Eye Dominance Rail

[Chrs88]

Evening all,

Does anyone have a honest review on the eye dominance rail or rails that are very similar to this as there are a lot of variants available.

My scores before Covid closed my local shooting ground were very intermittent and a fellow shooter had mentioned that it had helped him no end.

Im not at competition level yet and may not be for some while but I have been told they wouldn’t be allowed to be on the gun anyway.

All the best.

[flycoy]

Do you have an eye dominance issue?

[Spr1985]

1 hour ago, Chrs88 said:

Evening all,

Does anyone have a honest review on the eye dominance rail or rails that are very similar to this as there are a lot of variants available.

My scores before Covid closed my local shooting ground were very intermittent and a fellow shooter had mentioned that it had helped him no end.

Im not at competition level yet and may not be for some while but I have been told they wouldn’t be allowed to be on the gun anyway.

All the best.

Who ever told you they wouldn’t be allowed on the gun needs to review the cpsa (or the relevant governing body) rules as they are talking out of their backside. It is no different to having a hi viz replacement brad on the end of the barrel (where the rules are concerned) and therefore perfectly acceptable. They may be getting confused with camera’s/aiming devices....... the eye d rail is neither. 

[flycoy]

12 minutes ago, Spr1985 said:

Who ever told you they wouldn’t be allowed on the gun needs to review the cpsa (or the relevant governing body) rules as they are talking out of their backside. It is no different to having a hi viz replacement brad on the end of the barrel (where the rules are concerned) and therefore perfectly acceptable. They may be getting confused with camera’s/aiming devices....... the eye d rail is neither. 

have to be careful here guys, could an eye dominance aid be an aiming device ?

CPSA rules state:

2.31 Changing of guns (or properly functioning parts) between stations within a round/stand is not permitted unless the Referee has accepted a gun malfunction, which cannot be quickly repaired. It is not permitted to use guns with devices fitted which have magnifying, light emitting, forward lead displacement properties, or give visual enhancement of the target.

first thing to ask yourself Chrs88 is do you need one for an eye dominance prob, or is there another issue 

[Chrs88]

Thanks for your reply guys, I have had a few personal coaching lessons and the instructor seems to think I have an eye dominance problem. 
 

It was only whilst making conversation on booking in at clay ground that another chap mentioned he had one. 
 

I will continue to look into this.

Thanks again 

[Scully]

I am right handed and have a dominant left eye according to my optician ( although I refuse to acknowledge it ) and an astigmatism in my right, which means that eye is ever so slightly blurred at distance.....just exactly what you don’t need when it comes to shooting. 
It doesnt seem to effect my shooting of game at all, but now and then I can inexplicably miss clays I fully expected to hit. I still usually shoot around the high 70’s to low 80’s, which is fine for me as it’s just a days fun. 
I tried shutting my left eye at point of mount but it kills my depth of field, so that was short lived. I eventually bought one of those rails ( the BH one ) but can’t honestly say whether it made a great deal of difference, so that was also short lived. I went back to simply just ignoring the problem, and concentrating on the bird, and find it works more often than it doesn’t. 
I wear contacts so last year had my optician tweak the right lens so it is slightly stronger than the left, in the hope it would compensate for the astigmatism and possibly make my right eye the stronger. 
I suppose it’s the equivalent of placing a smudge of Vaseline or something over the relevant lens of your shooting glasses. 
Ive only shot clays a handful of times since having this done, for obvious reasons, and wasnt disappointed with my shooting ( apart from one outing in dire weather ) but am looking forward to trying out the theory    throughout this year. 
I cant recall how much I paid for the rail, but if you decide you want to give it a go, get in touch. 
 

Edited February 21, 2021 by Scully

[Chrs88]

Thanks for the feedback scully, much appreciated! Sounds like you have a challenging set of eyes.. I also wear contacts but only have a small prescription. 
 

