Quote Originally Posted by Chris jM View Post
In reply to JMA and to build upon Wilf's statement, a magnified optic won't improve your grouping. You are very right Kiwigrunt in pointing out that the 1.5 scope is different to iron sights - something I had taken for granted.

Regardless, I will hand-on-heart say that if you can align a low-powered scope/ iron sights on a visible point of a target and take repeated shots, a magnified optic won't improve your ability to shoot more accurately in the same circumstance. The marksmanship factors at play will be dictating the grouping size, not ones ability to see the target, and being able to 'reach out and touch' the point of aim will not solve the factors that make a shooter inaccurate, such as a firer's poor breathing techniques, changing grip, trigger pull, etc. I can say this with some experience, as I myself am far from an inspired shot!

The major assumption to my above claim is in regards to a sight picture. If the iron sights aren't effective in ensuring the firer is always aligning the weapon the same way, obviously they will create further issues. That is on benefit to a sight - if you can see the target picture, you know where your rounds are going. Not only do you have to see a target picture with iron sights, you have to ensure you are aligned correctly.
This is good stuff.

I have mentioned the basics before (aiming, holding, breathing, squeezing) and noted throughout my career that many soldiers had never mastered these basics and therefore were effectively "bad shots" with the resulting lack of personal confidence in a combat setting making them effectively a liability.

We worked on our troopies to improve their application of the basics and a certain amount of peer pressure built up in that "so-and-so couldn't hit a cow on the head with a banjo at three paces" and that "he should be issued with a machete rather than rifle". Peer pressure among soldiers is brutal but on the positive side it does make those on the receiving end more susceptible to this coaching.

The officers I trained were coached and were able to group 4" at 100m and 1" at 25m and had the importance of the basics repeatedly emphasized. This is not an instruction task but rather a personal one on one coaching task (probably why its often not done throughly enough). They needed to coach their troopies in this manner (or know what their sgt was supposed to be doing). I hope they did.

The aiming over iron sights must be checked using the aiming disc (unless there is some new gizmo now in use). See it here. It was good in 1909 and it works today.

My honest suggestion to you is that if you have any reservations about your own personal ability you should find one of the old school weapon instructors who knows and understands the four principles of marksmanship and approach it as a matter of "revision" and reinforcement.

Helpful would be the following: The Marksmanship Principles

and, Four Fundamentals of Marksmanship