I don't think I could recommend shooting a side lock other than the hand it was made in. Some also have a cast to the stock and or a cheek piece.
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Left eye dominant, right hand dominant?
- Thread starter granth
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I'm strongly left eye dominant and right handed. Always have been. My left eye is perfect. Right one is not very good at all.
I considered switching to left hand shooting earlier, but it wasn't worth the trouble. I got glasses and shoot right eye instead. I use my left eye shooting handguns usually if I'm using sights.
I'm right handed, left eye dominant. I realized this in my teens and started shooting lefty. No real problem. I can shoot a pistol in either hand using my left eye but am more comfortable shooting lefty. I will do exercises for my left hand and trigger finger. My idea on dealing with hard trigger pulls is simply have a stronger trigger finger rather than replacing triggers.
My friend taught rifle marksmanship in the Army, and has shot black powder competetion for 50 years.
He flat out stated, it doesn't matter! How you naturally hold the rifle does. The dominant eye is irrelevant, you use the one you have to while shooting naturally
He flat out stated, it doesn't matter! How you naturally hold the rifle does. The dominant eye is irrelevant, you use the one you have to while shooting naturally
I wish someone would have brought this to my attention many years ago. I've been using the wrong hand to hold my slingshot for over 65 years.
I'm right handed and right eye dominant. Went blind in right eye 20 years ago. All my guns are right handed. Still shooting them,but left handed. No problems. Took a little while to carry and then bring up the gun to shoot.
It is an issue when you have much better sight out of your dominant eye. Shooting off that side will become very natural. I am right handed, shoot left and holding a rifle to my right shoulder seems very unnatural to me at this point.
I understand, I am left handed, but shoot right. You need to try and correct the vision in that eye just like I did.
stephenprops1
45 Cal.
I was born left-handed. My mother and both grandmothers would smack my left hand if I used it. They compelled me to be right-handed. However, I am left eye dominant. I was a poor pistol shot until I learned to aim with my left eye. (I have won some action pistol matches and I have 2 medals hanging on the wall now.) I still use the right hand. It works for me. When I shoot long guns I use my right hand and my right eye. I have to close the left eye to be able to hit anything.
Teaching rifle marksmanship in the ARMY, is basically teaching too point the gun away from you and at the target before you shoot.
Army rifle,, is still basic tactical control.
Advanced shooters in all branches move quickly past "marksmanship" training
I wish I could. It can not be corrected. It has to do with the nerves in the back of the eye.
What happens if you mask that eye?
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That's me.
Puts my strong arm under the weight of the barrel.
I'm in the same boat. People don't understand it's not as simple as wearing a patch or training your eye. If it were we'd done it years ago.
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When I was a little kid I learned to close my right eye first, couldn’t get the hang of closing the left. I am and was right handed and left eye dominate so when I started shooting BB guns, I settled the stock on my left shoulder. Moving forward about 10 years or so, I’m on the range at Ft Benning, I left shoulder my M14. My DI looked at me, shrugged and moved to the next guy. I am completely used to ejectors spitting spent rounds right in front of me. In fact, I have never fired a left handed rifle. It was years before I knew they even made them. I never held or fired a pistol until adulthood and it just fell into my right dominant hand, but I sighted with my left dominant eye. I never gave it any thought. I hope to try out a left handed rifle sometime just to see what I’m missing.
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Am right-handed, left eye dominant and this caused some major problems, not for me, but for my DIs while going through Basic Training in the Army in 1965. Evidently, no one had ever heard of this and even went so far as to put a band-aid over my left eye to force me to shoot righty. Fortunately. during the last round of qualification. I convinced them that if they were going to make me shoot right-handed, I'd be better off throwing the rifle at the target. I DID qualify, but as Marksman instead of Expert which I would have shot had they just left me the Hell alone and let me shoot as I had been doing since I was about 6 years old. I must admit though that the constant 'CLANG' of expended rounds bouncing off of my helmet was quite a distraction.
This was basically my experience. As a child in boy scouts, I went to a 22 rifle club. They had me shoot right handed and I missed the target completely. I did this several times. The instructor pulled me aside and with both eyes open had me point at a spot on the wall. While still pointing at that spot he had me close the left eye and I saw that I was pointing way off the spot. Then open the left eye and close the right eye and I saw I was dead on the spot. He took me back to the range and had me shoot left handed. All were in the black. I haven't tried a long gun right handed since.
In the service, I was in the Navy, and my rifle training was basically shooting a 22 cal a total of 20 shots and and told not to hit anyone on the range (during the Vietnam conflict). At that time as long as you could fog a mirror you got through basic training.
So at this late stage in my life I think I will continue, right or wrong, what I have been doing until it doesn't work anymore.
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I respectfully disagree. I also began my instructing/coaching career in the army in 1968. Still instructing and coaching today, and have experience with all ages of shooters (with many State Champion teams and individuals as well as a couple Junior National Champions).
The dominant eye is vastly more important than natural "handedness". Learning to use you non -dominant hand is simply a matter of repetitions. Put a yardstick (or ramrod) in a corner, and every time you go past it pick it up with the non-dominant hand, shoulder it and look down the "barrel" and (outloud) say "bang". In 30 days or less you will have no problem shooting with that hand.
With new shooters having problems grouping from a stable position (usually rested prone) simply shoot two groups, one right handed and one left handed. The difference will be notable.
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I am cross dominant as well, and I have found that it was an advantage in most areas, like a golf swing, batting, or even handwriting. But not archery or long guns. I used to shoot a bow right-handed and the only thing that was safe, was whatever I was aiming at. Switched to a left-handed Bow, and literally, instantly improved. Same with shooting skeet or trap, went from only breaking 12-13 clays out of 25, to literally 20 the first time I put the shotgun on my left shoulder. Never really affected pistols or carbines, probably because I was unconsciously favoring my left eye.
I said the following once before on this site and was severely chastised by several other members, but I will repeat, The only time I have ever flinched, was when a flintlock went off right in front of my nose, but then again, I have a rather large nose.
Granth, sir, I would really encourage you to switch to shooting left-handed, simply because, making the shot is far more enjoyable than missing. One day at the range and you should find a comfortable repeatable cheek weld and shoulder mount.
“I must admit though that the constant 'CLANG' of expended rounds bouncing off of my helmet was quite a distraction.”
Down memory lane, it never even occurred to me that all those dogfaces around me never enjoyed that bell ringing.
Down memory lane, it never even occurred to me that all those dogfaces around me never enjoyed that bell ringing.
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