Does it matter that I can't shoot both eyes open

[nicknsd1978]

Sometimes it feels so natural shooting both eyes open but others I haven't got a clue where the barrels are...I work on computers all day in a very stressful environment and I'm wondering if I have a differing eye dominance. Similar to the red eye mentioned about I bought some opaque sticky paper from eBay and put a small 10mm x 10mm square on the left lense of my glasses so it blanks out the bead....I'll give that a try as it feels so uncomfortable completely shutting my left eye

[wymberley]

Sometimes it feels so natural shooting both eyes open but others I haven't got a clue where the barrels are...I work on computers all day in a very stressful environment and I'm wondering if I have a differing eye dominance. Similar to the red eye mentioned about I bought some opaque sticky paper from eBay and put a small 10mm x 10mm square on the left lense of my glasses so it blanks out the bead....I'll give that a try as it feels so uncomfortable completely shutting my left eye

Excluding work, you've just described me to a 'T'. I've used the patch method for years - ever since I had to wear spec's - and I like the 'fit and forget' advantage that the method offers - the only problem is that it wouldn't be the first and certainly won't be the last that I've got home still wearing them.

[erinway2]

NO it doesnt I cant either and have translucent tape over a small amout of my glasses still shoot straight alot of the time but cannot with both open and no tape

[dougall]

nope matters not a jot.ideally pick up bird/judge range(and species..)! with both then shoot as works for you..1 eye dimmed/shut whatever.

[buze]

I think it will pay to see a someone for a couple of hours to at least get the basic problems out of the way. As for shooting one eye or two it's like discussing cartridges and chokes - everyone has an opinion. I shoot one eye, picking up targets with two eyes and then closing my left eye. It works for me and I'm very happy to do that.

 

Likewise; gun down, both eyes open, and I dim/close the left eye as the gun comes to the shoulder and shoot.... I know that very often I 'see' the side of the barrel as I shoot, meaning that my left eye isn't fully closed, but it doesn't matter as I break the clay.

 

In Shotgunning ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shotgunning-Bob-Brister/dp/1620878305 ) Bob Brister mentions that most of the time he saw excellent shooters who were used to keep both eyes open miss was when they were tired or slightly off put, their eye dominance would 'change' and they'd start missing by a country mile. He also mentions that many people's eye dominance change with age!

 

So in my opinion, eye dominance on the shooting side is a bit of a mixed blessing.

[muffin]

You need to understand what is correct for you and more importantly why it is so understand why you have to do something and you are half way to doing it

pm me if you need assistance see if we can meet up.

[kingo15]

I've tried and can't shoot both eyes open.

I've shot with one eye open for a couple of years now.

I only close my left eye once I've picked up the bird.

Hasn't done me any harm. But get some advise just in case there is anything else a drift.

But if it is the case you have to shoot one eye open I wouldn't worry about it.

[kshooter]

Everybody seems to be different, interesting post as I found learning to shoot with both eyes open made me hit many more targets, being right eye dominant and right handed obviously works for me, and very natural now too

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Does it matter that I can't shoot both eyes open

I was so close last weekend to just calling it a day. I think I'm struggling shooting both eyes open. Some days it seems so natural but others I haven't got a clue what's going on...I know all the focus is to be on the clay but I haven't got where the barrels are positioned so don't know where I'm missing

 

 

No, not at all.

 

Get some practice in and find a good coach, that should sort you out.

 

Good luck

[Mr.C]

Its confidence with me. On a good day both eyes open and I'm not even thinking/worrying about it. On a tough layout and I'm not confident I tend to close one eye, which then deteriorates into aiming/stopping the gun and missing.

Coaching already booked 😉

[nicknsd1978]

We'll what a disastrous 50 shots....came home and told the wife that's it the guns going up for sale....an hour later iv emailed ed Solomon for a lesson. Desperate measures and all that....looking at his twitter feed though I may have to wait a while

[oowee]

It's whatever works and I am a great believer in a bit of coaching to get some professional input. I shoot shotgun with both eyes open and recently removed the front bead to rely more on the mount which helps me shoot without aiming. I am now trying to shoot rifle with both eyes open. Hoping to improve peripheral vision but also take away any tendency to close an eye when swapping from rifle to shotgun.

[nicknsd1978]

I really hope I get to see him within the next few weeks...I'm at my wits end with it all

[buze]

I really hope I get to see him within the next few weeks...I'm at my wits end with it all

 

Seriously, how bad can it be? Go to a place with ONE single trap, and shoot it until your arm fall off OR you hit it all the time; you don't /need/ both eyes open, even high tech weapon system only need the range/angle for a little while before switching to '2d' with a single camera angle.

 

Both eyes open is NOT a requisite, I'm a beginner, and I shot 84/100 last week with the method I described earlier (which I didn't invent obviously, NOTHING has been invented in the last 100 years), I know a few other shooters who are considerably better than myself who also shoot with a dimmed/closed eye.

 

And yes, the usual mantra here is 'get (my) lessons to get yourself sorted out' but really, YOU are the driver in the seat, and you should be able to figure stuff out -- but you won't do it in a standard 50 clays shoot, you need to go for example to a skeet range by yourself and try to break the clays consistently until your brains 'gets' it. Pick ONE station, ONE house, and shoot.

 

Think about foot placement, weight on the front legs, pick up point, make sure you 'swing' the gun; make sure you close the right eye (seriously, I close the wrong eye on (rare) occasions, if the sun is to my right!) -- and don't think to much about lead.

