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both eyes open on a scope?

kidthatsirish
I have always been taught to shoot with both eyes open when it comes to iron sights no matter what your shooting (rifle, handgun, or shotgun). I always shot with one eye closed when using a scope.

I have recently heard that it is better to shoot with both eyes open with a scope. Thoughts, opinions, pros, cons? All would be helpful.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • beantownshootah
    If you CAN keep both eyes open when shooting with a scope, its good to do so, since (hopefully) you'll get more awareness of what's going on around you APART from just the target with your non-dominant eye.

    Also, if you are using a reflex/dot scope or low-magnifcation scope (eg 2x or less) your brain can fuse the images from both eyes (even if one is slightly magnified) creating a stereoscopic field of view.

    Unfortunately, not everyone can do this.

    Personally speaking, I'm left eye dominant but right-handed. So if I shoulder a rifle normally against my right shoulder, but leave my left eye open, the image from the dominant left eye overpowers that from the right, and I have a really hard time perceiving what's happening in the scope. Same thing happens if I use iron sights on a rifle.

    To correct this, I just close my left eye.

    Theoretically, I could learn to shoot left handed to overcome this problem then shoot just fine with both eyes open. . .but I don't want to. [;)]
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  • RCrosby
    +1 what he said.
    I still tend to close my left eye when shooting from the bench, but it creates more fatigue for me during long sessions and it's a counterproductive habit when I take to the field. Kind of like half the woods is hiding behind a big rock or outcropping.
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  • mark christian
    I'm in the same boat as Beantown: Right handed shooter, but left eye dominant (which is actually much more common than most folks believe). I always leave my left eye open when sighting through a scope and it has never been any problem for me, but your mileage may vary.
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  • jaegermister
    Recently have begun forward mounting of "scout type" scopes on various rifles. One of the most useful advantages is in being able to shoot quickly with both eyes open. Quick target sighting without removing your focus from target to scope. I can not do that with conventional close eye relief scope.
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  • hadjii
    I always shoot with both eyes open on a scope. An old neighbor of mine I grew up with was a merchant marine in WWII taught me to shoot that way when I was just a kid, and when I went to the Army they reaffirmed everything he taught me. To me, that's the only way to shoot, but that's just me.
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  • quickmajik
    I do, rifle, pistol and shotgun, open sights, scope, whatever I'm useing..

    Seems like I hit better when I am moveing, or the targets are moveing that way..JMHO..
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  • Herschel
    I have had the same experience as beantownshotah, RCrosby and mark christian. Current majority opinion holds that it is better to aim with the dominant eye even if it requires learning to shoot from the opposite side/shoulder. I learned to shoot in the 1950's before that idea was so prevalent. I shoot right handed and close the left eye while aiming. Perhaps that is not ideal but it works fine for me.
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  • mrbruce
    Seems I've kept both open for as long as I can remember after grandpa brought the subject up...
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  • stevecrea
    I agree with mrbruce. I learned early on that shooting anything with both eyes open was a superior practice. If you find it to be not automatic for you, I believe that if you practice that way, and continue to practice, practice, practice, it should eventually become automatic for most shooters. Now, if you have the cross-eye dominant issue, I do not know.
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  • Don McManus
    I also am left-eyed and right handed. It has taken 1000s of rounds, but have been able to train my brain to accept the input from the right eye over that of the left.

    For me, the best training device was a quality holographic sight. When using one, all you have to do is force your brain to find the red dot which was easier than trying to figure out which picture was framed with a ghost ring.

    Once proficiency was achieved with the holo-sight, keeping both eyes open with a scope became a very simple progression.

    I still have trouble when keeping my left eye open with iron sights, particularly 'V' types, but definitely shoot better with scopes, holo-sights, and red dots.
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