Shoot with one eye open, and one closed, or both open?

[zephyr]

Both eyes open iron sights, scope and shotgun

 

[SStomcat]

If you ever attend any 10 meter rifle or pistol event, most shooters are very relaxed. The game is to use as little muscular tension as possible.

At the German Clubs I shoot with, it's more about the fellowship and food, so everyone is nonchalant about the entire affair.

That's a good point, the more relaxed the muscles are, the less the strain. The brain needs to do less work, breathing is nice and slow, feeding oxygen to all the muscles and brain, hence allowing you to focus on the target.
This comes from many shooting aficionados I meet at my club, and is probably common knowledge, but what is common knowledge is not always common practice.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

Wow, I can’t believe there are as many people out there the same as me, left eye dominant. I was taught to shoot right handed, but had to close my left eye to make things line up. Recently I put a red dot on my old Ruger 44 carbine and I can sight it with both eyes open, don’t know why though. I’m encouraged to keep practicing and maybe one day can do it with a scope also. It’s also a good reason for some extra range time!
Tuff to change 50+ years of doing things a certain way.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Dominant eye open.

 

[Laniarius]

I generally keep both eyes open, but when doing a very slow, deliberate shot (for example, off a bench for load development or zeroing) I sometimes find myself closing my non-dominant eye.

 

[bigborelover]

I am right handed but left eye dominant. As a result i shoot with my left eye open and the gun on my right shoulder.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I am right handed but left eye dominant. As a result i shoot with my left eye open and the gun on my right shoulder.

And what's your trap scores? Hard to believe you can make that work. But maybe. My son-in-law is cross eye dominant right-handed and he shoots trap well enough from the right shoulder. Not as well as me ... but few do. My grandson just started shooting skeet with me and he's left-handed but right eye dominant. He shoots right-handed ... because Grandpa insisted! It's working fine too. That kid has been shooting lights out right out of the chute. He shoots mostly with both eyes open but has tried shooting with left eye closed (because that's the way Papa does it). Didn't work for him. He couldn't get on the target quick enough. Parker also tried imitating my low gun style but that was also a no go. Citori LOP was too long. By next summer it will definitely fit him better. He's growing like a weed now.

 

[bigborelover]

And what's your trap scores? Hard to believe you can make that work. But maybe. My son-in-law is cross eye dominant right-handed and he shoots trap well enough from the right shoulder. Not as well as me ... but few do. My grandson just started shooting skeet with me and he's left-handed but right eye dominant. He shoots right-handed ... because Grandpa insisted! It's working fine too. That kid has been shooting lights out right out of the chute. He shoots mostly with both eyes open but has tried shooting with left eye closed (because that's the way Papa does it). Didn't work for him. He couldn't get on the target quick enough. Parker also tried imitating my low gun style but that was also a no go. Citori LOP was too long. By next summer it will definitely fit him better. He's growing like a weed now.

I dont do trap shooting. Though i have managed to shoot a 4 four shot 1.5 inch group at 50 meters.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I dont do trap shooting. Though i have managed to shoot a 4 four shot 1.5 inch group at 50 meters.

Interesting. Scope or iron sights?

 

[Muskox]

It has more to do with eye dominance than anything else.

I am right handed and left I dominate. I shoot a rifle right handed with my left eye closed.

I shoot shotguns left handed with both eyes open.

If I could figure out how to shoot rifles left handed I would switch. For some reason 45 years of shooting cross eyed has cemented my technique.

For shotguns I managed to learn how to do it.

 

[EarlsSon]

I shoot with one eye open and one eye closed anytime I'm shooting a rifle and both eyes open while shooting trap, skeet, sporting clays or hunting with my shotguns. YMMV

 

[bigborelover]

Interesting. Scope or iron sights?

6x scope last zeroed in 1961.

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

Both eyes open up to 3x. Both eyes open with open sights.

 

[dchamp]

I am left handed right eye dominant. I shoot right handed, right eye open, left eye closed. When I try to shoot both eyes open, quite often my non dominant, left eye may mometarily take over and I will find myself looking across the muzzle and not see the target at all.

 

[Safari Dave]

For me:

Pistol - both eyes open
Shotgun - both eyes open
Rifle - both eyes open until I find the animal in the scope. Then non-dominate eye closed unless 1-2X.
With open sights - both eyes open until I need to make the shot.

 

[Philip Glass]

I shoot with one open and one closed. What do you do? Will be interested to find out.

Good question because I don't think about it that much. I am very right eye dominant so I don't always have my left eye completely closed. I think it depends on rifle, setting, etc. for me.

 

[SStomcat]

So after going through all the posts, it looks like I need to join the “both-eyes-open” club—no matter what I’m shooting. Apparently, squinting like a pirate might’ve worked for the old safari legends, but it’s not doing me any favors.
I’ve been practicing this with my handgun, and let’s just say… I’ve got some work ahead of me. My first shot or initial sight picture still needs a bit of a “manual override.” I basically have to tell my eyes, “Focus on the front sight, please.” To get that right on the first attempt, I end up giving a quick blink or briefly closing my left eye for a split second so the right eye can take over.

But once that first sight picture is locked in, everything clicks. After that, my brain just settles in—“Oh, right, we know this game”—and I can keep both eyes open without any trouble staying on target.

 

[Mountainshadows]

So after going through all the posts, it looks like I need to join the “both-eyes-open” club—no matter what I’m shooting. Apparently, squinting like a pirate might’ve worked for the old safari legends, but it’s not doing me any favors.
I’ve been practicing this with my handgun, and let’s just say… I’ve got some work ahead of me. My first shot or initial sight picture still needs a bit of a “manual override.” I basically have to tell my eyes, “Focus on the front sight, please.” To get that right on the first attempt, I end up giving a quick blink or briefly closing my left eye for a split second so the right eye can take over.

But once that first sight picture is locked in, everything clicks. After that, my brain just settles in—“Oh, right, we know this game”—and I can keep both eyes open without any trouble staying on target.

Slide a strip of paper or cardboard over that eye. Not so it is up against it (slid up across the forehead into a ball cap), just so there is light getting to the eye but no vision. That's how I learned.

 

[Daryl S]

Cross dominant, so have to shoot irons or scopes one eye closed.
Shotgun on birds, both eyes open.

 

[SStomcat]

Slide a strip of paper or cardboard over that eye. Not so it is up against it (slid up across the forehead into a ball cap), just so there is light getting to the eye but no vision. That's how I learned.

I believe you. As I said all my brain needs to focus is a blink of my left eye first time for the session. After that all is golden