Left eye dominant but right handed

JPG · Nov 11, 2013

I found out very late that I had the same problem. I always closed my left eye to shoot long guns. It wasn't until my dad bought a left handed Benelli left handed shotgun (he is left handed) and I tried it shooting left handed. At first I tried it to be funny shooting the opposite of what I had always done. It backfired as I shot better. Today I shoot left handed (the only sport I do this).

If all else fails you can build a custom stock to put on your right shoulder and use your left eye.

LimaVictor · Nov 11, 2013

Same boat here. I shoot my handguns righty and my long guns lefty.

ihriec · Nov 11, 2013

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'll start out with a 10/22 shooting left handed and see how it goes. Eye protection of course.

Tactics · Nov 11, 2013

LH RED. Pistols with the left, working on transitioning all long guns to the right. It's making me a better shooter and very grateful for my 1522.

bpm32 · Nov 11, 2013

JPG said:
I found out very late that I had the same problem. I always closed my left eye to shoot long guns. It wasn't until my dad bought a left handed Benelli left handed shotgun (he is left handed) and I tried it shooting left handed. At first I tried it to be funny shooting the opposite of what I had always done. It backfired as I shot better. Today I shoot left handed (the only sport I do this).

If all else fails you can build a custom stock to put on your right shoulder and use your left eye.

The Swiss had a left eye diopter and front globe sight for the K31. Pretty funky looking:

http://theswissriflesdotcommessageb...2/Lefties-and-left-eye-dominant-#.UoGLX41Q3AM

bpm32 · Nov 11, 2013

There are degrees of eye dominance. To test this you can hold out your thumb in the normal way, but don't try to superimpose the two images of the thumb and don't close one eye. One of the thumbs will begin to fade in and out over time. How quickly this happens should give you an idea of how strong the preference is. For me the left image (corresponding to the right eye) will start weakening after about 5 seconds. I'm strongly left eye dominant (and right handed).

AlpineDude67 · Nov 11, 2013

I am the opposite of the OP, but have basically the same issue. I'm very right eye dominant, but left handed. I shoot all long guns like a right handed person. I shoot handguns left-handed, but still using my dominant, right eye.

So ambi-controls for handguns are important to me, for rifles not so much.

If you have strong eye dominance, I agree with the other posters - definitely follow your eye. Almost anybody can shoot a gun either handed with a little bit of practice, but you will struggle terribly if you ignore your eye dominance.

KH195 · Nov 11, 2013

I'm the same way...right handed but very left eye dominant. I shoot everything left handed now. I have been trained both ways, as the first LE agency I worked for made me train/shoot right handed under the theory that since I am right handed, thus I should shoot right handed. I could do it but it took more concentration and I never really developed good muscle memory. Luckily subsequent employers said shoot with whatever hand works best for you. Shooting lefty has always just felt "natural" to me, MUCH more so than shooting right handed. Curios to see which feels more natural to you after you try lefty..good luck!

SneakySh0rty · Nov 11, 2013

Im left eye'd, right handed as well. Welcome to the world of cross dominance! As you can tell by the posts, it is not as uncommon as it feels.

My dad first noticed it when he took my sisters and I trap shooting. With that and learning on pellet guns I learned to shoot long guns with my left hand comfortably. Still trying to learn using my left hand with handguns though.

Here is a link about cross dominance shooting: https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/ccm-columns/behind-the-line/the-cross-dominant-shooter/

amoebicmagician · Nov 11, 2013

I am left eye dominant, but right handed. I just shoot using my right eye, and it works just fine.

It DOES however, help me to shoot with my bad hand, and to shoot a rifle wrong handed.

It's really not a big deal.

DanJo · Nov 11, 2013

Cross eye dominance is less of an issue when you have a front and rear sight on the firearm as you can sight in either left handed or right handed and you should be on target as long as the sights are aligned. This is the case with most rifles and slug shotguns with two sights. When shooting a shotgun with only a front bead though, you should have both eyes open and your eye becomes your rear sight which should align with the front bead on the shotgun. In this scenario you need to follow your dominant eye, not your more comfortable hand. Otherwise your dominant eye will not be in line with the barrel causing your shots to miss wide. Teach yourself to shoot with your dominant eye, not your dominant hand. It's a lot easier to train your hands than your eye focus.

amoebicmagician · Nov 11, 2013

even before I realized I was cross eye dominant, I could still shoot frisbees and such with birdshot shooting right handed.

