Written by Roger Phillips, Suarez International Specialist and Tier One Instructor
I have been asked by many of my student base to tell them what I thought about the RMR when it comes to point shooting. When I was first asked, I made it clear that I did not have enough experience with the system to make an informed decision. Most of the people that know me know that I am an instructor that really concentrates on software, because it is the brain that allows us to be as deadly as we can possibly be. If you have your head straight you can kill a man with a stapler. But there is no doubt that the better the gear is the better the mind can kill.
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When it comes to the RMR, this is something that I knew that I needed because my aging eyes have not been able to get a crisp sight picture for nearly ten tears. As a Suarez International (SI) Instructor, not only do I need to be able to bust of the X and make fast and accurate hits, at a full run, out to ten to twelve yards I also need to be able to make a hundred yard shot with my pistol on demand. I can do it with iron sights, but nowhere near the percentage as a RMR. This portion of the evaluation was a no-brainer. There is simply no comparison between my marksmanship between the RMR and iron sights. The sight acquisition is faster due to no need to change the focal plane off of the threat and back to the sights. The hits are more consistent and the follow up shots faster due to the red dot being a more accurate form of aiming a gun over iron sights.
All of this has been well documented and well established, but this is not the focus of this article. The focus of this article is on taking the RMR to the most advanced levels of point shooting. The focus is on running the RMR in a PSP course and seeing how it compares “apples to apples” with what I have been doing for the last five and a half years with iron sights.
Right off the bat, I’ll level with all of you, I was concerned. I was concerned that I would give the RMR setup a fair shake and not have anything good to report. I was concerned because the perception of my favorite point shooting aiming method “aligning down the top of the slide” was being changed due to adding the RMR to the top of the gun. During this period of concern, I kept hearing myself constantly lecturing people on the hazards of comparing brand new skill sets with long established skill sets and how it was “bad science” unless the time and the work had been put in to give a truly informed evaluation. I realized that I would have to get over my concerns and just get busy, put in the work, and figure it out. The value of what the RMR does for my marksmanship could not take a back seat to my established point shooting preferences. To not be able to make a small adjustment in my point shooting skill set to facilitate a vast improvement to my marksmanship would have been closed minded, shown a lack of versatility, and a lack of fluidity……..everything that I constantly preach against.
I hate hypocrites! I hate them even more if it is looking like I am going to be one.
At first, I struggled! My “below line of sight sweet spot” was gone. I kept looking for it but it was no longer there for me. My hits were consistently high, because I wanted visual input on the top of the slide. I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. I was simply over thinking it! Once I decided that I would just clear my preconceived notions off of the table and just run it on auto pilot, everything began to fall in place.
I just recently had an excellent opportunity to finally put my new skill sets to a significant test. I was running the PSP course at night and under the lights. There was a light turnout and the guys that did show were very squared away, so I decided that I would participate in the course at a much higher level than I usually do. 90% of my point shooting is not affected by the RMR, in any manner at all. It is just the “full extension, below line of sight, with my dynamic movement” that is affected. But the answer is as simple as just lowering the gun from mouth level, to chin level. This is all that I had to do to get the visual input from the top of the slide that I like so much. When we accept the fact that the dynamic movement drills inside of the PSP course are run beyond logical distances, it is clear that dropping the gun from mouth level to chin level is not that big of a deal. We are running five yard skill sets out to twelve yards in order to instill confidence and to extend the learning time frame. When we look at what I lose due to this small adjustment, compared to what I gain with the RMR, it is crystal clear that the RMR is a huge asset to have added to your pistol.
Let’s look at what the sight continuum looks like with iron sights compared to what it looks like with the RMR.
1) Hard focus on the very top edge of the front sight = use the red dot
2) Hard Focus on the front sight = use the red dot
3) Flash sight picture = use the red dot
4) Shooting outside of the notch = use the red dot
5) Type two focus = use the red dot
6) Below line of sight, nose level = use the red dot (high in the screen) or metal and meat
7) Below line of sight mouth level = window of death or metal and meat
8) Below line of sight chin level = align down the top of the slide
9) Below line of sight throughout the retention concept = align down the top of the slide
As you see the RMR simplifies and is more accurate at all of the line of sight shooting and just below line of sight (nose level). Mouth level takes some getting used to but it does work if you think about “the window of death” or “metal and meat.” Anything below that the RMR has zero effect on your point shooting skill sets.
This is all going to be individually dependent. What works for me may not work for you and the other way around.
The reason that I wrote this is because I know for a fact that there are many “point shooters” that are concerned with the RMR. They are concern that they are going to pay the money and not be able to make their point shooting work. I know this for a fact because they have personally told me. Guess what? You do not have to worry about that any longer. I took care of that for you. If you have learned to point shoot from another SI Instructor or I, you will not only be able to make this work, you will make it work really well with point shooting and improve your sighted fire skill sets exponentially.
I know some of you out there have waited quite some time for me to get this tested and written. I wanted to take the time and put in the work so that I could speak from a position of absolute authority on this subject. I know due to my specialty and how far outside of the box that I usually roll, there are a good number of people that believe that I move on things without putting in the time or the work. That perception is absolutely incorrect and anyone that has ever trained with me could probably vouch for that fact. I do not but my name behind anything without putting in the work and looking at from every angle. I have been working with the RMR for five months now. Due to all of the personal requests by my student base to get this evaluation done, I wanted there to be zero doubt……..and there is zero doubt!
The RMR is perfectly compatible with your point shooting skill sets and will dramatically increase your marksmanship skill sets.
That work is done, move forth and make yourself more deadly than the day before.
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