Left Eye Dominant?

[JohnH]

I have a friend who is left eye dominate, but right handed, who is taking up shooting. We have disscussed wearing a patch or placing tape over the left eye. Are there any other methods of working with/through this?

[Dale53]

My oldest son is left handed but right eye dominant. He is also ambidextrous. He has successfully shot pistol left handed but right eyed. With a shoulder arm, it is more difficult. Depending on the discipline, you CAN use a scope with a mount for the off eye. People have learned to shoot with the off shoulder, also. That seems potentially really difficult to me.

In about 1952 an olympic pistol shooter from Rumania (I think) shot in the Olympics. Between then and the 1956 Games, he lost his right hand (he was right handed) in a military accident (grenade went off prematurely - givng new meaning to the term "Premature Ejaculation"). He switched hands and won a Gold Medal in the 1956 Games. That is dedication... So, it can be done.

Dale53

[shooter575]

Being right handed and left eye dom is quite common.I tought my self to shoot lefty. One of my late shooting buddies was a true lefty and shot right sided.If you want to shoot you just make it work.I shoot a lot of b/p caplocks and find shooting standard righthanded models is not a problem.Now even holding a pistol righthand feels. ..funny.
Anyway not a big deal.Just one more thing to work out.

[GMJ]

JohnH, I am that way also. Just my opinion you do not need patches, tape or such things. A person wearing that would look mighty silly if they had a CWP and was walking down the street while wearing such items. It is really not hard to learn to shoot right handed using the left eye. Just practice practice and before you know it it is all natural. Good luck

[Wayne Smith]

It's more problematic in long guns than in pistols to be cross dominant. I have a Boy Scout now that is, and is learning to shoot left handed because he's more comfortable that way. Short guns can be held in either hand and the head cocked or the position of the pistol changed so either eye can be used.

[Captain Midnight]

The rifle answer is a scout scope. It is not an isue in pistol shooting. For good scout mounts on military rifles with no gunsmithing try http://www.scopemounts.com .................... Captain

[mike in co]

plain and simple....
i shoot rifle and shotgun left handed, and pistol right handed........

it would be nice to find a left handed milsurplus rifle.......

right handed/left eye dom is not a problem to shooting

learn to shoot with both eyes open or do like i do........

neither is hard, just pick what works for you

[fourarmed]

In their educational material, the NRA recommends that a novice shooter learn to shoot on the same side as their dominant eye. If a person is left-eye dominant, that does present a little more difficulty, but there are enough southpaw or ambi guns around that it isn't impossible.

[carpetman]

I am right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot right handed and with right eye.

[McLintock]

I was born legally blind in my right eye so have always been left eye dominant. Learned to shoot long guns from the git go from the left shoulder, but always shot handguns from the right side; felt more natural. At 55 I started shooting Cowboy Action and have since learned to shoot a handgun with either hand. So you can train yourself to do it about any way you want. It just takes practice. Good luck,
McLintock

[NVcurmudgeon]

I am left-handed, but I have found it not too difficult to occasionally shoot my scoped CZ 452 .22LR right handed. Sometimes a ground squirrel will present a shot that must be taken right handed, especially when shooting from the kitchen door jamb standing position. Also, my brother is left handed but right eye dominant so he shoots everything from the right side. Left handers may have a little advantage here because of having had to adapt to so much right handed equipment their whole lives.

[JohnH]

Thanks guys, I'm gonna copy this and send it to her, give her something to think on and a little more homework till she's up with us next.

[Blackwater]

Lots of good comments above. Never tried that Scout scope setup, but sounds real interesting.

I've fought being left eye dominant and right handed all my life. It CAN be done, but it's a constant challenge, or at least that's how it's worked out for me, at least. If I had it to do all over again, I think I'd at least give it a real serious try to shoot from the left side, with the rifle at the very least. I did give shooting lefty a lacadaisical try or two, but never seriously, and it was a pretty sorry experiment. I HAVE, though, shot at least two deer that I remember at the moment, from the left shoulder, but that was from sitting in an elevated stand, and both were only about 75-90 yd. shots. One shot kills for both, but was propped up so well that a miss would have been a BIG failing on my part. Couldn't move much without spooking them, so switched sides, and from sitting, it worked.

WIth a pistol, I had a long flirtation with shooting from the right with my left eye, but that messed me up shooting my rifle, and ESPECIALLY with the shotgun, where I'd often crossfire, and miss miserably. That's one reason that a quick spot shot with the shotgun was a bit of a specialty of mine on quail. The faster I shot, the better I'd hit, usually. It's also a reason I had so dang much trouble shooting doves, too. One day on a dove field, I'd be hot, and the next cold as dry ice. Very frustrating.

What helped me most, when I practiced it, was squinting my left eye so my right was all I'd sight with. I'd raise the gun, align initially with both eyes open to "set" my mind on speed and distance, and then squint and sight with only my right eye. When I was young, it was very frustrating for me to follow the old advice about shooting with both eyes open. I didn't realize what it was that I was fighting. Even after finally diagnosing the problem, it's STILL hard to put the "cure" into practice consistently. Shooting sporting clays with the shotgun, my scores will clearly indicate how well I squint ... or not. If I squint at the final stage of sighting, I'll hit, but I HAVE to see the target with both eyes initially, as I bring the gun up, to set distance, speed and angle, or I'll miss from misunderestimating that. All kinds of ways to miss. Few to hit.

This is one of those millstones that those of us who labor against it, really have to learn to adapt to, I think, and I know of nobody who does it REALLY consistently. I suspect it's a lot more common than most would think, too. The reason I say this is I know guys who OUGHT to be a lot better shot than they are, and they miss a lot, and are spotty with the shotgun, just like I was.

Shooting lefty is a real problem because there are so dang many beautiful guns to fall in love with that come only right handed. For me, that's part of the joy of shooting, so I've chosen to keep shooting righty, and just try to remember to squint before shooting, and after getting range, direction and angle set with both eyes before that final squint. On a good day, this can be done VERY quickly. I just wish I had more of those "good days!" FWIW?

[krag35]

My Son Dale is left eye dominate, but is right handed. He shoots a rifle left handed, but a pistol with his right hand, head cocked over so he uses his left eye. Looks funny, but it works for him. He just plain sucks with a shotgun on a moving target. When he shoots left handed, he's about as graceful as a cow in a rail pile. when he shoots right handed, he just plain misses. Will have him try that trick of squinting his left eye and shooting right handed.

Wish i had as good an excuse for my misses :-)
krag35

[Jon K]

My Daughter is right handed, left eye dominant. She shoots a pistol right hand- left eye. She has a hard time, and looks clumsy left handed with a rifle. I am trying to have her get comfortable with the left hand position. I have tried to let her hold a rifle I had with extra high scope rings on it. She could sight with it ok, but I didn't let her shoot it, because the caliber was too big for her. I am going to set up a .22 rifle for her with extra tall rings(1.25 rise), and see how it works out. And if that doesn't raise it enough for here I'll add a .250 or .500 riser block under the rings.

Jon

[eveready]

You may want to have your friend try a red dot sight. Its very easy to shoot with both eyes open and eye dominance wont matter. It works for me.

[buck1]

I am right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot right handed and with right eye.


My dads shoots the same way. Hes the best rifle shot I have ever seen burn powder!.....FWIW.....Buck