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One Eye Or Two?


Jacknife

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What do ya use when shooting handguns, rifle and shotgun? Do ya use one eye for all but shotgun, two for everything, one for all or just close both eyes as ya pull the trigger? What works best for ya?

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If you have one eye that is heavily dominant (like me) you HAVE to close one eye shoot. Otherwise you see TWO front sights. Makes it hard to pick out the right one when you are in a hurry!

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As stated, eye dominance is key to what your options are.

 

If you are right handed, and left eye dominant, you will need to close the left eye when you shoot. You can try and train the right eye, never worked for me, or use a diffuser on the left lens of your glasses to permit the right eye to take over.

 

If you have the correct eye dominance, it is to your advantage to keep both eyes open. This is especially important on targets (like flying clay birds) that are in motion.

 

To check eye dominance, one method is to place both hands out in front of you, arms at full length. Create a small hole between the hands and view a distant object with both eyes open.

 

While viewing the object, close your left eye. If the object is still there, you are right eye dominant. If it goes away, close the right eye and you should see the object with your left eye. If that is the case, you are left eye dominant.

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I'm also cross-eye dominant (right hand, left eye). I usually shoot my pistols with both eyes open using my left eye (tilt and rotate head to line up left eye with sights). If the target is far or small, I will close my right eye to get a better sight picture. I shoot rifles and shotgun with my right eye only (closing dominant eye), unless it has a red dot sight in which case I shoot with both eyes open.

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I'm also cross-eye dominant (right hand, left eye). I usually shoot my pistols with both eyes open using my left eye (tilt and rotate head to line up left eye with sights). If the target is far or small, I will close my right eye to get a better sight picture. I shoot rifles and shotgun with my right eye only (closing dominant eye), unless it has a red dot sight in which case I shoot with both eyes open.

 

Yep, I, too am cross-eye dominant (which is NOT the same as bein' cross-eyed :) ) and that's always been my solution as well. Both eyes open with pistols, but cock the head (or actually touch my chin to my right bicep) to get the left eye down the barrel and close left eye with long guns and shoot with non-dominant eye. While there's no need at the range of our targets, I've actually laid my head over a rifle in order to get my left eye down the sights on very long range targets. In my Army days, that meant that my nose actually touched the right side of the M-16's charging handle. I'm sure it looked goofy as all get out, but I did get a better, clearer sight picture that way.

 

Chick

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I'm right handed but left eye dominant. For that reason I close my left eye for all guns. (Although most folks who've seen me shoot would swear I've got both eyes closed. :P )

 

 

+ 1

 

 

CPK

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Try to keep both eyes open for everything (army training gots to see the bad guy coming at ya from the blind side), requires concentration. Being cross dominant Left Handed right eyed rifle and shotgun off right shoulder is easy. Over the years have been able to pretty much train left eye to see pistol sights shooting left handed. Occasionally close non firing eye.

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Wow...glad to see that I'm not an anomaly here. I, too, am cross eye dominant. I "squint" my left eye which forces my right eye to become the dominant eye. This allows me to still have peripheral vision and depth perception. Been doing it for years and hasn't hampered my shooting one bit.

TT

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I have never shot CAS, but I shoot pistol with both eyes open and rifle with one eye shut. I never use a shotgun.

 

While there's no need at the range of our targets, I've actually laid my head over a rifle in order to get my left eye down the sights on very long range targets. In my Army days, that meant that my nose actually touched the right side of the M-16's charging handle. I'm sure it looked goofy as all get out, but I did get a better, clearer sight picture that way.

 

Chick

I have seen a female do that at the zero range (somehow they didn't catch that in basic?) but for the life of me I cannot replicate it. The only way to get my offside eye to come anywhere close to aligning with the sights, is to go facedown on the buttstock, which of course means that while the eyeball is technically in the same line as the sights, it is nowhere near looking through them.

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I was taught by (World Champ) Lefty Longridge the art of point shooting. Both eyes open. Can't say it works for everyone, but it sure works for me.

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I'm right handed but left eye dominant. For that reason I close my left eye for all guns. (Although most folks who've seen me shoot would swear I've got both eyes closed. :P )

 

 

Same here. I shot both matches clean last weekend. (almost matching my total for the 7 years before) Had to bring scores home to prove it because my wife, just could not believe it.

 

But like you. I am very left eye dominant. So found it works better for me to close my left eye.

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Funny, several of us were talking about this a couple of weeks ago at CVV's monthly. I am right handed and right eye dominant, and I have always shot all open sighted guns with both eyes open.

