Shooting w/ Both Eyes Open - Pistol w/ Iron Sights

[fishing]

Is being able to shoot an iron sighted pistol precisely with both eyes open a useful/necessary skill?

I shoot both eyes open when shooting a pistol with a red dot on it, but never with iron sights.

Occasionally I will see others at the range shooting with both eyes open, and have some curiosity/skepticism about it.


http://blog.beretta.com/Shooting-Tips-Accuracy

"Shooting with both eyes aids survival. Research has found that both eyes will remain open during a shooting. This is instinctive and cannot be controlled. Therefore, it would be advantageous to learn to shoot with both eyes before being faced with a deadly force situation."

[blues]

I do it with my Aimpoint on my AR as it's easy to do and is the best way to make the most of the system .

I have more difficulty doing it these days with iron sights on a handgun due to some astigmatism. Though if the target is not very far away it's not that bad. I think my new HDs will help with this.

[breakingtime91]

I have no real (like useful in anyway) eye dominance. It is almost impossible for me to shoot with both eyes open with irons. My slight eye dominance actually switched in the last year and my right eye takes over instead of the way my left used to. Strange but I just roll with it.

[Peally]

RE both eyes open versus one eye open: it really doesn't matter. Close an eye if you need to, otherwise keep them open.

[Mr_White]

I think that there is some advantage to shooting with both eyes open - better balance, depth perception, peripheral vision - however in a great many cases I don't think those are the most overriding factors.

There are some people who can and do learn to retrain their eyes to shoot with both eyes open, but there are also many who beat their heads into the wall fruitlessly, and probably many more who don't even bother trying to convert (nor do I think they necessarily should.) Biological wiring of eyes and brains make changing from one eye closed/squinted to both eyes open an impossibility or an impracticality for a whole lot of people. So that's a big limiting factor.

Also, I believe the advantage of field of view provided by having both eyes open, is counterbalanced by inattentional blindness in a lot of instances. That is, the mind is busy paying attention to the sights (or threat, for that matter), possibly with a degree of tunnel vision going on to boot, and it may not notice little things in the peripheral vision even if they are right there available to be seen.

The advice I generally offer is to shoot with both eyes open if you can, and if the resulting double image causes burdensome visual confusion, then simply close or squint the nondominant eye and drive on.

[fishing]

i currently can only get a hard front sight focus to my satisfaction if i shoot with my weak eye closed.
i do shoot unmagnified optics on long guns with both eyes open no problem.
bindon aiming concept on acogs has not been fruitful for me, but i havent put much effort into it.

i will make it a 2017 goal to flesh this out more fully - if it is at all something i can learn, i would like to be able to shoot pistols as well with both eyes open.




http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-vr/images/buy-now_banner_gear-vr.png

i have one of these, fun toy.
i wish i was smart enough to develop some sort of app that could utilize the vr headset to train/modify eye dominance. there is an opportunity there.

[Leroy Suggs]

I shoot everything both eyes open. Irons,scopes, and dots. Pistols, shotguns, and rifles. Have from the beginning.

I don't think it matters except maybe wing shooting with a shotgun..

[Leroy Suggs]

double tap:cool:

[rjohnson4405]

I agree with Gabe (yeah, I know, who doesn't).

I tried the tape on the shooting glasses for a while, lots of dry fire, and continuously checking myself for eye dominance changes. Nothing ever really worked. Maybe 4 out of 6 times it would work out, the other two I either had to close one eye and re-align the sights after I lost them or I would send a round off target with a sight picture that "looked" good and decent trigger pull.

Shooting every other week and some dry fire just didn't cut it when shooting smaller targets, especially the further away they got. Gave up chasing it as it was affecting my ability to effectively practice other, more important techniques.

AR with Aimpoint is both eyes open and that has been easy except I do notice on low probability targets I still tend to squint.

[SecondsCount]

I taught myself both eyes open about 20 years ago so I can't remember how I did it, but I think I move the pistol around until I get the sight picture that I want. Hope that makes sense.

My wife, who shoots quite a bit, has tried it and cannot do it. When she shoots both eyes open it messes with her eye dominance and her hits go left.

[LSP552]

I totally understand the benefits of shooting with both eyes open. However, FOR ME, once the distance creeps to 25 yards and beyond, my best performance comes from closing the ND eye.

[NerdAlert]

I am cross dominant, but not strongly so. I close my non-dominant eye when shooting with iron sights. Use of optics, especially on long guns, makes this unnecessary for me. I don't think there is really an advantage from having both eyes open when shooting a rifle with a telescopic sight. The only arguable advantage that is relevant to me is almost never brought up, and that is eye fatigue. If you shoot a lot and are constantly holding one eye closed it can fatigue the muscles in your eyes/face. That is really the best reason to keep both eyes open when possible, but I've never bought the whole idea that closing an eye limits your peripheral vision and will get you killed on the streetz.


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[Surf]

IMO, one of the biggest over blown topics of discussion in the "tactical" world for a long time. Fortunately there are many people now who much better understand the topic from a practical standpoint and not an academia laboratory standpoint.


http://blog.beretta.com/Shooting-Tips-Accuracy

"Shooting with both eyes aids survival. Research has found that both eyes will remain open during a shooting. This is instinctive and cannot be controlled. Therefore, it would be advantageous to learn to shoot with both eyes before being faced with a deadly force situation."Again IMO, this is a load of crap that has been incorrectly propagated for years. There are so many holes in that tired argument of an article, I don't know where to start. But then again there is a lot of old tired Dogma that still exists in LE / Mil or the "tactical" world.

