shooting both eyes open ?

[Feinwerk]

If you are sighting with your dominant eye, after a while your brain will adapt to concentrating on the sight pattern with your dominant eye while both eyes are open. I found that it's just a lot less muscular strain than trying to keep the off eye lid closed. Every so often though, my brain gets confused as to which eye to concentrate on and I lose focus for a few seconds. It does take some brain training.

Shooting with both eyes open is especially useful and beneficial to me when shooting pistols. You can maintain your sight pattern and binocular vision at the same time. This is especially neat when you are using a red dot that has no magnification and the dot magically floats over your binocular vision when you've got everything lined up properly. In hunting or tactical situations of course you maintain your peripheral vision and situational awareness much more easily this way.

Feinwerk

 

[Jay308]

I started shooting both eyes open for long range powder burners and of course pistol defense where you only use the front sight anyway.

Something as simple as tape on your glasses will work, until you get used to separating the two images.

 

[Flash_The_Floof]

Seriously, Google it. Cheers.

If everybody googled the answers to questions instead of posting on these forums then this site wouldn't exist.

 

[Garrettkq]

Right handed, left eye dominant here. Leftie shooter because of it. Both eyes open. My opinion, don't cover that other eye. It's defeating the purpose. The covered eye will try and still focus on the card, and you are completely rewiring your brain again. Just open both eyes and practice registering in your brain both things of what each eye is seeing at the same time, then practice registering what each eye sees individually. Then go back and forth. Yes, It's a mind-f*ck, and it takes practice. But it will help you watch the wind, wind flag, timer, etc. It will take time to rewire the brain, so that means repetition and practice. Good Luck!

 

[Motorhead]

Right handed, left eye dominant here. Leftie shooter because of it. Both eyes open. My opinion, don't cover that other eye. It's defeating the purpose. The covered eye will try and still focus on the card, and you are completely rewiring your brain again. Just open both eyes and practice registering in your brain both things of what each eye is seeing at the same time, then practice registering what each eye sees individually. Then go back and forth. Yes, It's a mind-f*ck, and it takes practice. But it will help you watch the wind, wind flag, timer, etc. It will take time to rewire the brain, so that means repetition and practice. Good Luck!

Yes Yes Yes .... train your brain to see TWO images on mental command to do so.
We in the FT community need to have this ability. One eye in the scope and on target, Other eye watchs wind flag ( If up in view * KEY !!! ) your rig maintaining level via a bubble level & generally aware of environmental changes around you etc ...
More you do it easier it becomes & it 's not easy if a lifelong Squinter shooting one eye

 

[beerthief]

I was taught that keeping both eyes open is a more relaxed muscular position . I use safety glasses with one side painted black .

 

[Chas DiCapua]

+1 for it being more relaxed.

 

[bvan]

Yup more relaxed. Squinting to close my non-scope eye is harder and more work. Only time I would opt to close my eye is because of a weird sun glint sneaking in under my hat.

 

[NorthernBallistics]

I don't field target, but I bench shoot, and shoot steel with a pistol, and I recently learned in my ripe age that I'm cross eye dominant, so I almost have to close one eye or I'm getting messed up when trying to shoot fast. glass patches work too if you want to relax and keep both eyes open.

 

[Hateful McNasty]

Do what is necessary to achieve the desired hits on target because the objective of shooting is hitting what you are aiming at, whether you have one eye open or two.

 

[scotton]

Sometimes when I get tired my eye dominance starts to wander. When I used to shoot the shotgun sports, I would put a dime sized piece of Scotch tape on my shooting glasses directly over my left pupil. If it's too big, I would get head aches, just small enough to obscure the shotgun bead. I've never felt the need to do this with a scope, but I do squint a lot when ranging to try to keep focus on the correct eye. When shooting, I keep the left eye open to watch the level and wind indicator. I use my third eye to keep track of the score keeper and any photographers nearby. Still working on my fourth eye, I plan to use it to look at TikTok while I'm shooting.

 

[BrazosbyNemo]

I know in 10M rifle & pistol they use an opaque blinder for the non-aiming eye. If you have your non aiming eye closed it will mess with the vision of the aiming eye. There are plenty of cheap blinders you can buy to fit your glasses, assuming you wear glasses. Or you could come up with something that fits to your scope like the 10M rifle shooters attach to their rear sight.

 

[Motorhead]

Blinders have NO PLACE in a field application .... Like being half blind and 1/2 as aware to ones surroundings.

 

[qball]

I'm left eye dominant but right hand shooter. For the longest time I can't shoot with left eye open because my left eye would take over. Now I got into FT game I practiced to focus with my left eye closed then open my left eye to see my wind flag, then close my left eye again so I can see from my right eye and open my left eye after the image acquisition. Over time I can switch image between my left eye and right eye without closing my left eye, basically I training my brain to use both eyes. Kinda weird and hard to explain but try different methods like closing one eye or if your other eye is really strong then use blinder to aid the training of your brain, you should be able to shoot with both eyes open without the blinder one day.

 

[Revoman]

I like keeping both eyes open. As Scott stated, you are much more aware of what is going on around you. It's especially important when shooting with others that may come too close to your position, possibly close enough to have a limb or hand shot due to not knowing that it was in alignment with the muzzle, but below the scope sight unseeable.

 

[scotton]

I like keeping both eyes open. As Scott stated, you are much more aware of what is going on around you. It's especially important when shooting with others that may come too close to your position, possibly close enough to have a limb or hand shot due to not knowing that it was in alignment with the muzzle, but below the scope sight unseeable.

I'm trying to picture this scenario but I'm having trouble. If there is a real risk of someone randomly sticking their hand in front of your muzzle while shooting, I would use your left eye to get on your phone and find somewhere else to shoot where people aren't dumb. I really don't think I would be able to shoot in an environment where this is a possibility.

 

[Therealld]

I'm gonna' go out on a limb and display my ignorance.
What is the main purpose of shooting with both eyes open?
Edward

Shooting with both eyes open helps to locate the target more easily and quickly, and helps identify wind shifts via your wind indicator as well as moving grass and bushes. I also rely on offside eye to check my spirit level while aiming.

 

[Dr. Kralenstein]

Do any of you guys shoot with your third eye open?

 

[qball]

Not sure about the third eye but my second brain is active all the time.

 

[Motorhead]

Do any of you guys shoot with your third eye open?

To those who are Blind .. ears are their eyes in some situations. As such some can use BOTH senses and to your inquire .. YES
hearing Wind rising in the foliage / trees is better than waiting to see it.