Best way to learn how to shoot with both eyes?

[czambesi]

This may be a stupid question but when you shoot with both eyes what do you look for in sight picture. I know when you close one you look for equal space on both sides of the front post to back site. When I align and then open my left eye it is like I am looking at the side of the gun. I am cross eye dominate. left eyed and right handed

[Dwain C. Baer]

This may be a stupid question but when you shoot with both eyes what do you look for in sight picture. I know when you close one you look for equal space on both sides of the front post to back site. When I align and then open my left eye it is like I am looking at the side of the gun. I am cross eye dominate. left eyed and right handed

For me, I focus on the front sight...making sure the front blade is the same height as the rear notch. Plus, I make sure the front blade is in the center of the rear notch. I can see the front blade clearly, and the target is blurry. Not sure if this helps...

Edited September 13, 2011 by Dwain C. Baer

[czambesi]

Thanks, will look for that

[Dwain C. Baer]

You can practice using the sights with an empty pistol on various shapes and sizes of targets. The more you do this, the easier it will be for you to focus on your sights...

[czambesi]

Thanks for the info!!

[Victor_R]

I'm right eye dominate and when I first started shooting I only used one eye. I then started doing wall drills. Went to a wall with nothing on it, placed my barrel 1" away from the wall and did draws focusing on my front sights with both eyes open. I would see two sights and noticed that no matter if I was shooting strong hand or weak hand the inside sight was the sight I needed to focus. Worked.

Edited September 13, 2011 by Victor R

[czambesi]

Will try that, thanks! Sorry for any thread jacking!

[white_oak]

You will also learn the difference between a perfect sight picture and an acceptable sight picture. All you need is an acceptable sight picture.

Even when shooting off sandbags on a benchrest, if your goal is not to fire upon seeing a perfect sight picture, but instead you are always refining the sight picture until the shot breaks - you will have an awakening.

Very good advice.

Walt

[toyfreak]

I also have the double vision problem. L eye dominant R handed. I tried the tape for a while and it really helped a ton but its a real pain to get if off and my idea was to make it smaller every practice session so i switched to chap-stick. Not only does it let more light in but is comes off really easy and i can make it as big or small as i want.

[benos]

I only ever used my shooting glasses for shooting, so leaving the tape on was never a problem. If you do use the scotch tape, and it's been on for a while and you want to remove it, Goo Gone works real good.

be

[BoyGlock]

My very recent experience is the opposite of the OP...

Im right handed, right eye dominant, its second nature for me to shoot w/ both eyes open. Im far sighted and use mono vision shooting glasses w/ the right lens adjusted for the f.sight and left lens for distance. My problem is in shooting reactive targets like plates and poppers, I struggle calling my shots. The instant the shot is fired, my left eye automatically focuses on the steel (w/c is clear to it) to verify a hit or a miss. No matter how hard I focus on the f.sight w/ my dom. eye, the instant I fired the shot, I lose the f.s focus in favor of the target. So I cannot really call my shots most of the time. Ive been on this for several years.

Yesterday, I tried closing my left eye as I aim on steel and fired, and ...eureka!!! I could call my shots on the plates in almost all my shots. It seemed the other eye being clear on distant targets sees a lot that it distrac my dom. eye's focus on the sight pic and effectively prevents my dom eye to see the sights as the shot breaks. I noticed also that I could see my sight pic more precisely than before, like the smallest movement of the sights relative to the target w/c I dont usually see when using 2 eyes open. And as the shot was fired, I saw the f.sight unmoving w/ the muzzle flash in the background then lift off. I dont usually see these w/o a lot of effort on my part. Its my first time to shoot w/ one eye closed so Im having a hard time doing it w/o conscious effort.

Now I dont know w/c system is best for my shooting

Or maybe I should have made a new topic titled "How to unlearn shooting w/ both eyes open"?

