Dominant eye?

[Nial]

I've just been up to Cluney Clays (Fife) for a bit of practice. One of the older coaches

took me round to show me what's what, they're well set up with a good range of

targets.

 

A couple of people have tested which eye I'm dominant with and told me it's

my right eye, I'm right handed, although I'm not sure how dominant it is.

 

I sometimes seem to have problems seeing the clays down the gun rather

than through my left eye.

 

One of the birds I hit was launched in front rising over your head. As I hit it I had a

very clear picture of it againt the sky along the side of the barrel, ie through

my left eye.

 

I'm also better at hitting right to left crossers than left to right crossers which

would suggest I'm shooting to the left of everything.

 

Is this a common problem? I think I've shot with my left eye closed before but

have been trying to keep them both open.

 

Any thoughts/advice?

 

Thanks,

 

Nial.

[southernlad]

You have cross-dominance by the sound of it. The problem is that when you were tested you may not have had it. and tomorrow you may not either. but the next day it may be back! It can come and go - I have a similar problem and it's a bit of a pain. I just close my left eye always now. It doesn't seem to be to much of a handicap and I had a really good round this morning, concentrating on left to right crossers which have been my weakness up to now as well funnily enough! Some people on here have had some success with the tru-glo thingummy whatsits so might be worth a try, but I really find it's second nature now to just close the left eye once I've visually picked up the target. Good luck with it anyway!

 

cheers

 

SL

[Klunk]

Hi Niall!

Overhead birds - I had the exact same confusion, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The bird's coming towards you, and just like with any other clay, you want to give it a bit of lead. This means, however, that as far as your dominant right eye is concerned, the clay is obscured behind your barrels, however your left eye can still see the clay because it doesn't have the muzzles in front, so the image of the clay you see is that from the left eye round the barrels, not the right. Result is that it looks as though you're shooting to the right of the bird, when in fact you're not, which feels weird at first, but once the penny drops it soon feels more natural. Closing the left eye will mean either no view of the bird at all, which means you can't judge your lead so well, or you try to aim at it which means likely missing behind, or lifting your head from the comb and just plain missing.

 

Puzzled me for a bit that one, too.

 

K

[Nial]

Hi Niall!

Overhead birds - I had the exact same confusion, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The bird's coming towards you, and just like with any other clay, you want to give it a bit of lead. This means, however, that as far as your dominant right eye is concerned, the clay is obscured behind your barrels, however your left eye can still see the clay because it doesn't have the muzzles in front, so the image of the clay you see is that from the left eye round the barrels, not the right.

K

 

You're right, it's should be obvious if I'd thought about it.

 

Result is that it looks as though you're shooting to the right of the bird, when in fact you're not, which feels weird at first,

 

It was strange because I knew I was going to hit it cleanly but my lasting image was from my left eye.

 

Closing the left eye will mean either no view of the bird at all, which means you can't judge your lead so well, or you try to aim at it which means likely missing behind, or lifting your head from the comb and just plain missing.

 

I was pulling through it before firing, not using maintained lead, so I should be able to close my left eye OK.

 

 

Nial.

[seisobs]

Have you taken a shot at the springing teal up at Cluny? I've been going there regularly and only hit it once it's that fast.

[Nial]

Have you taken a shot at the springing teal up at Cluny? I've been going there regularly and only hit it once it's that fast.

 

 

It that the one that pops up in the air and straight back down again about 30 yards away?

 

It took me ~10 cartridges to hit it once, then I gave up. It's deceptively hard.

 

 

 

Nial

[silver_pigeon]

I have the same issue.....a dominance cross-over!

It's really annoying and learning to permanently shut one eye helped for a while but then stopped working!

 

I've gone to not closing either eye and just trying to instinctively shoot!

I try to force my mount eye to lead, but sometimes it just don't work!

 

[Nial]

As a follow up to this, the day I was up at Cluny I left my gun certificate there so had

to go back to get it.

 

It's a reasonable drive, so I thought there's hardly any point driving all the way there

unless I have a 'quick' blast.

 

I shot 100 cartidges on the skeet range, all from stands 4 & 3, at the end I was fairly

consistently hitting the clays.

 

This weekend I was out at Gorebridge by myself. They don't have the delayed release

buttons so I was triggering the traps with my foot or crouching down to relase then

stand, mount, swing & shoot, and surprisingly still hitting a load. A couple of

guys came along then and joining them round I was hitting nearly as many as

the two of them.

 

I bought Mike ***********s book "Positive Shooting" and think all I needed was some practice

on my own to think about what I was doing without someone talking in my ear after every shot.

I found that I really have to concentrate on watching the clays. I don't know if this

is me forcing myself to use my right eye more but it seems to work, but picking

up where the clay is in 3D seems to be important.

 

I'm itching to get back out now things are improving. I'm wondering how I'm going

to pay for this 'habit' now.