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I am a right hander but left eye dominant. Grew up shooting rifles left handed. Went into the Marine Corps and didn't want to get messed with by the drill instructors shooting the M16's left handed. Thats when I started shooting rifles right handed. Used a eye patch on my left eye at the rifle range, after awhile it just became natural to shoot rifles right handed.

Rifle and pistols right handed with both eyes open. Shotguns vary, I shoot my double right handed, pump gun left handed :wacko:. Still keep both eyes open.

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Right handed, and very, very slightly right eye dominant - see both sights if more than a 1/4 sec glance at them.

 

For SASS I have best success shooting with left eye closed for pistol and rifle, shotgun was OK with both open.

 

Trap is a different story. Shot OK with one eye (right one, with left closed), but wanted to be more competitive and earn a move back to the 27. Tried HARD to shoot with both open for hundreds of rounds, scores tanked below the bottom of the tank and I started to develop some very bad habits from the frustration.

 

Two weeks ago, I had a rousing 6 out of 15 going from the 16 yd line (impressed aren't you?), and in desperation decided to go back to closing the left eye for the last two stations - hit 9 of the next 10. Now solidly back in the 20s and improving - plus: my confidence is back!

 

Surprisingly enough, I had several very good shooters (27yd ATA) approach me individually away from the groups to mention that they closed an eye and that they thought there were a lot of us in the same boat, but just don't fess up.

 

I sure wish I could shoot with both open, but it isn't in my capabilities - I envy those of you who can :blush:

 

Harvey

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For having less than perfect eyesight I got lucky shooting wise. I have amblyopia, or lazy eye in my left eye and am right eye dominant as well as right handed. Both eyes open all the time for every gun as it always looks like I'm only using my right eye. The left eye is good for peripheral stuff and depth perception. Smithy.

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left eye open shooting pistol in left hand, right eye open shooting pistol in right hand. Right eye open shooting long guns from right shoulder. :mellow:

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I was taught by (World Champ) Lefty Longridge the art of point shooting. Both eyes open. Can't say it works for everyone, but it sure works for me.

 

+1

 

G (who doesn't want to miss the show :lol: )G ~ :FlagAm:

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Always trained with both open to observe everything you can. Works for cowboy shooting but, in real life gunfight don't work. Tunnelvision.

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What do ya use when shooting handguns, rifle and shotgun? Do ya use one eye for all but shotgun, two for everything, one for all or just close both eyes as ya pull the trigger? What works best for ya?

 

Because of my non cowboy profession, I've become much less left eye dominant than I am naturally. I use two strongside hoslters and shoot my left gun left handed and right gun right handed, currently I'm shooting two handed "traditional style" but will move to 'gunfighter' at some point.

 

I'd been practicing shooting my pistols with both eyes open, but I just couldn't see the sight picture and was missing way too much, so I went back to closing my right eye and shooting both pistols (and rifle and shotgun) with my left eye open. In my last three matches, my misses have dropped significantly in two of the three, so I'm going to stay with one eyed for a while.

 

Been shooting for a year, so I'm still figuring my life out.

 

-Pico

blog.picopistolero.com

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I have trained with a Brock String for years now... I was right eye domiate the in one month went to Left eye. My eye Doctor thought I had a brain tumor but after several test down at the local vets office we figured out that I just aint right so I just go on and live with it. Stay with the Brock String.. Look it up it works.... T-Bone

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I have trained with a Brock String for years now... I was right eye domiate the in one month went to Left eye. My eye Doctor thought I had a brain tumor but after several test down at the local vets office we figured out that I just aint right so I just go on and live with it. Stay with the Brock String.. Look it up it works.... T-Bone

 

T-Bone, is that Brock String anything like an alphabet (G) string? I know they work too. Never seen one break but have been hoping. :lol: :lol: :lol:

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well, I have to close one eye. It does not matter which one. If I have both eyes open, close in, I see double. Like, at arms length, I see 2 revolver images. If I look at the target I see one image. With rifle, if I look at the sights, I see multiple targets and if I look at the target I see multiple rifle sights. So, I just close my left eye when shooting right handed and I close my right eye when I shoot left handed. Believe me, this ain't a fast way to acquire targets. :angry:

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YOU KEEP AN EYE OPEN????!!!!!!!! Maybe that explains a lot of things....... Right handed ..left eye dominant. Both eyes open. Father the same way but he shot left handed with a right handed bolt action. Open sights!! Trained meyself to do this at an early age. Started hunting by myself at the age of 9 with a .22. lived in the country...how things change.

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