shooting both eyes open vs. one eye ???

[1SOW]

IMO: With handguns (Other than Bullseye Competition), keep both eyes open-with or without glasses. You have full peripheral vision. You have depth perception. You can shift to a second target much faster.

Bring the front sight up to the target.
Look at the front sight, the target will become blurry but still in view.
Fire
The dominant eye will keep you on target.

You can see how it works by extending your arms in front of you, and forming a triangle by touching the tips of your index fingers and thumbs together. Look at a target centered in this triangle. Don't move your hands and close your left eye. If the target didn't move, you're right eye dominant. Close the right eye and the target will move out of the triangle. Left eye dominant will be the reverse of the above.
While looking at the target through the triangle, look at the point where your thumbs meet. You can still see the target, but it will be less clear, but still dead center. Fire!

Your dominant eye will keep you on target with both eyes open. With a little practice, you'll gain confidence that this works.
You can stay aware of your surroundings and make target transitions much faster.

Manco: I'll bet you a coke your right eye dominant. Try this test. Call me at br499 if I'm wrong.

Solascriptura: It works even better for moving targets. You have faster sight and target acquisition with both eyes open.

 

[MCgunner]

Ridiculous argument for me when I can't see CRAP out of my right eye. That's why I had to learn to shoot lefty with long guns about age 8.

 

[KBintheSLC]

two eyes open work as long as you can stay focused on the font sight.

I have never understood this notion. If you use 2 eyes and focus on the front sight, you will be seeing 2 highly blurred targets very far apart. It seems much more effective to be focused on the target when using 2 eyes.

Front sight focus is more of an 1 eye aimed sighting technique. IMO

Here is an in-depth description of both 1 and 2 eye shooting...
2 eyes
1 eye

 

[Just One Shot]

I've seen some people who shoot with both eyes CLOSED!

 

[CorpITGuy]

I've seen some people who shoot with both eyes CLOSED!

That'd be me. It have the toughest time keeping my eyes open when I'm shooting my LCP.

Every other gun... I do fine.

There's just something about having to (a) squeeze the trigger so hard that blood vessels start busting and (b) knowing it's going to hurt like the dickens.

 

[Manco]

Manco: I'll bet you a coke your right eye dominant. Try this test. Call me at br499 if I'm wrong.

When I tried your test with my hands, closing either eye made the target move in my visual field. With both eyes open and focused on the target, I see a double image of my hands, and, believe it or not, the target moves to the center of my visual field. Moving my hands to the right results in a transition to effective right-eye dominance as my left eye's view of the target is blocked; similarly, moving my hands to the left results in a shift to left-eye dominance as my right eye's view is blocked. Focusing on where my thumbs meet results in a double image of the target (the view of both eyes combined); closing either eye while so focused results in opposing views with neither centered on the target.

When using iron sights pre-aimed at the target and positioned at the middle of my face, I cannot form a sight picture at all, as among the rear sight, front sight, and target, when I focus on one the other two are double images with both eyes open and off-center with either eye closed. Finally, when I move the sights in front of either eye and focus on the front sight or target to aim I get a single image of the target and a double image of my hand and gun--when shooting right-handed I use the left-most image to form a sight picture (easy because it's centered rather than off to the side), and when shooting left-handed I use the right-most image (also centered in my field of view). With the training I've done, I have no trouble quickly acquiring a target and achieving "combat accuracy" using iron sights with both eyes open. It's a bit easier for me to do this with my right eye either because I'm slightly right-eye dominant or because I've trained so much more on that side, being right-handed, or maybe both. I have no idea from personal experience how and what other people see, although I presume that it must be different if one eye is truly dominant over the other.

 

[Just One Shot]

That'd be me. It have the toughest time keeping my eyes open when I'm shooting my LCP.

Every other gun... I do fine.

There's just something about having to squeeze the trigger so hard that blood vessels start busting and knowing it's going to hurt like the dickens.

I've heard that before and it always confuses me. I have an LCP and I don't have any problems with the trigger or the recoil.

I put mag extensions on mine so I can get 2 fingers on the grip and it greatly improved the handling when firing.


I've never measured it but my trigger feels like it's in the 4-5 lb. range. It's a little long on the pull but I wouldn't have it any other way on a gun with no safety.

Maybe you should just send yours to me along with some ammo and let me shoot it for a few months so I can break it in for you.

 

[oneounceload]

Shotguns and pistols should be shot with both eyes open and focused on the target; rifles with scopes should be also, but can be done with one eye closed.

 

[NMGonzo]

I've heard that before and it always confuses me. I have an LCP and I don't have any problems with the trigger or the recoil.

I put mag extensions on mine so I can get 2 fingers on the grip and it greatly improved the handling when firing.


I've never measured it but my trigger feels like it's in the 4-5 lb. range. It's a little long on the pull but I wouldn't have it any other way on a gun with no safety.

Maybe you should just send yours to me along with some ammo and let me shoot it for a few months so I can break it in for you.

With the cheap .380 ammo my Bersa shoots powder back at my face.

With the Fiocci ... not at all

 

[1SOW]

KBintheSLC: [Handguns] That article is referring to "point shooting". Close range (varies with different shooters, but maybe out to 5 yds), point your handgun at the target, not really focused on the gun sight and fire. This actually works well for close non-precision targets like USPSA/IPSC.

At longer ranges or with smaller targets like steel plate the front sight becomes more important.

At even longer ranges the rear sight becomes as critical as the front sight--The "10-X" for Bullseye shooters. At this point they often block the vision of the unused eye.

Explaining all this makes it sound complicated. It's not. It's actually a natural use of a normal eye function. A little practice and it will feel natural.

My son and I have a tradition at the end of a day at the range. We often line up shotgun hulls at 25 yds and compete for speed and accuracy with a .22 target pistol with iron sights. We both shoot with both eyes open, front sight, front sight, front sight. On a good day day I win, but he's way faster on a USPSA stage.