Shooting With Both Eyes Open

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  • harleymac1

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    I am trying to train myself to shoot with both eyes open. I want to learn for a few reasons but being opposite strong eye dominant (left eye / right handed) is causing me to struggle slightly. Has anyone here had success breaking away and training your eyes to both be open? I am finding that when I focus both eyes upon the front sight I see two targets. I consider the left image to be my target and when I close my non dominant eye to check my aim point it is in the correct place. Is the double image what you experienced? Thanks for any tips anyone can share to make this easier.
     

    actaeon277

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    Sometimes when that happens, I blink "hard".
    Like a conscious effort to blink, and make it just a bit longer. Not a long time. Just a "hair" over a normal blink.
    Usually works with me.



    Oh, the blink is while the sights are lined up.
     

    x10

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    I think it comes natural after enough rounds downrange, and especially if your a hunter. And really that's the factor (rounds) that there's not any real substitute for. You go to training events to make the rounds downrange more meaningful.

    It's like any other sport, when that gun becomes an extension of your arm, when you know the feeling of the gun in your hand before it's even close to your hand, you know the weight of the front of the gun in the punch out and the front sight hits it's mark without effort you'll find yourself with both eyes open and not even knowing your doing it.
     

    harleymac1

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    I think it comes natural after enough rounds downrange, and especially if your a hunter. And really that's the factor (rounds) that there's not any real substitute for. You go to training events to make the rounds downrange more meaningful.

    It's like any other sport, when that gun becomes an extension of your arm, when you know the feeling of the gun in your hand before it's even close to your hand, you know the weight of the front of the gun in the punch out and the front sight hits it's mark without effort you'll find yourself with both eyes open and not even knowing your doing it.

    Thanks for the input. I have found that I am definitely struggling with quickly lining up the front sight post through the rear on push out. I agree getting to the range will help as I am only sighting in on things in the house.


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    Ark

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    Lucky enough to be right handed and right eye dominant here. Shot one-eyed until I found my left eye starting to naturally drift open. Now I squint my left eye slightly and apparently my brain found the switch to focus 90% on my right eye.

    I wouldn't worry about it too much. There are more important skills to spend range time and ammo developing. Just shoot more.
     

    harleymac1

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    Lucky enough to be right handed and right eye dominant here. Shot one-eyed until I found my left eye starting to naturally drift open. Now I squint my left eye slightly and apparently my brain found the switch to focus 90% on my right eye.

    I wouldn't worry about it too much. There are more important skills to spend range time and ammo developing. Just shoot more.

    Thank you Ark. As I work on this I keep finding that I am getting an eye shift occasionally where my non dominant eye will “overpower” and it will change my sight picture totally.


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    Ark

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    Thank you Ark. As I work on this I keep finding that I am getting an eye shift occasionally where my non dominant eye will “overpower” and it will change my sight picture totally.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    The squinting a bit seems to help with that. I don't shoot with both eyes wide open, I just don't clamp my left eye hard shut. I find that squeezing one eye shut for a period of time (focusing hard through a scope, for instance), tends to make my vision blurry when I open it back up. My eyes fatigue quickly when shooting, period, but it sets in slower if I can keep my left eye open a little.
     

    natdscott

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    Thank you Ark. As I work on this I keep finding that I am getting an eye shift occasionally where my non dominant eye will “overpower” and it will change my sight picture totally.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Ae you sure you have the correct eye aiming the gun?
     

    Tactically Fat

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    I don't think I'm cross-dominant... But I do have an astigmatism and wear glasses. Its not at all easy for me to shoot with both eyes open... But I try. Ends up kind of being a squint with my left eye, but sometimes I'll catch it being closed, too.
     

    daddyusmaximus

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    Sounds like you are talking handguns, but not sure...

    I have struggled with this for most of my career. (U. S. Army, 28 years)

    For handguns, I just held in front of my left eye. Still do. (or I close the left)

    For rifles, I didn't find an answer for over 20 years. Every time I went to engage, I had to close my left eye. Luckily for me I joined in the cold war, and every time I fired my weapon, it was only in training. All of my combat tours were in the last years, (2000, then post 9/11) and technology had changed things. Enter the red dot sight.

    On my last two deployments, I used an EoTech. Despite still being cross-eye dominant, and now in my 40s to boot, I could shoot with both eyes open. That red dot worked. My brain just did it all for me. There is nothing that allows faster target acquisition than a red dot sight. I swear to God that EoTech saved my life twice on the last trip simply be allowing me to get off the first accurate shot. I use an Aimpoint Comp M4s on my AR SBR/pistol now, and a Sig Romeo 5 on my Rossi 92, but same thing.

    Red dot sights... THEY WORK.

    They make little ones for handguns too...
    Thinking about an RMR for the Glock 17.
     
    Last edited:

    natdscott

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    Daddymax here said some really great things. I want you to take a look specifically at these:

    ----I have struggled with this for most of my career.

    ----For handguns, I just held in front of my left eye.

    ----For rifles, I didn't find an answer for over 20 years. Every time I went to engage, I had to close my left eye.




    ---Despite still being cross-eye dominant...

    I couldn't even tell you how many of these same stories have been told over the years, and if you think that you are somehow excluded from that kinda thing, well: "I bet'yer not." :thumbsup:

    The power of influence our "modern society" has on your handedness may not be readily apparent to you, and if you had never started into one of a very few tasks that show BRAIN dominance, you'd maybe never know.

    But eye dominance in shooting is SO critical, in my opinion, that it is well worth re-teaching yourself to shoot so that you can use your dominant eye.

    Cross-dominance is a PITA to work around, but for you to reach full potential, you can't ignore the problem. Eye dominance is NOT something that can be re-wired short of total loss of an eye, and it will NOT go away on it's own.

