Champion Easy Hit fibre optic sight

[smokin barrels]

Hi, has anybody tried or uses an Easy Hit shotgun sight, i am thinking of giving one a try,

 

to see if i can shoot with both eyes open, instead of closing my left eye as i have always done,

 

for a number of years, i am axpecting that the switch will not be easy, as i will automaticly want

 

to close my left eye, when mounting the gun.

 

Any advise would be appreciated, Mick.

[PAV331]

I have tried one of these to correct my neutral eye dominance. Didn t work for me. If you want to try one, just order it from the Easy hit website, you can tape it on and if you dont get on with it just return it for a refund. Make sure you get it from the proper site, as I found out, if you buy one from a shop they will not offer the same guarantee.

[topshunt]

hi i have not long started shooting and also have trouble with eye dominance, so shoot with left eye closed.

i looked into the easyhit sights and got some rave reviews for them, but others not so, so i guess it comes down to the individual whether it works for you or not.

 

anyway rather than 30 quid for easyhit take a look at these, same thing but cheaper.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORIGINAL-ORANGE-RUBY-FIBRE-OPTIC-SHOTGUN-SIGHT-71MM-NOT-EASYHIT-/140813998015?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Hunting_ShootingSports_ET&hash=item20c92b17bf

 

it kind of works for me on the shorter range clays but need to close left eye on longer range clays.

 

i have found i shoot best if i keep both eyes open easier to pick up target and close left eye just before i pull trigger just to make sure im on target

Edited August 7, 2012 by topshunt

[Gordon R]

Whether you think they will work for you, I agree with the above post. The Ruby sight is far, far cheaper. No difference in quality, but the Ruby is better packaged in my opinion.

 

Ruby Gun Sights was formed by a very good friend of mine - the late Graham Stephens. His son is now continuing the business.

 

They are a bargain.

[bicykillgaz]

I've got a tru-glo tru-bead universal fibre optic set you can have for £15 posted recorded post, it comes with adaptors to various rib sizes, various screws to secure it where you remove your old bead and 5 colours to choose from.

 

I had it on my old semi for a while but removed it when I sold it it's in mint condition cost me about £24 posted new.

[TopDown]

I have one. Works a treat for me. Didn't work for my girlfriend at all. Try one at a show. They used to visit quite a few.

[smokin barrels]

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies, and advice, i guess it comes down to, I won't know if it will work for

 

me untill i try one, i think i will take the advice of PAV331 and tape it on, and try it, before i stick it on permanently

 

because i have read on reveiws that once they are stuck on, they are a real pain to remove, then if it dose

 

not work for me i can sell it on Ebay, I already have one on order, from an online shop, so would not be able to

 

return for a refund, as stated. Anyway think positive it might just do what it says on the tin. Cheers Mick.

[chrispti]

I found them distracting, a bit like having an LED on the end of the barrel, kept drawing my attention off the target and back to the bead /LED.

[clayman]

Some shooters think that a "glo-bead" will offer an instant fix - not appreciating that a glo-system is really a brain retraining device.

 

They work like this.

 

 

When a gun is mounted, the lower half of the shooting eye's periphery vision is obscured by the back of the action. Even if, in static tests, you show as right eye dominant ( speaking from a right shoulder shooter's point of view), the brain can fill in the missing vision area from the left eye, - or if you are fully left eye dominant, try to take the aim across the barrels.

 

By placing a directional bead on the end of the gun, a message is sent back to the brain as to which eye is taking the aim.

 

If you see the full glo, then the eye over the rib is in line with the rib and taking the vision.

 

As you should not be looking at the bead anyway, but looking at the target, and the comb height should be such that the focal vision plain is over the bead, whatever type you use. This will mean that the glo is perceived in the lower periphery vision and is not distracting to the point of aim at the target. Those that find glo beads distracting are probably sighting through the bead, rather than looking over it, and this may result is focusing back to the bead and cause gun stopping at the moment of fire.

 

It is clinically proven and used in many other sports, that the brain can be re-trained to use the weaker eye for aim, and Ruby / Easy-hit type beads are devices for sending a message that the appropriate eye is in use. No glo means off-eye, bright spot means shooting-eye., is taking the aim.

