Aiming with both eyes open?

[Sdevante]

I've read that it is better to shoot with both eyes open. However, when I try to aim this way focusing on the front sight, I see double rear sights and double targets.

Are you supposed to squint one eye a bit to make things more linear? Or how do you know which of the two double-targets you are aiming at?

[beardman2]

someone will probably tell me I'm doing this all wrong but I believe you want to focus on the target with the fuzzy front site in the picture.

[slugger6]

Originally Posted by beardman2

someone will probably tell me I'm doing this all wrong but I believe you want to focus on the target with the fuzzy front site in the picture.

I certainly wouldn't dare to call another man wrong, but I was trained to do just the opposite, i.e. focus on the front sight and "fuzzy" on the target.

[tialloydragon]

I don't think you're supposed to focus on the front sight when keeping both eyes open. If you're shooting with both eyes open, you should be able to see both the target and sights in separate eyes (you brain will combine the image and have you be able to see the sights, and see the target "through" the sight picture.) Try focusing on the target rather than the sights, and see how that works.

Additionally, you may not be lining up the sight with your dominant eye. Check your eye dominance by following these instructions:

http://www.archeryweb.com/archery/eyedom.htm

[Bycyclist]

Originally Posted by slugger6

I certainly wouldn't dare to call another man wrong, but I was trained to do just the opposite, i.e. focus on the front sight and "fuzzy" on the target.

Several different types of focus depending on your distance and shooting objective. If you're intent is tight groups at a distance, hard focus on the FRONT sights, target will be blurry.

If you're seeing two images, and yes, keep both eyes open, try masking your "weak" eye with scotch tape on the lens of your eyewear. Until your dominant eye has gotten used to exerting its dominance. Make sure you know which eye is naturally dominant, of course.

[Sdevante]

Well apparently part of the problem is I am left eye dominant but I thought I was right dominant since I am right handed.

I take it I have to hold the gun a bit more to the left than normal to compensate? And using the wrong eye could be part of the problem?

[Freedom1911]

Originally Posted by slugger6

I certainly wouldn't dare to call another man wrong, but I was trained to do just the opposite, i.e. focus on the front sight and "fuzzy" on the target.

Slugger6 is correct. Front sight with target slightly out of focus.

[apollosmith]

Originally Posted by Sdevante

Well apparently part of the problem is I am left eye dominant but I thought I was right dominant since I am right handed.

I take it I have to hold the gun a bit more to the left than normal to compensate? And using the wrong eye could be part of the problem?

I am just barely left eye dominant, but am right handed. I have the same problem you do - I see double rear sights with both eyes open.

You can shift your head to your right shoulder and sight with your left eye, but then you lose most of the peripheral vision because your right eye is now looking WAY to the right - thus you lose most of the advantage of shooting with two eyes open. An alternative to this is to shoot left handed, but that's rarely a good option.

Or, you can squint a bit with your left eye so your right eye takes over. This way you keep most of your peripheral vision.

Shooting left eyed never worked for me because it is just barely more dominant than the right so the problem persisted. I've trained myself to squint my left eye slightly as the pistol comes up and it has worked very well for me.

Oh, and it's always front site in focus, everything else slightly fuzzy even with two eyes open.

[scalce]

Originally Posted by Freedom1911

Slugger6 is correct. Front sight with target slightly out of focus.

I am not sure this holds true for two eye shooting.

I typically look through the sights to the intended target when shooting with both eyes. This seems to be common as most action shooters like a thinner front sight.

If I need to make a headshot or distance shot I focus on the front site or close an eye.

The best practice is to dry fire at home by picking a target and aim at it with both eyes open. Close your non dominant eye and see where the sights ended up.

Keep doing this enough and your brain will learn what it looks like even though the sights are double.

[tialloydragon]

As suggested before, you can still keep both eyes open, but you could put some kind of translucent tape or dot over your non-dominant eye, to blur its vision and let you dominant eye take over (they make stick-on dots like that for shotgunners who have the same problem.) It'll only help you in the range, and not in a real-life situation (though you're less likely to be doing a lot of aiming while being confronted by an assailant.)

Or you could just aim with your left eye (i'm the opposite you are; right eye dominant, left handed pistol shooter. I line the sights up with my right eye, and keep my left eye open. I shoot just fine that way.)