I'm a New Shooter Again :(

[Marine Cpl]

I'm cross eyed dominant. I'm right handed and left eye dominant.

With handguns, I've always closed my left eye when shooting and have been pretty accurate. I had started focusing more on the target making the target clear and the sights blurry and my groups were better.

2 days ago, I started shooting with both eyes open. Let's just say, it's a work in progress. My groups are crap.

It's a work in progress. My only issue is however that now I'm focusing more on the sights and the target becomes blurry instead of the other way around when I had one eye closed and the target was clear and the sights were blurry.

Does anyone have this problem? If so, were you ever able overcome it?

 

[Celt]

Well im not cross eye dominant, but ive always shot with both eyes open, evenvthrough a magnified optic. My old man always thought it was odd i did that without anyone teaching me. I do know that yo can train yourself to do anything if you put the time in. You need to do it consistantly until you master it. Dry practice can help.

 

[Marine Cpl]

Yea. I guess dry fire is in order here.

 

[kev74]

I'm in the same boat and have been trying to shoot with both eyes for a couple of months. I think I'm more accurate with both eyes open, but every once in a while I catch myself starting to use the wrong eye and have to close my left eye for a second to get things lined up again.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

I thought with handguns you focused on the front sight post. With cross eye dominance you could simply tilt your head to line your dominant eye up with the sight picture. I have tried shooting with both eyes open and barn doors have never been safer. The only instance I have been able to do it is through a red dot. Every other type of sight makes me go cross eyed.

 

[Deplorable Me]

Born again plinker, amen brother.

 

[twisted]

I was left eye dominant as a kid through early teens. Always had issues sighting guns and closing left eye. Didn't really know why until I saw a movie back then I think was called Firebirds about an Apache pilot who couldn't fly well using the helmet mounted HUD. I some how retrained myself after that and now am right eye dominant.

 

[Marine Cpl]

I was left eye dominant as a kid through early teens. Always had issues sighting guns and closing left eye. Didn't really know why until I saw a movie back then I think was called Firebirds about an Apache pilot who couldn't fly well using the helmet mounted HUD. I some how retrained myself after that and now am right eye dominant.

Wish I can do that but I'm too old now to retrain myself to either change dominance in one eye or shoot left-handed.

 

[Marine Cpl]

I thought with handguns you focused on the front sight post. With cross eye dominance you could simply tilt your head to line your dominant eye up with the sight picture. I have tried shooting with both eyes open and barn doors have never been safer. The only instance I have been able to do it is through a red dot. Every other type of sight makes me go cross eyed.

I used to focus on the front sight but watched videos showing you to make the target clear and the pistol sights fuzzy. It actually worked better for me. My body automatically lined up the sights perfectly.

Now with both eyes open, I can't do that.

 

[carpediem]

I am the same way but have always shot handgun with my right hand and both eyes open. Left handed with rifles and shotguns though. Got tired of using right handed guns and got my Savage 11F in left hand.

 

[Uzi]

Wait a second? Are you not supposed to close both eyes and fire as fast as you can and see how many rounds hit the target?

 

[dsdmmat]

I started shooting with both eyes open in 93 once you master it you will wonder why you ever shot one eyed.

 

[brownclown]

I have the same issue and it sucks. Has caused me lots of issues when bow hunting . When adrenaline kicks in it hard to remember to squint the left. When I doing pistol stuff like idpa, I would put scotch tape over left lens of glasses. It would blur left enough to prevent non dominant eye from taking over but still allow me to see full view.

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[brownclown]

I have the same issue and it sucks. Has caused me lots of issues when bow hunting . When adrenaline kicks in it hard to remember to squint the left. When I doing pistol stuff like idpa, I would put scotch tape over left lens of glasses. It would blur left enough to prevent non dominant eye from taking over but still allow me to see full view.

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[4excal]

While my vision is not an issue as your original post, I do have something to contribute to the thread title..As I mentioned a ways back, quitting smoking after 20 years, past few months sure has me shooting completely different then my good/better then good usual ways. I may live longer cause my lungs but die quicker because I'll miss the perp coming at me

 

[Prudii]

My father had eye surgery several years ago, he had to switch to shooting on the other side. All I can say is practice lots and lots of practice.

 

[GTN]

Willy - I have the same disease. Right handed and left eyed and I keep both eyes open. I struggled with my shots were all over the place.
My instructor told me to not fight the left eye from taking over. When you hold the pistol out front with both eyes open you will see 2 sight pictures. The one you need to concentrate on is the 1 on the right. I know it sounds backwards. Then he had me do a slow blink with my right eye so my left eye would get the right sight picture it needed. I did these slow drills of raising the pistol as I do the slow blink. Real quick the brain remembers that picture. Pretty quick you won't have to do that slow blink. You will naturally go right to the sight picture on the right.
Every once in a while I have to do a refresher on this to tighten up my groups.
Please just try this and let us know how it worked out.

 

[Doc8404]

Keep practicing like everyone said

I'm a righty and shoot pistol right handed and long arm left handed. I can either close only my right eye or both. Totally left eye dominant.

 

[enforcer30]

I've got the same issues, right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot pistols both eyes open, always focusing on the front sight with the rear and target being blurry. As for rifles, when I joined the army I taught myself to shoot left handed and it's become second nature at this point. You can train your body to do anything just takes time.


