Can you shoot accurately with both eyes open?

[Rockrivr1]

In watching some of the best shooters in USPSA and other competition sports, I've noticed that they have both eyes open as they go through the course. Maybe it's faster target aquisition or something else. For myself, I've been a one eye closed shooter forever. So I figured I'd trying shooting my handguns with both eyes open. First I figured out which of my eyes was dominant and then tried to practice.

You know what I learned. I SUCK at shooting when I have both eyes open. It always seemed like the two eyes were fighting each other and my focus would shift from one to the other. Plus the duel sight pictures was messing me up. I then found that I concentrated so much on one set of sights that my accuracy went to crap. I figure it will take a lot of practice to get proficient with that technique. Not sure for the shooting I do it's worth it.

Can you shoot accurately with both eyes open? If so, how long did you practice before it became natural to you?

 

[JackDaniels]

i was taught that the proper way to shoot is with both eyes. I don't have a dominant eye either, and I see two guns if I look at the target. So, I just shoot the gun on the left.

 

[BrianWilson]

Try some opaque tape on the lens of your shooting glasses on the off eye side for a while.

 

[bigmanfugitive]

In my younger years I ALWAYS shot one eye closed. Now that I learned how to shoot both eyes open I cant for the life of me shoot one eye closed except for scoped rifles. If I try Im way off. In fact one time I had gone to the range and it had been so long before I last went I was horrible, till I stopped to think what I was doing wrong. I had closed one eye. As soon as I opened it I was back on track just like I used to be.

 

[JayMac]

I've seen similar videos, and have since started practicing with both eyes open. I found it very natural and am quickly becoming better at it.

 

[60 buckscash]

Maybe dominance screws this up but you hold the gun at the target and put where you wana hit between the two barrels level with the top of the two slides (I shoot semi auto). This is the sight picture I use. Is it bullseye shooting, no but it will get you in the 0 points down circle for IDPA. It's kinda like shooting a shotgun, instinctive. (not advised for shooting over 20 yds)

 

[Spanz]

I was taught that if you squint one eye closed, it screws up your concentration. I keep both open, but only "see" out of the one I am using. I notices the biathalon shooters all had blinders for the unused eye...presumably to keep from having to close it.

 

[Sir_Macadoo]

takes a little to get used to, but both eyes open is a pretty good technique. Maybe not for bulleye shooting, but for hitting silhouette or plates quickly - it works fine for me at least. YMMV

 

[Hanwei]

<------ Shoots with both eyes open

 

[MaineCWPtraining]

I asked a new shooter taking our NRA certified First Steps and I asked her, do you know which is your dominant eye? She said I’m pretty sure it’s my right eye. So she performed the both hands extended drawing back to your dominant eye drill while I was standing begin her. She said yep, it’s my right eye while she turned to me with left prosthetic eye in one hand.

 

[Supermoto]

On iron sights I have to close one eye, otherwise I see 2 sights and neither are correctly lined up. I tried the tape over the glasses and that seemed to help, but I eventually gave up and went Open. When I shoot iron sights now i use a target focus as I can't get my eyes to come back to the front sight fast enough.

 

[FCI Corp]

I am horrible with one eye closed. It was a learning curve to learn both eyes open but I am way more accurate this way.
I have a friend who is left eye dominate and a right hand shooter. He gets so frustrated.

 

[matt1956]

<--- shoots with both eyes closed

 

[ateamrob]

Absolutely.....

most tactical schools today teach to shoot with both eyes open. For one you have better periferal vision in a combat situation and two it trains your brain to determine cross eye dominant issues. For me I am left handed but right eye dominat so I have to shoot with both eyes open.

I went to my first Glock Instructor school back 9 years ago when I became a firearms instructor and at that time I shot with one eye closed. Glock broke me of that habin in short order. I improved my qualification big time and now its natural to shoot with both eyes open. I teach all my Officers to do it. Some listen and of course some dont. However I believe in it 100%

Rob

 

[gerrycaruso]

I'm right eye dominant but shoot long guns lefty. I need to close my right eye to shoot rifles and shotguns. I keep both eyes open when shooting handguns. Whether shooting handguns or long guns, if I'm not using the sights as in point shooting, I keep both eyes open.

 

[Supermoto]

I think what Eric Grauffel says on the subject is pretty interesting

 

[IPSC_DRL]

Both eyes open is the only way to go and will help your speed of target acquisition one you learn.

 

[canislupy]

I didn't bother to do the eye dominance test. Blind in my right eye since birth. I am right handed and shoot same with pistols, but lefty with rifles. I can shoot right hand with rifles, but having to sight with my left eye, I scratched some lenses and nicked my cheek that way....

 

[FreeWillie]

Interesting thread. I've just started shooting pistols again (after about 10 years of not shooting pistols). I'm left eye dominate and right handed. Needles to say I've been struggling with accuracy using the "one eye" method. Guess I'll go to the both eye method and see what happens at the next range visit.

