Both Eyes Open With Scoped Pistol?

[whitfang]

My brother noticed that I close my 'off' eye when shooting a scoped 2X pistol, and asked why I don't keep both eyes open.  Good Question!

When hunting, if you could shoot with both eyes open, you could keep track of your target better -- instead of losing it momentarily while you get the scope lined up.  I didn't have the time (or ammo) to try it that day.

How many pistol hunters shoot with both eyes open?

What are the pros and cons?

Also, what problems can be caused by shooting with your non-dominant eye?

[Ken ONeill]

Shooting with both eyes open is superior to 1 eye. It gives better depth perception, is less stressful to the eyes and gives a larger view. There are no negatives. Non dominant eye? With handguns, it's much ado and fretting over something which is correctable through changing your shooting position and using both eyes. One difficulty I have experienced due to a problem with my right eye (and an inability to use it) arose due to my being a right handed shooter. I had to temporarily begin to use only my left (non dominant) eye to shoot with. It took a bit of practice, but I was able to change the position of my head in my shooting position and overcame that problem. In that instance, there was no change in sight settings.

[corbanzo]

When shooting long range, I need to be able to pay attention to very close details of what are in the scope, if I can see outside the scope, I lose some of that detail, which is why I close one eye usually.  I need to be able to see creases in the hair to have a good point of aim, something which having both eyes open will take away from. 

[Lloyd Smale]

its probably the right way to shoot but be dammed if i can do it. To many years of closing the left eye to retrain this old bugger.

[Jerry Lester]

I've been shooting (everything, scoped or not) with both eyes open since I started when I was a little kid with my Daisy BB gun. I never had anybody to tell me different, so it became second nature.

I've tried closing my left eye, and there's nothing wrong with it really, but I shoot better, and more consistently with both open, especially with a handgun. 

[DGrig]

Both eyes open here.  I also use a 2x scope on my SRH and especially when practicing with a lot of shots it GREATLY reduced the eye strain I was experiencing.

[dstegjas]

I shoot with both eyes open as well. I don't know if it has to do with eye dominance or what, but I know some people have problems with it. It definitely helps me track the movement of the game as well as my depth perception too.

Jim

[Camel 23]

I have better luck with both eyes closed.

[Graybeard]

Like Lloyd this old fart has to close that left eye just as I've been doing since I started shooting air rifles at age of five all those 57 years ago. I reckon what I've been doing for 57 years is good enough to continue with a while longer.