Do you shoot both eyes open or just one?

Lager

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This might concern competition pistol shooters only but I'm going to throw it out here anyways. Just as a preface, Ive been competing with my 1911 for the past 35 years in IPSC and USPSA style comps and have always shot one eye open for focus. Just last weekend I was doing some practice for an up coming 2 gun match using my rifle equipped with a dot sight that always shoot both eyes open. I then switched to my pistol and ran some bill drills using some smallish targets because I believe in the small target aim small theory. Ive run these same drills over and over again and am consistent. I then noticed that using my timer, my first shot on target has decreased by .2 seconds. My first shot on target is actually hitting the target instead of close enough for comp size targets. My total shot string time of 6 shots on individual targets has reduced by more then a second and half. I did this drill over and over again and that's when I realized that I was shooting with both eyes open. With both eyes open Im not focused on just that one target and then have to concentrate on the next. I see it, its right over there, that's the only way I can explain it. Give it a try. Yes you will see two guns in your sight picture, but your dom eye will chose the right one.
 
I use both eyes open but it took a few hours of staring at my front sight against a white wall to train my eyes. Well worth the time spent!

Edit: about 10-15 minutes a day for a few weeks -- I didn't state at a wall for 4 hours.
 
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I always have both eyes open, it’s just the way I was taught from when I was a kid on. I’m left eye Dominant & right handed. I do tend to transition from Eye to eye depending on the situation.
 
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Left eye closed.
I've tried both eyes open, but not real good at it so far.
That may be way too advanced for a new shooter like me! lol.
 
Pistol is one eye open (need to take time to learn both eyes open). Benchrest 22 I keep both open but left eye blocked with card. Just started shooting skeet last week (not well) and my problem is keeping both eyes open. Should add iron sight rifles is one eye.
 
Both open, with everything, very rarely have any image doubling.

The only time it has ever been an issue was shooting skeet. My left eye vision is much better than my dominant right and birds moving left to right cause a struggle.
 
Does that work with a scope if you are left eye dominant and right handed?

Left handed, left eye.

I found after a few hours every day for months on end, its more effort to close an eye then not. Think about it, why close an eye? Sounds good, feels normal because you turned a forced activity into a habit.
 
Both open, maybe easier for me than most because my dominant eye has much better clarity than my weak eye.

BTW, doesn’t mean that I shoot well!
 
When I started shooting matches years ago I used a small piece of frosted scotch tape on my shooting glasses to give me the effect of closing one eye but the benefits of having both eyes open. That worked real well.

Then I started shooting a red dot sight on my pistol and did that for a year and a half, both eyes open, no tape.

When I went back to iron sights it was more natural to keep both eyes open and I have shot that way ever since, no cheater tape. Funny how things work out.
 
I usually do the one eye thing. But have been working on the two eye technique. I still have to actually think about it so it is not ingrained yet.
 
Depends on the shot. For long tight pistol and rifle shots I tend to squint the non dominant eye a little.
But mostly both eyes open.
 
Both eyes open, no matter what I’m shooting.
 
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yup, I’m right handed/left eye dominant.


Any time I try to focus on anything my left eye takes over. I can only use my right eye if I block my left with something. I recently got good enough that a piece of scotch tape over the left lens of clear safety glasses will work.
 
Since getting LASIK (and a follow up PRK), I have to close my left eye at first but open it once my right eye takes over. I was right eye dominant up to the first procedure but they corrected my left eye to 20/15 and my right to 20/40, so my left eye became dominant. After 4 yrs, I was finally able to get the PRK on my right eye but I now have to deal with both eyes fighting for dominance :mad:
 
IDK but this seemed relevant here. It has really helped my accuracy and my eyes are getting older too.

Posted this elsewhere quite awhile ago but thought it might help.
 
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Any time I try to focus on anything my left eye takes over. I can only use my right eye if I block my left with something. I recently got good enough that a piece of scotch tape over the left lens of clear safety glasses will work.

If you shoot shotgun look up the Sight Blinder by Meadow Industries. It blocks the bead or front sight from being seen by the non dominant eye. It really helps with keeping both my eyes open shooting clays.
 
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In my own defense, I’d like to point out a great benefit of shooting with both eyes closed.

It helps maintain confidence (by not seeing the results). :cool:
 
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For me, it depends on what I'm shooting. I shoot pistols right handed, left-eye dominant. I keep both eyes open, but tilt my head over to bring my left eye more in line with my shooting hand. Its weird, but it works quite well.

Iron sighted rifles I usually keep both eyes open, same with prism sights. Scopes and peep sights I close one eye with.
 
Interesting responses to say the least, Thanks for all of them. This old dog just learned a new trick and wanted to share in the hope someone else does also.
 
Both eyes open with dots and irons on both pistols and rifles. I figure if somebody is yelling about a snack bar I’m not going to close and eye to ask them to stop.

Scopes have usually been one eye closed although I’m working on doing that with both open which is oddly rewarding.
 
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Both open, maybe easier for me than most because my dominant eye has much better clarity than my weak eye.


This right here. My right eye is good for vision about 3-4 feet in front of my face. Left eye is good for 20-30 feet out. I get a pretty balanced picture with both eyes open, but I have to pause a second to let the two images knit together.
 
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