Left eye dominant, right hand dominant?

[Sidney Smith]

I'm fortunate in that I'm left eye dominant, and also left handed. My eyes aren't what they used to be, and I've lost some of my clear vision up close, Moreso in my left eye than my right. But. It's not enough to make me consider switching shooting from left to right. I still see clearly with both eyes. Especially my left dominant side at all shooting distances.

If it ever gets to where my left eye can't focus as well as my right then I will switch over to shooting right handed. Doubt that will ever happen, as I'd simply get glasses before considering any switch. But, I'd switch over before I'd give up my love of shooting.

 

[Ed C.]

What happens if you mask that eye?

There is really no need to. For the past 60 years shooting lefty has been fine. I can leave the non dominant eye open when shooting, no problem.

 

[colimr]

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.

You will either learn or your wife will call the guys in the white uniforms to take you to a vey quiet place with rubber wall paper... LMAO

 

[Twisted_1in66]

My son is cross-dominate. Left eye/right hand.
(basic observation and simple household tests can/will determine "dominant preference" about the time a child can talk)

I started training him with safe shooting practice at 5.
At that early age I observed his cross shooting/switching sides with interest, knowing at the time that the safety aspects where the most important.
So I freely allowed him to switch, hoping he would develop a dominance or favored side in his own time.

Fast-forward 2yrs or so, @7 his safety and bench shooting knowledge is proven, but he's still switching sides,,
,, now was the time to prove it,, to him.
"Shoot this box at the target, Right handed!"
,,next,
"Shoot this box at the target, Left handed!"
"(Damn it!)".

Longer story short; The dominate eye wins for accuracy.(period)(by a lot!)

My story is not to be confused with the readiness of, or capability of, a lefty shooting a right hand gun,, that's a different topic.
A practiced and proficient shooter should be able to shoot cross hand with any gun he has. (in field or at target).

My Point is; the dominate eye is the one with the main-line to the brain.
There is/was a practiced learning curve,, but at 12, with me being a right/right,, having a partner holding and shooting left sure helps to clean a field of pheasant.

p.s. he's 29 now,, still shoot's lefty,,

Absolutely if you catch them early enough, train them to shoot with the same hand as their dominant eye. I am left-eye dominant and right-handed. I didn't even realize it at first, and once I did I was already an adult. And I started shooting at about 5-yrs. old. I just can't change to shoot left handed.

HOWEVER if you catch them at the start whether young or old you can teach them to shoot left-handed for left-eye dominant and it will make a world of difference. I have to resort to things like putting a magic dot on the middle of my left eyeglass lens to force my right eye to be dominant. Lacking that a piece of semi-transparent tape works or even smearing a dot of chap stick on the lens. If I am using a shotgun and don't do that, I always shoot behind the target. If I can close my left eye before firing that will work but if I close it too soon, I may not find the target. It's all very frustrating but at 72-yrs. now, there's really no chance of me changing it. So I just continue to use those crutches I've just mentioned to compensate.

 

[SmokepoleSam]

I'm 78 right eye/left hand and I'm thinking of trying to shoot from the right side. If I do I'll let you know how I do.

 

[Kappa]

In 4h shooting sports try to shoot on the dominant eye side I’ve noticed a great number of cross dominance shooters like 1/3 in some groups

 

[Brassbells]

Left eye dominant, ambidextrous, shoots left. My vision went south in my dominant eye (epiretinal gliose it's called) and I'm trying to adapt. Since I shoot mostly 50 meters standing, swapping my stance to right-handed is very difficult. In competitions I went from first to worst - motivation is rather low.

 

[pmccoywss]

In 4h shooting sports try to shoot on the dominant eye side I’ve noticed a great number of cross dominance shooters like 1/3 in some groups

It runs about 15% overall, but MUCH higher (40-50%) in females. Lots of girls shooting 4H?

Left eye dominant, ambidextrous, shoots left. My vision went south in my dominant eye (epiretinal gliose it's called) and I'm trying to adapt. Since I shoot mostly 50 meters standing, swapping my stance to right-handed is very difficult. In competitions I went from first to worst - motivation is rather low.

Can you find a rifle coach in your area? If not you can try getting in position, with your eyes closed, right handed paying attention to everything you do to get into position as well as how each move (including the final position) FEELS. Write all the info down (may have to repeat a few times to get everything).

Once you have the list use it to get into position left handed going step by step. Again paying especial attention to the FEEL of the position (including head tilt). Once the position begins to feel more familiar go to "dry holding" (just holding in a relaxed position and pointing at whatever spot on the wall the rifle settles on. After awhile it will feel much more normal, and you can begin working on natural point of aim by moving your lower body (feet). When that feels good, begin to dry fire, paying especial attention to follow through.

Basically you are re-learning the entire shooting process (but with a head start over a new shooter because you had it figured out when shooting right handed). You can revert to right handed to refresh the "feeling of a good position" anytime during the process.

If your rifle has any "cast-off" it will be nigh on to impossible to use it left handed.

 

[gunnyr]

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.

Dark Angel, you are not alone, Don't know how many push ups I done in boot camp, got
to be in the thousands, all because of left eye dominant and right handed. They tried
to get me to shoot left eye closed, but finally gave up after watching my hits on target.
They always walked away shaking their head and saying something about a monkey on
a football. I've tried using right eye but always go back left eye. Old habits seem to live
forever especially at 73 years old. Just keep on shooting.
gunny

 

[jrell5678]

I'm left EVERYTHING. Which really limits my options when it comes to muzzleloading guns

 

[Clint Meier]

I must be weird because I am also left eye dominant and right handed, yet I shoot right handed and use my right eye to sight with, not closing my left eye. I shoot this way with iron sighted or scoped rifles and pistols. I guess that I am able to disregard what my left (dominant) eye sees when shooting. Now, if I go to look through a knot-hole in a fence, a spotting scope or microscope, then I instinctively use my left eye. I was told long ago that with crossed dominance, I would have difficulty checkering, but that never slowed me down. I suppose it is all in what you get used to doing.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I must be weird because I am also left eye dominant and right handed, yet I shoot right handed and use my right eye to sight with, not closing my left eye. I shoot this way with iron sighted or scoped rifles and pistols. I guess that I am able to disregard what my left (dominant) eye sees when shooting. Now, if I go to look through a knot-hole in a fence, a spotting scope or microscope, then I instinctively use my left eye. I was told long ago that with crossed dominance, I would have difficulty checkering, but that never slowed me down. I suppose it is all in what you get used to doing.

You watch it looking through holes in fences! I did that once because I could hear someone chanting 13,13,13....
So I looked and got immediately poked in my eye!
Then the chanting also changed!
14,14,14......
That's how I ended up left eye dominant so I went back the next day to reverse the effect.

 

[Ceannt]

Back in the late 70s when I shot competition trap (with an unmentionable) there was an old boy who was right handed, left eyed. He shot his rifles right handed, and shut his left eye to get the sights lined up. Shotgun, he shot left handed, since both eyes are imperative ( hell, you could use three eyes ..)
I watched him shoot 100 straight.

 

[Rifleman1776]

My wife is right handed/left eye dominant. When she started shooting we had to get an eye patch for her. It worked, and with practice she won many awards shooting ml at many clubs and Friendship.