How to shoot with both eyes open

[LiaB]

If your dominant hand and dominant eye are different, it's called cross-dominance. (My right hand and left eye are dominant.) With handguns, I tried the tape, and I tried closing my right eye, but they both ended up making me tired. So I practice with both eyes open, focusing on the front sight. It gets some getting used to, and you need to wait a second or so between shots for your eyes to focus again, but it means I can shoot longer.

For a rifle with a scope, I have to shoulder it on the left or I cannot see at all through the scope.
For a shotgun, I have to shoulder it on the left and have yet to figure out how to actually track and break the clays.

Good luck!

 

[RBid]

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.

This. I also prefer to black out my rear sights.

 

[turbovr6jetta]

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.

Im the same way. In fact Im prit darn good shooting two eys open with a pistol. But cant shoot a rifle worth a spit with both eyes open on iron sights. I can shoot alright with both open throuh my eotech but I havent used it much so far, Im hoping I get even better with ig. And hey you never know maybe it will train my eyes so I can do it with irons

 

[Archer762]

Focus on front sight, target is blurry.

I am right eye dominant, left handed- which I guess is pretty uncommon. I had to learn to shoot right handed to solve all of my problems when I was young. It was especially weird at first with archery. But now it feels quite normal. I still hold a hockey stick, baseball bat, etc left-handed.

 

[turbovr6jetta]

I dont know what it is about left handed people but they always seem to be able to adapt to doing things right handed much easier than right handed people adapting to doing things left handed. Makes me jelous. I'm pretty sure the only way I could ever come close to getting used to shooting left handed was if I was to lose my right arm in some horrible accident. Im going to keep trying to train my eye, I know my left hand isnt trainable.... Lucky leftys

 

[Archer762]

That's because the entire world is designed for right-handed people, so left-handed people have already learned to adapt quite a bit. Driving a car: key goes in on the right, shifter on the right. Sit down at a computer: mouse is on the right. Flush a toilet: handle is on the right. The list goes on and on.

 

[turbovr6jetta]

Do you flush the toilet while sitting down? Im too afraid I would get splashed or fall in and get flushed away. So I stand up first. And are right handed people more adaptive in england?

 

[BillM]

The three rules of handgun shooting.
1. Front Sight
2. Front Sight
3. Front Sight

That said, I shoot USPSA with a variety of iron sighted handguns. Right
handed Left eyed cross-dominant. I've got a a set of glasses made up
that are front sight focus left eye, distance focus right eye. Takes a little
time to get used to them on match day, but they work well.

 

[mrblond]

what really helped me was working at MSA. I worked in the slicing department which was super noisy. now, from time to time one of the saw blades would blow and it was a very loud noise and after a time I went from flinching and closing my eyes when one went off next to me to doing nothing. I used that to help my shooting so instead of the bad habit of wanting to close my eyes, i simply ignore the bang and recoil and keep them both open.

 

[NWGlockgal]

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.

I've go the same problem and I have yet to over come it. For now I close one eye

 

[coop44]

squinting will affect your vision, cover one lens of your shooting glasses. Squinting with your tongue sticking out and your head cocked to one side makes you look like a newb.