New Device Makes Guns More Accurate

Live Science ^ | Dec 11, 2009 | LiveScience Staff

[decimon]

A new technology may make it easier for gun owners to improve their marksmanship.

Opti-sight, a new pistol-aiming device, was developed to reduce the time law enforcement, professional and amateur shooters need for target practice to get better results at the firing range.

Typically, shooters use an optical device known as a "sight" to take aim before firing on a target. Traditional pistol sight designs rely on a square post mounted on the front of the gun's barrel that is visually centered inside a notch on the back of the barrel. Shooters use the two pieces to align the barrel with the target when firing. This method, saysTimothy Kraft, an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who designed the device, takes considerable time to master as the brain must work to reconcile inconsistencies seen through the notch, post and target.

"The way a traditional gunsight works is all very disconnected," Kraft said. "In order to get a good shot off you have to visually scan the gap between the front post and rear sight on the left and equalize that to the gap on the right, then align all that with the center of the target. It is too much for the eye and brain to process."

[Fido969]

Typically, shooters use an optical device known as a "sight" to take aim

Really! A "sight"!

Huh!

You don't say!

[Paladin2]

We need a laser beam that bends to simulate the trajectory of the bullet.

[Fido969]

"In order to get a good shot off you have to visually scan the gap between the front post and rear sight on the left and equalize that to the gap on the right, then align all that with the center of the target. It is too much for the eye and brain to process."

Or you could practice.

[mountainlion]

I read the article but don’t have a clue how it works. This article is useless without pictures.

[junkman_106]

Might work. Send me a dozen or so samples mounted on various weapons and I’ll test ‘em out and let you know...sometime.

[CholeraJoe]

Don’t you watch “Mythbusters?” They proved you can’t bend a bullet’s trajectory. Try to keep up.

[Matchett-PI]

bttt

[junkman_106]

actually you need to be good at geometry and spatial visualation to understand without pictures. Being able to spell (me) might help. /sarc off

[GulfBreeze]

GREAT! Now someone is going to post Helen Thomas thanks to you!!!

[Billthedrill]

Typically, shooters use an optical device known as a "sight" to take aim before firing on a target.

Hell, I knew there was something I was doing wrong.

[Andonius_99]

We need a laser beam that bends to simulate the trajectory of the bullet.

You'd have to find some pretty heavy light to do that though...

[dirtboy]

Hell, I knew there was something I was doing wrong.

Ya don't think the two six-packs of Meisterbrau you drank beforehand had anything to do with it?

[junkman_106]

don’t think that has anything to do with “bending” bullet flight or sight line.

[Dallas]

LINK TO VIDEO

[CholeraJoe]

The opti-sight notch also sits atop the rear of the gun barrel, but differs in that it is shaped like an incomplete half-triangle.

A day late and several dollars short - Tru-Dot tritium:

[earglasses]

Better explanation at http://www.azooptics.com/details.asp?newsID=6014

[Bidimus1]

sounds like some one at uab saw a Nambu pistol sight and went one step futher.

[FateAmenableToChange]

This sounds exactly like an apparent scam that just blew up called “SureSights” — http://www.suresight.com/

A lot of people got burned in pre-orders for this on the glocktalk boards (http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=904849)

This would be really cool if someone bought the patent and is making the sights.

[OrioleFan]

You’ll have to exclude any tests or test data that don’t match up to your predetermined conclusion (ala Mann-made Global Warming) as that is the new form of consensus analysis.