Two eyes open?

[crovello]

I have been away from the sport for five years or so. When I did compete I always competed in open class. With the optics on my gun it was a no brainer, keeping both eyes open was automatic.

Now I am trying to shoot limmeted. I have alway shot iron sights with one eye. Is it important for me to learn to shoot with both eyes open? What percentage of shooters keep both eyes open?

Are there any good drills for this?

[PaulW]

The way I was taught was to hang paper plate on the wall at eye level with an orange sticker in the middle. Start by holding the gun at the low ready position.(i.e. arms extended both hands on grip). Cant the nose up so you can watch the front sight come up. Bring gun up nose first and into the circle until front sight settle into the rear notch. Repeat about 15 times and take a break.

It took my probably 100 times before I saw the front sight clearly and another 200 times before it felt comfortable. Once you get it though it seems to stay.

[SiG Lady]

I've ALWAYS shot with both eyes open...

[Supermoto]

I recently started shooting with both eyes open. When I started shooting I tried both eyes, I'd see 2 of eveything, couldn't get anything to line up.

I found that standing infront of a mirror with the gun pointed at my master eye reflection help me see the correct alignment and correct sight picture. Now I can shoot at close range with both eyes, at longer distances 50-100 yards it still difficult so I close one eyes

[Loves2Shoot]

If you can do it fine, if not fine too.

[gmshtr]

crovello,

Try this. Put a small piece of scotch tape on the lens of your shooting glasses so that it blocks your non-dominant eye's view of the sights. This makes it easy to keep both eyes open, which maintains your depth perception, but doesn't give you double vision of the front sight.

As you get used to it after a while, you can make the piece of tape smaller and smaller. Eventually, you won't even need it.

It's usually easier if you establish your shooting stance, then have someone else put the tape on for you.

It's an old trick, but it's pretty effective.

Phil

[Tom Balko]

There will always be a double sight image present when shooting both eyes open, it’s a matter of training to ignore the sight image from the eye that you are normally closing. If, however, the eye you normally close is your naturally dominant eye, I would guess that the task becomes more difficult. I’m not sure how shooters have dealt with this when their naturally dominant eye is opposite of their strong hand, but I would guess that at least some of them are “cross-sighting” so they maintain reference from the dominant eye. I’ve seen people use the tape-on-glasses approach. It worked great for some, and for others it became a crutch that they never really got over. I simply trained by establishing the sight picture with one eye closed, and then concentrated on the sight picture while slowly opening the closed eye. Once I could maintain concentration of the “correct” sight image this way, I started moving the sights to a different object once both eyes were open. Once you get it, it’s cake. Both eyes open will be possible even through a rifle scope. I believe it’s a significant advantage to have this ability down cold!

[crovello]

Great tips, I will try all of them and see what works best for me. I am right handed and right eye dominant so it should be something I can learn. ( if you can teach an old dog new tricks)

I just put Dawson Perfect Impact fiber optic sights on my Para to see if a more visible sight picture helps. Good idea? Bad idea? I don't know but my eye sight is not great and I am willing to give it a try.

Dave

[Rockwell]

I have been using the tape on my glasses for about 6 months. When I am dry-firing I take off the taped glasses for half of the session. Lately I have been getting a lot better seeing a clear sight sight picture with both eyes open without the tape.

The only reason I have been playing with this is that it seems when I am closing one eye and my face muscles tighten up I feel like the rest of my body begins to tighten up also.

[Fireant]

I've been doing the tape thing for about two months now. I notice that my times are improving because I'm able to pick up the next target faster and I navigate a field course faster with both eyes open.

[crovello]

I have tried both the tape and the orange sticker. I find the tape very helpfull but I am not sure if it is teaching me to use both eyes open once I remove the tape.

Using Pauls orange sticker worked great for me. The first few times I thought it was not for me, but after 20 minutes I could realy pick up the sight quickly. I took what I have learned to the range today. After digging a few target stands out of the snow I was on my way. ( why do I live this far north?)

I set up a target 15 yards out. came out of my holster and fired on shot with both eyes open. I kept all shots on the "A" and that amazed me. I used my timer and found I was .3 seconds slower than with one eye closed. I do not yet have confidence with both eyes open. I am sure after a few months of doing this I will get confident.

I can see that this will be a great advantage in shooting. Thanks for all the great tips you guys posted. I think this is my new favorite web site.

Dave

[herky]

Back when I had daily access to a nearby range, I took my Ruger MKII and a brick of ammo, sat at the bench and shot mag after mag with both eyes open. Kind of like building muscle memory. As a kid, we were taught to close the off eye when shooting .22 rifle and learning to use both eyes is one of the hardest skills I had to learn when shooting pistol.

