Occluded Eye scope

[JImbothefiveth]

I've heard of the concept of the "occluded eye" sight, where you look through what is essentially a red dot with a lens cover with one eye, and leave the other open, and you can see the dot on your target. Now, supposedly the point of impact with this varies hugely from one range to another, and even varies if you don't get a good cheek weld, so it is useful only for very short range.

Now, to the point, if I a very dark scope cover on my scope, will it work as an occluded eye sight, only with a crosshair instead of red dot?

 

[Justin]

It will only work if the crosshair is illuminated, either with battery power, tritium, or a fiber-optic strand. Black crosshair + black scope cover = darkness.

 

[JImbothefiveth]

What about a yellow scope cover? Or will in then just work like a normal scope?

 

[KW]

If you cover the objective of your scope I doubt it will matter what color the cover is - looking through the tube all you will see is black. I have a TA-31F ACOG and I can use the bikini cover to make it act as an OEG. As Justin stated, the reticule must be illuminated for this to work. Even the dim illumination from the tritium on the ACOG will work like this, because all your right eye is seeing is the illuminated reticule against a black background (the scope cover). Your brain then transposes this image with your left eye, and you see the reticule as well as the target.

I haven't done any serious accuracy testing like this, but I can easily maintain minute-of-pie-plate at 25yds with the cover on the front of the ACOG.

 

[HorseSoldier]

I haven't done any serious accuracy testing like this, but I can easily maintain minute-of-pie-plate at 25yds with the cover on the front of the ACOG.

One of the serious IPSC and three gun shooters I served with rigged up a flip up cover for an ACOG that he used for competition -- he preferred the OEG for short range stages in matches, and then could switch to the regular ACOG use for longer range ones. He said it helped his speed, but accuracy started falling off after 20-25 meters.

I tried it, but don't think it was making much difference on my times -- I shoot an ACOG with both eyes open anyway, but that may just be me.

 

[KW]

I generally use it with no cover, both eyes open and it works great. The one situation I found where it was a problem was in doors in the dark with a flashlight. Normally I have no problem keeping a "wide focus" and using the BAC. Sometimes though, there's just so much light from the flashlight coming through the scope and not enough getting to my left eye. When this happens, I end up with a magnified view only (and usually pretty disoriented). I decided to try the $10 cover before dropping the coin for a mini-reddot, and it works great. I just keep the front cover on when inside, and flip it open the rest of the time.

 

[WardenWolf]

Most scopes are parallax-calibrated to 100 yards. Basically, it won't work correctly for anything else but 100 yards.

Additionally, occluded eye dots are ghetto. Frankly, they're what cheap scenario paintballers put on their markers because they can't afford an electronic dot. That should tell you the level they're at. I consider them absolutely worthless because you have to remember to look at the sight correctly, in addition to lining yourself up perfectly behind the gun and keeping yourself centered. They actually add a step or two, instead of making it easier.

Even a $40 30mm red dot will give you better performance than ANY occluded dot. You use it just the same way, both eyes open.

The true advantage to an actual 0-magnification tube red dot is that it has no parallax. This means that, regardless of where the sight is in the window, if the dot is on the target, YOU are on the target. These types of dots thus offer superior target acquisition to almost any other sight, simply because they take care of the problem of angle, point of aim, and centering yourself behind the sight. They're inherently suited mostly to short-range engagements, but for fast target acquisition they are second to none. If you can look through that window and see your dot on the target, pull the trigger and you'll hit it if you've got your dot calibrated properly.