Gunfighter eyes?

[Warden Callaway]

I've broken an old taboo and started to dryfire my Cattleman 45s in an effort to learn to shoot gunfighter. I find if I keep both eyes open I start to aim the left gun with my left eye and right with my right. I always assumed I was right eye dominant but my sight focus of my left appears to be equal to my right. Problem is, I would have to keep switching aiming eye with each shot. It's too already confusing enough. To try to correct this, I am deliberately closing my left eye. What's the recommended eye procedure?

[Korupt Karl]

You will find that some can keep both eyes open using the left for left and right for right. You just have to experiment. I am left eye dominant and when I try to use my right eye for the handguns I get in trouble. Shoulder problems have me shooting duelist and with that I too use only my left eye and that works for me. Milleage may vary.

 

KK

[evil dogooder]

I keep both eyes open, use both eyes. Is what works for me

[Branchwater Jack SASS #88854]

I am covered up with eye problems. I actually have the left lens of my glasses blacked out. I find that if I keep my hands close together, I really do not have an issue with the sights.

 

When shooting FCGF, you can tell which gun was in which hand based on the amount of fouling on the inside of each gun.

[Buckhorn Bud]

I'm right handed and left eye dominant. For years I would close one eye to shoot. Shooting gunfighter would require extra movement for multiple taps either moving my head or the next gun for a sight alignment. Over the past year I've been training myself to keep both eyes open and shoot the left gun with left eye and right with right eye. I had an awful lot of misses the first couple of months but I eventually got over it. Now I'm faster than I ever was before with good accuracy. For me it was worth the effort to switch.

[Possum Skinner, SASS#60697]

As Karl said, you have to use what works for you. I close one eye.

 

Possum

[Warden Callaway]

Just dryfiring but I'm gaining confidence I could hit shooting this way - although taking time to get a sight picture. Shooting left eye with left gun and right with right, I start to loose the rhythm and repeat soothing with the same gun.

 

At this point I'm firing one gun then the other. That is, I am not cocking one gun while firing the other. I can cock one while firing the other if I don't aim.

 

In short, my right and left brain needs to be rewired! I bet people that can juggle can probably do well at adoption gunfighter style.

[Calico Mary]

You're supposed to keep at least one eye open? Hmmm....maybe that explains why I can't hit nothing.....

[Noz]

I, too, have just started playing with gunfighter. My left eye is glaucoma damaged and has limited vision. I shoot with both eyes open and no particular effort given to left eye right eye.

I actually am turning better times on stages where I can figure out which gun goes where than I do shooting right handed duelist.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

As Karl said, you have to use what works for you. I close one eye.

 

Possum

 

agree. I only use one eye also.

 

 

..........Widder

[Tracker Mike SASS #38824]

Shot left gun with left eye and right gun with right eye as a duelist for many years. Started out with that in mind when I moved to gunfighter - just could not make it work consistently with any speed. Using one eye works much better for me. It just depends on how your eye/hand coordination is wired in your brain for you - there are folks doing it very well both ways.

[Spades Hanlin SASS#66204]

agree. I only use one eye also.

 

 

..........Widder

One thing Widder and Possum fergit to tell ya is they both use their 3rd eye the one right in the middle..LOL

 

They are GFer freaks of nature to tho..

 

Spades H. I use both eyes, but being left handed I'm also a bit abidextrious too, having to deal with right hand dominate world.

 

Use what works best for you, and as always, practice, practice, practice..

[crosscut hardy]

Sr gunfghter here...taught/mentored by Possum but I shoot with both eyes open.

....crosscut

[Wyandot Jim]

OK here is my story Since I'm right handed I always shot hand and long guns right eyed and right handed my whole life. Just about the time I wanted to start doing SASS 12 years ago. I lost complete sight in my right eye. Well I still shot hand guns right handed and used left eye with no problem. My problem was to learn to shoot long guns left handed. I now shoot double duelist in Duelist and Frontiersman. When shooting two handed in Old Fart categories I shot both left and right handed.

If I had some of the problems you TWO EYED Guys have. I would be getting me a Duke patch. It really is a lot easier one eyed.

My story and sticking with it.

