Close, Medium, Far: Manage Your Sight Picture for Max Accuracy

Winchester's Becky Yackley explains how your pistol sight picture should change when the distance to the target does.

posted on June 29, 2022
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **

Becky Yackley is many things: champion competitive shooter, hunter, writer, Winchester brand ambassador, mother and expert mentor. She's been helping women of all skill levels achieve on the firing line for years, and she's happy to share her secrets. Top among those secrets is the fact that your sight picture—meaning the way that your handgun's sights relate to one another and to the target—needs to change just a little depending on how far away you are from your target.

In this video from Winchester Ammunition, Yackley will shoot from three distances: one that's nearly close enough to touch, one further back and one a full 150 feet away. These various distances are called "target presentations," and that's relevant both for competitive shooters and for self-defenders. At very close ranges, as Yackley notes, your sight picture is really secondary to what you need to do, which is essentially treat the gun as if it were your index finger, point, and then shoot. (Hence the term "point shooting.")

Further back, the sight picture becomes increasingly important, because the margin for error becomes narrower. Once you've retreated to 15 yards, it becomes important to align the sights side to side and top to bottom before squeezing the trigger. So what does that look like in practice? Let Yackley walk you through the steps of close, medium and far and you'll start to get the (sight) picture.

Latest

FONRA Logo
FONRA Logo

Friends of NRA Celebrates Milestone: 5 Million Attendees Nationwide

The achievement reflects more than three decades of bringing communities together to support firearm safety, education, training, youth development and the future of the shooting sports.

The Armed Citizen® Reload August 7, 2026

An 85-year-old woman demonstrated the greatest example of how age and treachery overcomes youth and vigor.

July 2026 NSSF-Adjusted NICS Checks Show 8.5 Percent YOY Increase

The July 2026 NFA figures also show an increase of 108.8 percent.

DSG Outerwear Introduces New Ridge & Vale Lifestyle Collection

Featuring faded Realtree camo, the line is designed to blend authentic outdoor heritage with everyday comfort and style, suited for daily wear to outdoor adventures.

3 Carry-Gun Tips from a Seasoned Game Warden

Want to be as prepared to carry as the professionals? To start, follow these essential pieces of EDC advice.

Paper’s No Protection

If you have a restraining order against someone, you also need a gun and the proper training to use it. Paper won’t keep you safe.

 

Women's Interests



Get the best of NRA Women delivered to your inbox.