Aiming with one or both eyes

[wilded]

Unless eye dominance is a problem you should always have both eyes open as you lose depth, speed and size perception when you close one eye.

 

[Art Caputo]

Both eyes open, total focus on the front sight. I have normal eye dominance.

 

[Britsmoothy]

My off eye became dominant a few years ago. I retrained my brain by sticking a small piece of masking tape on the glasses just where my off eye was trying to do the aiming thus forcing the brain to use the other eye again. Didnt take long.
Some target shooting glasses have a blind for the off eye.

 

[Juice Jaws]

I aim with both eyes open and just before I pulled the trigger close both and jerk the trigger.

 

[KezarWoodsman]

For shotgun/rifles using ironsights i keep both eyes open, but squint the left eye to varying degrees to make it easier to keep the sight and barrel aligned correctly. For shotguns i squint slightly (if i cover my right eye i can still see relatively clear), but for rifles i heavily squint (if covering right eye i can see, but its blury, almost as if i forgot to wear glasses and my visions about 20/80).

 

[mushka]

I do better with both eyes open.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I do better with my smoothbores using both eyes open. For rifles, my less dominate eye is closed.

 

[RATROD56]

Both closed. It's more challenging that way..........

Me too! I haven't hit the target yet but, I've shot 3 people, 4 dogs, 1 horse and a Chevy Tahoe.

 

[RATROD56]

How many here aim their iron sight rifles with both eyes open? I am curious if it works well for people. I have better vision in my non dominant left Eye than my right which has gotten worse over the years, and I shoot right handed. I’m Thinking this may be the ticket for making those 40-50 yard headshots on tree rats like I used to. I hate the though of wearing glasses so hopefully this will do the trick

I am probably in the minority but, I was raised/trained as a "sightless shooter" I don't use and/or remove the sights from my rifles/pistols, and shoot both eyes open. I'll probably get lectured for this but, I've been shooting this way for 40 years. Not changing now.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I am probably in the minority but, I was raised/trained as a "sightless shooter" I don't use and/or remove the sights from my rifles/pistols, and shoot both eyes open. I'll probably get lectured for this but, I've been shooting this way for 40 years. Not changing now.

That is interesting.
How far a small target can you shoot a rifle thus?

 

[springfield art]

How many here aim their iron sight rifles with both eyes open? I am curious if it works well for people. I have better vision in my non dominant left Eye than my right which has gotten worse over the years, and I shoot right handed. I’m Thinking this may be the ticket for making those 40-50 yard headshots on tree rats like I used to. I hate the though of wearing glasses so hopefully this will do the trick

I read many years ago about the advantage of keeping both eyes open when shooting. I tried it and "never looked back", to turn a phrase. Every one's eyes are different, but "try it, you'll like it"

 

[CaptainKirk]

Being left eye dominant and a very strong right handed shooter, I am forced to keep my dominant (left) eye closed when shooting rifle or shotgun. I can use either eye for pistol shooting.

 

[PIGGLOVER]

My Dad always told us to keep both eyes open, rifle, shotgun, pistol, iron sights, or scope. I have a daughter that is right handed but left eye dominate so she shoots left handed, if she doesn't close her right eye she can't hit a barn standing inside of it. More than one way to skin a cat.

 

[J. Paul]

I am self taught for pistol but with rifle I was taught to shoot with both eyes open and it carried across to all firearms just natural like. I am right eye right hand dominant with stronger left eye. When training with Sheriffs Dept several years ago on a week long pistol course the trainer asked me which eye I was using to aim. Turned out I was the only one switching sighting eye when we switched hands for shooting around or under barriers. I even do it with scopes, allows me to see surroundings while shooting and to be able to track moving target without losing it

 

[gunnyr]

Cross eyed here. Shoot right handed using my left eye. Caught nothing but grief in boot camp from the drill instructor
said I looked like a monkey s------g a foot ball. But after seeing my scores he let off. Over the years I tried to change
but I find myself going back left eye.
gunnyr

 

[coloradoclyde]

There's a good reason why standard practice is to close one eye.

Shooting with both eyes open requires a very dominant eye and discipline. However, even then Your eyes can trick you by changing dominance.
If you use the wrong eye, you will not hit your mark. Closing one eye will ensure that you are always properly aligned.
Now there are situations where closing one eye is not preferred, but you still have to train for it.

 

[dkasprzak]

I close the non-dominant eye. Recently tried both eyes open, couldn’t figure out where I was aiming. I see value in keeping both eyes open but not sure at 63 years old I can retrain these eyes.

DK

 

[Crow-Feather]

When I shoot. I sometimes put a piece of tape on the left lens of my shooting glasses. I am left eye dominant, but the tape makes me right eye dominant.

 

[toot]

I am left eye dominant', so not a problem with a pistol. but with a long gun can't get my check over the butt. to get a sight picture. so left eye closed, on long arms!!

 

[flntlokr]

Both open for everything. When my old eyes started to have trouble getting the foresight sharply in focus, I took a pistol mock-up in to my optometrist, and told her to give me a right lens (dominant) that would give me clear focus on the front sight. She did that; stuff beyond about 50 ft. is very slightly blurred (but still within legal driving limits), but the front sights on both rifle and pistol are crystal clear without having to squint or strain. Makes life easier. Great computer glasses as well.