top of all that, I think it’s just as fast as a Combat Sight Picture. 

I recommend you do some dry fire practice using all 3 sight pictures before determining which is best for you, but whichever you choose, the most important thing is to be consistent. 

Now there are many other marksmanship fundamentals that are just as important as sight picture…

Things like stance, grip, trigger control, and many other things all come into play when you’re trying to improve your shooting…

So if you want some additional training on how to become a better shooter, I highly recommend you check out the following video…

Good Luck and stay safe on the range!

-Red Dot shooters