Q&A: I See Two Barrels

Dear Ashes,

I am a left eye dominant shooter who is right-handed. I switched over to shooting left-handed and my scores improved somewhat. I took a shooting lesson last year, and explained to the instructor that I saw “two gun barrels” while shooting. He advised that I blink my right eye before triggering the shot. My scores improved dramatically, but recently I have been told that this was bad advice.  

What do you think? Thanks for your help

Marian

Dear Marian,

You are supposed to see two barrels if you are looking at the target. That is why you get so confused when you try to check the “lead”.  Which gun do you look at? Your eyes are meant to work together. That is why you can merge your car into traffic without closing an eye. Because of your binocular vision, if you are looking at the target you will see two barrels.  If you are looking at the barrel, you will see two targets. Which one do you shoot?

We suggest you shoot by looking at the front edge of the target and inserting the gun into the lead ahead of the target. If you will pull the trigger as the gun comes into the face, you will not have to close the eye. For some, closing the eye is a better alternative than patching the eye or smearing Vaseline on your lens. But the best way to shoot a shotgun is to use both eyes. 

If you focus on the target with two eyes, you are giving the brain the correct information. Then, just as you are taking the shot, if you close one eye, you are giving it different information. Although you will experience some improvement with one eye, your potential is limited, especially in sporting clays. When you close an eye, you lose your depth perception, because depth perception is a binocular function. You will also lose the ability to see peripherally to the left and will not be able to pick up the second target on a pair as easily if it comes from the left.

Closing an eye or occluding an eye allows you to aim the shotgun and “check the lead,” which will work in some instances.  However, you will find it very confusing as you try to improve in the future. Besides, you walk around all day long with both eyes open. Why would you close the eye to shoot, other than to look down the barrel and check the lead? Trust your point. Insert the gun ahead of the target and pull the trigger when the gun comes up to the face.