 

[meth0d]

I've tried a couple of times to shoot with both eyes open but haven't been able to get the hang of it.

 

[WaldoOneFive]

I only shoot with both eyes open, pistol, rifle or shotgun.

I used to shoot with one eye closed when I was very young, but I think the switch happened after years of training, mostly LE and tactical training that kind of made me learn to shoot with both eyes open for "situational awareness". I have embraced that and never looked back.

 

[dcmdon]

In watching some of the best shooters in USPSA and other competition sports, I've noticed that they have both eyes open as they go through the course. Maybe it's faster target aquisition or something else. For myself, I've been a one eye closed shooter forever. So I figured I'd trying shooting my handguns with both eyes open. First I figured out which of my eyes was dominant and then tried to practice.

You know what I learned. I SUCK at shooting when I have both eyes open. It always seemed like the two eyes were fighting each other and my focus would shift from one to the other. Plus the duel sight pictures was messing me up. I then found that I concentrated so much on one set of sights that my accuracy went to crap. I figure it will take a lot of practice to get proficient with that technique. Not sure for the shooting I do it's worth it.

Can you shoot accurately with both eyes open? If so, how long did you practice before it became natural to you?

You will never be anything more than a mediocre practical shooter if you shoot with one eye closed. Well, maybe thats too strong, but you will never rise up to your full potential with one eye closed. If you are having trouble with a site picture with both eyes open. There are a number of things to try or consider:

1) you are shooting with your non-dominant eye. Many excellent shooters shoot "crosseyed". Meaning they hold the hand gun right handed but line it up with their left eye. Law enforcement/militrainer and IDPA Master revolver shooter Brent Perucker is one excellent example. He was an instructor at the Smith and Wesson Accademy durring the early days of IDPA (late 90s). I got my wife a couple of lessons with him precisely because he shot cross eyed. She was the same way. Right handed, left eye dominant.

2) put a small piece of scotch tape over the part of your shooting glasses right where the sights appear. This blurrs the sight picture from the eye you don't want making the mental image and helps to keep yo focused on your sights. Because it is a small piece and lines up with your sights, it does not block your peripheral vision. So that eye can still assist in judging distance to targets and things like that.

Don

 

[Supermoto]

You will never be anything more than a mediocre practical shooter if you shoot with one eye closed. Well, maybe thats too strong, but you will never rise up to your full potential with one eye closed. If

Someone better tell the IPSC world champ that he will never rise to his full potential. also tell the woman's Limited champ, and lets not forget TGO
You might want to click the attachment in post #16.

 

[weekendracer]

I've tried a couple of times to shoot with both eyes open but haven't been able to get the hang of it.

Tons and tons of dry firing, go slow, learn which set of sights is the correct one. I 'shot' at electrical outlets and doorknobs until I got good at it. FLETC teaches closed eye for ease of training, I'm still trying to get it straight again.

 

[SKS Ray]

Oddly enough some of my best pistol shooting is done not using the sights at all, but when I do line up I have both eyes open and can focus on the sights ok. I just can't figure out why on some of my handguns I shoot low and to the right.

Rifle sights and scopes I shoot with my left eye closed, but keep both open when using a red dot.

 

[groundscrapers]

I typically close both eyes. The nOObZ on the interwebz call this "spray and pray". I swear it yields nothing but bulls-eyes.

 

[Andy in NH]

Tons and tons of dry firing, go slow, learn which set of sights is the correct one. I 'shot' at electrical outlets and doorknobs until I got good at it.

This is the way I learned it also. Although I [STRIKE]shot[/STRIKE] dry fired at the T.V.

You might not get it the first day or the first week, but keep at it. I know it took me a couple of months of hard training (on and off the range) to get it down. I could do it easy enough in the living room dry fire, but it was much longer before it became a habitual skill during IPSC and IDPA matches.

However, the caveat to this is what Ray Chapman once told me, "A precison shot requires a precision sight picture." Meaning that if the target is small or the distance is great, you may need to close one eye to ensure a hit.

After I had my eyes lazered, I needed to learn it again as my non-dominate eye ended up 20/15 and my dominate eye was 20/20. This meant the non-dominate eye focused first and wanted to take over.

As my eyes aged and shooting with iron sights became more and more fatiguing, I switched many of my rifles over to optics. Both low magnification scopes and RDS. Having the target and the reticle on the same focal plane really made a difference.

After the eye training I had done for pistols, I found it easy to shoot scopes with both eyes open. I had trained my non-domiate eye to go "lazy" and unfocused. Additionally, by not squinting or closing one eye, you remove muscle strain in your face which can degrade your accuracy.





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[Blitz1]

Crap, you're supposed to keep your eyes open?

 

[shootersedge]

Keeping both eyes open allows an equal amount of light to both eyes and depth perception is better. Facial contortions and muscle tension are also eliminated

 

[matt]

both eyes open always for pistol, even bullseye with iron sights. Sometimes I'll close one eye on a rifle - depends on the sights. I much prefer sights where I don't have to close an eye.