    Recognize it. Work with it.


    -Nate
     

    harleymac1

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    There is some great information given in many of these posts. I am still trying to grasp what is supposedly my dominant eye. I finished up my Marine Corps tour of duty with an Expert Rifleman badge Third Award, shooting with the right eye. My MOS did not require us to do any shooting with the pistol so my only experience was shooting the familiarization course in boot camp with the .45. I decided a few years ago to buy a pistol and due to my daughter's illness found little time for range work. Last year I decided to shoot the USPSA Newbie match at Parabellum with Coach. I stepped to the start position for the first stage and to my total surprise I shot left eye open. In the "heat of the moment" type shooting I abandoned the right eye and went left. I am still confused.
     

    natdscott

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    harley, I' give it a 75% confiedence that you are cross-dominant, and/or should have been allowed to learn life as a LEFT-hander to start with. Did you ever play baseball?


    It's a really simple test:

    1) Close your eyes and put your hand out in front of you.

    2) Open your eyes, and align your thumb with a distant object, without think anything else about it.

    3) Squint closed your left eye. If the thumb is still on the object, you're right eye dominant.
    If it is NOT...well, open the left, and close the right...



    The result of that test, which is pretty unequivocal, informs the astute shooter that they need to adjust their training to either:

    A) quit *****ing on the internet about how they think their eyes are weird, and just shoot more ("Turn down the suck.")

    or

    B) actually start learning/re-learning to shoot their weapons the way they've needed to their whole life.

    It will be a rough go for a bit, much like learning was at the beginning, but it is generally worth it, and the plus of having been WRONG for so long is that at least now, you have a "weak" side that is probably as strong as most people's strong side.


    -Nate
     

    rhino

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    There is some great information given in many of these posts. I am still trying to grasp what is supposedly my dominant eye. I finished up my Marine Corps tour of duty with an Expert Rifleman badge Third Award, shooting with the right eye. My MOS did not require us to do any shooting with the pistol so my only experience was shooting the familiarization course in boot camp with the .45. I decided a few years ago to buy a pistol and due to my daughter's illness found little time for range work. Last year I decided to shoot the USPSA Newbie match at Parabellum with Coach. I stepped to the start position for the first stage and to my total surprise I shot left eye open. In the "heat of the moment" type shooting I abandoned the right eye and went left. I am still confused.

    Ultimately you need to be able to shoot from either side, with both pistol and rifle. At least 50% of those will put the gun naturally in front of your non-dominant eye (if you have one).

    For pistols, a better choice is to present the gun in front of the eye that you need or want to use, regardless of which hand you are using. Sometimes you'll see people turn their head a bit (sometimes a lot) to accommodate the eye/hand combination, which is also viable. Forcing yourself to shoot with your non-dominant hand solely because of eye cross-dominance is unnecessary, especially since you'll still have the issue when you use the other hand (which you need to be able to do).

    As far as shooting with both eyes open goes, it's better do do it that way if you can. Primarily it's about being relaxed and more relaxes you are, the faster you can do things (like snap your eye from one target to the next or drive the gun). However, the key is putting the bullets where you want them to go. If you need to squint or close an eye to get that done, then that's what needs to happen (at least for now). Hitting what you want to hit in the amount of time you have available is more important that adhering to best practices regarding having both eyes open.
     

    hps

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    This is what changed everything for me,, The target will be in focus and ur front sight will be bleary.CONCENTRATE ON THE FRONT SIGHT!!!!
     

    daddyusmaximus

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    Daddymax here said some really great things. I want you to take a look specifically at these:



    I couldn't even tell you how many of these same stories have been told over the years, and if you think that you are somehow excluded from that kinda thing, well: "I bet'yer not." :thumbsup:

    The power of influence our "modern society" has on your handedness may not be readily apparent to you, and if you had never started into one of a very few tasks that show BRAIN dominance, you'd maybe never know.

    But eye dominance in shooting is SO critical, in my opinion, that it is well worth re-teaching yourself to shoot so that you can use your dominant eye.

    Cross-dominance is a PITA to work around, but for you to reach full potential, you can't ignore the problem. Eye dominance is NOT something that can be re-wired short of total loss of an eye, and it will NOT go away on it's own.

    Recognize it. Work with it.


    -Nate

    I know how important it is to use your dominant eye... now.

    I also know how important it is to use your dominant hand. I do practice with both hands, just in case, but there is no comparison in how much better I am right handed. I'll never be as good with my left. It just doesn't feel the same. I'm "good enough" to make it through the situation, that's about it.

    I did manage to get through an entire career, and 3 combat deployments being cross eye dominant, so it IS something you can work around. Optimal, no, not by a long shot, but doable. It doesn't mean you can't shoot. Just not as quickly. I still shot expert 26 out of 28 years. In actual combat is where that red dot came in handy. My right handed shooting was quicker, and more natural, than trying to shoot lefty, and the red dot allowed my brain to adjust for the eye dominance, and keep both eyes open, again, speeding up the process that last little bit...

    Unfortunately, the Army, for all it's posturing, doesn't really let you get much range time, unless you're doing a spin-up for a deployment, so training lefty wasn't really a thing back then. Maybe it is now who knows, I retired in '09. The most practice I ever got was when I was a Drill Sgt. Training troops is great, because you are always demonstrating. You get plenty of range time, and have a crap-ton of training ammo. (but I was only on the trail for 3 years)

    This eye problem, as I have said... not a problem with my carry gun as I present in front of the left eye with a handgun, regardless what hand I'm shooting with.

    I know I can't change my eye dominance, but I can't change my hand dominance either. shooting lefty is what I do when I HAVE to. It will always be that way. It will never be my default. No matter how much I train, I'll never be a lefty. The red dot sight pretty much solves that problem for me on a rifle.
     
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