WJ The One Eyed Old Fat Man

 

Yea I have also shot Gunfighter but it made my brain hurt to much

[Tom Bullweed]

I am slightly right-eye dominant and started shooting GF this past summer. I shoot 1851s with conversion cylinders. I aim my left gun with my right eye and simply point-shoot my right gun. This keeps me from moving my head.

I am not the fastest shooter and do have 3-4 misses per match. This probably has more to do with shooting only match per month and not practicing than it does with my technique. I plan to stick to this method and see if I improve. If not, I may try this aiming thing with both guns.

[Madd Mike #8595]

against all odds and advice

I use one eye, even for shotgun

 

I have a dominate eye that screws things up if I try ta use em both at one time

 

could be part, because I have mono vision toooooooo

 

one eye set up for reading the dash board, the other for driving me automobile down the road

[Litl Red]

When you try to do things that your body already told you it's preferences about, you're fighting yourself.

 

Do you see your sights clearly all the time? see the target clearly too?

 

So why are you spending any time thinking about which eye is in control. We should be thinking about whether the sights are on the target. Irrelevant thoughts take your concentration off the target.

 

Shooting two pistols with two hands, you'll move the guns and your head less doing just what your body wants to do.

[Chicken Scratch]

Aiming is overrated

Use the Force, Luke

I always shoot everything with both eyes open, or is that closed...

[Pit Bull Tex]

I am trying the find the one Possum eye and have it transplanted in the middle of my forehead.I shoot with my right eye with both eyes open but I find myself some time peeking with my left.May have to start closing my left eye.The way I shoot sometimes I think I may be closing both.

[Cheyenne Culpepper 32827]

one eye, doesn't matter which one... I've tried both doesn't work for me for any type firearm.

 

pb

 

but I look at the lovelies with both eyes open!

[Jefro, SASS#69420]

agree. I only use one eye also.

 

 

..........Widder

Yep one eye. It's a rhythm thing, while pumping the guns back and forth each gun is centered for the dominant eye.You'll never know what works for you till you shoot some live rounds. Get out there and start shooting some matches Warden, you don't know what yer missing. Good Luck

 

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life]

Both eyes open works for me!

[Warden Callaway]

Jefro, I've shot in three local matches duelist. The club won't have another match until March. But that gives me all winter to work this out. We have a farm so I can shoot all I want. But the high today was 22. I did go out and fire 20 rounds. I'm encouraged. I used both eyes to aim and took my time.

[Phiren Smoke GUNFIGHTER]

Google " brock string ".

 

T-Bone mentioned it here on another thread about a week ago. Mose Spencer put me on to it a little over a month back. I am cross dominant (right handed and left eyed). Shooting with both eyes open was very difficult. After working with the Brock string for about a month it became much easier and much more rewarding.

 

Thanks Mose.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Smoke

[Double Tap Taylor]

Hi all

Just getting in to this only shot one match with borrowed shotgun and rifle. I just got all equipment. I will shoot GF only other times I shoot like that is skeet with TC contenders. I do use right eye only. Allot of movement but works for me. It will be interesting with 45s. First match should be Jan.

[Chief Rick]

Just dryfiring but I'm gaining confidence I could hit shooting this way - although taking time to get a sight picture. Shooting left eye with left gun and right with right, I start to loose the rhythm and repeat soothing with the same gun.

 

Dry-firing, I lose count as well when I double-cock and "forget" which pistol to shoot next.

 

When using real bullets, I cock one pistol while firing the other and don't seem have the same problem (usually).

[Spades Hanlin SASS#66204]

 

 

Put a piece of paper on the wall, hold your index finger up like its a sight at arms lenght, now focus both eyes on your finger like it was a front sight,then while focused on your finger pass it in front of the piece of paper, see the finger in focus, and the paper as background. Pull trigger!!!

 

At least thats how I see things, works fer me. I don't focus on the target so much as see it in the background.

 

Spades H.

[Warden Callaway]

I'm blessed with pretty good eyesight. I can see great up to arm length and pretty good at distance. I do wear prescription glasses for driving and watching TV. But straight safety glasses for shooting. Thus I see the sights really well and target just a little fuzzy.

