Target Focus with Two-Eyed Shooting

[Newbie22]

Recently I've been trying to learn how to shoot with both eyes open. The trouble I'm having is that nobody has told me which image I should be focusing on when I shoot, the front sight or the target. I know in normal one-eyed shooting one always focuses on the front sight, but I also know that when shooting with a red dot one should focus on the target and let their brain naturally pick out the dot and put it on target.

Basically, should I be focusing on the front sight and dealing with two targets downrange, or should I focus on the target and learn to deal with two front sights?

Also, I did try doing a search beforehand. I found old threads regarding shooting with both eyes open, but none of them answered my question.

Thanks,
Newbie

 

[Caliper_Mi]

I'm at that same stage myself. Right now, I tend to find a target focus easier and actually returns some good groups when trying for accuracy, but not sure if I should work on front sight focus. Takes some concentration though.

At close range with pistols that fit me well, I can keep "combat accuracy" (hit a silhouette target) without even paying attention to the sights...

 

[hAkron]

Always focus on the front sight. The target should appear blurry while the front sight is sharp. The trick is to pick out the front sight that your dominant eye sees. The reason you see two pictures of the front sight is because your eyes are going to naturally cross. If you are left eye dominant, typically the right version of the sight (again your eyes are crossed) is what you are trying to locate. With enough practice your brain will ignore the duplicate version of the sight.

To find your dominant eye, pick a point somewhere on the wall across the room. extend your arm out in front of you with your index finger extended and pointing at the point aross the room. Try to center your finger in front of your body. Close your left eye, then open it and close your right eye. One of the open eyes will see your finger still pointing at the object, the other will have the finger shifted over. The dominant eye is the one that has the finger still centered. Now that you know your dominant eye, get your gun, make triple sure it's not loaded. Hold the gun in your normal shooting grip. With both eyes open, turn your head slightly left or right so that your dominate eye is the only eye that can see the sights. Do some dry or live fire practice this way. Once you are comfortable with that sight picture start bringing your head back around to the front. If you lose the sight picture, turn your head again.

 

[BCRider]

It's tough.

Ideally you focus on the front sight. But at the same time you really only want to see one distant target.

Somehow, don't ask me how I do it, I'm able to focus on the front sight for clarity but on the target for parallax so I only see one target but it's a touch fuzzy while the TWO front sight images are clear. Well..... the one front sight image from my left eye is more clear than my astigmatic right eye image. Which is why I use the left eye for aiming and ignore the image for the right eye.

Mind you if I actually focus on the front sight only so that I see two distant targets the front sight is a LITTLE more sharp. But not a lot. On the other hand if I totally look out to the target then both front sight images become very blurry. So odd though it sounds I'm able to focus on the target for parallax and get one image but for focus distance I'm able to pull my focus back to very nearly the front sight blade at the same time.

I don't recall actually having to learn to do this. It just happened at some point. Maybe too many of those odd 3D image in the optical art patterns that trained me to be able to force my eyes to do this sort of thing.

 

[robinkevin]

To find your dominant eye, pick a point somewhere on the wall across the room. extend your arm out in front of you with your index finger extended and pointing at the point aross the room. Try to center your finger in front of your body. Close your left eye, then open it and close your right eye. One of the open eyes will see your finger still pointing at the object, the other will have the finger shifted over. The dominant eye is the one that has the finger still centered. Now that you know your dominant eye, get your gun, make triple sure it's not loaded. Hold the gun in your normal shooting grip. With both eyes open, turn your head slightly left or right so that your dominate eye is the only eye that can see the sights. Do some dry or live fire practice this way. Once you are comfortable with that sight picture start bringing your head back around to the front. If you lose the sight picture, turn your head again.

This does not work for finding your dominant eye (for me). To find your dominate eye make a triangle with your hands then focus on something through it. You dominant eye will keep the object in the triangle. This is old way of doing it, archers have been finding their dominant eye for ages this way. Another way is with the triangle extend your arms all the way out, now slowly bring you hands (the triangle) to your face. It should go to your dominate eye.

Sources:
http://www.archeryweb.com/archery/eyedom.htm
http://www.usaeyes.org/lasik/faq/lasik-monovision-dominant-eye.htm

First Edit:
covering or pointing at a object gives me the reverse result... I am so confused now!

Think I may be both... by a slight movement I have figure out that I can change the results both way... (slight movement I mean an inch to the right or an inch to the left) will make that eye dominant with me....

Second Edit:
So turns out you can be both according to field and stream @ http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs.../bourjaily-simple-test-find-your-dominant-eye. So that must be why I can get different results.

 

[F-111 John]

I put a small square of scotch tape on the left lens of my shooting glasses. I can shoot with both eyes open, have full peripheral vision, yet the frostiness of the tape forces me to use just my right eye to sight the target. I'm right handed and left eye dominant, so this helps a lot.

I'm in my early 50s and I also find shooting with 1.25x reading glasses really helps me focus on the front sight, yet still make out the blurry target 7 yards away.

 

[neilin]

Focus on the front sight.

 

[243winxb]

Look at front sight. Cover 1 eye with a blinder. For sale here > http://www.bullseyegear.com/bullseyepistol/home.php?cat=2

 

[galena]

What hAkron said in Post #3!!! He has it right. Putting tape and aperatures on your classes is OK for target shooting but if you are carrying for SD you should practice the condition you will be in in an emergency confrontation. You can't take a time out to get ready. Front sight and trigger control. Keep shootin'

 

[Vern Humphrey]

It is possible to focus on both the front sight and the target. In my case, as I got older, I became far-sighted in my right (master) eye, so the sights were a blur. I re-trained myself to shoot with my left eye, giving me a sharp sight picture. In the process, I learned to superimpose the sight picture from the left eye on the target seen with the right eye, and both are clear and sharp.

But I can only do that because my eyes focus at different distances.

 

[Loosedhorse]

In the process, I learned to superimpose the sight picture from the left eye on the target seen with the right eye, and both are clear and sharp.

This works when both eyes are looking at the target.

In that case, the blurry image from one eye overlaps the sharp image from the other: most persons would then notice one, sharp target.

As for the sights: you'd see two sets. One blurred (from the far-sighted eye), and that set of sights can be ignored. The other set is sharp, and can be aimed at the same eye's blurry target--which overlaps the sharp target from the other eye.

The same effect can be gotten from "monovision" prescription target glasses: one eye's prescription is focused at the front sight, the other at the target.

I have two such pairs: they work pretty well!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I see only one set of sights, very clear and sharp, and I also see the target in focus. Now, if I try too hard the two images separate.

 

[Loosedhorse]

The geometry of the situation dicates what I described. Drawing out the "lines of sight" between the two eyes, the front and rear sights, and the target will demonstrate that.

However, perception is entirely different: it is subjective and individual. I have no doubt that you "see" only one set of sights, just as I have no doubt I see two.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Seeing really occurs in the brain, not in the eyes. You can train yourself to see clear sights on a clear target -- as I have. It may, however, require you to have one eye near-sighted and the other far-sighted, as is my case.