Aiming Question

[Shorty McCoy]

Just discovered this website while shopping for reloading equipment...best I've seen. I'm a cowboy action shooter who's in need of advise. I was trained in the military to use one eye for target aquisition, but it seems many people use both in competition. Can you guys give me the advantages and disadvantages for both. Oh by the way, I'm ordering the 650 package. Thanks.

[Bubber]

Welcome Shorty, I am not an expert or anything but I can give you my 2 cents worth but I might be wrong. Shooting with two eyes open gives you a better view of what is going on with the stage. that would allow you to better carry out your sequence, or plan if you have one. Brian's Book speaks of an "acceptable" sight picture. Which changes depending on what targets are being taken. "Up close open targets and farther or tighter" I shoot both eyes open with a shotgun, handgun and scoped rifles. On the iron sighted rifle I sometimes get my other eye trying to take over my dominate eye. Which gives me two veiws. But with training I can adjust. For simple bullesye shooting closing one eye will focus only on the sight alignment and target and that is al you need, but it makes it harder to transition to another target. But then again I might be all wet.

[AlamoShooter]

keep both eyes open and -see - with both, confirm the sights with your dominate eye.

You could do an off eye practice by writeing you name with a pen, do a very neet job of it. Wile you are writeing, move your -off hand around and keep you -off eye on the moving hand. start with it close to your strong hand and move it slow.. Now close one eye to write your name and see how silly it is to just use one eye.

Use more of your brain = its the fun part of shooting

[kevin c]

Welcome to the forums, Shorty. Lots to learn here. If you search on eye dominance, you'll pull up a lot of threads on this subject.

Short version, most folks in a position to know recommend both eyes open - less eye strain and better overall vision being the most often quoted reasons. Still, there are people even at the Grand Master level who admit to or have been seen to use one eye in some circumstances, especially for very precise distant targets.

Try both eyes open. Work with it for a while until you can actually do it (get to the point where you have an effective sight picture w/o being confused by the double image), then try it under different circumstances.

Kevin C.

spelling edit

Edited October 30, 2006 by kevin c

[SteveZ]

Try both eyes open. Work with it for a while until you can actually do it (get to the point where youi have an effective sight picture w/o being confused by the double image), then try it under different circumstances.

Kevin C.

My addition to Kevin's suggestion is...don't be surprised if at first you feel that your shooting gets worse trying BEO. Years ago, I decided to make the switch from SEO to BEO and knew that my shooting was going to go backwards until my mind adapted to this new technique. At first it's very frustrating seeing two of everything...but eventually your mind figures things out and in the end BEO seems much better (and easier) than SEO. The only time I switch to a single eye or start reducing the vision in my weak eye is when the shot difficulty increases (smaller scoring area on the target or an area bordered by no-shoots) or when the targets are at long distance. When I learned BEO, I DIDN'T use the tape over the weak eye crutch. I knew my mind would figure things out on its own and it did. Since using this technique I've developed a VERY strong right eye dominance.

[DogmaDog]

In IPSC, (and Cowboy Action, I expect) most targets are pretty close, and all the movment and target transitioning make it advantageous to keep both eyes open. With the weak eye open, I can transition from shooting a target to acquiring the next target, or locating the next place I need to move to, a bit faster.

When I shoot highpower rifle, (or the Marine Corps rifle qualification course), and the target is a 12" (or smaller) bullseye at 200 yards w/ iron sights, I close the weak eye, because absolutely every bit of awareness has to be focused on sight alignment and trigger control. If there are long, tight shots in IPSC, I'll often close the weak eye to take those, too.

Keeping the weak eye open enhances speed. I find it can detriment accuracy, too...but it's only noticeable when a very high degree of accuracy is required (e.g. a 25 yd open target=both eyes open. 25 yd headshot=strong eye only...for me, anyway.)

To learn, shoot various IPSC drills, like El Pres, the Bill Drill, Matt Burkett's timing drills, and variations.

I've never actually timed any, to see if I really shoot El Pres faster with both eyes than with one, though. Anyone ever done an empirical experiment?

DogmaDog