Newbie Question: What Is Sight Radius?

If measuring, it is the distance from the aiming point of the front sight (usually the back of the front sight) to the aiming point of the rear sight (again usually the back).

With some front sights a half inch long and rear sights an inch or more long, the distinction can made a difference.

Jim
 
You know that myth that a longer barrel is more accurate than a short one? It's not the barrel that's responsible - it's the longer sight radius.
 
I don't wanna get into a battle of semantics here, but longer sight radius does not make a gun more accurate. It does make an accurate gun easier to shoot more accurately. A gun in a Ransom Rest doesn't "care" about sight radius.
 
That's what I mean. Long before there was such a thing as a ransom rest, people observed that they could shoot more accurately with a longer barrel (with its longer sight radius), and the myth took hold.
 
Incursion,

I'm gonna try and share the GREAT demo I got from my local gunshop when I asked the same question. Yeah, you already got the "definition" to your question, but I like the visual aid.

Get a tape measure and a piece of paper. Mark 2 lines on the paper, one inch apart. Now, extend the tape measure out 4". Hold the end of the tape over the paper. Imagine that the spool end, the one in your hand, is a turret, fixed in place. Touch the left line, with the end of your tape measure. Now, still keeping your hand in the same place, move the end of the tape measure to the right line. Extend the tape out to say... 11", and do it again. You will see that a change in 1" at the "barrel" end of your "gun" with a 4" sight radius will effect your point of impact SIGNIFICANTLy more than the same shift of 1" at the "barrel" end of your "gun" with an 11" sight radius. This is why sight radius effects accuracy.
 
Somewhat against the conventional wisdom, maybe, but I went to shorter barrels (4" or so) because I see the movement more with a longer barrel and lose confidence. The short barrel guns are as accurate as 6-10 inchers and I appear to shake less. Note "appear", although the weight back in toward the hand helps too.

Jim
 
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