Where the heck did "hone in" come from?

I'm always seeing and hearing people refer to "honing in" on things. That ain't right.  Not even in Alabama.

One "homes in" on things, as does a homing pigeon or a missile.  One "hones" one's skills, or one's argument, as in honing (sharpening) a knife blade.  One would not say "I sharpened in on the target."  Nor would one say "I homed the knife to a razor edge."  Not even in Alabama.

I know this will have no effect, but I feel much better now that I've honed in on this problem.