Why are 3-dot sights so popular?

I've never cared for three dot sights. My favorite set up these days is a wide notch, plain black rear sight with a gold dot front sight. I wrote about my experiments with that arrangement here.
 
MLeake:
A whole paper could be written on pistol sights. First, sight alingment and trigger control must happen simultaneously and the eyes should stay focused on the sights: the target should blurr somewhat. Here's why that you shouldn't switch your eyes focus from the sights to the target. The target, in most cases, is stationary. The hits on target will still be there after the string of fire is over. Switching the eyes to the target blurrs the shight and a misalignment occurs. if you're seeing the target clear, you won't shoot a good score. When I was shooting on several Marine Corps' pistol teams, I blackened my sights to prevent glare. There's some argumant that you should focus on the front sight or to focus on the rear sight. I'm not sure witch is best. I focused on the 1911's firing pin and I got excellent results.

I would suspect that the three dot sights help some shooters focus their eyes on the sight where they belong.

Gunnery sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
3 dot sights have became the de facto standard for the same reason that most cars now come with an automatic transmission - consumers have been dumbed down and believe they're "better" or "easier".
 
I get too fidgety with 3-dots especially when it comes alignment. I find straight 8's are more natural for me. I'm much more focused on the front sight and target with the straight 8's and my shots feel more like an extension of my eye. I just got some Warren tactical sights installed on my Glock 21 which should arrive in the next day or so...hopefully I'll like them as much as the 8's I've tried at the range.
 
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