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Sighting and the Dominant Eye
You must have good vision in order to be a good shooter. Your best vision is attained by using your dominant (strongest) eye while shooting.
No matter how good or bad your eyesight, one eye is always stronger than the other. They are always in competition with one another to serve you best.
The very FIRST thing that a shooting instructor must do (even before discussing or allowing the student to handle or use the firearm) is to determine the student's Dominant Eye. Once determined, this will control all fundamentals thereafter, especially the shouldering of the rifle and shotgun.
| Determining the Student's Dominant Eye |
Am I
Right Eye
Dominant? |
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Am I
Left Eye
Dominant? |
| "Which eye is dominant?" |
To determine the student's Dominant Eye, the Blue Stag School Inc uses two methods – and recommends their use by all Rifle and Shotgun Instructors.
Method #1: "The Finger Method"
To use this method the student must first select a target (such as a door knob or wall light switch). With this target in sight, the student keeps BOTH EYES OPEN and holds one finger vertically at arms length pointing at the target. Without moving the finger, the student then closes the RIGHT eye - noting if the target moved or remained as before. If the target moved or disappeared, then the RIGHT eye is the Dominant Eye. This is a very accurate determination - however - it entirely depends upon the student's following the correct procedure - since the instructor has no way of seeing what the student sees. The same procedure can also be used by closing the LEFT eye.
Method #2: "The Device Method"
This method also requires the student to select a target (such as a door knob or light switch or the Instructor's nose). This method also requires that BOTH EYES remain open and uses a device called "Richter's Dominant Eye Device". The device is an opaque card containing a specially designed aperture. To use. the device is hand held by the student at arms length and the target is located directly in the center of the aperture of the device (like a peep sight) Once the student locates the target in the aperture, he or she must keep the target absolutely centered in the aperture at all times as he draws the device to his forehead. The device will rest on the forehead directly over the Dominant Eye. The instructor can observe this placement with accuracy. This device may be ordered by clicking here.
Do NOT use either method if EITHER OF YOUR EYES are blind, severely diseased, injured or with birth defect(s). In such an unfortunate condition, the ONLY eye that you can see with is your Dominant Eye.
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