Edited September 24, 2011 by BoyGlock

[benos]

Although I am left eye dominant and right handed, I learned to shoot some - close, "easier" - targets with both eyes open. But like you described BoyGlock, I could see the sights and call the shots better if I blocked my non-dominant eye with tape.

be

[BoyGlock]

Although I am left eye dominant and right handed, I learned to shoot some - close, "easier" - targets with both eyes open. But like you described BoyGlock, I could see the sights and call the shots better if I blocked my non-dominant eye with tape.

be

Thanks for sharing Brian. Its very helpful as I cannot decide if I have to go for it or not, if its worth the effort and time to change my present system.

It also shows that either one could work best, as in your case. So to those who are 2-eyed challenged, Is there something to worry?

As the OP is making efforts going to 2-eye, I might go the opposite way

Just thinking, Is it posiible to use both? as in, on paper targets I use 2-eyes and on reactive targets use 1-eye.

I might add, on swingers/movers specially on fast ones about 15y and farther, I observed similar prob w/ 2-eyes, my weak eye looks at the mover (but) right after the 1st shot , maybe anxious to see that the mover is still out there for the second shot. W/ my focus still on the target I would hurriedly release the 2nd shot w/ just a silhouette of the sight pic on my dom eye. This results to uncalled 2nd shot and sometimes uncalled miss. I had a very recent enlightening experience contrary to this in a lev 3 match, I shot a very fast bobber from abt 20y, my 1st shot I called an A hit but I sensed my weak eye was distracting my focus for the 2nd pass/2nd shot of the bobber (w/c would be re-appearing fast), I quickly/automatically closed it and clearly released the 2nd shot on another A as the bobber appeared on its topmost arc, upon scoring, my calls were precise: 2 As, and was very happy w/ it. Thats a rare ocuurrence I wanted to learn to have always.

[lugnut]

This topic is always lingering in my mind lately. I want to use both eyes but at anything but up close target focus- it just doesn't work well. When I'm shooting slow fire I have no problem using both eyes. When I shoot faster- my eyes just can't get the sight pic figured out quickly at all.

Ironically unlike BoyGlock- I've been wondering if using one eye is causing me problems calling shots!! I'm still not good at it and it's making me crazy.

Funny thing is... I've recently seen lots of great pics of some tops shooters and many of them either close an eye- or squint!

[cworks]

I'm new to the game and I have tried practicing with 2 eyes during dry fire practice and it just confuses me. Im right handed and left eye dominant. I mainly shoot steel right now and I am hooked!

Oh yeah... I am shooting open so no lining up sights, just the dot for me

Edited September 27, 2011 by cworks

[benos]

Just thinking, Is it posiible to use both? as in, on paper targets I use 2-eyes and on reactive targets use 1-eye.

If those two target scenarios are in the same COF, then I'd aim with one eye.

If the COF was entirely close, paper targets, I'd probably shoot more consistently if I still just aimed with one eye, howver.

[BritinUSA]

Just saw this topic and I realised something from Nationals that I had not even noticed at the time;

I'm left eye dominant and right-handed and I've been using tape on my left lens for years. Recently I've tried getting rid of the tape and using my weaker right-eye to aim and been having very mixed results. So I went back to the tape.

At Nationals I was photographing the Women's Super Squad on the first morning, rushing around setting up cameras etc. and I was wearing my normal sunglasses (no tape). After taking a few hurried shots of the Julie/Annette on the bridge stage I had to rush over to the car, drive round to the other part of the range to begin my own match. I got the gear on and shot, badly (I was tired from the morning's work). Next day I drove to the range and shot in the morning, and this process continued for the four days of the Open match. Working for half a day and shooting the other half.

Just seeing this topic made me realise that I shot the whole match without any tape on my glasses, using my right-eye for aiming... it never occurred to me at the time...

[BoyGlock]

Which would be best, the transparent tape or the opaque one?

[BritinUSA]

Translucent tape works better. It allows light to pass through so you don't get as much eye-strain. It basically blurs the image enough that the other eye takes over.

Edited September 29, 2011 by BritinUSA

[gtldvm]

My first post, so be patient with me!