Edited October 23, 2016 by buze

[Danger-Mouse]

We'll what a disastrous 50 shots....came home and told the wife that's it the guns going up for sale....an hour later iv emailed ed Solomon for a lesson. Desperate measures and all that....looking at his twitter feed though I may have to wait a while

 

It sounds like this is becoming more of a mental problem than a physical/technical one. You miss a few, get wound up about it, then your brain starts spinning, you start to overthink everything and you miss a few more and get even more frustrated and it spirals out of control.

 

I don't know you, maybe you're super competitive or just have to be decent at whatever you do. I understand that. If I suck at something I either have to improve to a decent standard or just forget about doing it.

 

Similarly I don't know if you shoot with other people or alone. And if you shoot with others, what standard they are.

 

I think Buze has made some good suggestions for practice. I would add one more suggestion. Go out with friends. Try and forget about scores, don't even take a scorecard. Have a laugh and a joke. Concentrate on enjoying the day and chatting with your mates.

 

Let's face it. All you're doing is failing to hit a clay disc with some bits of lead shot out of a metal tube. The world isn't going to end if you miss one. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter one jot. Just breathe, relax, laugh and move on to the next one.

[nicknsd1978]

Thanks chaps some good advice...just frustrating when guys your out with who have only been shooting a fraction of the time that I have and they are thrashing the pants off you

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Thanks chaps some good advice...just frustrating when guys your out with who have only been shooting a fraction of the time that I have and they are thrashing the pants off you

 

Well you have to accept that some people are naturalls others learn quicker.

 

Keep at it, it really is great fun.

Edited October 24, 2016 by TIGHTCHOKE

[Vince Green]

I have never been able to shoot with both eyes open, I gave up trying years ago and bought an eye patch for clays. Sooooooooo much better!

[Geo]

I think it will pay to see a someone for a couple of hours to at least get the basic problems out of the way. As for shooting one eye or two it's like discussing cartridges and chokes - everyone has an opinion. I shoot one eye, picking up targets with two eyes and then closing my left eye. It works for me and I'm very happy to do that.

 

Two separate coaches have struggled to define my dominant eye as I never seem to get a consistent result from the usual dominance tests .I have also had the same advice as above from one of the top BASC coaches, start with both open and just close my left eye as I take the shot , it takes a bit of getting used to but seems to work. Picking up the clay with both eyes open initially seems to give me a second or two more to look at it properly before shooting.

[SidneyG]

See the target both eyes open, start to dim/close the eye off once mounted and moving the gun, the important thing is not to get drawn back the the end of the gun when you shut the eye, just keep looking at the clay. Easier said than done. Also it can be helpful to warm the old eye up a bit prior to shooting by opening and closing the eye a few times to get the muscles working. Have tried every other method of dealing with cross dominance, this is the only one that consistently works for me, Im no olympic champion but I am reasonably competent with this method. Everyones different.

[Scotty99]

I have the same problem, right handed but left eye dominant. Tried a number of different approaches including closing left eye. Finally solved the problem by fitting an Easyhit fibre optic front bead. You can only see the colour (red or green) with the eye that is over the rib not the other eye, so if you are seeing the colour you are using your eye that is over the rib. It works for me don't even think about it now just shoot with both eyes open. They cost about £30 and are easily fitted.

[Rupert]

Relax, shooting sporting is a long game, there are many reasons to miss a clay other than your eye dominance, eg your appraisal of what you think is correct lead, do you move the pattern when you miss?

If ed is busy there are other talented coaches.

 

A trusted and well meaning friend who is capable and knowledgeable can help immensely, very hard to find

Edited November 11, 2016 by Rupert

[Jaymo]

I'm the same as 'Buze'- gun down both eyes open, transiting to the closure of my right eye ( Im a southpaw).

Works well for me.

 

Try to not let it get you down- most of the my clay shooting is done for the laugh I have with my shooting 'buddies', not for optimal scoring.

It's about the social side more for me.

 

But ( and don't metaphorically shoot me for saying this ( although if your as bad as you say you prob wouldn't hit me anyway) ), and that's this- when I used to teach people to fly I was often faced with the dilemma of the following.

Some people can and some can't- from a teaching point of view the school wanted me to keep them coming back for financial reasons, but I'm afraid I couldn't do it and sometimes took the time to sit down and explain to the student that unless it was purely for fun/getting out of the house, then to save themselves the time/money and disappointment of not having the ability to complete the course......

 

Whichever way you go-- good luck

[Wingman]

There is indeed a load of subjective nonsense about the "right" way of shotgun shooting and everyone is different. I am a normal build right handed shooter with a dominant right eye. However I shoot with my left eye closed and this is due to astigmatism in both eyes but its worse in the right. This results in my eyes being in "conflict" (according to the optician) so when I am shooting the left eye tries to compensate for the weakness in the right thus becoming slightly more dominant.

 

Resulting 90% of the time in a miss!

 

So now I wear contacts and have good vision but my brain has been programmed over the years to work like this so even when I wear them I still have to close one eye. I have had a few lessons recently and the coach is great, he basically helped me to adapt a style from the various techniques that works for me, I have improved greatly since working with him.

 

Shotgun shooting is difficult, its unlike rifle shooting which is all about breathing control and understanding the technical aspects that will affect shot placement. So my advice is you need to do what works for you, as long as your safe and enjoy your sport then that is the right way to shoot!

Edited December 13, 2016 by Wingman

[buze]

BTW I was watching Fieldsport Britain last week, and Andy Crow was shooting pheasants exactly as we've described; gun down, eyes open (and in his case head spinning in every direction!) then mount the gun while closing his left eye and shoot. When you see his shotkam action, he's definitely not shabby at all (to put it mildly) !