[Madd Mike #8595]

I'm blessed with pretty good eyesight. I can see great up to arm length and pretty good at distance. I do wear prescription glasses for driving and watching TV. But straight safety glasses for shooting. Thus I see the sights really well and target just a little fuzzy.

that thar is perfect for shooting

[Buckhorn Bud]

Yep one eye. It's a rhythm thing, while pumping the guns back and forth each gun is centered for the dominant eye.You'll never know what works for you till you shoot some live rounds. Get out there and start shooting some matches Warden, you don't know what yer missing. Good Luck

 

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

 

I agree to the live rounds. I shot Frontiersman double duelist style for over a year before I trying gunfighter. Then I tried gunfighter with a set of 22s and couldn't hit a thing for about two months. I practiced with the 22s for 6 months before I felt confident enough to shoot gunfighter at a match.

 

 

I'm blessed with pretty good eyesight. I can see great up to arm length and pretty good at distance. I do wear prescription glasses for driving and watching TV. But straight safety glasses for shooting. Thus I see the sights really well and target just a little fuzzy.

 

I'm far-sighted so I'm not blessed the same. My safety glasses have a 1.5x reading insert which is just enough for me to focus on the front sight. The range is a little blurry but my sight picture is perfect.

[Litl Red]

As we get older......

 

If you wear prescription glasses, a trick that worked way on back can work for you, if you care to do it. Back when prescription glasses for the masses came about, their first "bi-focals" were embraced by shooters. They made "bi-focal" shooting glasses back then by putt what we'd consider the bi-focal prescription on the side of the shooter's dominant eye. They had the "normal" prescription on one side to see the target with, and the "short" prescription on the dominant side to see the sights. Sound strange to you nowadays? It definitely sounded strange to my eye doctor in the 70s when I asked for a set of glasses like that. And has to every eye doctor since.

 

It works great.

 

Shooters back then didn't want to quit when their eyes went bad, just like we don't now. Unfortunately, the trick was lost, for much the same reason that modern gunsmiths lost the details of things like making barrels for Kentucky rifles and such. I've yet to talk to an eye doctor who knew about the trick.

 

BTW, when the eye glass industry developed affordable bi-focals (with 2 surfaces in each lens) the shooters came up with another trick too.

[Nawlins Kid SASS #36107]

I shoot with the left eye closed. I have what they call prism vision. When I used two eyes I see a faint target just left of the target. And it becomes very annoying when doing sweeps.

 

Just like what CC said I do keep both eyes open when the pretty ladies come by.

 

Nawlins

[diablo slim]

I could close both eyes and probably hit just as many targets

[Chancy Shot, SASS #67163]

Yep one eye. It's a rhythm thing, while pumping the guns back and forth each gun is centered for the dominant eye.You'll never know what works for you till you shoot some live rounds. Get out there and start shooting some matches Warden, you don't know what yer missing. Good Luck

 

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

Be careful of that rhythm thing. Good for dancing but not for shooting. I fell into that trap and found myself shooting in rhythm rather than when the sight picture was right. Made an lot of misses before I realized what I was doing. And then, its a hard habit to break, even when you know what you are doing wrong.

 

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

Chancy

[Lou Graham, # 26112]

I'm sort of left handed but right eyed. I shoot long guns right handed for that reason. For gunfighter, I use the cock-one-while-shooting-the-other method. My shooting glasses are set up so the right eye has the sights in focus (arms length) and the left is for distance but backed off a little, just enough so I can find my way around the range and see my pards faces on the other side of the shooting bay.

So, I use the right eye. The trick is to keep your knuckles so close together they are almost touching each other. That way, you aren't swinging your head around or moving the guns a bunch and having to re-focus on every shot. It's tough if the targets are spaced far apart. The first couple of shots on an outside-outside, inside-inside, center sweep I have to be careful but most target arrays are pretty close and it works out fine.

When I was learning to shoot GF, I did dry fire just to get the mechanics down until it was muscle memory and I didn't have to think about cocking and pulling the trigger. Then, I went to .22's and trying to get on target. It's easier to think about target order and front sight when you aren't also thinking about thumbs and trigger fingers