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August 29, 2020
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In my extremely limited experience, somehow I got the habit of closing my left eye when lining up the sights.
Then I saw videos advocating keeping both eyes open. I tried doing that a little, with limited success.
I'm interested in hearing what works for you.
November 3, 2019
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I shoot with both eyes open. It took a lot of practice as I'm left handed and right eye dominant. Working in law enforcement, I didn't want to rob myself of half my visual field, making it easier to be blindsided.
August 29, 2020
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Thank you for your service as a police officer. I appreciate cops more than ever now that they're being defunded in my city.
Are there any specific exercises that seemed to help develop this ability? My eyes are pretty old and I find it particularly hard to do in bad light.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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I too am old. 62 when I started shooting. 70 now. I also am extremely nearsighted and also need reading glasses. So I had bifocals. The front sight of a handgun is too close for distance lenses and too far away for the reading lense. I now have trifocals. The middle lense is called computer distance. About 36" distance. The distance you would view a computer monitor. I just raise my head very slightly when shooting. The difference in my shooting was amazing. I can't speak to progressive lenses. I always thought I may be searching for the sweet spot. I am left handed with an extremely dominant left eye. I close my right eye for better acuity. My right eye is not corrected to 20/20. Visit your eye doctor and get trifocals. You may or may not want to tell him it is for shooting. He may enter it into your now public medical records. Thank you Obama, for nothing.
February 16, 2016
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grumpyoldretiredcop said
I'm left handed and right eye dominant.
Wow.
April 25, 2008
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I always shoot with both eyes closed.
The Savantist
December 9, 2015
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Tried both ways. Always best for me with closed left eye. Real natural with scope on rifle and with burris red dot on 715. No apologies if tighter groups = better.
February 16, 2016
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IHMSA80x80 said
I always shoot with both eyes closed.
Dans Club
December 5, 2008
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My wife is right-handed and left-eye dominant. She shoots handguns with right eye closed and rifles with left eye closed. Works great for her!
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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My wife is right handed and left eye dominant. She learned to use both eyes in the police academy. Took top proficient honors. Top academic honors too but they wouldn't give her both certificates. She chose firearms and they were not happy.
September 8, 2020
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Progressive lenses work for me. Sort of like nose down the barrel instead of eye.
If I can tell the difference between the floaters in my eye and the sights I'm good with both eyes open.
October 18, 2017
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Progressive lenses work for me as well; sort of. I have an older pair that I modified by moving the nose pieces in much closer, so the glasses ride higher. This means that I don't have to hold my head 'up' to see the sights clearly, and only slightly down to see the target. This could also work if your glasses don't have separate nose pieces by purchasing nose pads that stick on to the frame. This made long distance shooting much easier for me.
December 23, 2014
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Old eyes do make it more difficult, but I try to shoot with both eyes open with varying degrees of success. For more accurate target shooting I use the Eye-Pal self clinging patch on my shooting glasses, but they are not suitable for everyday self defense.
August 29, 2020
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Thank you for all the responses.
I've been trying looking at the sights and target with both eyes open, to varying degrees of success. I noticed that a fiber optic front sight is available, and considering trying that.
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DWF Supporters
May 11, 2011
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IHMSA80x80 said
I always shoot with both eyes closed.
I always hit what I'm aiming at when I use this method
February 21, 2011
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seattle_refuge said
Thank you for all the responses.I've been trying looking at the sights and target with both eyes open, to varying degrees of success. I noticed that a fiber optic front sight is available, and considering trying that.
Definitely helps. I went with front & rear though.
Matthew Quigley on handguns:
“I said I never had much use for one. Never said
I didn't know how to use it.”
November 3, 2019
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seattle_refuge said
Thank you for your service as a police officer. I appreciate cops more than ever now that they're being defunded in my city.Are there any specific exercises that seemed to help develop this ability? My eyes are pretty old and I find it particularly hard to do in bad light.
Mostly dry practice, working on focusing on the front sight using my left eye. At first, I had to squint my right eye so as not to see two front sights, gradually working on keeping the front sight in sharp focus with my left eye while not completely ignoring what my right eye saw. Once I could do that, I added drawing the revolver (yes, it was that long ago! lol) to the mix. It took a long time before I was really comfortable - if I were starting now, I don't think I'd make it all the way through the process - but it's worth trying; you might be much better at it than I was.
Fiber optic or dot sights are something I've found to be a huge help. Of course, nowadays a lot of shooters just bolt on a red dot and have done with it... but I can't bring myself to desecrate any of my Dans - or other revolvers.
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Moderators
January 24, 2009
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I have always shot with one eye open...all my life. (Right eye & hand dominant)
I have heard & read the opinions for shooting with both eyes open, but I have always found that leaving my left eye open, will often times leave me distracted. I suppose in a firefight scenario, keeping both eyes open would be to my advantage, and at that point, I just might do that! 
Hope I never have to. But so far all my trigger pulls have been at stationary targets that aren't firing back at me, or aren't flailing wildy at me with a machete or some such crap.
So when I pull the trigger, I shut the "world out" & focus on the matter at hand with my right eye. "Boom...CLANG!" 
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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If you were in a firefight you just might forget to close that left eye.
October 18, 2017
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In a firefight one's reflexes will kick in to whatever method you're used to. Self defense shooting is different from long range shooting, but what you do the most will probably be what you'll use in that one awful moment. Be consistent!
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