Shooting with both eyes open

K

K.s.47

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I recently went duck hunting for the first time. Although I did manage to hit some ducks, my aim could defiantly use some work. I have always naturally shot with one eye closed. I have just recently found out that this is the wrong way to shoot. I have tried shooting with both eyes open but my aim is really bad. I don't get out to practice on clays very often due to my range being over an hour away. Should I try to get better with one eye or try to learn to shoot with both eyes open?
 
All the experts say you ahould shoot with both eyes open. All the experts also say that if it works, keep doing it. There are world class competition shooters who shoot with one eye closed but most shoot with both eyes open. If you are just shooting ducks once in a while I wouldn't worry about it. Close one eye and shoot. If you were serious about pursuing competitive shooting then there are all kinds of things to consider, cross eye dominance and things like that. My daughter started shooting trap this summer and she can hit more birds with one eye closed so rather than making a big deal out of it, I just told her to do what works. She can work it out once she gains some confidence. That being said, I am sure there are those on here who disagree.
 
It's both eyes open for me... The only time I ever close the other one is on a high-power scope.

Whatever works for you works, but you may find that your skills increase when you can shoot well with eyes open.

If you want to try shooting eyes-open, the first thing to do is make sure you're shooting with your dominant eye. If you find that you're seeing more of the side of your gun than the sight picture when you have both eyes open, you may be cross-eye dominant, as in have a different eye dominance than your "handedness". I have this issue myself, and switched to shooting left handed. There is a decent amount of material on the net about this.

Otherwise, I would spend some time studying technique and getting lots of practice. It goes a very long way, as shooting is a perishable skill that can be drastically refined by practice.
 
Are you trying to use the beads as sights, like you would aim a rifle? Many one eyed shooters do this, and it;s a sure way to miss.
 
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I would love to have both eyes wide open but I usually squint my left eye closed. I shoot right handed and for the most part I'm right eye dominate, sometimes my left eye will go dominate and I end up looking down the side of the barrel. If someone can suggest how to train to prevent that from happening, I'm all ears.
 
The biggest advantage you get from shooting shotgun with both eyes open is that you retain depth perception on a moving target that is constantly changing distance as well as height and angle. You lose most of this with one eye closed so both eyes open is technically superior. This particularly applies to random targets such as hunting, sporting clays and five stand, less noticeable in skeet and particularly trap. Some people become champion calibre shots with one eye closed, partially closed or covered but the path to that level is usually faster and easier for those using both eyes. In my case I competed with rifle and handgun for many years before getting serious about shotgun and making the conversion to both eyes is very challenging. If you have no cross dominance issues I believe your path to success will be easier shooting with both eyes open.
 
I shoot both eyes open but have to tape my left lens to cover the part of my vision that sees the barrel with my left eye. Takes some getting used to but now I have my peripheral vision and stil only see one barrel.

I plan to go duck hunting this year for the first time since I started shooting skeet five years ago and will be bringing some chap stick in my pocket. Plan is to dab the chap stick on my sun glasses because I have no intention of bringing my shooting glasses with me hunting.
 
If you can do it, two eyes open is the way to do it. I'm a one eyed shooter ... I have tried two eyes in the past, but without much success. My eyes do not work well together, as I had eye surgery as a kid and they shortened the muscle to correct a crossed eye condition. As a result, I don't have the depth perception that most people have when both eyes are open. But, you learn to adapt to different situations. The biggest issue for me is that my field of view is much narrower. So, sometimes, I will miss a hard angled target because I am looking too far to one side than the other. The main thing is to make sure that you are looking out the correct eye when the trigger is pulled.

I mostly shoot trap, but lately, have been shooting more of the other clay target games. Many of those targets really require two eyes to see and shoot them properly, so I think that I will try the two eyes open thing again.
 
OP, by any chance are you cross eye dominant? If you are shooting cross eye dominant that would explain why shooting with both eyes open is hard.
 
rem74283 said:
Plan is to dab the chap stick on my sun glasses because I have no intention of bringing my shooting glasses with me hunting.
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Great idea. Anything to smudge that upper edge of your left lens works great. As a side note, I'd been shooting a lot of rifle this summer compared to skeet, and my early duck wingshooting had definitely suffered.
 
Like most of the previous posters have mentioned, you should check for cross eye dominance before doing anything else and there's lots of different ways to do this so I won't go into detail. Once you've established that there is no eye dominance issues and if you still want to shoot with both eye's open then practice at home before going to the range. Make sure your gun is empty and practice mounting it to your shoulder while keeping both eye's open. Find a mark on the wall or on a picture to aim at but don't do it in front of your living room picture window unless you want a visit from the local swat team. This will also improve your gun mount and pay dividends while hunting.
 
I’ve shot a shotgun both eyes open my entire life until 2016 when I started to experience cross eye dominance. I tried the dot trick on my shooting glasses but it just won’t work for me so now I have to close my left eye....sure is taking some getting used to. I hate it! The lack of peripheral vision is shocking to say the least.
 
the spank said:
I’ve shot a shotgun both eyes open my entire life until 2016 when I started to experience cross eye dominance. I tried the dot trick on my shooting glasses but it just won’t work for me so now I have to close my left eye....sure is taking some getting used to. I hate it! The lack of peripheral vision is shocking to say the least.
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I simply switched sides. Took a while to get used to shooting left handed, but I felt like I was hitting more stuff almost immediately. I didn't have decades of experience shooting shotgun left though.
 
the spank said:
I’ve shot a shotgun both eyes open my entire life until 2016 when I started to experience cross eye dominance. I tried the dot trick on my shooting glasses but it just won’t work for me so now I have to close my left eye....sure is taking some getting used to. I hate it! The lack of peripheral vision is shocking to say the least.
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Cutting your vision in half is disconcerting to say the least!
 
Rob! said:
Part of me wanted to LOL, but I have seen shooters - rifle, handgun and shotgun - that would close both eyes (in prayer?) just before pulling the trigger.
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I once took a video of myself firing a revolver at night and when I looked at the stills I found both eyes closed. That however could have been from the flash so I am not sure what I do normally. But I have never caught myself and I don't want to ask someone else to watch me.
Too old to change.
 
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