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[Acer-m14]

Well im not cross eye dominant, but ive always shot with both eyes open, evenvthrough a magnified optic. My old man always thought it was odd i did that without anyone teaching me. I do know that yo can train yourself to do anything if you put the time in. You need to do it consistantly until you master it. Dry practice can help.

Same here .. and when looking thru optics i get like a double image i have just gotten used to , my target small with the cross hairs on it .. hitting slow moving things with the 22Lr was fun and making them woodchucks run as the boolets were creeping in closer , I could see both and adjust my lead if need to.. .. i have to think it out to close my left eye ...

 

[Dr. Evil]

Lefty and right eye dominant here. Shoot with both eyes open. It's a skill, like juggling.

 

[enforcer30]

Lefty and right eye dominant here. Shoot with both eyes open. It's a skill, like juggling.

I wish I could juggle...

 

[Catskillkid]

So, Willjr75, is this like becoming a born again virgin? Because that shit ain't real no matter what the good minister says.

All kidding aside I have never been able to shoot with both eyes open, the exception being while using the EOTech (which lends itself to both eyes open). I realize that practice makes perfect but it's always been a huge challenge for me.

 

[FCG LLC]

Left eye dominant + right handed shooter with a messed up left hand (so not much long gun or shotgun) from my left side due to the impact.

Depending on the distance, I use one or both eyes. For precision work (example, a 3" circle at 15 yards) I close one eye. Usually keep both eyes open for torso sized targets out to 25 yards.

Don't matter anyways, anything beyond 5 yards is combination of guess work and prayer for me!

 

[Justincase]

I'm cross dominant as well. I shot for so long before realizing this, that I'm not sure I could learn to shoot a long gun left handed. With a pistol it doesn't seem to be an issue. I could be way off though...

 

[GOPerfect]

Right eye dominant and right hand shooter.

Prior to joining the Military, I only shot a couple 22lr rifles a couple of times. I was not at all a gun nut kinda guy back then.

The Army taught me how to shoot. Rifles, semi autos and revolvers. I learned their way; one eye closed and one eye on the sights.

I shot that way for years and years. On a different forum a while back, there was a conversation about this. There was a lot of information in that thread and I learned much. At that point, I decided to give it a try, for the past year and half or so, I have shot this way and I am almost to the level or my old one eyed shooting.

Practice WILL improve your groups. Good luck!

 

[GOPerfect]

 

[PinkPanther]

Come up with a dry practice routine and focus on doing "The Wall Drill" and do it slow and perfect. The wall drill is probably the best dry practice drill you can do. Perfect practice makes perfect. This way you can get over this hump without blowing through ammo.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

Can eye dominance affect elevation? A few weeks ago my buddy and I went to sight in our rifles. I had my pps43 with a red dot on it and he had his 7 inch AR also with a red dot. I quickly sighted in my pps43 and then he started with his AR. At 50 yards he couldn't hit a damn thing. Round after round he hit dirt low. No matter how much he adjusted he hit low. Being that he never sighted in a red dot I told him to let me give it a try. Holy hell was it high. It seemed no matter how high he adjusted the red dot he was low. I adjusted the red dot to where I could consistently hit the head portion of the steel target right between the eyes. At that point I told him to aim right for the chest dead center. No matter how many times he tried he hit at the very bottom of the target. The shots were all in the same exact place which was good though. So then I told him to aim for the head and sure enough he was hitting dead center in the chest. So no matter where he adjusts the red dot he seems to be about 1+ foot low. Any theories?

P.S. sighting was done sitting at a bench resting

 

[NirvanaFan]

Can eye dominance affect elevation? A few weeks ago my buddy and I went to sight in our rifles. I had my pps43 with a red dot on it and he had his 7 inch AR also with a red dot. I quickly sighted in my pps43 and then he started with his AR. At 50 yards he couldn't hit a damn thing. Round after round he hit dirt low. No matter how much he adjusted he hit low. Being that he never sighted in a red dot I told him to let me give it a try. Holy hell was it high. It seemed no matter how high he adjusted the red dot he was low. I adjusted the red dot to where I could consistently hit the head portion of the steel target right between the eyes. At that point I told him to aim right for the chest dead center. No matter how many times he tried he hit at the very bottom of the target. The shots were all in the same exact place which was good though. So then I told him to aim for the head and sure enough he was hitting dead center in the chest. So no matter where he adjusts the red dot he seems to be about 1+ foot low. Any theories?

P.S. sighting was done sitting at a bench resting

Was it dead center low, or off to one side? With right hand shooters, low and left can mean they're jerking the trigger or they're pulling the trigger with the tip of their finger. Low and right can mean that as they're pulling the trigger, they're tightening their grip. It can also mean that they're pulling the trigger too far down on their finger. (This is opposite for lefties.)

Dead center but low can mean that they're anticipating recoil and are trying to correct for it. They could be tipping their hand at the last minute. Really, a few different things.

Load up a snap cap or dummy round into his mag, but don't tell him where it is. Just tell him it's in there somewhere. See what he does when he pulls the trigger and he gets nothing. His flinching, pushing of the gun, or some other movement should clue you in on what is happening.