Shooting with both eyes open

ivanwi11iams

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Here I am again, asking more questions.

Is it possible to shoot with both eyes open and still hit your target?
If so, how?

Thanks

Ivan
 
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If you have an eye condition like mine. I can't remember what its called at the moment but my brain only "see's" one eye at a time basically ignoring the other.
 
I remember at first it took some use to but doesn't everyhting you learn for the first time? I'm sure there will be people that say you shouldn't because of this and that and what not but find out how you shoot the best and stick to that.


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we like to call it more of an "instinct" shooting, reacting to the target, instead of the typical "bullseye" competition, we did that also later on, but have gone back to both eyes open.but I recall WAY back in the late 50's we learned shooting chipmunks in an old stone quarry, and we did NOT have time to "sight" in on any of them as they ran so darn fast...you heard them before you even saw them........all I can say as to "how" is point at something with your shooting hand trigger finger, and then close one eye at a time and see where your finger is pointed......that's a start.......
do and use what works for YOU, try them all, that's why there are so many forms of shooting sports...........
 
If you have an eye condition like mine. I can't remember what its called at the moment but my brain only "see's" one eye at a time basically ignoring the other.

I too always shoot with both eyes open. Even with a scope, both eyes open. When I shoot with my non-dominant hand, I use the non-dominant eye. It seems I can switch eye dominance for shooting just by concentrating on it. I shoot pretty good.
 
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I use both eyes because 10 years ago Dr. buchered cataract surgery on my right eye and now have very limited vision in that eye. Some years back when still had 20/20 in both eyes I was at the local range and some young guy said " hey pop your supposed to shoot with both eyes open ". I told him thanks for the tip Sonny but I used one eye while in Korea and I'm still here so mind his business.
 
I'm right eye dominant. When looking down my sights, both eyes open, i focus on my right eye to aim, pull the trigger, then focus on the left to look downrange. I did that enough to get it figured out. All you have to do to practice is look down the sights and try to focus on the sights for a minute then out there for a minute.

I found its easier for me to close one eye to aim and shoot, then open both eyes to look. That's just me though

the original point and click interface, by Smith & Wesson
 
You can shoot well with both eyes open if you don't have too much binocular rivalry and can suppress the eye you aren't aiming with. If you are cross dominant, ie right-handed and left eye dominant, it can be difficult. I sometimes overplus the non-sighting eye in the shooting glasses (I'm an optometrist) so that eye sees slightly blurry and is easier to suppress. You generally want both eyes open for trap and skeet. For target shooting, it is less important.
Some people can't close one eye without scrunching up their whole face. For stationary target shooting, I find those people do much better with both eyes open.
 
I learned as a boy to close one eye, but later realized that I shot better with both open. It proved especially useful when using a scope, as the non-dominant eye helped align the scope and find the game more quickly in the glass. I've shot with both eyes open for close to sixty years now.
 
The only way I can do it is with a red dot sight. So, I've put red dots on all of my guns. Both eyes open, focus on the target, get red dot on target and the shot goes where the red dot is.
 
I used to shoot steel falling plates and the fastest best shots at the matches were using red dot sights with the filter on the front turned to black out the picture through the sight but the dot would still be visible in the black and they shot both eyes open and were just about unbeatable. With practice I got where I could shoot that way. Jeff
 
Both eyes open has some benefits if you can train yourself to do it. You get a wider field of view and better depth perception.

This.

It's ideal. One eye "sees" down the sights, while the other "sees" your target. Blended together and it's a sure hit.

If I'm distance shooting with rifles, I tend to use one eye for a bit, then gradually open my other.

Also, I use just one eye at first with any new pistol, until I learn the point of aim/impact relationship.
 
That's the way I was taught, don't know any other way to do it.

Same here. We all have a dominant eye (unless of course there's a physical/medical reason) and figureing it out isn't difficult-note it's not always the same as our dominant hand though usually it is. Once that's accomplished as others have stated the benefits are many. All this assuming (uh oh lol) that we're talking handguns. With rifles/high power scopes it's one eye, with my AR & Eotech then both again.
 
Some days it just doesn't matter for me. One eye open, two eyes open, third eye open...some times I think I could shoot better with both eyes closed, from memory. Then I'll have a good day where I can shoot the hands off of a penguin at thirty yards. I just never know till I get to the range.
 
Some days it just doesn't matter for me. One eye open, two eyes open, third eye open...some times I think I could shoot better with both eyes closed, from memory. Then I'll have a good day where I can shoot the hands off of a penguin at thirty yards. I just never know till I get to the range.
So that's why penguins don't have hands, you done shot 'em off.
I do practice point shooting with both eyes open but I also shoot with one closed and sometimes I'll use the laser for fun. Depends on what I feel like doin' at the time.
 
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