I've been shooting at local ranges (indoor) with my handguns, and recently started shooting with both eyes open and haven't found it too hard. I'm still slow, but I'm accurate. After reading all the replies to this thread it occurs to me I wear contact lenses.

Which leads me to think I bet others do as well. One thing that might be tried is to train with the contact lens of the non-dominant eye out. I have pretty dramatic astigmatism and need the contacts to see far, but see anything near excellent without the contact lenses. So for shooting, the lens in my dominant eye would give me great target acquisition, but the lens out of the other eye would still assist me reloading etc.

Anyone see a problem with this logic? I'm going shooting tomorrow...I might just try it, unless someone here already has and says its a bust.

Thanks to BE for the forum. Really great service/info.

Greg

[lugnut]

My first post, so be patient with me!

I've been shooting at local ranges (indoor) with my handguns, and recently started shooting with both eyes open and haven't found it too hard. I'm still slow, but I'm accurate. After reading all the replies to this thread it occurs to me I wear contact lenses.

Which leads me to think I bet others do as well. One thing that might be tried is to train with the contact lens of the non-dominant eye out. I have pretty dramatic astigmatism and need the contacts to see far, but see anything near excellent without the contact lenses. So for shooting, the lens in my dominant eye would give me great target acquisition, but the lens out of the other eye would still assist me reloading etc.

Anyone see a problem with this logic? I'm going shooting tomorrow...I might just try it, unless someone here already has and says its a bust.

Thanks to BE for the forum. Really great service/info.

Greg

That "may" help you use your dominant eye while shooting... however you might get headaches and walk into things a bunch. It wouldn't work for me... I've lost a contact before... not fun. That being said I have my dominant eye set for closer, ie front sight vision, while my non dominant eye is set for distance... aka mono vision.

[ihatepickles]

One thing that might be tried is to train with the contact lens of the non-dominant eye out. I have pretty dramatic astigmatism and need the contacts to see far, but see anything near excellent without the contact lenses.

Welcome to the forums.

The purpose of learning to shoot with both eyes open is to see more. I think your idea of taking out the non-dominant contact sabotages that notion.

[E K]

My first post, so be patient with me!

I've been shooting at local ranges (indoor) with my handguns, and recently started shooting with both eyes open and haven't found it too hard. I'm still slow, but I'm accurate. After reading all the replies to this thread it occurs to me I wear contact lenses.

Which leads me to think I bet others do as well. One thing that might be tried is to train with the contact lens of the non-dominant eye out. I have pretty dramatic astigmatism and need the contacts to see far, but see anything near excellent without the contact lenses. So for shooting, the lens in my dominant eye would give me great target acquisition, but the lens out of the other eye would still assist me reloading etc.

Anyone see a problem with this logic? I'm going shooting tomorrow...I might just try it, unless someone here already has and says its a bust.

Thanks to BE for the forum. Really great service/info.

Greg

Greg,

Glad to see you on the forums and glad to see you have the 'bug' as well. What are you trying to accomplish by removing the the non-dominant lens? I'm cross dominant so I can't shoot with two eyes. Shooting with two eyes allows you to see more and better lead with your eyes. See page 76 of Benos book, 'Seeing'.

[E K]

Translucent tape works better. It allows light to pass through so you don't get as much eye-strain. It basically blurs the image enough that the other eye takes over.

I'm also right-handed, left eye dominant. I tried taping my non-dominant eye. It works for shots less than 15 yards but not for anything beyond that as I spray shots wildly. It also causes headaches for me. Maybe you will have better luck. I just continue to shoot with my dominant eye only.

[benos]

Translucent tape works better. It allows light to pass through so you don't get as much eye-strain. It basically blurs the image enough that the other eye takes over.

I'm also right-handed, left eye dominant. I tried taping my non-dominant eye. It works for shots less than 15 yards but not for anything beyond that as I spray shots wildly. It also causes headaches for me. Maybe you will have better luck. I just continue to shoot with my dominant eye only.

Why do you feel you "spray shots wildly" at targets beyond 15 yards (with your non-dominant eye taped)?

be