Booth eyes

[gunman]

How do you train your self to keep booth eyes open

when aiming.

Im right handed but left eye dominant.

Im shooting with iron sights

(Edited by gunman at 10:05 pm on Feb. 9, 2002)

[shred]

If you're shooting a dot, try this-- Cover the front of the front lens with masking tape or something opaque.  Make sure you can still see the dot by looking in the scope and go shoot.  If you've got both eyes open and you're focusing on the targets, you can shoot fine-- the tape is hardly noticeable since your brain adds the images from both eyes together.  If one eye or the other is closed, you'll know.

(Edited by shred at 7:23 pm on Feb. 9, 2002)

[Flexmoney]

For fixed sights, some of the shooters here use tape over the weak-side eye.  This blurs the focus on that eye a bit.

There are a few post around here on the subject.  Maybe try the search feature...or perhaps one of the weak-eye dominant shooters can point you to a thread.

I post back here if I come across the info.

[Flexmoney]

Gunman,

Here is one thread:

http://www.brianenos.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard...115&start=0

There are others.

[actionshooter]

Gunman, I feel for you! I have been going through this myself. For the last several years I have closed my dominant eye (left) and shot with my weak eye. I am right handed. I recently went to my optotrician and found out that I have astigmitism (sp) in my right eye. (i guess thats why i had trouble focusing on the sights!) I switched to shooting w/ my left eye,w/ both eyes open. I turn my head or tilt it slightly to align with the sights.

So far it seems to be going well (it has only been a month) It was really hard at first, I have noticed that I seem to pick up the next target faster with both eyes open.Also almost immediatley my groups got better.

You have to do what works for you,only you know what you are seeing. If you try it, stick with it for a while,don't switch back and forth. (Thats from experience!)

Good luck Steve

PS the link Flexmoney posted made up my mind to do this.

[mTa]

I just started trying to keep both eyes open when shooting.  How's this for a combination...I'm right-handed, right-eye dominant but the vision in my right eye is extremely near-sighted.  Sometimes I struggle to keep the front sight in focus, not to mention the target.  No fuzziness in the left eye.  I wear bifocals but don't wear them on the range (I do wear safety goggles).  I do a lot of photography and have always  kept both eyes open when shooting pictures, so I thought I'd give it a try when shooting targets.  So far so good, though it slows me down a bit.  I imagine that will change with practice.  Aside from the unequal vision between both eyes, I find it's less fati

[Kevin Kline]

I know some use the tape over the weak eye, some use only one eye open, and others use both eyes. Travis is a good one to ask about both eyes, does it very well.

I think BE uses the tape.

[Danva]

I am teaching myself to shoot with both eyes open. I was using the tape over the left eye but have just tried what is called "Magic Dots". They are reusable opaque circles about the size of a dime. They seem to not interfere with my vision as much as tape does.

I am getting better about using both eyes but if it is a tight shot or I start pressuring myself I will close my left eye.

Long road but getting easier.  

http://www.Decot.com for the dots

[benos]

I'm still experimenting with shooting with two eyes. I like it on some target layouts; on others I just can't do it at all. Like a plate rack. I feel like I can't see anything with both eyes open. And, I've been shooting with my dominant eye (left) for quite a few years now, but my "dominance strength" is just too close to work on closely spaced targets. For me, the best option is usually just to shoot with one eye.

Also, I've been experimenting with this technique for the last couple years - I consciously "open" my eyes (more than they normally are) while simultaneously squinting my non-dominant eye. It's kind of weird to get used to, but I often seem to see unusually well when doing it.

be

[MattBurkett]

"Also, I've been experimenting with this technique for the last couple years - I consciously "open" my eyes (more than they normally are) while simultaneously squinting my non-dominant eye."

Brian, isn't that what the "rock" does in the WWF?

:-)

[vluc]

I had been closing my weak eye and using one eye to aim.  Was doing okay, but then started noticing how many folks had the tape on their glasses.

i gave it a try, worked nice, looked for the magic dot, saw what it was, and realized that the material was the same thing as the screen protectors for my palm pilot.  So, took a penny, traced over the protector, cut it out and I have a dot!

Used it in a recent match (IDPA) and came in 4th of 15 in SSP.  Much better than I usually do.  Used it in a steel shoot, also was able to aquire targets much faster and more confidently.

So, i'll use it until I can get myself trained to not need it.

[bountyhunter]

I shoot naturally (and usually best) with both eyes open and locked on the target.  I sight the gun using peripheral vision, so the sights are a shade blurry.  For the last year I've been re-training to use front-sight focus with the weak eye covered to try to get better bullseye scores.

I recently got some new glasses with my distance correction is the left side and near correction in the right (so I could see the sights clearly).  I also use a peep hole sighter attachment on the right lense.  Was shooting pretty good.  Just for laughs I took the tape off the left lense and started shooting both eyes open again.  I now see the target clearly with my left eye and the sights pretty clearly with my right eye when focused at the target (because the right lense is a "close" prescription".  My sight picture is the target crystal clear (from the left eye) with a very clear sight image ghosted over the target (right eye).  My brain has no problem integrating these.   I started shooting (17 yards) and watched holes appear in about a 1" group using my old Beretta 92.  I still shoot better with both eyes open and I am going to quit trying to fight it.

[Loves2Shoot]

I have a tweaked eye situation, no dominant eye, I have tried everthing anyone has suggested, but noticed a HUGE improvement when I took my left eye out of the equation totally (a flip down lens with black tape $5) I don't even notice it now, it takes some getting used to, but I see everything much clear now.

No more squinting for me.