Let me tell you my story so far

[Raja Clavata]

First of all, this is most likely of little or no relevance, and possibly even no interest, to all you established and experienced shooters out there - but if like me you are just starting out or perhaps even have found yourself reaching a plateau and started to get frustrated, then maybe my experience may be of assistance to you.

 

I had a go at clay pigeon shooting at a couple of game fairs during late summer and autumn this year and it ignited a desire in me, that has probably always been there, to get into the sport.

 

At the fairs I missed more than I hit with the majority being "missed left". In everything that I "get into" I always give it 110% and was soon reading up on quite a few apsects of the sport and with a bit of investigation came to the conclusion that, despite being right handed, I was left eye dominant. In went my application for a SGC with the Met and in the meantime a couple of visits to local gun shops and the easy hit stand at the Midland Game Fair confirmed that I was "very" left eye dominant (the easy hit guy stated that I was gross left eye dominant that effectively meant his product was no good for me as my brain couldn't be tricked - fair play to him).

 

I then had a few lessons, my going in point was to shoot leftie but that got ruled out after a few shots (I badly dislocated - nearly seperated my left shoulder 2 years ago and whilst recoil may not have been a problem I just wasn't confident enough to pull the gun into my shoulder so it slapped my face each time fired) plus the fact that I was clearly not as comfortable as a leftie compared to right. So right it was, just to make a bad situation worse I also am unable to squint my left eye - no problem for the right, typical! So the first couple of lessons involved a piece of cardboard being placed over the glasses of my left eye. Did OK but nothing spectacular, four lessons later and I'd graduated to just a small opaque tape dot on the inside of the left lense glasses to prevent the left eye focussing on the end of the gun.

 

For just over a month I persisted with this approach but found it impossible to better the 50% mark of hits. In the process I got pretty disillusioned with it all and can't honestly say I would definitely had persisted with it but for the circa 3 grand I've spent on two guns. Steaming up glasses and all that was driving me and, I'm sure, my shooting buddies nuts.

 

Anyway in the rain Sunday before last at three acres I'd had enough of constantly wiping my glasses and them repeatedly getting fogged up and so shot the last stand without them - hit 9 out of 10 (only the 2nd time I've ever done that). Umm, I thought, might be onto something here... Over the course of a few evenings that week I practiced mounting the gun in the lounge without the glasses on and, along with the help of a borrowed arrow laser shot, was amazed to discover that that secondary "irritating" (previously) image of the barrel that I see with both eyes open was actually pointing in exactly the same direction as the barrel.

 

Now I thought, this is cool, and with the added advantage of having both eyes view totally unobstructed it must be a lot easier to see the targets. (I've failed to even see, let alone hit, numerous high birds in the woods at Copfurn when its wet and humid - mainly due to foggy glasses). So throughout the week I built up the anticipation and was really confident I'd do much better next time I was out.

 

That next time came in the form of a quick dash, at short notice, to JJ's with Baz on Saturday. And guess what, I was only right, I finished just shy of 75% (also getting my first ever 10!) compared to 29% the first time I went there at the beginning of October. Not quite so good on Sunday at Copfurn but to be fair the weather was appalling - not to mention the fact that my shooting buddies became instantly less forthcoming with the usual advice now that I'm not too far off their heels...

 

So the score at JJ's on Sunday suggests that no eye dominance effects are causing a problem.

 

Now, there would no doubt be various theories or ideas explaining all of this, but frankly I couldn't care less, what I've done has worked for me and that's good enough - doing by the book didn't serve me too well it would seem. So, by explaining my experiences I hope anyone else reading this that is also having doubts or concerns might be able to apply some of it, or at least take the time to try and find out what works for them.

 

Thanks for reading and straight shooting to you all. :yp:

Raja

[Nial]

I presume you're long sighted if you can do without your glasses?

 

 

 

Nial.

[Peter De La Mare]

Interesting read, thanks for posting.

 

I've never suffered from fogged shades before. I presume you are wearing a peaked cap when shooting in the rain? If not, try wearing one and you'll find your shades problem goes away. Often the fogging is caused by breathing out into your hand whist your hand is in front of your gob whist wiping rain off the lens. None of this happens with a cap, also you don't get water running down your forehead.

[cubix]

That's a fascinating post, if you're saying what I think you're saying - take your glasses off and it might correct cross eye dominance. I shall have to try it. Great tip.

[Nial]

Great tip.

 

As long as you're long sighted.

 

I'm so short sighted I'd be standing there all day waiting without my glasses....

 

 

Nial

[Fatcatsplat]

I'm left eye dominant and can shoot both sides, but prefer right handed with my left eye shut - If it's going to rain or I'm going to steam up due to the conditions (being of a well proportioned basis) i tend to take my glasses off before i start so my eyes have time to adjust - That way i don't have to suffer an immediate correction (which i would if it tips down halfway through and i suddenly have to lose my lenses cos they have rain or steam on them). If you're shooting better without your gogs on, would suggest you take them off as soon as you get to the shooting ground to let your eyes adjust naturally. My prescription is not that strong, but if you do a glasses on/off repetitive action whilst looking at something, the target definitely seems to move.

[Raja Clavata]

Sorry guys, didn't intend to mislead anyone my references to glasses were shooting glasses (like I said I did it all by the book) I have 20/20 vision so my reliance on the shooting glasses was purely for the purposes of the opaque patch (due to the fact that I can't squint my left eye).

 

I certainly did not mean to imply that wearing any kind of glasses was the cause of the cross eye dominance "problem"...

 

ATB

Raja