Occluded shooting with Opticgard

[Molon]

Do you have eye convergence issues? Maybe try some Brock string exercises and see if those help.

No Sparky, I don't have eye convergence issues.

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[Tokarev]

No Sparky, I don't have eye convergence issues.

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I'm just asking you a question. Don't take it (or yourself) so seriously, Sparky.


Happy New Year!

[theJanitor]

so I'm blind in my left eye, and some people tell me that I can shoot with an occluded dot, but every time I try, I can't see "around" the optic. what am I missing?

[Caballoflaco]

so I'm blind in my left eye, and some people tell me that I can shoot with an occluded dot, but every time I try, I can't see "around" the optic. what am I missing?

Nothing, it only works if you have perfect binocular vision.

Like lots of other people I can’t shoot occluded either and it doesn’t impact my ability to shoot a dot sight with target focus at all.

There’s a good reason that Armeson occluded gunsights aren’t in production anymore.

[Molon]

so I'm blind in my left eye,

Which means you still have vision in your right eye, so why even bother with something as retarded as occluded-eye sighting?

and some people tell me that I can shoot with an occluded dot,

In the future you should probably ignore anything that those people tell you about sighting.

I can't see "around" the optic. what am I missing?

With occluded-eye sighting, the non-dominant eye views the major portion of the target. The brain super-imposes the image of the red dot of the occluded sight that the dominant eye is seeing, on to the image of the target that the non-dominate eye is seeing, while the occlusion to the red dot sight blocks any view of the target that would ordinarily be visible through the optic.

Extend your right hand out in front of you with your thumb pointing upwards. Use your thumb as a front sight post and align it on an object in the distance that is just barely larger than your thumb. Now, move your thumb straight back towards your face until your hand is almost touching your face. Can you still see the major portion of the target? Of course not and that is why you can't see the major portion of the target when trying to use occluded-eye sighting due to being blind in your left eye.

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[Norville]

Due to work and a new car, my level of participation in USPSA was way down last year. I ran occluded in the 8-10 matches I shot, and did reasonably close to my classification (low A) in most of them. It makes target focus easy when you haven’t been training enough. It’s not the answer to all things, but there are a surprising number of high level shooters doing it in matches.

[theJanitor]

Which means you still have vision in your right eye, so why even bother with something as retarded as occluded-eye sighting?

I think I saw Mike Pannone saying he can do it with even with his f'd up eye. Mostly, the occluded dot work they're doing is just brain/vision training, not for continuous or regular use. So I see some value in that concept

Also, there's the off chance that that my handgun optic gets clogged in the front, but I can still see a dot from the rear. and of course I can't see irons, or through the optic. Aall my rifles have vis laser capability, so I have a way to look around the optic.

edit: I've been blind in that eye since 1982. and I did lose vision in my other eye in 2016 after a detached retina. I've "witnessed" my brain do some wild things to let me see, so I'm always interested in learning about "seeing"

[MD7305]

@Molon, I found your post on Phoria very interesting. I've notice while shooting occluded, my groups move consistently left as I move further in distance (25yds+). If I remove the tape on my optic, my group centers which left me questioning why that was happening. I just thought I was loosing focus on the target and becoming too dot focused.

[Molon]

Also, there's the off chance that that my handgun optic gets clogged in the front, but I can still see a dot from the rear. and of course I can't see irons, or through the optic.

Nobody is saying don't use occluded-eye sighting if some freak occurrence happens that blocks the view through the sight, but magically doesn't interfere with the operation of the dot. But "keeping your sight occluded at all times, even on duty" is ridiculous.

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[Olim9]

I believe occluding the red dot has morphed from something good, which is to help you learn to target focus, into something dumb. Occluded is not how your eyes and the optic, not to mention the BUIS, were designed to work. Of course we could probably end up with cheaper optics if we didn't have to worry about the display quality and performance in adverse sun angles.

I wonder if LE departments have figured out that an occluded optic can be a major liability in a shooting gone bad and written policies prohibiting their use. I am sure the jury will be impressed by that optic with tape over the front of the lens.

This might sound extreme but if one struggles so much with dots that they need to occlude their duty optic, I think they should stick with irons. I think people make red dot shooting way more complicated than it is sometimes.