Shooting with both eyes open?

[tyler87]

I took my new 700 in .308 to an indoor 100yd range today and didn't get very good results. This is my first time shooting with a non-ACOG, magnified scope. I wasn't jerking the trigger and my breathing was good...as far as I could tell. I've put enough money (in my mind) into it before even shooting it and I didn't get the results I was expecting/wanting. I'm sure I'm to blame in some way.

My groups ranged from 1" to 1.5" shooting 5 rounds and I know the gun is capable of much better. I had a few groups with 2 or 3 rounds touching or overlapping and the rest straying from the pack.

I'm used to shooting with both eyes open with irons and red dots and I caught myself doing so through the scope. Would alternating between dominate eye and both eyes open affect my groups/zero? Does anyone shoot with both eyes open? This may have been asked before, sorry for that in advance, but I didn't find anything in my search.

I was sitting, using a bipod and no rear bag. In case it matters, the equipment is a Remington 700 AAC-SD in a B&C Medalist, SWFA SS 3-9x42, Warne one-piece base and Vortex rings. The ammo was Sierra MatchKing 175gr. I feel like I've just wasted 20 rounds of pricey ammo.

 

[Blanman]

Re: Shooting with both eyes open?

Since that scope doesn't have adjustable parallax you have to be very consistent on your head/eye placement. Having both eyes open while shooting through a scope isn't a bad thing at all and doesn't effect your zero, but you can try switching and see what works best for you.

Also, what ammunition were you using?

 

[tyler87]

Re: Shooting with both eyes open?

The ammo was Sierra MatchKing 175gr

 

[jbailey]

Re: Shooting with both eyes open?

I always shoot with both eyes open, using all magnified optics and red dots. Much better for overall awareness and most importantly eye fatigue. I don't think you keeping both eyes open is the problem, especially if you are used to doing it with the ACOG and irons.

More likely, it is the sitting position. You must have a long bipod in order to shoot with it sitting. It can't be too stable either. Why not go prone, with the rear bag, when you are testing for groups? If you are testing to see what the rifle can do, rule out of the shooter as much as possible. Then you can do all the crazy non-prone positional stuff....

 

[tyler87]

Re: Shooting with both eyes open?

JamesBailey-
I was sitting, but the rifle/bipod was resting on a concrete table.

 

[jbailey]

Re: Shooting with both eyes open?

Got it, so you were shooting off bench. I would redo the test either prone, or off bench, but use a rear bag. Your zero will change slightly prone vs bench unless you are really really good at dialing out parallax. I always shoot better groups from prone, but that is just me. Do whatever test you think will remove the most shooter variables.

 

[madppcs]

I shoot with both eyes open. It takes effort to keep one eye closed and its just another distraction. Im much more relaxed with both eyes open. Post pics of your groups!

 

[5spd]

As stated above, I do the same & shoot w/both eyes open since the 70s when I started.

 

[a4308]

I have shot with both eyes open, and did not notice a difference in my group. But it might be different for someone else. Try some different ammo.

 

[danb303]

Don't get discouraged by 1"-1.5" groups with one single ammo. Try some 168 gr SMK's or AMax. Some people try 8-10 diff types of ammo before they find a .5" group. Too bad you're not local or I would give you several diff 168 gr to try
Btw. A lot of people shoot and measure 3 shot groups.

 

[fnbrowning]

The ammo was Sierra MatchKing 175gr

That is fine, fine ammo. One of the best available. It is uncanny how well Black Hills shoots in so many different rifles.
Still, you could try Federal Premium Gold Medal match loads. At 100yds, I can't imagine you'd see an much of an accuracy difference between 2 Sierra Matchking rounds.

 

[savagenut]

I shoot with both eyes open for less fatige and find that if I rotate the rear lens cap to open to the left it will help with the non dominant eye. Never found much group size difference shooting with one or both eyes open.

 

[seanh]

Sometimes it's one eye others it's both...depends on what I'm doing (if I'm tired, it's one eye due to an eye defect- wandering eye, both eyes). If I'm going for quick target acquisition, both eyes.

 

[Ryo]

Might be a obvious thing to check, but have you check to see if your base or scope mount is loose? I've had grouping issues due to that in the past.

 

[Nickmz]

Im pretty sure your technique is fine. I had the same issue with damn near the same set up. Rem 700 AAC-SD.

Was not pleased with the 1.5-2 in groups. Thought I might be pulling due to the horrible x-mark trigger. Replaced with a Timney and still no better. Replaced stock with B&C A5 bedded.

Shooting 175gr SMK, powder charges from 42-44.5 varget. All with no consistant pattern, even shooting hornady factory 308 rounds.

I torqued everything down. Swapped out SS 5-20 with hensoldt just to eliminate posible scope problems. Even had someone else shoot it to eliminate myself as the problem.

All Said and done after a lot of waisted rounds, money, and great frustration I put the AAC aside and built custom 260 that's drilling holes at .5

Point is, it's not your technique. Get a smith to take a good look at the rifle or move on to something new.

 

[Idaho Savage]

If you hunt, this is a no-brainer: Learn to shoot with both eyes open, every time. Having both eyes open allows you to see what's happening around your target, including a cow coming out of the timber, a doe potentially slipping into the background or worse--the unlikely but scary proposition that another hunter becomes somehow visible. I'm not the most experienced hunter on this board but it has already likely saved my ass once already when a cow elk appeared out of nowhere while I was zeroing on my targeted elk.

 

[Graham]

Shooting with one eye closed is for sport shooters.

 

[LRRPF52]

I shoot everything with both eyes open, long range rifle, conversational distance pistol, carbine, magnified optics, etc. The only exception is when I switch dominant sides when shooting rifle, and have to use the non-dominant eye, but I only squint in that case.

If you focus on maintaining a good sight picture, with focus on the reticle, throughout the process of taking the shot, you will harness all the fundamentals into one thing you can concentrate on.

 

[okiefired]

I agree with Graham.

Okie

 

[Joe L]

With my Savage, when I had that problem, it was a parallax adjustment issue with a new scope--operator error. I also quit cleaning the bore, so cold bore shots are dead on with the followup shots.

I shoot both eyes open, keep the left eye on the level to the left of the scope for cant, but I am primarily a pistol shooter and have trained my brain to ignore left eye when I am focused on sights with right eye, but it took a few months of lip balm on left lens to blur things enough so the brain tuned out the left eye enough to make it all work well.

Joe