Eyes wide open

huntsman

Well-Known Member
I've been looking at some of the Scandinavian offering on youtube covering ' how to improve your shooting techniques'. They touch on breathing, prone posture ,loading bipod, trigger control etc .
But one thing I have noticed in most clips is that most of them shoot with both eyes open. Do many of you do this ? Is this something worth practicing ? What are the advantages / disadvantages if any?

thanks
 
had to shoot a bunch as part of the hunting license qualification here.... I had never shot pigeons (clay) before and had only used a shotgun for rabbits, occasional squirrel and with slugs for deer. The instructors insisted that we shoot shotgun with both eyes open and it was driving me nuts... Finally got to doing it, but always tried to close one eye..... Didn't notice a big difference on the clays, but just couldn't do it on a rifle with one of them doctor type sights.
 
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I've always shot pistol and shotgun with both eyes open which is as you're supposed to but I have never been able to do so with a rifle other than with a target rifle and aperture sights. I was fortunate in shooting off the right shoulder and having a very dominent right eye but that has changed slightly with time. Unfortunately having such a dominent right eye made it difficult for me to use the original British made red dot type sights.
 
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I've been looking at some of the Scandinavian offering on youtube covering ' how to improve your shooting techniques'. They touch on breathing, prone posture ,loading bipod, trigger control etc .
But one thing I have noticed in most clips is that most of them shoot with both eyes open. Do many of you do this ? Is this something worth practicing ? What are the advantages / disadvantages if any?

thanks

Always both eyes open but its a throw back from small bore target shooting where closing your eye meant straining, straining meant missing. But 2 years ago as a result of this I developed exophoria (a lazy wandering eye type thing) but I think this is rare and it didn't take long to get rid off.
 
Both eyes open for pistol and shotgun plus rifle with iron sights.
Quite difficult for me to do with optics so I take the easier option and go with one eye
Oh, and I'm right handed/right eye dominant
 
Shotgun both eyes open and can do either with the rifle as I have a very dominant left eye (shoot left handed). My left eye is madly in love with my right eye,,,,,,,,and keeps looking at it :rolleyes:.
 
Both eyes open for me, I used to close the non-scope eye, but have changed when I started lamping, etc. I find the peripheral view it gives me is a real bonus for vermin control, but that could be just me!
 
I've been looking at some of the Scandinavian offering on youtube covering ' how to improve your shooting techniques'. They touch on breathing, prone posture ,loading bipod, trigger control etc .
But one thing I have noticed in most clips is that most of them shoot with both eyes open. Do many of you do this ? Is this something worth practicing ? What are the advantages / disadvantages if any?

thanks

I was taught to shoot both-eyes-open when I was about 7. I've done it that way ever since with, shot-gun, open sights or optics. Some people think it's weird but it becomes quite easy to concentrate on your master eye and retain peripheral vision in the other one... only has advantages as far I can tell.
 
One of my eyes rolls up slightly further than the other, so when I look down a barrel I get double image, so I shut one eye for all my shooting
 
I've just had a quick play with my Weirauch '77 in the garage to check; I keep both eyes open. Most target shooters use a "blinder" to cover the non shooting eye. This allows them to keep both eyes open.
 
are you serious?

I imagine so. Shoot a rifle at any range where a good deal of bullet drop is observed and canting it will make you more likely to miss. I have bubble levels fitted to everything I'd shoot over 300m with and to my air rifles, and they make a genuine difference.
 
I imagine so. Shoot a rifle at any range where a good deal of bullet drop is observed and canting it will make you more likely to miss. I have bubble levels fitted to everything I'd shoot over 300m with and to my air rifles, and they make a genuine difference.

live and learn....... never heard of that before......
 
I imagine so. Shoot a rifle at any range where a good deal of bullet drop is observed and canting it will make you more likely to miss. I have bubble levels fitted to everything I'd shoot over 300m with and to my air rifles, and they make a genuine difference.

I' don't understand why you're more likely to miss if you're using the centre of the reticle, unless you're using a mildot style reticle ?
 
I' don't understand why you're more likely to miss if you're using the centre of the reticle, unless you're using a mildot style reticle ?

because the bore and the line of sight are not on the same plane
when you can't the rifle the line of sight stays where you are aiming but the barrel points off to the upper left or upper right of the line of sight vertical

http://www.accurateshooter.com/optics/canting-effect-on-point-of-impact/


I use two eyes open
it is very useful for keeping a wide field of view in sight whilst still maintaining focus on target.

I noticed yesterday on a range that I could see the wind flags with my non scope eye without lifting or taking the reticule off the target
With stalking it stops you missing things that move outside of the scope view...a real problem with ever increasing scope magnification and reduced FOV
 
because the bore and the line of sight are not on the same plane
when you can't the rifle the line of sight stays where you are aiming but the barrel points off to the upper left or upper right of the line of sight vertical

http://www.accurateshooter.com/optics/canting-effect-on-point-of-impact/


I use two eyes open
it is very useful for keeping a wide field of view in sight whilst still maintaining focus on target.

I noticed yesterday on a range that I could see the wind flags with my non scope eye without lifting or taking the reticule off the target
With stalking it stops you missing things that move outside of the scope view...a real problem with ever increasing scope magnification and reduced FOV

doesn't bother you that one eye sees normal and the other sees 6(?)x closer? Knowing that sure would have saved me a chunk of money a few weeks ago:rolleyes:
 
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