How to shoot with both eyes open

[footballplaya98311]

Any tips on shooting with both eyes open? Whenever I try, either the target or the gun becomes blurry. Any advice?

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[oknow]

put a film of tape or something on your shooting glasses over your dominate eye side, that will strengthen your weak eye but will get you used to having both eye's open. then dry fire or if you have the ammo go to the range. Good luck

 

[tacticalgunner]

I have tried and tried to do this past 10 yards and yet be successful. Same issue, I can't focus on both sights and target. So I stopped trying.

 

[Solomon]

You can't focus on two distances at once. Most instructors teach to focus on your front sight.

 

[Both Eyes Open]

First you give me a call, then we go shooting! Ha ha ha ha ha... Jokes aside, focus on your target, use your front sight to aim and work on your form so your front and rear sight are always lined up. In time you will be able to make out your front sight clearer over your focused target. Oh, and practice practice practice... With real bullets if possible. Best of luck.

Both Eyes Open

 

[TapRackNGo]

Red dots are great for this, simply look past your sight at the target. You can do it with irons too, it just takes a bit of time. Focus on front sight, then look at the target. Great application for airsoft...Nahhhh that's for kids...

 

[footballplaya98311]

So should I first just focus on shooting with one eye only and aligning the front and rear sights? The tape idea sounds like it would work well. I'm not gonna lie, I'm still a novice when it comes to shooting/guns. I've only shot my friends weapons and haven't purchased my own yet. One day soon though...

 

[JackThompson]

At the trap club they recommended using a piece of tape over your NON-Dominant eye, to allow you to focus on the target that you're supposed to focus on.

Try this for instance.

With both eyes open, point your finger at something 25+ yards away.

If you have both eyes open you should actually see two fingers where there should be one.

Now close your non-dominant eye. Are you still pointing at your target? Or are you pointing 3 feet to the left of it? If you are pointing 3 feet (Left or right depending on which eye you have open) then you are focusing with the wrong eye.

Put tape over the non-dominant lens.

 

[footballplaya98311]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Much appreciated!!!

 

[Rotty]

Any tips on shooting with both eyes open? Whenever I try, either the target or the gun becomes blurry. Any advice?

Try focusing on the front sight, let the target go blurry. As long as you are aimed at center mass you will hit the target. With practice you will teach your eyes to adjust accordingly.

 

[Silver Hand]

I wonder, Are you trying to shoot a rifle or a shot gun both eyes open. I have never used this procedure with a rifle. Looking back almost five decades I can remember shooting trap & skeet and wile being instructed to shoot with both eyes open it was for me most difficult with a plane barrel. I then had a barrel with a raised rib and only a single bead at the muzzle. This made things a bit easier. To my surprise one of the guys had a barrel with two beads on the ramp and let me shoot his shotgun explaining to me watch the muzzle bead with both eyes open and then center the rear one. After a few rounds I was convinced this was the ticket for me. I became a better shot using two beads on a vented rib.
Silver hand

 

[bellarum]

I'm right handed and when I present my handgun to my target with both eyes open and focus on the front sight I see two holographic (for lack of a better word) images. The one on the left is the centered veiw of the rear of the slide with both sights lined up. The other (holographic) image to the right appears as a angled veiw of the left hand side of the slide with sights not lined up (obviously) but, a bit further back and to the right. When I hold that posistion and close my left eye I see the same sight picture as the left centered image. Not sure if it's right or wrong but, I can hit the black at 50'

 

[footballplaya98311]

When shooting handguns. I've shot handguns more often than rifles. I think I still need to work on the basics of making sure my front and rear sights are lined up as well. I plan on going to my local gun range (Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club) soon for some hands on practice from the range officers. They've been very helpful the two times I've been out there.

 

[hatchj]

im right handed and left eye dominant. it made shooting with two eyes open tough. but just spend time practicing. i found that if i started squinting less and less, it was an easy way to transition to both eyes totally open. i will add that im very very left eye dominant. handguns are easy compared to a rifle.

 

[tacticalgunner]

im right handed and left eye dominant. it made shooting with two eyes open tough. but just spend time practicing. i found that if i started squinting less and less, it was an easy way to transition to both eyes totally open. i will add that im very very left eye dominant. handguns are easy compared to a rifle.

Maybe thats my problem, but I don't mind one eye shooting, Front sight, rear sight, slack pause sqeeze!

 

[hatchj]

ive tried to learn 2 eye, but it takes time. with my ar, i tend to look past the sight to the target. im looking at getting an aimpoint which should make it easier

 

[PiratePast40]

I'm right handed, left eye dominant, and wear bifocals. There's now way I can see both the target and front sight with both eyes open. I was trying to do just that at the last class and the instructor said "quit wasting time, close one eye and shoot instead of messing around with both eyes and hoping the bullet will hit within 5 feet of the target." If you're not trying to impress someone, just go out shooting instead of being worried about style or what someone else thinks.

 

[mjbskwim]

I'm just a shooter and love guns. No formal training.
But what I have found is that if you practice,WITH AN UNLOADED GUN,bringing the gun to target,you will feel the right way to hold your gun so it will line up with your dominate eye.
Look at the door knob. Bring the gun up so that the sights are lined up with it.
One eye or both,doesn't matter yet.

Pretty soon you have the "muscle memory" of how to hold the gun so it comes to sight every time.
Your hand will grab it the same every time

Then start to do the same with both eyes open. You should automatically bring the gun to your dominate eye's focus.
Again ,WITH AN UNLOADED GUN

I have done this with my carry guns and it works pretty darn good. I grab the gun and bring it before my eyes and it goes on target naturally.
And you will start to concentrate on the sights with just one eye

Hey good luck and good question.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

At the trap club they recommended using a piece of tape over your NON-Dominant eye, to allow you to focus on the target that you're supposed to focus on.

Try this for instance.

With both eyes open, point your finger at something 25+ yards away.

If you have both eyes open you should actually see two fingers where there should be one.

Now close your non-dominant eye. Are you still pointing at your target? Or are you pointing 3 feet to the left of it? If you are pointing 3 feet (Left or right depending on which eye you have open) then you are focusing with the wrong eye.

Put tape over the non-dominant lens.

This^^^

It will tell you your dominate eye. When you point, do you point with one eye closed? Same thing with a rifle. Concentrate on your target, your sights will gravitate to your target as your finger did. Yes it takes some practice to let it become second nature, but you will achieve it if your not left eye dominate. For target acquisition, tracking your target to the cross hairs, pulling the trigger and calling the shot placement, movement during shots, to follow up shots, shooting with both eyes is far faster. It can be difficult for some but most can accomplish it. Its just like any habit, bad or good, it takes time to form bad ones, and time to form good ones. Good luck.

 

[Silver Hand]

I do a lot of instinct shooting from the hip. Usually at fifteen yards or under for one to five rounds, with a wheel gun or an auto loader and a small target like a gallon jug of water.

You can easily watch bullets hitting the ground in a semi automatic hand gun and put them on target, this is not the same thing.
I got to where I can hit what I shoot at with confidence. It is always better to aim with one eye or two if you prefer. I actually score higher shooting a hand gun with my right eye open and left closed.
Silver Hand