Center mass or 6o'clock hold for service rifle shooters

[ripley]

I've always shot a 6 o'clock hold with Ar-15 service rifle in matches from the 200 to the 600 yard line. Other people say the center hold is easier. Anyone know what the marine and army rifle team teaches as of now??? feedback

 

[chkunz]

While you are waiting on your answer as to how the military teams do it I will give you something to think about. I have been shooting the M14 for about 100 years and I believe that the 6 o'clock hold is the default sight picture, but I shoot center of mass standing and 6 o'clock for the other matches. Here is my thinking, if I can achieve a standing position that gives me an area of wobble that will keep the center of the front sight in the aiming black and I get a good trigger release then I will get a shot in the black. If I can get all shots in the black standing I will win the master class. Young eyes can get a prefect 6 o'clock sight picture but old eyes can only do it for about one second so I try to shoot the first ten I see. Sometimes I break the shots as the front post is still approaching the black and I still get a ten. If I wait until the post gets to the black and then continue to aim I can get a ten but I can also get an eight and they both look the same. I would call my 6 o'clock sight picture more of a flat tire.

 

[memo43]

I use to shoot/coach on the Marine Rifle team and what is thought honestly depends on the person.
What comes natural to you, this is all based on your position from how you shoulder the rifle forward hand placement as well as cheek weld. what size is your rear aperture as well as front sight.
I used a 45 rear and 65-72 thou front sight (standard)
all of that will play a big role in what you can see/ hold.
the bigger the front sight the less you try to center in on the target.
Try both of them while either dry firing or actually on the range.
remember it should all be natural with very to no fighting of the hold.
one trick I use was to darken the front sight and put a slight scratch on the top of the post, my eyes would pick up the slight difference in contrast and helped in sight alignment.
Hope all of this makes sense in you have any more questions let me know I will try my best to answer them.

 

[rminut]

I started with a 6 o'clock hold with the SR, mostly because I transferred what I did from pistol shooting. I could never eliminate vertical errors so I went to the COM hold. It took some adjustment, getting solid zeroes but it greatly reduced vertical errors and now I couldn't imagine shooting any other hold. I think the .062 front post helps a lot because it is wider than the aiming black at all yard lines.

 

[aloreman]

center mass here. never new any better