 

To get a full benefit from the fibre optic types you need correct gun fit in comb height and cast, and correct head alignment. If stance, mount and gun fit are wrong, then the glo-beads will be of limited or no benefit anyway as there is a compound problem.

 

Very often, just comb raising on its own can fix eye dom problems when eyes are neutral or similar, as the action block in the sight line is removed. So its worth trying a 10mm or 15mm raise on its own or in conjunction with a a directional bead.

 

Theoretically, if the glo-bead system works, you should be able to retrain the brain's sighting reflexes over a period of time to the extent that the bead can be dispensed with. It takes about 6 weeks of repetition to alter the cognitive reflex system in most people, and any training can give initial poorer results, followed by a gradual improvement to an ultimate better result over a month or two of regular shooting.

 

If you try a glo-bead, check all the other aspects are correct as well - feet, mount, gun-fit - and give it time through multiple repetitions before you decide it is effective for you or not. Just sticking one on for a couple of rounds is unlikely to see an instant cure, you need to work with any new system for a time before deciding its for you or not.

Edited August 10, 2012 by clayman

[Sharpshooter.123]

Who looks at the bead anyway?

[clayman]

As any coach will tell you, a very large number of their pupils will come to them with difficulties perceiving forward allowance. This is often because they bury their head onto the comb believing that they should "aim" through the bead at the target/quarry.

 

People who shoot flat, as its known, are very prone to taking their focus back to the bead at the moment of pulling the trigger, and in that fraction of a second slowing or stopping the smooth swing of the gun. So although they have seen correct forward allowance as they start the trigger pull, by the time the gun fires a fraction of a second later they are behind the target.

 

The best way to correct this is to raise the comb or head position so the line of sight is over the bead, and the "aim" of the gun is observed not with the bead but by seeing the rib tapering away from you in your lower vision - i.e. you see where the barrels are pointing, the target being in clear view above the bead and not obstructed by it or the barrels.

 

The function of a bead can be described as the pre-mount check device. In other words you dry mount the gun in perfect alignment in the disciplines that allow this ( Fitasc and O/S do not, deliberately making the perfection of mount harder ), using the bead to check the alignment in the dry mount. Keeping the head position etc fixed in the exact correct place, the gun is smoothly brought to gun down, and when the gun is returned to the face and shoulder it should be in perfect position without looking at the bead at all, the vision remaining entirely on the target.

 

Many top shots who have perfect mounts have dispensed with the bead entirely. These shooters can be described as rib-aimers - people who no longer have any need for the pre-shot alignment check using the bead as they expect to mount perfectly every time.

 

As has been expressed by many coaches on the forum, you should not be "aiming" a shotgun. You "point it" where you want the shot load to go - and the moment you incorporate the bead back into the sight picture at the moment of shooting there is a real chance you will miss behind as the gun swing slows as you look back at the bead.

[timps]

I agree with everything Clayman says.

I retrained my brain from left eyed to right, I did not get on with the easy hit but just used a truglo sight as it was brighter.

It’s not about looking at the sight but making it stand out in the peripheral vision, I don’t need it now but as part of the training process it was invaluable.

 

It will take time and your scores will probably dip at first as you learn new sight pictures, I made my own little training regime to help me, I have posted the details on here sometime back.

Speaking from experience it is worth doing if you are prepared to put the initial effort and time in, but in my case we are talking a few months to start seeing an improvement after an initial dip, but considering how long I intend to shoot for it was a small price to pay.

 

As always when I post on this subject it’s not for everyone and you might get better results doing something else, just posting my experiences.

[Scully]

I also agree.Beads can be an aid to ascertain correct gun mount,but beyond that play no part in the actual act of shooting.Once you can correctly mount a gun,consistently in the correct place,each and every time you mount it,your 100% concentration should be on the bird.

If these so called 'easy hit' beads were all they claim to be,we'd all be using them.There are no short-cuts I'm afraid,just 'good' technique,and practise.

[clayman]

QUOTE: There are no short-cuts I'm afraid,just 'good' technique,and practise.

 

Yes indeed, and far too many people waste far too much money on tinkering with the equipment, rather than investing in lessons to get good fundamental technique.

[timps]

I also agree.Beads can be an aid to ascertain correct gun mount,but beyond that play no part in the actual act of shooting.Once you can correctly mount a gun,consistently in the correct place,each and every time you mount it,your 100% concentration should be on the bird.