[George]

IMHO, you do not have to shoot with both eyes open unless you want to. It is not a mandate. It may be better for some with irons and it may not. I find it easy to shoot with both eyes open when I use optics, or dots, but still shoot irons better with the weak eye squinted.

Whatever you find easiest will ultimately be the best/fastest for you.

Lotsa‘ reps is the only way to get something new sorted out.

--

Regards,

[Dalmas]

I play with the scotch tape as Phil says and it was a revolution for me, my piece of tape is getting smaller.

[HotShot-DK]

I use both eyes too. I think it's great to have the overview

/HotShot

[Skywalker]

I have tried both the tape and the orange sticker. I find the tape very helpfull but I am not sure if it is teaching me to use both eyes open once I remove the tape.

It won't teach you to use both eyes open, but it will (surely) teach you to ignore that 2nd image of the front sight you don't need/want to use.

Did this 2 years ago (learn to shoot with both eyes open, with the tape trick), and a whole new world was discovered in front of my eyes: it took me some 6 months to be confident and at the same speed level I was with only 1 eye open (I don't train very much); I am now able to perform better on long courses, I guess it's because of better movements across the stage and faster targets pick-up times.

BTW, welcome to the forums.

[BrazilianShooter]

I had the same problem.

I really try to shoot with both eyes open, i use iron sights, and i can´t do it.

With both eys open. i see two sights, and it really confuses me, and my times are realy slow.

With one eye open, i shoot fast and accuratelly.

I know a have to practice more and more to shoot with both eys open, but now i will using only my strong eye.

Bye

[twix]

I had to teach myself to keep both eyes open,but found that after 12-15 yards I'm alot more accurate with one eye closed.

I used to worry about that until one of the Euro supershooters admitted he did the same (somewhere here on this forum). I think it was Julien Bolt.

TomB

[mikeM1911A1]

It took me a long time to get comfortable using both eyes and now I find having a FO front sight really helps along with bringing the pistol up nose first; you can really focus on that sight!

[crovello]

I think the addition of the fiber optic sights makes this much easier. I try the same drills with my Glock and the stock sights it came with and it is much harder.

The fiber optic sights makes all my shooting easier. It is one of the best modifications I ever made to my gun.

I would like to try the sights that use fiber optics with tritium. This would be good in any light condition. True Glo makes some but I am not sure of the quality of them.

Dave

[infinity]

Dave,

i started to shoot at age 11. before i couldn't do the 2eye thingy until i found out how to practice it and now i don't use only 1 eye. using one eye and closing the other only lowers the visibility of your open and dominant eye because of the stress of closing the left eye and to keep the right eye open. it only stresses both eyes.

what i did was everytime i dry fire at the house what i would do is aim at the target with my right dominant eye and closing my left eye and when i have aimed at the target i open my left eye. do that a lot of times, and u can do variations also, with left eye closed arms down pistol on hand raise the gun and raise to eye level and slowly open the left eye until u become use to it.

and then arms down on ur side with both eyes open slowly raise the arm to eye level until u get used to alignment of the gun (sights) and ur dominant eye. and u can do it with the Draw practice!! Remember if u practice alot u will learn this quicker and develop the dominant eye!!!

hope this helps!! thanks

Jay

[weebles]

i'm allowed a blinder

well anyways,

with some people in shooting, they have shooting glasses, instead of putting scotch tape, they cut out a piece of a plastic 4 litre milk carton (I'm not sure if people have bags of milk- cause i my cousins live in ottawa, and they use bags for their milk, but anyways) and cut it, then pasted on their lens with tape...

it reduces the stupid little lines... and it block that eye, and it wont get distracted as much from the lines, but doesn't block out the light completely

[Loves2Shoot]

Remember if u practice alot u will learn this quicker and develop the dominant eye!!!

Unless you don't have a dominant eye

I recommend taking a trip to your optomotrist if it doesn't come to you after some practice. That's how I found out I don't have a dominant eye. Then you just realize it really doesn't slow you down. I found a piece of black tape (a paster works well) in the right spot just creats a blind spot and is not distracting.

[Greg G]

I find that I can't get what I would consider an acceptable sight picture with two eyes open. I can see the sights okay but not with the clarity I would like, my dominant eye isn't that dominant.

On this forum I have read varying opinions about the merits of both, I guess you have to find out for yourself if it works for you, I guess it's something that is really hard to measure..

[bountyhunter]

I guess you have to find out for yourself if it works for you, I guess it's something that is really hard to measure..

I measure it with my scores. The only mode where I close the left eye is iron sights bullseye shooting using the 6 'O clock sighting (blade touches the bottom of the black circle). No advantage to the second eye there because the target circle and sight blades are so easily seen. In most other situations, the second eye improves sighting visibilty.