Line of sight

In firearms, the line of sight is the distance between the shooter's eye and the desired point of impact of the projectile over a sight .

A desired point of impact of a projectile usually has to be corrected due to deviations in the ballistics caused by the stopping point . In an open sights the line of sight through notch and bead extends in Dioptervisierungen via perforated notch and front sight , in scopes usually via a reticle (reticle illuminated dot, etc.) to the destination.

The longer a weapon is, the further apart the rear sight and front sight can be due to the design. This enables more precise corrections of the line of sight, so that aiming can be carried out more precisely.

The projectile fired from a horizontally held weapon does not have a straight trajectory after leaving the muzzle. Due to the force of gravity , the bullet continuously loses height on its way. In order to still bring the bullet to the target, the barrel must be raised at the front from the horizontal. The barrel axis and line of sight are no longer parallel to each other, but rather form an angle. As a result, the projectile cuts the line of sight after a short distance from the barrel and then cuts the line of sight again after a certain flight distance. This second point of intersection is called the Best Injection Distance - GEE. The GEE depends on several factors: bullet weight, bullet speed, form factor of the bullet, etc. and is recorded in data sheets (“bullet boards ”). With the GEE and descriptions of the bullet's trajectory, it is possible to determine how large the deviation from the vertical will be when shooting at distances located in front of or behind the GEE. This aspect is of particular importance for hunting (where shooting is always done at different distances); here it is not the “point shot” that is important, but the shot at an area where vital organs are located.

If the sight of a weapon is set in such a way that the targeted target is hit at a specified distance, one speaks of a "sight shot" or "shooting in on the spot". The sight shot has its special meaning in competitions (hunting; sporting).

literature

Bernd Brinkmann, Burkhard Madea, Handbook of Forensic Medicine , Volume 1, Springer, 2004, ISBN 9783540002598 , p. 611