Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Both eyes open

I think many more of you would have been able to keep your second eye open if you were exposed to the concept when you began shooting. I can thank my father showing me when I was eight years old. He placed a BB rifle in the shop vice. He explained how the sights should be aligned looking with the dominant eye with the other eye closed. He then said I should slowly open my eyelid while concentrating on the sights with the dominant eye.

Later on in biology class we use single occular microscopes where the teacher encouraged keeping both eyes open.


I suppose a strong dominant eye would help. My right is mildly dominant but I can shoot a handgun with either hand with both eyes open which is the most difficult of any shooting for me.

This is an interesting topic. For years I used to teach all my students how to figure out their dominant eye in my shop classes. I also talked about using both eyes whenever possible. I wonder how many students were started on the path to shooting with both eyes open.

When I shoot my BR rifle it has a 45X scope. I shoot with both eyes open to enable me to see the windflags with the off eye. I was just trained that way.
I probably shut both when hunting, who knows?
Butch

Damn you people...Been shooting rifles for over 20 yrs and after reading this post I had to open the safe, pick up a rifle & look thru the scope.

I shoot with left eye closed.
With both eyes open, I see 2 cross-hairs.

I taught myself to shoot about 40 years ago.Something like 10 years of doing it wrong I met an old guy that taught me how to shoot much better.Re-learning is hard.I had some pretty bad habits to overcome.I have been shooting both eyes open about 30 years now.

My eyes switch as well, left eye is dominant 60-70% of the time but than they'll switch up for a day or two.

Shoot predominately right handed, but I can shoot left handed

The eye dominance switch is interesting. I don't think I've heard of it before.

When I shoot left handed (weak side) I MUST close my right eye.

Eye dominance switching is called Omni-ocular.

If I don't close my left eye "some of the time" or when I keep both eyes open on purpose then about half way through the round my eye dominance will shift when I put my cheek down on the shotgun and block a portion of the sight of my right eye.

For some guys who have it they put tape on a pair of glasses so that it blurs the bottom half of thier vision on there left eye.

I shoot both handguns and rifles with the classic left eye closed as open blurred things up..Since I got my new eyeball(Toric) I can actually see the cross hairs clearly without a blur and not having to wear glasses for minute accuracy at paper.

Not much talk of eye dominance when I started learning the ropes..Interesting,none the less..

Jayco

It's mental. I'm right handed, left eye dominate. I just keep both eyes open and keep on shooting. May not be picture book perfect but it works for me.

O

I shoot a handgun with both eyes open, but have to close one eye when shooting a rifle.

Mag..,

Shooting handguns I start out using my right eye, but if it's a long session, I wind up shooting with my left eye almost every time. But so what? I always shoot strong side then weak side any way. I need the practice and mostly hit what I aim at.

O