I think my main problem is that I’m super keen and competitive and I just need to practice more. The eye dominance thing is something that plays on my mind but wether I actually have it... who knows

All the best 

 

[Salopian]

The Eye D Rail is in my opinion an expensive rip off !

The idea was stolen off an American made version which is available at a much cheaper price.Much has been written about eye dominance issues and the gadgets and cures available . A very good write up is available on this website written by Hamster .

I would recommend that anyone struggling with eye issues speaks with an experienced shooting instructor familiar with this problem .

 

[Rob85]

14 hours ago, Chrs88 said:

Thanks for your reply guys, I have had a few personal coaching lessons and the instructor seems to think I have an eye dominance problem. 
 

It was only whilst making conversation on booking in at clay ground that another chap mentioned he had one. 
 

I will continue to look into this.

Thanks again 

When you say the instructor "seems to think" that should have alarm bells ringing, you want someone who knows what they are about and can see the issue.

Check out this wee video, I think he has another in the subject as well, unless your optician tells you that you are cross eye dominant I wouldn't be going for a rail just yet.

[Chrs88]

Hi Rob,

 

Funnily enough I watched this video at the weekend and certainly has “opened my eyes” luckily enough I have an eye check up this week so will ask the question whilst there.

 

All the best 

[Westward]

16 hours ago, Chrs88 said:

 and the instructor seems to think I have an eye dominance problem.

No instructor worthy of the name would "think" you have a dominance problem. Find another instructor who can evaluate your dominance properly.

[discobob]

psst - I have a bridge, and some snake oil for sale if your interested 😜

[Walker570]

16 hours ago, Scully said:

I am right handed and have a dominant left eye according to my optician ( although I refuse to acknowledge it ) and an astigmatism in my right, which means that eye is ever so slightly blurred at distance.....just exactly what you don’t need when it comes to shooting. 
It doesnt seem to effect my shooting of game at all, but now and then I can inexplicably miss clays I fully expected to hit. I still usually shoot around the high 70’s to low 80’s, which is fine for me as it’s just a days fun. 
I tried shutting my left eye at point of mount but it kills my depth of field, so that was short lived. I eventually bought one of those rails ( the BH one ) but can’t honestly say whether it made a great deal of difference, so that was also short lived. I went back to simply just ignoring the problem, and concentrating on the bird, and find it works more often than it doesn’t. 
I wear contacts so last year had my optician tweak the right lens so it is slightly stronger than the left, in the hope it would compensate for the astigmatism and possibly make my right eye the stronger. 
I suppose it’s the equivalent of placing a smudge of Vaseline or something over the relevant lens of your shooting glasses. 
Ive only shot clays a handful of times since having this done, for obvious reasons, and wasnt disappointed with my shooting ( apart from one outing in dire weather ) but am looking forward to trying out the theory    throughout this year. 
I cant recall how much I paid for the rail, but if you decide you want to give it a go, get in touch. 
 

If the gun is fitted to you and mine are almost all centre eye set, then just look at the bird not the barrel. Obviously the barrel needs to be pointing where you are looking but this is all down to fit.    Get a good stocker to have a look at you and put a try gun on you then see how that compares with yours.   The more GIZMOS you have stuck on the gun the more difficult it becomes....keep it simple

[Scully]

32 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

If the gun is fitted to you and mine are almost all centre eye set, then just look at the bird not the barrel. Obviously the barrel needs to be pointing where you are looking but this is all down to fit.    Get a good stocker to have a look at you and put a try gun on you then see how that compares with yours.   The more GIZMOS you have stuck on the gun the more difficult it becomes....keep it simple

I thought about mentioning fit in my initial post, but I’ve banged on about good gun fit and practising consistent mounts before, so didn’t want to add to an already lengthy post. 

