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One eye or both eyes targeting?

3K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  spikey614 
#1 ·
Hy there,

In our firing club, there is a discussion about targeting with one or with both eyes.

Some people says that targeting with one eye is a bad targeting habit.

What would you say? ???
 
#2 ·
This is one of the favourite topics of the great sages of the gun press who drivel on endlessly about tactics, tactics tactics. (I'm taking sarcasm lessons from my wife.)

Anyway, in theory at least, having both eyes open allows a greater field of vision since the peripheral vision of both eyes rather than just one. Theoretically again, that allows you to see and acquire additional targets that otherwise would not be seen until you moved your head to that side or opened both eyes.

There is also a small refractory error that occurs when one eye is closed.

Other than that, there is no right or wrong here. Both work, both have been successfully used for target shooting and tactical shooting.
 
#3 ·
The US Olympic shooting team advocates both eyes open. Some of their shooters have a problem doing this as it causes them to lose concentration on the target. So what they have is a special eye patch mounted on shooting glasses so the patch is in front of the non-target eye. Yet that way both eyes can be kept open.
I'm thinking of making a patch that I can just slip over my glasses and see if it helps accuracy, especially when shooting offhand.
Another thing you're supposed to do is determine which is your "dominant eye". I forget the procedure, but have never paid much attention to it.

og
 
#5 ·
Is this for formal/semi-formal target shooting (sounds like it is), hunting, or defensive shooting?

The only thing I see that using both eyes adds is helping your ability to track a moving target, and increasing your depth perception to establish range. While both may be useful in hunting or defensive shoting, I see less importance for either in formal target shooting as the target is (usually) stationary and at a known distance.

This is defensive-shooting based, but may apply here.
I've taken a couple of classes from Louis Awerbuck, and he will sometimes ask: "Should you aim with one eye or two?"
The answer is to do what you've been doing.
Chances are, you started doing it the way you did when you were a little kid aiming and shooting your finger. So it's the natural way for you, and don't confuse things and give yourself something else to think about by messing with it. The time spent "re-training" an eye would probably be better spent refining trigger squeeze. But that could be said for almost anything.
 
G
#6 ·
My left eye isn't very useful to me anymore, so as I shoot I find that it naturally kind of half closes and I really don't see much out of it. I don't recall if things were different before I got hurt, but that's how things are now. I think if you have an approach that works, that's been working for you for a while then you should stick with that. Obviously if you have problems you could try to switch it up, but I think you're best bet is to try to make things as natural for you as possible. If you're a one-eye like me, as long as you're hitting stay there. If you use both and can't hit squat, maybe closing one might not be a bad idea. But like Barry says, there are probably other things that are easier you could try first.
 
G
#7 ·
To test for dominate eye, put your hands together so there is a "hole" between the webs of the two hands, i.e. between the thumb and index finger. Then focus on a given point, like a door knob, then bring the hole in the hands up so you can see the knob. By closing one eye then the other you will see the knob in only one eye. That is your dominate eye. I also practice target acquisition with both eyes open and then bring the gun up. With practice you can soon bring the sights on the gun up on target with both eyes open. Now. this will not work for "fine" target work, but it will work on human size targets and center of mass shots.
 
#8 ·
I shoot with both eyes open unless I'm bullseye target shooting or trying to shoot smiley faces. When I do the Combat shoot at my range I use both eyes. That is the only time I get to move and shoot. Like I said before in my postings I practice shooting at 25 feet and I shoot fast
 
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