From the pilots view of things.....

[evangilder]

Originally Posted by Glider

Interesting statement about the eye dominance but it was a big assumption. When coaching people to shoot, the first thing I test for is to check the eye dominance. You would be suprised how many right handed people have a left eye dominance.

That's me. Right handed, left eye dominant. But I have always shot (whether weapon or camera) with both eyes open.

[Glider]

To a degree it depends on the strength of the dominance but normally I would suggest either:-

a) Use a cross beam on the sigth so you can shoot right handed but sight with the left eye or
b) Put a piece of light covered perspex attached to the sight which covers the forward view of the left eye. That way you get the benefit of having both eyes open, without the problem of left eye dominance.

B is far more common than A as using the cross beam there are a few problems such as keeping the sight level.
I am right eye dominance and right handed still use B. Top shots wear what looks like a pair of glasses but instead perspex on the sight have a small piece that hangs down from the frame just to distrupt the forward view of the left eye.

Some people use a patch over the left eye but the benefits of keeping both eyes open are significant

As mentioned before, if I were to teach you archery I would try to get you to shoot left handed.

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by Glider

To a degree it depends on the strength of the dominance but normally I would suggest either:-

a) Use a cross beam on the sigth so you can shoot right handed but sight with the left eye or
b) Put a piece of light covered perspex attached to the sight which covers the forward view of the left eye. That way you get the benefit of having both eyes open, without the problem of left eye dominance.

B is far more common than A as using the cross beam there are a few problems such as keeping the sight level.
I am right eye dominance and right handed still use B. Top shots wear what looks like a pair of glasses but instead perspex on the sight have a small piece that hangs down from the frame just to distrupt the forward view of the left eye.

Some people use a patch over the left eye but the benefits of keeping both eyes open are significant

As mentioned before, if I were to teach you archery I would try to get you to shoot left handed.

Interesting regarding different philosophies.

I teach more shotgun shooting than anything else - where the target is moving rapidly at various angles. If I run into a right hand/left eye dominance at a young age I also encourage - switching - rather than blurring or covering the 'off eye'.

For the older shooter set in their ways I usually make them aware of the issue and stress a low or dismounted gun approach to even competitive clay target (or live flyers) so that both eyes are always open and focused on acquiring and keeping the target as the gun moves into shoulder and barrel swings through the bird.

Usually there will be 'unexplainable' misses for the cross shooter, but at least aware of the potential for dominant eye to 'take over' at the last second..

I have always rejected the 'blurring' concept for those that are 'eye/hand' matched but I know some top shooters that do just that for Skeet. I suspect the constancy of same target at every location for skeet helps..

I have also noticed that many American style Skeet shooters that learned and adhered to sustained lead are TERRIBLE Flyer shooters in live bird competition - both for boxed and Columbaire style..

I shoot with both eyes for everything but pistol and rifle Qualification shooting where I prefer the sights to be in focus.

Opinions vary on this topic among experts.

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by Glider

There are a number of tests but the simplest one to do yourself is as follows.

a) With both eyes open put an arm out in front of you
b) Raise the thumb, line it up on a fixed point
c) Focus on the thumb, then on the fixed point in the distance
d) Without moving the arm, close one eye
e) If the thumb is still lined up on the fixed point, then that is the dominant eye.
f) Check this by opening both eyes and closing the second one.

If its the weaker eye, the thumb will appear to move to the left or right depending on which eye is dominant.
If there is no dominance the thumb will move a short distance either way depending on the eye thats open.

.

I have only modified your method by making a circle of thumb and first finger to double check the 'thumb' only. I have found it to be a good crosscheck particularly for people with little dominance in either eye.

[Glider]

This may be of interest. This is a high end shooting glasses frame. The circle holds the lens, the black patch distrupts the vision from the left eye. I have seen light patches rather than black and in some cases just a stick like a matchstick.

http://www.stewardsportsglasses.co.u...nworld4640.jpg

Me I am low cost. I wear normal glasses with the lens adapted to be ideal towards the top left of the right lens and a light cream coloured perspex attached to the sight that covers the forward vision of the left eye.

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by Glider

This may be of interest. This is a high end shooting glasses frame. The circle holds the lens, the black patch distrupts the vision from the left eye. I have seen light patches rather than black and in some cases just a stick like a matchstick.

http://www.stewardsportsglasses.co.u...nworld4640.jpg

Me I am low cost. I wear normal glasses with the lens adapted to be ideal towards the top left of the right lens and a light cream coloured perspex attached to the sight that covers the forward vision of the left eye.

We have the same center of focus but for both right and left - my lenses are amber, violet and yellow depending not on light, but on background.

I still have Decot Lenses and frames I was given by US Army team (I was not on the team but I was second alternate behind Satterwhite and (Brad Simmons?? can't remember for sure, but he shot a Bauer shotgun), the two Olympic selections for 76 skeet team, and Tom Poston US Army who was first alternate.

We shoot a lot of flyers in LA and Texas and NC where there are frequently oak or pine trees outside the ring in lower light conditions and the grey pigeons are more diffcult to see in that environment. Ditto for shooting skeet and bunker trap and Powder Pigeon at Dallas Gun Club before trees were cut down.

[Glider]

Its interesting as you said with the different approaches to different types of shooting.
To cater for the different light conditions, the actual sight that I use has three variables built into it
a) A polariser filter
b) Coloured graduates
c) An adjustable IRIS.

Its an almost unlimited set of options but in a competition when you have limited time to set up, you can find it a curse. But if you get it right then its worth the effort.

PS It may sound odd but I have never fired a shotgun, its one of those things on my 'I want to do' list

Apologies to all for moving the discussion from what was intended, but I hope it has been of interest.

[Lucky13]

This will cost you a round at the bar!

[Njaco]

Just found this pic. Pretty decent view of a Bf 109E cockpit...

Pictures from Tony Wood

[109ROAMING]

Good stuff Njaco!

surprised me how crisp/clear it is

[Soren]

I am left eye dominant and right handed, but I do close my left eye when shooting. Always closing the left eye can however be tiresome in the end.