[JustOneGun]

I would always have a new student close one eye and gain a front sight focus against a blank wall. Then do the same with both open. Some people can do it easy. Some can't. Last I would have everyone do their best Clint Eastwood squint. Most found squinting helped with keeping both eyes open.

The goal, front sight focus, no matter what. Close one eye if you need to. IMO learning anything else other than front sight focus up front and then driving that home with practice makes it very hard to gain front sight under stress later. There is just something about vision that if not done fully up front is very hard to change later. Unlike, switching a holster from the hip to AIWB which just takes practice to stop reaching for the hip when under stress.

In the end, front sight focus. Then much like Tom Givens, I don't care what they do. IMO, all that decreasing peripheral vision by closing an eye and keeping both open aiding in survival just doesn't hold up under tunnel vision and a gunfight that lasts seconds.

[SsevenN]

It's very hard to efficiently track my front sight post when shooting "fast"* if I don't have both eyes open.


*I'm slow as molasses compared to most of you.

[MistWolf]

The only arguable advantage that is relevant to me is almost never brought up, and that is eye fatigue. If you shoot a lot and are constantly holding one eye closed it can fatigue the muscles in your eyes/face

It may not be the only arguable reason, but it's certainly the main reason. It's why top shooters who shoot better with one eye shut will use shooting glasses that blur or block the off eye. For myself, I can pick up and track targets and sights better when shooting with both eyes open, something my father taught me to do since I can remember.

I've also learned that using both eyes doesn't work for everyone or in every situation. Sometimes, when the angle of the light is wrong or causes glare, I need to at least squint the off eye to get a clear picture. I think that like anything else, using both eyes or squinting or closing one eye, is another tool in the box, not the only tool

[CCT125US]

I shoot both eyes open with pistol and optic. I am right handed and right eye dominant, and find that if I close my left eye, it leads to eye sprinting with my dominant eye. I also have corrected 20/15 vision FWIW.

[DitchDoc]

Shooting with both eyes open is a worthy pursuit. I have just recently admitted this to myself (after 30+ years handgunning and 20+ Mil / LE) and become a student of the discipline. Think of it like this would you drive a car with only one eye open? Would you fight / box with only one eye open? Having binocular vision gives us excellent depth perception (think about moving under fire / get off the X) and peripheral awareness. Not to mention that during a real fight both of your eyes will automatically open as wide as possible searching for threats and or escape routes, its an autonomic response can't change it so train for it. Youtube has some excellent pieces / clips on the matter, not to mention SMEs much more articulate than myself. Take a look, what have you got to lose? Good luck.

[blues]

Shooting with both eyes open is a worthy pursuit. I have just recently admitted this to myself (after 30+ years handgunning and 20+ Mil / LE) and become a student of the discipline. Think of it like this would you drive a car with only one eye open? Would you fight / box with only one eye open? Having binocular vision gives us excellent depth perception (think about moving under fire / get off the X) and peripheral awareness. Not to mention that during a real fight both of your eyes will automatically open as wide as possible searching for threats and or escape routes, its an autonomic response can't change it so train for it. Youtube has some excellent pieces / clips on the matter, not to mention SMEs much more articulate than myself. Take a look, what have you got to lose? Good luck.

With a certain amount of astigmatism, at times shooting with both eyes open (depending on the particular sights) can be like driving while impaired.
Back in the day, under those circumstances, (I'm told), that covering one eye made driving home easier after a night on the town.

See six lanes with two eyes. Three lanes with one eye. Drive in the middle one. I'm being facetious to a certain extent but the point itself is somewhat germane.

[spinmove_]

With a certain amount of astigmatism, at times shooting with both eyes open (depending on the particular sights) can be like driving while impaired.
Back in the day, under those circumstances, (I'm told), that covering one eye made driving home easier after a night on the town.

See six lanes with two eyes. Three lanes with one eye. Drive in the middle one. I'm being facetious to a certain extent but the point itself is somewhat germane.

This is essentially what I experience when I attempt to shoot with both eyes open. I can see the front sight just fine, but everything else is doubles and it's extremely hard to transition from target to target like that.

I've actually just recently gone back to shooting with only one eye and so far it's making life far easier.


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[blues]

This is essentially what I experience when I attempt to shoot with both eyes open. I can see the front sight just fine, but everything else is doubles and it's extremely hard to transition from target to target like that.

I've actually just recently gone back to shooting with only one eye and so far it's making life far easier.


Sent from mah smertfone using tapathingy

I notice it more if I'm looking at thee dot tritium lamps at night vs. standard sights during the daytime. Doesn't bother me at all when using the Aimpoint H2 on the AR. I'd like to shoot more often with both eyes open but I find it's really situational and conditional.

[spinmove_]

I notice it more if I'm looking at thee dot tritium lamps at night vs. standard sights during the daytime. Doesn't bother me at all when using the Aimpoint H2 on the AR. I'd like to shoot more often with both eyes open but I find it's really situational and conditional.

I've never shot with a red dot on any gun, however looking through one with both eyes open gives me target focus as well as a crisp red dot. Irons of any kind, apart from shotgun beads, I'm better off using one eye. A scope I can shoot two eyes without any problems.


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