
Aperture sights, sometimes called "peep" sights, are a relatively recent innovation in iron sight technology. First fielded en masse with the British Pattern 14 rifle, American soldiers encountered the peep sight with the P14's American cousin, the M1917 Enfield. Its superiority over open sights for both reactive and deliberate fire has made the aperture sight a standard on American miltary longarms since then, including today's M16/M4 rifle/carbine system.
The aperture itself is housed on the rear of the rifle's receiver, with the center of the sight's circular opening being parallel with the centerline of the rifle's bore. In using the aperture, the shooter looks through the center of the opening and concentrates on the front sight, per the diagram above.
With the proper focus, the shooter does not see the aperture itself. Instead, the aperture forms the frame for the rifle's front sight, which is then placed properly on the target:

That's today's lesson - short and sweet. Remember to look through, not at the aperture, keep the front sight post centered in the opening, and you'll have this lesson mastered in no time.
Until next time....
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