You’re right of course, good gun fit is essential, and I practise my mount on an almost daily basis to ensure that the gun I mount comes up in exactly the same place each and every time, and that when I check, my right eye is sat upon, and looking straight down that rib. 
It doesn’t help of course that I have so many guns, but as best I can, they are all set up to give me the same sight picture. 
Life is far too short for just one gun.....or even many. 🙂
 

[Walker570]

You adapt after many years of use and eventually can shoot almost anything reasonably well even left handed or right handed.  I had a little do with a keeper friend many moons ago who I matched clay for clay in a bit of fun and he then said  OK< LEFT SHOULDER!!   Not knowing that part of my training for the last ten years was shooting alternate shoulders around barracades. After a few clays we agreed it was time for another beer

No gizmos will ever be better than very carefully thought out practise and as Scully says even dry mounting can be a great help.  I used this system back in the late 60s and 70s when I shot a lot of clays competitively.   BUT   still look at and concentrate on that bird.

[Chrs88]

5 hours ago, Westward said:

No instructor worthy of the name would "think" you have a dominance problem. Find another instructor who can evaluate your dominance properly.

The instructor works at my local ground but I think I may ignore his advice on this occasion. I will follow this up with opticians as well. Thanks Westward 

[JDog]

Over the last few months I have noticed that dominance has moved from my right eye to my left eye. I know this for a fact. I just accept that I will never shoot as well as I used to and this is not a problem for me. That may not be the case with either a younger shooter or someone just starting out shooting.

[Walker570]

Dump the so called instructors and find a qualified stocker and let him put you on a try gun.  If he is worth his salt you will soon know.  Of course the simple way is to test yourself. Close your right eye. point your finger at something and then open your right eye. The object your looking at will jujmp to the left.  Close your left eye and point at the object, open your left eye and the onject will remain stable.  I do this and there is very little variance in the two which indicates both of my eyes are are to put it simply centred.

That is why my guns have a centre eye cast, but I don't ever see the gun anyway. I concentrate on the bird, imaging I am pointing with my fingure and judging the lead necessary and the gun comes up acting as that finger without further thought all purely instinctive.  If I miss then I have involved my brain too mch, thinking about it.   

[flycoy]

chrs88 where are you based ? 

[Salopian]

To me this is an irritating subject that crops up regularly on nearly all shooting forums .

It amazes me how many clayshooters will book a lesson with a 'top shot' costing in the region of £100- £200 per session and these 'experts' NEVER check eye dominance to start .

It is such a simple test and is the foundation to good shooting .

JDog your comments are also disappointing , do not accept that you will never shoot well again , get yourself correctly diagnosed and a solution sorted and then practice and shoot better than ever before . It is a known fact that eye dominance can alter with age related factors , stress and tiredness, always be aware what your eyes are seeing and how your brain is computing this sensory input. Good shooting and enjoy .

Also forget the tosh that you must shoot with both eyes open, you do not have to , there are many very exceptionally good 'one eyed' shooters that do very well every time that they shoot .

Shooting is a skill that has to be learned , honed , and continually practiced.

One good lesson will cost less than all the clays & cartridges that you miss and will be very good value for money . 

[Walker570]

Cannot disagree with that at all. Learn to shoot with both eyes open if you shoot live game because otherwise the 'left' might just sneak past you unseen.  As above it takes practise. I was taught from a young boy to shoot both eyes open, instinctively, this followed by tactical training with handgunes, where it absolutely essential you keep both eyes open for obvious reasons.   In recent years I have seen all sorts of gizmos attached to barrels, one was like a red dot scope set halfway up the barrel,  when as you say a GOOD instructor could have you shooting well with just a plain barrel, no rib no sight.  Don't be conned into gizmos, spend the money on a GOOD instructor.

There is no way around it. A properly fitting gun is a joy to use and 99% of the battle, the 1% is with your brain.

[flycoy]

8 hours ago, Salopian said:

To me this is an irritating subject that crops up regularly on nearly all shooting forums .

