[hargroderauto]

Does anyone know the proper technique for aiming a pistol with both eyes open? I am sill fairly new to shooting but I must close one eye and aim with the other to have decent groups. i have installed a fiber optic front site(red) and it works great. Are there any websites you would reccommend for this? thanks

 

[deputy617]

I have trained myself to shoot this way and it's a bit difficult for me to explain. I find that it helps to simply lean my head a slight bit to my dominant side and focus on the front sight. It definately helps with awareness of your surroundings and helps to avoid "tunnel-vision" if the pistol is used for defensive purposes. As I said, I've had to train myself to do it... But, the technique was preached at the academy I attended.

 

[tsix]

First thing is to determine dominant eye. You can do this by holding your hands out in front of your face arms length, form a triangle with both hands (forefingers and thumbs) so you are looking thru the triangle. Focus on something beyond your triangle and slowly draw your hands in towards your face. The triangle will naturally move toward your dominant eye. Do a search on dominant eye and you will get a bunch of different techniques.



Once this is determined the next step is to practice focusing your dominant eye on the target while "ignoring" the other. Use your unloaded gun to practice this. It may help to start by keeping your non dominant eye closed and then just peeking at the picture and closing the non dominant eye, do this several times while you figure out where the proper sight picture is. Initially you will see two targets, but as you gain confidence in your dominant eye, the non dominant view will be come nearly invisible. Squinting the non dominant eye can also be helpful as you find the proper sight alignment. Slowly work your eye open till it is wide open.



The thought behind keeping both eyes open is mainly for self defense situations. Better periphreal (sp) vision in a gun fight is the objective. Both eyes open and situational awareness can make a difference.



Again, do a google search and you can find better descriptions of the process. Good Luck!

 

[coltman1985]

Go to the Brian Enos site and read up brother! Dominant eye must be used and just takes practice,

 

[FieroCDSP]

I've got the left-eye dominant disease. In an Isoceles stance I can simply turn my head slightly to the right to get my left eye on the sights. One thing I've kinda developed is to blink and only slightly open my left eye, letting my right establish as the dominant. One of the things I've played with has been shipping tape on the left lens of my shooting glasses. This creates a blurry image that forces the unobstructed right eye to take control. There's a lot of ways, but I have yet to completely switch eye dominance.

 

[bang-flash]

+1 for the benos site. i have garnered lots of info from this site about my new pistol. but brian enos' site has taught me how to use it properly.





i practiced using both eyes while watching tv and dry firing. 2 birds with one stone kinda thing.

 

[Fabius]

+1 for practicing with both eyes open while dry firing. When I first started shooting pistols I felt like I had to close my non-dominant eye to get a good sight picture. However, I realized some time ago during a range session that I was shooting with both eyes open. I don't remember consciously transitioning. I think the transition occurred when I started focusing on the front sight during practice sessions. My accuracy improved dramatically and I found that when I consciously focused on the front sight that I naturally used my dominant eye to focus and was able to do that with both eyes open. Now when I shoot, my focus is on the front sight and the back sights, target and surroundings are visible, but don't distract my focus away from the front sight even with both eyes open. Also, keeping both eyes open and focusing on the front sight reduces the "wobble" that you perceive when aiming the pistol. If you shoot with only one eye open, you really notice the wobble and start fighting it, which will cause you to try to time the break and will lead to anticipating the recoil.



I'm probably not explaining this well, but try dry firing with both eyes open and with your focus on the front sight and I think that you'll see what I mean. Don't just "see" the front sight, make sure that the front sight is your point of focus. If you practice it enough, it will start to come naturally.

 

[TxPhantom]

If it's good enough for Jerry..........

I shoot with one eye closed and have tried to use both eyes but find it uncomfortlable. I guess I could get used to it though with practice. I saw Jerry Mikalec (Sp.?) on TV, shoot with a head on, up close camera shot and noticed he was closing one eye. Not sure that means anything but just a observasion.

 

[ToddG]

Shooting with one eye or both eyes has a lot to do with your eyesight, and is also obviously a result of habit. I've been using both eyes since the first time I fired a gun so it's easy for me to say "using both eyes is better!"



One of the best, most prestigious shooting schools in the country is Rogers Shooting School. At Rogers, they consider "both eyes open" to be a shooting fundamental just like grip and proper trigger manipulation.



On the other hand, many talented instructors and shooters close one eye either all the time or when making tight/precise shots.



There are three benefits to shooting with both eyes open:

• fatigue ... scrunching one eye shut requires muscular effort which could be better spent elsewhere; the odds this will make a difference in any practical sense is probably close to zero
  
• depth perception ... you need both eyes for your depth perception to work; judging distance is rarely (probably never) critical at pistol-fighting ranges
  
• peripheral vision ... closing your non-dominant eye will blind you to about 1/3 your full arc of vision; however, it's difficult to justify a need for that peripheral vision during the moments when you're aiming at and shooting at a target/threat
  • 
    
    
    
    All else being equal, I would always teach someone to shoot with both eyes open if his vision allowed for it. But if someone is comfortable and effective shooting with one eye closed, it's probably not important enough to worry about compared to all the other technique improvements he could make.

 

[TxPhantom]

Thank's Toddg, very interesting post. I've really never given the two eye approach much attention but after reading this thread I think I will start working on the two eye method. I'm always looking for ways to tighten my pattern. The only real training I have had is when I took my CHL classes and as we all know that's not very much. As a kid I did a lot of plinking and got good training with a M1 rifle while in the Army. I have read a lot and practice dry firing between range visits. Actually I'm a pretty good shot, considering. Unfortunately the only firing experience I get now is at the range punching holes in paper. :roll:

 

[ToddG]

TxPhantom -- I don't know how close you are to Houston, but I'd highly recommend Gordon Carrell as an instructor. You can visit his website at http://www.glcshootingacademy.com/.

 

[hargroderauto]

Thanks for the info guys, this is why I like this forum so much. will try the methods tommorrow at the range. One eye or two, as long as I'm shooting it will be a great day.