Shooting with both eyes open?

[1911Alaska]

Ok, so I know the proper technique is to shoot with both eyes open but how do you guys accurately do this?

I shoot with my left eye closed and can consistently hit the same area from 25 yards out. If I shoot with both eyes open I am all over the place and even miss the target sometimes from only 10 feet out and I have tried this multiple times, I just can't get a handle on it

Thanks!

 

[fehhkk]

Close your left eye just a little and start that way.

 

[jmhyer]

Also, try to practice/train with a small piece of scotch tape on your shooting glasses that covers the central vision of your left eye.

 

[rrruger]

...try to practice/train with a small piece of scotch tape on your shooting glasses that covers the central vision of your left eye.

Interesting! I have a similar problem, and I will have to try this out.
Best guess, will I have to re-adjust my sights much?

 

[Sparks1957]

You shouldn't have to adjust your sights at all, if you are ordinarily using your dominant eye when shooting.

 

[bcrash15]

Some people, like myself, have a stereoscopic vision problem (essentially left/right eye synchronization). It doesn't usually bother me at all in daily life, but I, for example, can't do some things like see 3-d effects or shoot with both eyes open. I have to close my other eye to be able to adequately concentrate on the sights, if not my eyes "fight" for control depending on what I am trying to focus on. You might be able to actually train yourself by doing things like the suggestions above, but I just close my non-shooting eye. Works well enough for me anyway. Just a thought.

 

[btmj]

If I am just putting the front sight on the target (i.e. close range drills), I keep both eyes open. But if I am lining up the sights, I close my left eye just a slight moment before I squeeze the trigger.

 

[carprivershooter]

I have also just started training with both eyes open. I did notice improved groups at about 10 yards. I don't know yet what I am doing, i think I am better able to focus on the front sight and the target. I have not used a rifle yet but I plan to take my 22 lr out to see if I can shoot a little bit better.

 

[booker_t]

The tape method works great for this. Search online for various methods of doing it.

Dry fire practice will get you comfortable finding the front sight with both eyes open. I've done thousands upon thousands of presentations from the holster or from compressed ready position.. find the sight, take the slack out of the trigger, break the shot (or not), return to ready. I think a double-action pistol works best as you don't have to re-cock it every time.

 

[jmr40]

Dry fire practice. You cannot afford the ammo needed to do this with all live firing.

 

[ricotorpe]

Like Bcrash, I have eye problems. My eyes are hard to coordinate because of a weak muscle in my right eye, which causes it to drift to the right. It also rotates the eyeball.

Add to that, my left eye is dominant, but I'm right handed -- cross dominance. The upside is that the vision in my dominant eye is much better than in my non-dominant eye.

When I read, I often slightly close my right eye. This is usually when my eyes are fatigued.

Until I get the surgery to fix this, I can't effectively use my right eye.

 

[Sgt.Fathead]

Moved up, or down, the corrective lense ladder again and now wear progressive trifocals. I can only shoot with both eyes open now. I have no idea how it works but it works better than before! Low end of the lenses allow me to align sights faster and get a great sight picture with the high end.

 

[Tactical Jackalope]

Shoot with both eyes open..your brain will eventually take control with your dominant eye. Don't worry, it takes time..

 

[WV_gunner]

I'm right handed and right eye dominant. But my eyes have a hard focusing on things up close, I get double vision. I've been this way as long as I can remember. With long guns, I almost always close my left eye especially if it has a scope. With handguns it doesn't bother me as much.

 

[wpsdlrg]

Practice, practice, practice. Some people can do it, some never can.

I am right-handed, but left eye dominant. It took me quite a while to train myself to shoot with both eyes open, but I did it. I still have to use my left eye as the dominant one, though. Every once in a while though, my eyes/ brain get "confused".....and I can't seem to use both eyes for a few seconds....but this passes quickly.

 

[rrruger]

I just shot 150 rounds from my GP100 with both eyes open. I shoot left handed and I'm left eyes dominate. My best six shot group from five yards was covered by a quarter.

"I love this gun!" Unfortunately, the right eye keeps jumping in saying "Look at Me!" My average group was more like five inches. For those that have done it, how long should I expect it to take before the brain stops letting the right eye interfere?

 

[hardhat harry]

It does take practice. I shot both eyes open for years. Now, after nearly losing the vision in my right (dominant) eye, the brain kicked in, without even thinking about it I now get sight alignment with my LEFT eye, and still have both eyes open.

I also just started shooting scoped rifles with both eyes open.

 

[Patriot86]

I shoot with both eyes open much better with a rifle than a pistol but I am doing what others have said and making a slow transition to my left eye being open more and more.

 

[Buzzcook]

This is one area where point shooting helps. It is easier to keep both eyes open if you focus on the target.
Once you get to a point where keeping both eyes open during point shooting, start focusing on the front sight.

 

[CamTheWookie]

I'm a novice shooter (probably less than 1000 rounds total downrange) and I started shooting with both eyes open only after being informed that the other way is "wrong" and after developing a habit of closing one eye. I initially found that my eyes/brain were trying to focus on too much - the target, the front sight, the rear sights - and everything was a blur. Once I learned to focus on the front sight, it made shooting with both eyes much easier. I have to thank this forum for that golden nugget of wisdom. Now I am forcing myself to focus on the front sight and where it overlays the target, and things have started to "click."