Shotgun master eye issues and stumbled upon solution (?)

[wanderer]

On occasion recently i have incidents when i believe my none dominant eye has been taking over whilst shotgun shooting with both eyes open (as i always have done).

Looking on the internet on this subject and one reason can be if the head is too low on the stock.
The master eye loses the sight picture as it drops below the rib and the left eye could take over.
( I am right handed and right eye dominant)

Careful use of some comb raising method can mitigate this but it doesnt guarantee to sort out the eye dominance issue.

On a shotgun which was giving me issues i put a diy comb raiser on and i could then see more rib.
Also this shotgun when patterned from a rest and carefully aimed was more low of centre than high hence another reason for raising the comb.

I went out in the garden (to a spot not overlooked by the neighbours..) and checked the sight picture and how it naturally mounted when i looked at objects to shoulder the gun to.
Yes i could see more rib and there appeared to be no issues with the gun really pointing at the pretend targets.

However if i stood in the aim for a while i could see the image from the left eye looking down the side of the rib as well as the right eye looking straight down the sighting plane at the target.
So maybe a potential for a crossover of eyes was still there.

I realised i hadnt got my peaked cap on and so went and got it.
It is one where the sides of the peaks are lower than centre rather than a flat peak.
I didnt think anything of it and i carried on, hatted, mounting the gun at targets.

After a short while i realised that the only sight picture i was getting was with my right eye as when the gun was mounted the left side of the peak, being lower, was blocking the view of the sight/ rib for the left eye.

The cap can be rotated slightly off centre as required and it needs to be reasonably low to be effective.
When looking at a flying target before mounting the gun it is viewed with both eyes so there is all the benefits that 2 eyes give.
However once the gun is up and mounted with the head on the stock the eyes are now rotated up and sideways and the right eye in my case gets a clear view down the rib to the target whilst the left eyes view is blocked thus preventing it "taking over".

Lets see if it works in practice!

 

[Smellydog]

Good.
For starters one should always see some rib or barrel on a shotgun. Not just the bead.

Secondly, wrong eye dominance is easily corrected with safety glasses and a pea sized piece of masking tape in just the right spot so that the wrong eye can not see the end of the barrel. The brain will do the rest.

 

[wanderer]

Certainly works fine for me with a curvy baseball type cap as an alternative measure to a dot on one of the lenses of a pair of glasses.

This would be a good solution also to those whose master eye is consistent but opposite to there hand, be it right or left handed.

Of course a baseball cap may not match well with a shooting tweed suit in which case a dot on the glasses would have to be the solution..

 

[the_greenman]

Also works with interchangeable lens shooting glasses - put a darker lens in front of the dominant eye and a lighter one in front of the non dom one and it seems to allow the non dom one to obtain the sight picture. The benefit of this over a dot or patch is that you can still see the target.

 

[Jamouk]

You could always try one of those crossover shotguns ! Always wondered about these nearly bought one by accident a few years back

 

[Smellydog]

The benefit of this over a dot or patch is that you can still see the target.

The dot is tiny and still allows most of the field of view. It has to be precisely fitted so it only works when mounting the gun, not in the middle of the lense .

 

[Andyquadra]

As @Smellydog says, use a bit of tape, or a couple of small disc magnets to fine adjust where you need them

 

[Flash G 74]

Hello, Your over thinking all this, First get your eyes tested, I had some shooting glasses made to each eye so wearing i get a very clear view , and yellow in color , keeping both eyes open and the gun in the shoulder i can only see the rib line and bead which is right if you have the correct stock LOP, If you can see the rib you will shoot high, no rib will shoot low

 

[Smellydog]

You could always try one of those crossover shotguns ! Always wondered about these nearly bought one by accident a few years back
View attachment 383382

Mate of mine had one like that after he left it propped against the tractor and the farm hand drove off!

 

[WalkedUp]

I have central eye dominance, great for football et cetera but awful for target sports. I know I’ll never be a great shot, but I do just about enough to avoid embarrassment. It helps that field craft is 60% of any kill.

Avoid too many gizmos or miracle cures, there are none. What works for one person will not be universal. I put a black mid bead on my main gun about 10 years ago. If I could see the white bead I knew something was wrong with my mount or my eyes! I learnt to ignore the bead. The mid bead fell off (it was a bit of solder and gloop) and was never replaced.

Subconsciously I half close my left eye as part of my swing, as my cheek hits the comb my eyelid instinctively drops. I shoot so much that I think you can even see this unevenness in my resting face! Or I may just be ugly

I shoot in a flat cap. It is warm in winter, provides shade in summer, keeps you dry and stays on in the wind. I do sit it jauntily and drop it lower over my left eye, like Gabrielle. I never noticed that I even did this until I saw it in photographs.

The advice I have for anyone with eye dominance issues is to just get out and enjoy your shooting. The more you shoot the better your body and mind will adjust.

 

[Flash G 74]

Hello, Your over thinking all this, First get your eyes tested, I had some shooting glasses made to each eye so wearing i get a very clear view , and yellow in color , keeping both eyes open and the gun in the shoulder i can only see the rib line and bead which is right if you have the correct stock LOP, If you can see the rib you will shoot high, no rib will shoot low

try on a Pattern Plate ???

 

[Dunwaters]

Ive had 2 problems with my eyesight and shotgun mount, the first was self inflicted when I had laser vision correction.
I was left with 20/20 having been formerly very right eye dominant. It took quite a while to sort it out. I can hit right to left targets, but with left to right I tend to pick up the target with my left eye and look along the side of the barrel. My solution is to shoot gun down and acquire and concentrate on the target before I mount the gun.
It works well, when I remember to do it.
Second problem, as a result of surgery I lost the feeling in my cheek and shoulder, theres also a lot of scar tissue and some tightness and movement restrictions. I haven’t got this sorted yet and may never get it right. Essentially I have no idea where the gun is mounted in relation to my cheek and shoulder because theres no feedback. I have to concentrate on the view down the rib or I will shoot high or low without consistency, the eye problem is still there too…… I can end up missing a string of targets and have no idea why because no 2 shots went to the same place.
I now have to concentrate on getting the mount right, previously it was automatic, and I’ve had to slow down and break the shot into phases, mount and check, acquire target, swing and shoot.
I can generally call my misses, if I can’t its the mount itself or tightness in the head and neck causing me to mismount.
Sorting out problems with mount, eye dominance and flexibility on each shot takes a lot of concentration, but it can be done.

 

[wanderer]

The baseball cap approach is a no brainer as it just works without any gismos.

I never used to have issues but sadly getting older and the occasional take over by my non dominant eye has contributed to the occasional miss (as well as my general inconsistency..)

I now have confidence that I know for certain that I will no longer have issues just by wearing a rounded peaked baseball cap.

I have looked up this issue before on the web and haven't seen this solution suggested before on my searches.
I would probably have done the tape on glasses method had I not accidentally discovered the solution of just wearing a different cap!

 

[wanderer]

Ttt as relevant to another post..