Phil, I certainly am not a good example, an old dog trying to learn new tricks. You use the figure 2,000. I've not been counting but I am well past that, almost a year now. Years ago I had given it a try a couple of times and gave up way too early and went back to the one eye. I wish I had made the sincere effort then that it requires. I am now comfortable with the two eyes and starting to be more consistant. It is an adventure but I think it is worth the effort if you can. Good luck, Bob

 

I cannot remember not being a two eyed shooter, stick with it and one day you won't even think about and you will just do it without thinking about it ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Don't worry about what others do if it's working for you do it your way. Remember the old saying, if it ain't broke don't mess with it. I have always shot 2 eyed with a shotgun but when I pick up a rifle that left eye just falls shut. I know some very good shooters both ways. Just see which way provides the results that you are looking for & use that one. JMO --Ross Puls

 

635G:It depends on how competitive you are. If you expect to be on the board at the end of the shoot, percentages are most are 2 eyed. Not all but most. Birdtracker

 

It takes 4-6 months to become a two eye shooter but is defenitely a great advantage over the one eye. I strongly recommend you be patient and keep trying. I have a student 11 year shooter who was taught by an old trap shooter to cover one eye and I was able to change her (thank God) to two eyes in a very short time. Keep at it and be patient also keep in mind that you only need to look at the target to point the gun - not aim at the target. If it helps the figure eight on the bids should not be looked this will become a blur...
Good luck and smoke them..you can

 

Try shooting a little faster, if you are "NOT" looking at the barrel, it will take little time. If you check the barrel, it will take more time to break that bad habit. A few shots to start breaking targets, a few weeks to break the habit of keeping both eyes open. If I can do it anyone can................GOOD LUCK

 

OK for the above that profess that two eyes are better. Why? Why is it necessary and or better to use two eyes?

 

Maybe the one-eyed bashers are mathematics types pheasent man. Please allow an illustration:


1 eye + another eye = 2 eyes. Since most folks have two eyes, this equates to 100% utilization.


We poor one-eyed shooters are using only half of our alloted eyeballs and must be therefore 50% poorer shooters.


We are however 100% more capable then those hapless no-eyed shooters!


An also more obscure, but reliable truth is that one-eyed shooters are the smartest and best lookin shooters around.


Happy New Year,


Guy

 

Well, I'm no expert but what I learned when tactical training was that you can pick up your targets faster and scan for additional threats through your periphery. While I know the second reason hasn't much merit in the dangerous game of trapshooting, the first definitelyis worthy of consideration. As mentioned earlier, when I shoot a scoped weapon or something that requires precision like 1-200 yard rifle, I automatically close my left eye. But for combat handgun, combat rifle, or shotgun sports its fairly easy to keep both open. No secret for me, it was pretty easy to accomplishand its been that way for 30+ years. I also have friends who shoot well one-eyed and we don't fight much about it. For me its just quicker to pick up the bird out of the house with both open and as I get older I need all the help I can get in the reaction department.

Scott

 

Well, you can keep on with your experiment and end up wasting all that time with experimenting and still go back to one eye like I had to.

 

Two eyes are better than one for me, for the following reasons.

I don't get a headache. I see much better, pick up the targets sooner (especially left going targets), and because I don't have to hold as low, there is much less gun movement to the target.

If I dot or tape my left lens, my left eye gets sore trying to focus. It also tries to see around the occlusion. When I wear an eye patch, the "picture" my brain sees is darker because the dark gray image of the eye patch my left eye sees overlays the image from my right eye.

I can't close my left eye without squinting my right. I can't stand walking with my left lens taped, or while wearing an eye patch- even from post to post. I don't like shooting with one eye. Actually, I hate shooting with one eye. Actually, I'd rather quit shooting than shoot with one eye.

Phil, I don't have a dominant eye. It has always been a problem. I spent a lot of years shooting one eyed until I finally decided i was going to learn to shoot two eyed no matter what. It was a frustrating effort. I eventually learned to do it, and will never go back. However, there were many problems to overcome even after I had "learned". Gun fit became even more important. My left eye occasionally locked on the bird and I'd miss inexplicably. Phil Kiner picked that up and made me aware of it. I tried all of his suggested fixes and stuck with the ones that worked for me.

I've worked my way around most of the problems, but I know I will never be an AA shooter. I take it as a fact of life than an average of 4 times an event, my left eye will take over and I'll miss way left. That's why I'm a high B, low A class shooter, and that's where I'll probably stay. I'm okay with that.

For disciplines other than trap, two eyed is much, much better. I cannot imagine hunting pheasants with one eye. Nor can I imagine completing a sporting course using one eye.

 

Scott, after 30 years Iam not going to tell you to change. But long distance precision shooting is exactly where two eyes should be utilized.

 

regarding Kiner: how good are his "fixes" for one-eyed shooters? I am going through this same exact dilemma, but for sporting clays.

