jackdog

Learn to shoot with both eyes open, it is not that hard to do. Plus it will give you a much fuller field of vision if your in a defensive situation.

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Jack dog

DaveH

FWIIW - I find that for me (RH / slight LE dominant) I do better by closing my stance a tad, pointing my nose a tad to the right of the target and shooting both eyes open, at the range. I get a sharper focus on the front-sight & a tad better scores that way. I don't close my right eye, but I have been told the lid drops just a bit, or blinks a little. I'm not trying to do that. It just happens when I focus.

OTOH -- For home defence, I rely on Crimson Trace. I do take my bedside .40 to the range for a little actual fire from time to time, but rely on snap caps to do the repetitive muscle memory training.

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I am neither a lawyer, nor I do not play one on television or on the Internet. I hope no one assumes that I am giving legal advice.

Veni, Vidi, Velcro

HotGuns

That is true about the field of vision and the way I reccomend...but...

your dominant eye still takes over. If you don't believe it, grab a gun(unloaded of course) and point it at something while keeping both eyes open.Hold the gun at arms length and point it as a specific object.

Now...close your left eye.

If the gun stays on target, you are right eye dominate

Now...close you right eye and open your left. You should see that you are looking at the left side of the gun and the sights are no longer aligned with your eye.

Now do it again, this time closing your right eye. If the gun is on the target then you are left eye dominate. When you close your left eye and open the right, you should see that the sights are not aligned to your eye and you are looking at the right side of the gun.

Now here's the thing..
It is important to know how to use your dominate eye when shooting.Anybody that trained doing smash and crash techniques whether it be police or military is taught to use both eyes with the head up. When the weapon, whether it be a 45 pistol or an MP5 is brought UP to eye level and everywhere the eye goes so do the barrel of the weapon.

Its is very quick and very efficient and it makes maximum use of the dominate eye, although most people don't realize it.

Nobody is going to shoot at someone else with one eye closed...ecpecially at normal close quarters combat range. It just doesn't work that way. When the body is in the awshucks mode, your brain wants to see everything that is happening and both eyes will be open.

Now that I've said that...

I have trained several people over the years to use their dominate eye and in most cases this includes learning to shoot with their other hand. With a little practice it'll work well and sometimes the results are not only immediate but they can be downright amazing.

At fist there will be some reluctance. I have had people tell me that there left hand was virtually useless and just taking up space. However, with some practice and encouragement, they start hitting the target much easier than they ever did and the success keeps them going on.

Since most defensive shooting is done at 21 feet or less, the human body is a big and long target. Even if cross eyed shooting you should be able to hit the target...even if you have to "walk" them in.

But understand that it is slow, and slow in a gunfight is usually equivalent to death or serious injury.

If you have to go up against someone that instinctively shoots, and uses the dominate eye to automatically line up his gun on you, you will most likely lose the encounter.

Thats just the way it is.

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AR. CHL Instr.

To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men, their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism, and religious dogmas.'
Dr. G. Brock Chisolm

KenInColo

AFShooter, as a kid, I was a terriffic RH hitter, b/c my dom left eye picked up the ball quicker; was also a good infielder b/c left eye guided glove hand to the ball better. In basketball, I was so terrible a shooter that the coach suggested I should be a wrestler. Was this the case w/you? I sucked at tennis (RH) but not at golf (RH). I think it's the dom eye thing.

Thanks all, esp JD for the references to read. I'm gonna try shooting RH with the LE & both eyes open and see how that feels. I just have so much better gun control with my RH.

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An armed populace are called citizens.
An unarmed populace are called subjects.

AirForceShooter

Golf was right handed for me.
I was told from as far back as I can remember do what's comfortable.
There were things that I had to try both ways before I finally got it.
Tennis is righty ping pong is lefty. I can still swing a hammer with either hand and it doesn't make a difference. Same with a screw driver.
I'm not really sure I have a dominant eye. My vision goes back and forth.

AFS

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Gun control is hitting what you aim at

goawayfarm

I'm left-handed & right eyed.

My solution has been to tip the handgun toward my strong eye & turn my head slightly more to my strong side.

When it comes to handguns, I don't recommend shooting with one eye closed.

In this picture you can see the alignment of my strong eye & how far removed from the sight picture my weak eye is when performed this way.

http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulle...hts-eyedom.jpg

(yes...the firearm IS LOADED, but there in NO ONE behind the camera. The self timer was used for it & it's an old camera & I wouldn't care if it was destroyed.)

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Quemadmoeum gladius neminem occidit, occidentis telum est.

"If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. If I have a gun, what do I have to be paranoid about?" -Clint Smith

"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." -Jeff Cooper

VHinch

RH/LE here as well. I shoot with both eyes open and simply turn my head slightly (approx 30 degrees) to the right. I have done this instinctively from a young age and never had any issues. I shoot modified Weaver, but it works just as well from an Isosceles stance.

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Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas

The sights are always aligned, you are out of alignment

Fast Cloud

I muddle through somehow...I'm left handed but old enough to be one of those kids that everyone thought something was wrong with me. I write left handed, throw left handed and bat left handed despite the efforts of school teachers and coaches trying to make me do it "the right way" However, I'm right eye dominent and since shooting is a right handed sport anyway this worked out for me. I've shot right handed for decades so the muscle memory is permanent. I'm trying my hardest to learn to shoot with both eyes open but I still suck at it. The good news is that my "weak" hand for the gun is my strong hand for a knife, stick or any other thing. To top it off, I kick much stronger with my right leg. It's all very confusing.

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"The handgun would not be my choice of weapon if I knew I was going to a fight. I'd choose a rifle, a shotgun, a RPG or an atomic bomb instead"---Clint Smith

NRA member