Can any of you guys do it accurately without getting dizzy? I shoot fine using an aimpoint with both eyes open but I can’t do it with pistol sights.
I shoot EVERYTHING with both eyes open, scopes, irons, pistols, rifles, shotguns, don’t matter. Do you have master eye problems?..O.L.
I’m left eye dominant. My eyes just don’t focus well with both open on iron sights or pistol sights.
I shoot a pistol with both eyes open at ranges of 15 meters and closer. I have to close one eye when I am farther back.
Try holding your head erect and turning it left to right to get the best focus on the front sight. At some point your dominant eye will focus. Eventually your eyes will (might?) adjust and you can shoot with your head erect, both eyes forward toward the target area.
This method works for some people. Try it out and let us know if it helps you.
If you have a strongly dominant eye, then shooting with both eyes is easy. If you lack a strongly dominant eye, then it is much more difficult but not impossible. My eye dominance used to swap based on which hand I was using. The best solution was to put tape over one eye and learn to ignore the extra visual information.
Instead of the tape wouldn’t closing the eye work lol?
Do you wear glasses. If so, and it is important to you to be able to use both eyes talk with your eye doctor about adjusting your prescription.
I’m left hand, middle aged and need to wear reading glasses. My doctor set me up with a +.75 left lens in my glasses and that brought the front sight into focus for my left eye and solved any problems with eye dominance shifting.
Let me make sure I’m clear, I went from wearing non prescription Oakley’s, to Oakley’s with a prescription in the left lens only. (Actually a couple of pairs).
I think when they are talking about tape they are talking about tape they are talking about a strip of scotch tape over the non dominant lens this slightly occludes the vision in that eye and you brain automatically uses the best ‘picture.’
I think it is best to shoot with both eyes open if possible - theoretically you get additional field of view, although as we concentrate on specific items (such as front sight) our vision naturally narrows. Additionally, some people theorize that under extreme stress you will be unable to close an eye, so you may as well shoot with both eyes open.
In most of the situations where I use, or envision using, firearms (hunting, police work, self-defense) it doesn’t seem realistic to ‘Try holding your head erect and turning it left to right to get the best focus on the front sight. At some point your dominant eye will focus.’
With that in mind, if I couldn’t immediately focus properly with both eyes open, I’d close one.
JM .02
I can shoot with both eyes open, but more accurate when closing one. I guess it depends what you are doing to make the most sense. I would think that closing one eye in real world situations might end up unfavorable because you have decreased your field of vision
I used to close my left eye (I’m a rightie), but I began keeping both open a while back. The transition was rough, and I still sometimes find myself closing the left eye especially at longer ranges. Any change to your technique will take work to accomplish, but it’s doable for pretty much everybody
What hand are you shooting with and which eye is your dominant eye?
If you are going to shoot anything with 2 eyes open, it is ALL about dominant eye, and the fact that it is impossible for your eyes to focus on 2 objects at the same time. You may see them both, but 1 will be clearly in focus, and the other will not.
If you are shooting well with a red dot, then I assume you are using it correctly, and focusing on the target and not the dot? but you do see the dot on the target
What are you focusing on when shooting the pistol? The recommended method is to focus on the front sight. This is in reference to combat type/ point shooting, not target type shooting. So this is opposite to what you probably have been doing. 2 different concepts. I bet you put a red dot on a pistol and you do well. So why can’t this concept be applied to pistol shooting with a standard front sight? I believe it can, at close distances.
It is possible for a cross dominant eyed shooter to be successful. I am a right handed left eyed shooter. I actually shoot better left handed with both eyes open, makes sense, BUT I am not comfortable and do not have the strength and control pistol or long gun. So I guess I really don’t shoot better left handed.
Did you ever play sports? Do you throw or hit a baseball, football, shoot basketball, or cast a fishing rod with one eye open? Probably not, I know I can do all those things pretty good with both eyes open.
Next time you go to the range start from a close distance, couple of feet, look at the target and shoot. You may be surprised how accurate you are. It will take some fine tuning, but gradually move back. Same mindset as if you were going to throw a rock and hit it.
I can not bulls eye shoot like this, but from self defense distances I get fist sized groups pretty much where I want them.
The bottom line is if you shoot with your non dominant eye hand at shorter distances the margin of error will be negligible, but will increase with distance. As always perfect practice make perfect.
I hope this helps.
always had trouble doing this until I became used to seeing 2 sight pictures when focusing on my front site. was weird at first but now is second nature. I’m very accurate out to 15 yards with both open. at 25 yards I need to close 1 eye to be very accurate
Another one here for left eye dominance (w/ stigmatism) alleviated by glasses with tape. I cant say cured, because if its been a long time since last range trip the left eye slightly tries (but goes quickly back to right) dominate at first. My good excuse to get to range as much as possible:D.
I focus on the front sight but get double vision with both eyes open. Left handed, left eye dominant.
Try focusing on target and not sights so much.
So point and shoot? In all the training and reading on forums I’ve done I’ve always been told to focus on the front sight and let the target blur.
People correct me if I’m wrong.
When my focus is out past my sights (say on the target or almost on it), I can see my sights just fine. I notice when I am shooting my best, everything is a little blurry.
Some of the best GM’s close one eye, it honestly doesn’t matter.
I always focus on the front sight and close one eye, it’s like second nature, fast and easy. I’m the best, and fastest shooter in my academy. I just wanted to know if I was weird. The rear sight and target is always a little blurry.
Same here. I was trained to look through the sights at the target and focus on the front sight when actually firing.
I focus on the target at 15yds & closer, but I wouldn’t call it point shooting, because I do see the sights, I just don’t focus on them. I’m no expert, but I have come to believe that there is no way you’re going to be looking at the front sight when someone is trying to kill you. I use XS Big Dots, which make this easier.
Your sights make that much easier for you. I use Meprolight night sights on my glock.