Weird one re shotgun shooting

[Rake Aboot]

Righto

A while back I gave up shotguns as I have a small blind spot in my right eye that was right where the bird would be given lead
I tried for ages to work through it , had instructions, tried left handed but in the end I gave up shotguns and concentrated on rifles

Yesterday I completed the Lantra loaders course and the practical was on a simulated grouse butt

Obviously I wasn’t fussy for taking a turn shooting but the other guys convinced me to just have a go

I dusted everything. Double gunning I missed nearly nowt and even when I missed a second bird I new why and hit the rest.

Was seriously confused .
Now I have to consider further instruction to get to the bottom of it and do I progress back to shotguns again
The eye condition has been stable for a couple of years with treatment but is irreversible. Doesn’t appear the have gotten much worse but the sight overall in the right eye isn’t great anyway

Has my brain just become accustomed and is adjusting without me thinking about it ?

 

[deerstalker.308]

Shotgun shooting (once you get to grips with it) is more habit/intuition than needing to necessarily see the target, swing and lead become intuitive so this doesn’t hugely surprise me

 

[Rake Aboot]

I should be clearer
I shot shotguns for 35 yrs or so so the habit was there. It was a lack of form that highlighted the sight issue.
I agree that over thinking it may have contributed but effort was put into correcting it with little success

 

[Rake Aboot]

My brain compensates for lack of vision in one eye by using the other eye to “ superimpose “ the image perceived apparently so could I be aiming with the right eye and using the image from the left eye ?

As I said , confused . I was shocked by how well I shot tbh

 

[deerstalker.308]

My brain compensates for lack of vision in one eye by using the other eye to “ superimpose “ the image perceived apparently so could I be aiming with the right eye and using the image from the left eye ?

As I said , confused . I was shocked by how well I shot tbh

Show off…. You really just wanted to gloat didn’t you

 

[Rake Aboot]

Too bloody right
I’m trying to market a kidney for a day on grouse now lol
Double gunning was serious fun

 

[Smellydog]

Go for it, the mind is very adaptive.

 

[Rake Aboot]

I think I’ll have a few lessons and see what the coach observes

 

[Cyres]

Do you shoot with both eyes open? If so then your unaffected eye is helping visualisation of the target.
D

 

[Deermanagement]

You mention a !blind spot"? Would that have been within your central vision or outside and if so how har outside?

 

[Pedro]

Well I'd be tempted to not look into it too much and just enjoy your rediscovered form, whatever the reason. Unlike rifle shooting where you can make mistakes and hopefully immediately recognise the error of your ways and rectify, shotgun shooting, being a big chunk of muscle memory can see your form soar and dip with no apparent reason. Which, I guess is why one day I shoot like a God and the next shoot like Elmer Fudd with a blindfold.

 

[reiver]

Too bloody right
I’m trying to market a kidney for a day on grouse now lol
Double gunning was serious fun

Well I think you will have time to save up for next year for a day on the grouse at least up here in the north Pennines as there isn’t and grouse shooting happening this year due to the bird numbers crashing !!

 

[Drum123]

Have a go at a sporting lay out , most of the simulated grouse targets I've ever shot didn't really require lead as such , more instinctive snap shooting.

 

[gixer1]

If the grouse targets were repetitive you likely just got tuned into the swing and shot point…clays are all about being able to repeat the same process over and over.

As said, worth trying a sporting layout to see if you have auto-compensated for your blind spot.

 

[cjm1066]

Went through a really bad patch, couldn't hit anything. One lesson, while I have a right master eye, as I mount the gun the left takes over. Solution a small patch on the left lens, that will suffice unless I learn to shut left eye.

Last lesson, he concluded he needed to get me talking so I didn't think about shooting, then its all instinct.

I am now shooting as well or better than ever.

 

[Rake Aboot]

You mention a !blind spot"? Would that have been within your central vision or outside and if so how har outside?

Just off centre at about 8 o’clock

 

[NullMac]

I have a different issue but the same outcome. I can't shoot consistently anymore.

My brain compensates for lack of vision in one eye by using the other eye to “ superimpose “ the image perceived apparently so could I be aiming with the right eye and using the image from the left eye ?

The issue with that is that the sight picture that the wrong eye provides is not the true lead. Same target LR would appear to have a hugely different lead from the RL. It's a typical issue with sight dominance problems. So it may well be happening, but it's going to be an additional problem not a solution. It is a common reaction by the brain to a vision failure (medical or crap alignment). Even if you are happy to live with this it may mean that your sight pictures are now different from what they were before so may need relearning.

I have been struggling for years with a similar issue and to be honest I think I have lost.

Rather than doing what I have done and carry on hoping for years, I would suggest you contact Ed Lyons Sports Optometrist . His consultancy fee is not trivial however he is a nice guy and has said on social media that he is happy for people to just drop an email. Good marketing I am sure but worth a try to get a steer as to whether he can help. I haven't personally used Ed but when I was on the competition circuit I benefitted second hand from his advice which was not what you read on the internet.

A lot of the advice on the internet is well meaning but actually is wildly inaccurate (shock horror), speak with Ed he knows what is happening. Banging away on your own will just waste time with false solutions unless you get very lucky.

 

[opticron1]

As others have suggested above, have a few lessons in different clay specialities - if your shooting is good and you're comfortable with it, treat yourself to a new shotgun and pick up where you left off.
When I lost the vision in my (dominant) right eye, there was no other choice other than to swap shoulders and learn to shoot off the left. Thankfully you still have a decent amount of vision and your brain seems to have compensated for the missing part. At the time, I had to give up driving and riding for 5 or 6 weeks until my brain had got used to having monocular vision and I got the clearance to drive/ride again from the Optician. So far so good, but sadly shotguns are a bit of a challenge now due to the inability to judge distance quickly - unless you have a willing volunteer whispering in your ear how far the clay/bird is away! Stalking is OK as you (generally) have more time and can line up a shot more easily.
Hope things go well with your new shot gun....

 

[JTO]

Try a red dot bead and shoot with both eyes open. Every eye has a blind spot where the nerves disappear to connect to the brain, but the other eye compensates, according to secondary school science over 60 years ago!