Two dot sights; am I doing it wrong?

[ruchik]

I've been having a problem using a two dot Ameriglo setup on my M&P. I'm used to 3 dot sights and a single front dot setup, but this is a first with the two dots for me. I'm having the darndest time shooting accurately. I keep stringing my shots vertically up and down. This is due to the fact that I do not know how to line up the sights properly. Am I supposed to line the dots up so that they're a little apart, front dot floating above the rear, or are the two dots supposed to be touching, like a figure eight? I can't help but think it's supposed to be the latter, but it also seems that if I do, the gun points a little low since I'm bringing the front dot lower.

[Hogsgunwild]

I have a set of Heine two-dots and four sets of IDot Pros (IDots on the M&Ps). I only use the dots as a quick reference type of guide. The front Hi-Vis paint around the Trijicon is what I mainly use and the rear dot is mostly ignored by me except for in conditions where the Trijicon actually comes into play. Once I have a sight picture and am looking for any type of accuracy at all, I treat my sights as if they were all solid black and just keep the top of the front and rear posts flush / inline with each other.

I like the two dots and although I tend to ignore them for much of my shooting, I also know what position to keep them in relative to each other for low light conditions and feel that they are useful. I will reiterate that the front dot is what is the most helpful and important to me and I could live without the back one but do find it useful in
low lighting conditions.

All of the three dot (painted or Trijicon) sights that I have owned in the last decade were blacked out with Sharpie pens as three dots always seemed too busy for me. The front sight is what you focus on and extra dots are distracting to me. The two dot set-ups seem more natural to me and it helps that the rear dot is a smaller, more subdued dot.

[1oldgrunt]

There is nothing faster than Heinie Straight eights, dot over dot and go.......

Your problem is YOU...... it doesn't matter how you align them ...what is important is that however you choose, you do it the same EVERY time....which you are NOT doing hence the verticle stringing.

Each different bullet weight that you use will also cause said vertical stringing..... you need to find out where that load prints/groups and hold accordingly....THE SAME HOLD for that load to shoot POI EVERYTIME.

Going from 115's to 147's will show this. Even going from std load 115's to 115 +P's will change vertical impact.

[ryu_sekai]

You need to align the top of the sights so they are flat.

[LorenzoS]

I cannot speak to the I-Dots, but Heinie Straight Eights work best when you treat them like plain iron sights in well lit conditions. Align the top of the front with the top of the rear, ignoring the rear dot. The dots are there to provide a reference point in low light where the previous picture is too difficult to acquire. From Heinie's own site:

[Leonidas24]

Equal height across the top of the front sight post/rear sight aperture, equal amounts of light on each side of the front sight post. Focus your eye on the front sight, and cut the target in half using the top edge of the front sight. The dots are helpful for acquiring your sights quickly under low-light and stressful situations but when you are practicing for accuracy they should be completely ignored.

[mkmckinley]

Unless you're shooting in low light then don't worry about the lamps, just use them like standard black iron sights.

[ruchik]

Very helpful advice here. I'll try ignoring the dots altogether when I hit the range next time.

As an aside, I am running the Ameriglo I-dots. Do they use a cover-up hold or six o'clock hold?

[Hogsgunwild]

The IDots are the same as the Heinie diagram above unless my memory is even worse than I remember it being.

[Leonidas24]

Very helpful advice here. I'll try ignoring the dots altogether when I hit the range next time.

As an aside, I am running the Ameriglo I-dots. Do they use a cover-up hold or six o'clock hold?

I've found it depends on the height of the sights. Obviously a taller than stock front and rear sight will determine POI/POA shift. For stock or low sights I prefer to cut the "bulls eye," for lack of a better term, in half with the top of the front sight post, while with high sights my front sight covers the exact point I want to hit and I use the dot as a reference point to apx. point of impact.