If these so called 'easy hit' beads were all they claim to be,we'd all be using them.There are no short-cuts I'm afraid,just 'good' technique,and practise.

 

 

Not exactly, if you have a strong dominant eye on the correct shoulder then yes I agree with you but if you don’t then they do have a place.

 

The gun doesn’t shoot exactly where you are looking, if it did and you concentrated 100% on the bird you could only shoot at the bird and no lead would be applied, so you have to be aware were the barrels are pointing in the peripheral vision. Bearing this in mind the bead helps with peripheral vision if the brain is switching eyes, filling in the missing gaps from the other eye or taking all its info from the off shoulder.

 

If you have no such eye issues then the easy hit is not going to be any benefit to you, but if the clay comes from the right & the right eye takes over, then the clay comes from the left & the left eye takes over or one of the many other problems a shooter with dominance or weak dominance issues suffers then they are a benefit whilst shooting as long as you use them correctly.

 

Correctly means they are in the peripheral vision as an aid to the brain, if you have not had any dominance issues you would not understand as your brain does this bit without any help correctly all the time.

 

I totally agree there are no short cuts but you can make it easier if you have a problem.

[Scully]

Fair points,the peripheral vision I have of my muzzle only consists of the barrel;I'm totally unaware of the bead,but I can see how a day-glo bead could be picked up on.My nephew is right handed but has a left dominant eye.We have been expecting this to change as he grew older,but it remains the same as it was when he was 8;he is now 17.He gets round it by picking up the bird with both eyes open,then shutting his left as he mounts the gun,thus enabling the right eye to 'hard focus' on the bird before he takes the shot.

He practises dry mounting his gun in a mirror,the same way as I do,(both eyes closed)on a very regular basis.Over the years this has developed muscle memory which puts his gun exactly where it needs to be every time.He doesn't miss much.When he bought his SP V it had one of those long bright orange beads on it(previous owner used it for Wildfowling and said he could see it in the gloom!),which he removed and left in the shop.

[clayman]

Knowing the scope of your periphery vision and the size of your focal area is something every shooter should find out.

 

Usually, the area of focal vision encompasses the space at distance that is delineated by the view of the target and the "point" of the barrels, i.e., you can see it all in one and don't need to "look forward" to the forward allowance point.

 

How-ever, we are all individuals and some have tighter ( often called tunnel vision) focal areas than others - so its worth knowing the limits of ones vision if one is a shooter.

 

Here is the test:

 

This is for a right shouldered shooter.

 

Close/blank out the left eye.

Extend your left arm fully in front of you thumb up

Extend you right arm out sideways out of vision with your right thumb up, and keeping your focus on your left thumb, slowly move the right one in a fully extended arc from right to left

You will firstly see your right thumb come into your periphery view - note the angle and extent - and as you continue to move the right thumb towards the left one it will suddenly come into sharp focus when its about 2" away from the other.

 

At arms length that gives the average person about a 4" focal circle and a 24" periphery circle of vision. It can be different for each eyes, check them both.

 

The periphery vision is usually not a linear circle but is kinda "egg shaped" with the thin end extended out to the right ( on the right eye). Swap extended hands to check the other side of the circle.

 

If you extrapolate the angle of maximum focal vision (about +/- 2" on most people) out to a typical target presentation, the focal circle will fully encompass the whole picture of forward allowance - so you should see both the target and the barrel point within the focal vision.

 

If the focal vision area is tight ( tunnel) or the lead needed larger than the focal circle, the you are probably better off looking physically forward of the target at the place in the sky you want the shot load to go too. This technique is called "spot shooting" and is often seen used by experienced shots on very distant targets needing a lot of lead. It can be noted this method is in use when there seems to be little or no gun movement, the shooter simply sees the target coming in their periphery vision, but concentrates on a "spot" in the sky they will shoot at and may just mount the gun with minimum swing directly into it and fire.

 

If you try this as a method to add to your "toolbox" of ways to shoot different targets, be aware that lead perceived as much greater using this method, than if you use a pull away or swing through technique.

Edited August 10, 2012 by clayman

[billytheghillie]

Who looks at the bead anyway?