Do you shoot with both eyes open?

[Eddie A.]

I am right eye dominant and learned to shoot with my left eye shut. I have tried shooting with both eyes open at the rang, but I cant seem to keep focus on my front sights and the target.

Many of the guys in my unit (I'm an Army Reservist) seem to think that, tactically, it is better to shoot with both eyes open. I can see the logic there because it increase peripheral vision.

Please weigh in with your opinion and justification?

Also, if you have transitioned from shooting with one eye to shooting with both, how did you practice and become proficient with both eyes open?

[Fosforos]

I used to always shoot with one eye open, and I still do if I want to shoot for accuracy. Since I now try to practice shooting for self defense, I have transitioned to shooting with both eyes open.
The target will be out of focus since I'm concentrating on looking at the front sight.
One thing that I've found helful, is keeping my eyes WIDE open (looking like someone scared my pants off). I probably look ridiculous, but it works for me. Forcing my eyes to stay wide open, I flinch less and find it easier to get the front sight back on target for the next shot.

[seamusTX]

I shoot with both eyes open, but I am so right-eye dominant that I almost have a lazy left eye.

You might try putting something on your shooting glasses to obscure your left-eye focus while you're aiming. A one-half inch square piece of Scotch tape works for some people.

- Jim

[longtooth]

Both open when shooting for personal defense.
When I am shooting for marksmanship & want to hit the exact center of the X then I aim carefully w/ one eye.

[308nato]

Right eye dominant but both eyes open with iron sites or scope, works
for me.

[kw5kw]

I have always shot with one eye (right).

If I'm only using one for accuracy, then why would I want to sacrifice accuracy by using both eyes during a self-defense mode as that is when I want to have the best accuracy of all?

[jimlongley]

hen I was younger I was one of those rare people who had no really dominant eye, probably a product of my poor vision, if I kept both eyes open when shooting a handgun I was as likely to be aiming with the left eye as the right, so I learned to shoot with one eye.

Unlearning that has been a problem.

I feel that for tactical situations, both eyes open is better.

[flintknapper]

Both eyes open, you need it for peripheral vision as well as depth perception.

I sometimes "squint" my non-dominant eye slightly, but never close it, (well....... sometimes when I sleep).

[govnor]

I'm a redneck, so yeah I close my left eye when I shoot! In fact, I think I even close my left eye when I'm spitting out some tobacco juice...

[ske1eter]

I shot with both eyes open for the first time in my training class. Not really a conscience effort but it worked best for me at relatively close ranges like under 25 yds. Interestingly enough, when shooting around the left side of a barrier (I'm right handed and right eye dominant) I used my left eye to aim with. I suppose the barrier kind of caused my left eye to be blocked in a way, and by using my left eye less of my person was exposed to the bad guy.

I've still not mastered shooting through a scope using both eyes though.

[ElGato]

I shoot everthing, even a scoped rifle or handgun with both eyes open.

[Jungle Work]

Yes, most of the time.

Jungle Work

[ShootingStar]

What SeamusTX said has helped me. It is easier for people who are strongly right eye dominant to shoot with both eyes open. If you're eye dominance is close to the same between both eyes, then you will have to train your brain to recognize which of the two images is the correct one to use.

Put a piece of celephane tape on your left lens, if you shoot right handed, and practice practice practice.

You can also practice at home by obtaining a sight picture, keeping both eyes open, and slowly open and close your left eye to veryify you have the right image. Bring your pistol back to the ready position and out to practice aquiring a sight picture with your domanent eye. Partially close your left eye just enough to verify you are using the right eye.

Keeping both eyes open is definitely a plus in a combat situation, but only if you're not too stressed. People who are under extreme stress often get tunnel vision anyway. My philosopy is to get as good as you can and be confident of your ability, not cocky, but confident enough to know that you can handly a situation. This will help you manage the stress of combat.

My advise is to shoot IPSC or IDPA if you don't already. I shoot IPSC and it has helped my shooting abilities more than anything else.

The USPSA magazine that I get had an article about a soldier in Iraq who shot IPSC with his dad for about 2 years. Later, he enlisted and got in a serious firefight when he sheared the bolts off on the Bolt Carrier on his M4. He transitioned to his pistol and shot up the bad guys pretty good. He went through four magazines by the time the fight was over. Later his squad leader asked him how he got to be so good with a pistol.

-SS

[jwp]

If you're eye dominance is close to the same between both eyes, then you will have to train your brain to recognize which of the two images is the correct one to use.

Whether iron sights or scoped, rifle or handgun, I shoot with both eyes open. If the sight picture is correct, it doesn't matter which image you use. Pool and billiard players have related aiming issues, and quite a number of them, e.g., shoot right handed but use their left eye (or both) for aiming. When shooting right handed or a handgun with both hands, I use the right eye image, because that's how my body aligns comfortably. When shooting left handed, I use the left image for the same reason.

[KBCraig]

+1 for all shooting, whether handgun or long gun, iron sights or scopes.

It's easier with a handgun, and somewhat harder with a scoped rifle, but I find that if I make myself relax, the clear focus happens naturally with both eyes open.

My main vision problem is that I have a lot of "floaters" in my right (dominant) eye. That's very pesky when shooting precision rifle, and much less of a problem when shooting handguns.

Kevin