It amazes me how many clayshooters will book a lesson with a 'top shot' costing in the region of £100- £200 per session and these 'experts' NEVER check eye dominance to start .

It is such a simple test and is the foundation to good shooting .

JDog your comments are also disappointing , do not accept that you will never shoot well again , get yourself correctly diagnosed and a solution sorted and then practice and shoot better than ever before . It is a known fact that eye dominance can alter with age related factors , stress and tiredness, always be aware what your eyes are seeing and how your brain is computing this sensory input. Good shooting and enjoy .

Also forget the tosh that you must shoot with both eyes open, you do not have to , there are many very exceptionally good 'one eyed' shooters that do very well every time that they shoot .

Shooting is a skill that has to be learned , honed , and continually practiced.

One good lesson will cost less than all the clays & cartridges that you miss and will be very good value for money . 

totally agree with the above, dead on, I met a married couple a few years back, who were at the end of their tether with shooting, especially the lady. they had spent a lot of money at a top clay ground having joint lessons. They were struggling to say the least, when I asked them about eye dom they hadn't got a clue and after 6  lessons they had never been checked or asked! they were both strong left eye dominant, shooting from the right shoulder both eyes open!!!

closed the left eye and hit 9 out of 10, both went off happy and still shooting 

eye dom is a very interesting subject, diagnosed correctly it can be sorted, but is very often not 

good discussion though 

[Westley]

Both eyes open eh  ?..................THAT'S where I am going wrong  !   

[London Best]

16 hours ago, flycoy said:

totally agree with the above, dead on, I met a married couple a few years back, who were at the end of their tether with shooting, especially the lady. they had spent a lot of money at a top clay ground having joint lessons. They were struggling to say the least, when I asked them about eye dom they hadn't got a clue and after 6  lessons they had never been checked or asked! they were both strong left eye dominant, shooting from the right shoulder both eyes open!!!

closed the left eye and hit 9 out of 10, both went off happy and still shooting 

eye dom is a very interesting subject, diagnosed correctly it can be sorted, but is very often not 

good discussion though 

I was once loading for a Deep South American lady in an all American party, 2x500 bird days, back to back. During the first drive I could see she missed everything by a couple of feet to the left. After the drive I suggested I thought she may have an eye dominance problem. After two unsuccessful drives she asked what I meant and so we did an eye dominance check. Like about 70% of women she was right handed and had a dominant left eye, so I suggested she close it. “Mah coach says you should keep both eyes open,” was her reply. We carried on, and halfway through the third drive I said, “Mrs. XXX, why don’t you just try my idea for a few shots and see if it works?” Instant success (moderate) and by the end of that drive she was telling the other guns, “Aah’m gonna fire that coach when we get home.” She was delighted with her performance over the next day and a half and my tip was substantial, with a thank you letter and a written invitation to visit her plantation. I must state that I am not a shotgun coach or in any way qualified to be one.

[Salopian]

LondonBest ,

 A very good point well made . There is so much rubbish written on forums about eye dominance , one of the worst that I have seen online is from Pennsport endorsed by Karl Waktare of Gunmark , it comes complete with a video which does a disservice to the Irish . A friends nephew went for an (expensive) lesson at Pennsport and did as he was asked and shot with both eyes open and took in all the rubbish that he was told , came away and had his worst Game season for awhile until he reverted to closing his left eye.

Right , back on to the subject , all these eye dominace gadgets have a reason for being available , many are helpful when used correctly .

The SP gadget is an unobtrusive gadget and works well if used and more importantly understood properly how it works .

Hi Viz beads have been around for years and can work well .

For those of you interested in Ben's Eye D rail at £60 plastic & £100 metal rail, have a look at the website Midland Engineering LLC.com to see the original priced at $19  (£14 plus postage ). 

But once again I implore you to get correctly diagnosed and a cure found for you , it may be as cheap as a piece of opaque Scotchbrite on the lens of your 'offeye'.