I started out as a one eyed shooter then was schooled in two eye shooting but reverted back to a hybrid one-eyed shooting method after failing to hit a many crossing, quartering, and teal shots that were not at "in your face" distance. I can hit crossing targets most of the time if it's within "skeet" range but for anything that is medium to far, forget about it. I need to utilize a hybrid method where I have both eyes open, acquire the target(s), then close my non-dominate eye and lock on to the target and do the nano-second calculation in my brain to determine how much lead to give the target. I am usually very very successfully with this method on hitting targets that are medium to far away. I just can not determine how much lead to give targets when they are not at "in your face" ranges.

I wear Rx lenses for both shooting and day to day activity and was diagnosed as having astigmatism.

 

I can't shoot one eyed it's just natural for me to shoot two eyed and I've tried to shoot with one eye open and failed. I guess the question would be if your comfortable shooting one eyed why switch?

 

I can shoot two eyed but I must shoot from the left side. I choose to shoot one eyed from the wrong side.

Rod

 

I have shot 1 eyed all my life even when I hunted years ago. Thats how I was taught when I was a kid from my grandpa with a .410 single shot. I have shot trap and skeet for 30 years one eyed and I don't do too bad and I am very comfortable so why try to change. Shooting one eyed has never given me a headache or any other complications so I have no desire to change and start over. In fact when I open both eyes now I see 2 barrels comming from two different angles. GOOD LUCK

 

Pheasantmaster, hard to teach an old dog new tricks,huh? I do't rifle shoot much anymore, but thanks for the tip.

There is a product I saw on a Pgun at the club, though its an add on, that blocks the lest end of the rib so that eye dominance does not affect your right eye or the bead. (hope I phrased that right) It looks like it just snaps on through the rib and is only a couple inches long. ANyone else seen these or know where a guy could get one?

Scott

 

Get the EasyHit Sport Shooting Bead on Tom Knapp web site. Their are others
also. I got mine at Cabelas. It alows you to shoot with both eyes open
but only the dominate eye seeing the sight and then target.

Before you go back to one eye, at least look into it and try it.

Birddog

 

You may never be able to shoot with 2 eyes as well as you can shoot with 1. Eye dominance can change with age and distance and there won't be a damned thing you can do about it despite the people who want you to think that practice will fix it.

Shooting trap isn't anything like shooting combat; you know when and where the trap targets are coming from. You use very little peripheral vision. With one eye you'll hold a lower gun and move it a bit more but you will adapt.

MK

 

I got a friend that is left handed but started out shooting with a righthanded gun. He was doing very poor at first. I didn't no he was left handed. He bats and golfs righhanded. I told him he was using the wrong eye when shooting. Hell he said ok and switched domanat eye that same day. He started nocken the heck out of them birds. Keeps right up with the rest.
I am right handed and right eye domant. I bat and golf left handed. I shoot right handed with both eyes open. Same with pistol but rifle no.I. tried one eye on trap but couldn't not judge distance or speed.

 

<blockquote><I>".I. tried one eye on trap but couldn't not judge distance or speed."</i></blockquote>That doesn't make a bit of difference anyway in trap.

MK

 

Here is a way to learn how to shoot trap with two eyes. This method will retrain your brain for two eyed shooting.

1. Lock the trap machine on straight aways from post 3.
2. You are going to shoot 25 targets, in five shot groups.
3. 1st group, shoot 4 straight aways using one eye, the 5th shot use two eyes.
4. 2nd group, shoot 3 shots with one eye, and the 4th and 5th shot with two eyes.
5. 3rd group, shoot 2 shots with one eye, and 3 shots with two eyes.
6. 4th group, shoot 1st shot with 1 eye, and 4 shots with two eyes.
7. 5th group, shoot all 5 with two eyes.

If you run the last five targets you are a two eyed shooter. HMB

 

Hi Phil, What did Dennis tell you about shooting with 1 eye verse the 2 eye? If you don't remember why not pick up the phone and ask him!!! Do you really think you will find out what works for you by asking people on this site!!! Why not just flip a coin. While there is great info here just for the asking, this is a question for a personal coach who has seen you shoot. Ask another coach if need be, and just give time, time!!! Best of Luck in your shooting and may you Break-em all. Jeff

 

Break-em all Jeff, Do I smell a story here?? You're not all wrong, he'd do better to keep his coins in his pocket rather than ask a person of my skills. What's that comment about the value of free advice. Have fun and shoot often while we can, Bob

 

Lets back up a little, what most 2 eyed shooters don't relize is that some of us 1 eyed shooters don't see things with 2 eyes like you do, for instance unless I put a patch on the glasses of my left eye I see 2 barrels and 2 birds and the patch on my eye glasses has to be in the right place or I'll still see 2 barrels & birds, that's what most 2 eyed shooters don't understand.