 

 

Nial

[JK8]

Hiya Nial, Perhaps if you are often aware you are looking down the side of your barrells with your left eye then you should perhaps , check out if your comb is a bit too low,.. failing that, it is possible you require a bit more cast off on your stock.... If you find that the ammount of lead required say on stand 4 on a round of skeet, you are giving the high house bird much more lead than the low house bird, then you should get your gun fit checked by someone who knows what they are doing.what you are describing, sounds much what I suffered from some years ago.Good luck.

[Nial]

Hiya Nial, Perhaps if you are often aware you are looking down the side of your barrells with your left eye then you should perhaps , check out if your comb is a bit too low,.. failing that, it is possible you require a bit more cast off on your stock.... If you find that the ammount of lead required say on stand 4 on a round of skeet, you are giving the high house bird much more lead than the low house bird, then you should get your gun fit checked by someone who knows what they are doing.what you are describing, sounds much what I suffered from some years ago.Good luck.

 

Thanks for the feedback JK8.

 

I think the problem was that I was thinking about the barrells too much and my gun mount wasn't brilliant. By

practicing the mount and _really_ watching the clay I'm less worried about the barrels and they seem

to end up pointing the right direction. As the book says I'm sort of aware where they are in peripheral

vision but I'm not thinking about them, just watching the clay.

 

I have had someone look at the gun fit and after a bit of adjustment of my stance it seems OK now.

 

Nial.

Edited October 14, 2008 by Nial

[libs]

I only shot rifle for about 3 years before i picked up a shotgun. so i find i still rifle aim at things that stop, like teal at the top of its arc. Or fast flat going away birds. I am slowly breaking myself into the 2 eyes open meathod for grouse but find it very odd.

[peter-peter]

)Ok you want the answer.

Dont look at the rib.

your right eye is the rear sight the button is the fore sight.

forget the rib if the gun fits you watch the clay lead it and keep the gun moving after firing,

if you hit right crossers better than left to right this tell me that your gun stock is possibly too thick at the comb, causing you to shoot to the left. point the gun at a mirror with your head almost upright,

you should see the gun ponting back at your eye.

if you have to cant your head the stock is wrong for you.

on a straight driven bird or springing teal.

come from below when the clay vanishes behind the barrels fire and keep the gun rising.

if you are using a sporter you dont want to see the clay when you pull the trigger.

its called blotting it out.

if using a trap gun you pull the trigger just as you reach the clay and still keep the gun moving.

also in addition to gun mounting the position of your feet is very important.

look at where you intend to kill the bird! kill point. call this 12 oclock.

position your left foot at 5 past 12. and your rt foot at 12.15 with 6 to 8 inches between your feet.

relax and take most of your weight on the front foot.

you can raise your heel on your back foot this helps.

and when you get all this right watch the clay and not the gun

don't pull the gun into your shoulder just let it brush gently. relax your muscles.

 

happy hitting.

Edited October 15, 2008 by peter-peter

[Psyxologos]

After completing my Module 1 certificate today I was told I have central vision, meaning I use both eyes for shooting. When we proceeded to the actual shooting I was instructed to close my left eye. I am slightly confused...

[peter-peter]

Central vision means you do not have a dominant eye.

to hit clays you will have to close your left eye if you are right handed

I have like most right handers a dominant rt eye.so i can shoot both eyes open.

[langlands]

I shoot Olympic Skeet and I have had all of the problems described so far. My solution was to cut a triangular piece of masking tape (8mm base x 10mm height) and stick this on the left lens of my glasses.

This takes some time to get right.

You want the tape to be obscuring the foresight and to the left when you are looking down the barrel. This will not affect your left eye when looking for the target as the tape will be above your centre of vision (It starts to blank out when you lower your head onto the stock and take aim). The point of the triangular tape should be towards you left ear and the base of the triangle vertical obstructing the front sight.

Look down the barrel with the tape in place, close your left eye, you should see the rib and fore sight, close your right eye, you should see the tape blocking everything to the left of the front sight, if not, adjust or cut the tape to suit.

You could try using a damp piece of paper on the lenses, as it is easier to move around and test.

When you look up, the tape should be above your central vision.

 

Best of luck

 

Engleska Budala

[MC]

Central vision means you do not have a dominant eye.

to hit clays you will have to close your left eye if you are right handed

I have like most right handers a dominant rt eye.so i can shoot both eyes open.

 

 

I don't agree with that. I have central vision and I shoot a shotgun with both eyes open. I also shoot a rifle with both eyes open as well but that is for a different reason.

[Peter De La Mare]

II also shoot a rifle with both eyes open as well but that is for a different reason.

 

You have a glass left eye?

[Ozzy Fudd]

i always shoot with both eyes open, even with scopes on rifles. its weird, but it works for me

[jonnyoftheboy]

Nial

 

am fairly new to shooting as well.... I posted this a wee while ago...

 

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...showtopic=71220

 

when I had a further lesson at west kent.... coach diagnosed occasional cross dominance. So sometimes, when trying to shoot with both eyes open, at times my left eye would take over. Obviously in my original lessons, I had always shot squinting or closing my left eye so it had never been an issue.... so the instructor would not have diagnosed.

 

I am now back to shooting squinting my left eye when target picked up..... & has improved. am going to try the tape idea to see if better!