DanJo · Nov 11, 2013

Were you closing your left eye and only using your right eye? If so, that will also work, but shooting clays with only one eye open really limits your periphial vision which is a handicap when shooting clays.

sxs · Nov 11, 2013

Well the answers are all here. Basically you need to either shoot with your dominate eye or learn to close 1 eye. My personal observations teaching shooting (and helping my cross dominate daughter): Shooting with your dominant HAND: Handguns, no problem. Rifles with scopes, no problem (as long as you can close the dominant eye or, alternatively block dominant eye vision by blocking the lens of your shooting glasses. Rifles with sight...depends on the individual. Shotguns...big problem...especially wing shooting or clays as Danjo observed. Most shotgunners benefit from using both eyes in which case the dominant eye WILL take over. In hunter's safety, we tell the students to shoot with their dominant eye or block the dominant eye vision. What shotgun shooting my daughter has done, she does it closing her dominant left eye and shooting right handed as she finds it too awkward to shoot lefty.

Pinecone · Nov 12, 2013

Right handed, left eye dominate is GREAT for shotgun shooting. You can use both your dominate eye and your dominate hand (to move the shotgun) at the same time.

For rifle, it isn't that big of a deal. My wife is left handed, left eye dominate, but shoots rifle right handed. It is just the way she learned, not forced, she did it on her own.

The downside to shooting rifle left handed is that they are normally set up for right handed shooting. The bolt knob is on the right (typically), they eject to the right (for semi auto that can mean powder bits and brass hitting your face), stocks with cheek pieces have them on the left side (where your face is when shooting right handed). They are left handed rifles, but they are not that common.

Franklin · Nov 12, 2013

ihriec said:
I am left eye dominant but right handed. For handgun shooting this is not a big problem but for rifle shooting I was thinking about teaching myself to shoot left handed. Do you think starting out with a Ruger 10/22 is a good place to start? I have no experience with rifles and would eventually also like to get a shotgun.

my dad does it! he also bats left handed but throws right handed. he said it took a long time to figure out.

kohburn · Nov 12, 2013

I'm right handed left eye dominant
as soon as i started shooting left handed i was instantly better - go figure

JHE1956 · Nov 12, 2013

I am Right handed and don't do much of anything left handed except drive (I have a stick shift and need the right hand for the shifter. ) I didn't discover I was left eye dominant until I was well into my 30s. Still shoot long guns right handed and right eyed. Keep my left eye closed for rifle (my eyes don't focus together so I don't have good binocular vision anyway -- kind of the opposite of being cross-eyed). For shotgun I keep both eyes open until I have acquired the target and then close my left eye before firing. Awkward but it works for me. I still break 90+ out of 100 shooting skeet -- not competition quality but OK enough for my ego.

Handguns I simply tilt my head over and shoot left-eyed.

giggity · Nov 12, 2013

I'm left eye and right hand dominate. I just close my left eye and shoot, works for me.

photoracer · Nov 13, 2013

People who are properly trained tend to shoot better using the hand of their dominant eye. Now after saying that what do I actually mean. Cross handed shooting means you have to either tilt your head to the side or rotate it to the side to shoot both eyes open which is by far the best way to shoot for defense or action shooting. 80% of LH people are right eye dominant, me included (only 20% of RH people are left eye dominant). Didn't think about this too much for decades, just shot LH and tilted my head to the left a little. Did not become an issue till I was old enough to start getting some arthritis in my hands, especially my left. After analyzing everything in early 2011 I decided to switch to RH shooting cold turkey. It required about 6 months of diligent practice before I found I could outshoot my previous best LH scores (except bulleye because my left hand is still stronger than my right). Now it feels slightly weird when I shoot with the left sometimes. One advantage is now in IDPA when I have to shoot weak/strong hand stages my scores are almost identical shooting left or right. Take it from me if you want to shoot better switch to the hand of your dominant eye. Then you can keep both eyes open which keeps your depth perception working.
One thing I did when I was younger was learn to shoot a rifle right handed like my father who was LH also.

Left eye dominant but right handed

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