Left eye Dominant, right handed shooter
- Thread starter zxc
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Me too
Over the years I have learned to shoot pistols with my right hand, two handed isoceles stance makes the dominant eye issue irrelevant.
Long guns are a left handed hold. It limits my ability to shoot very quickly with my old bolt actions, but no problem with semi autos.
Itt's just something you get used to after a while. Then. when you don't get that crick in your neck from trying to get half of your head over the stock to use your good eye in the peep sight, you'll get better accuracy too.
Don P.
Over the years I have learned to shoot pistols with my right hand, two handed isoceles stance makes the dominant eye issue irrelevant.
Long guns are a left handed hold. It limits my ability to shoot very quickly with my old bolt actions, but no problem with semi autos.
Itt's just something you get used to after a while. Then. when you don't get that crick in your neck from trying to get half of your head over the stock to use your good eye in the peep sight, you'll get better accuracy too.
Don P.
The technical name for what you are is "contralaterally dominant". I share you affliction, and have found over the years that, to shoot a rifle, I have to close my left eye, and shoot right handed.
Olympic level rifle coaches will tell you that the BEST way to learn to shoot when one is contralaterally dominant is to shoot with the MASTER EYE, and LEARN to use the other hand as necessary. Most of these coaches also will tell you that such techniques only work on persons who have not been shooting off the "wrong side" for many years, as untraining yourself can be EXTREMELY difficult.
Thus, I figure after shooting for 30+ years left-eyed and right handed, I am stuck, but for a new shooter, doing it the other way is better.
Olympic level rifle coaches will tell you that the BEST way to learn to shoot when one is contralaterally dominant is to shoot with the MASTER EYE, and LEARN to use the other hand as necessary. Most of these coaches also will tell you that such techniques only work on persons who have not been shooting off the "wrong side" for many years, as untraining yourself can be EXTREMELY difficult.
Thus, I figure after shooting for 30+ years left-eyed and right handed, I am stuck, but for a new shooter, doing it the other way is better.
Cowdogpete
New member
I am all crossed up too. Left eye, right handed.
I shoot handguns righ handed using my left eye. No problem.
Long guns I can shoot from either hand but prefer to shoot left handed so I can use my "good eye".
Try both ways and see which feels best.
There are those that will tell you that you can wear a patch over your dominant eye forcing you to work your weak eye into becoming stronger. I talked with my Opthamalogist and he advised against that. This works with a "lazy" eye but more than likely your dominant eye will remain your dominant eye.
He proposed learning to shoot with your other hand.
I shoot handguns righ handed using my left eye. No problem.
Long guns I can shoot from either hand but prefer to shoot left handed so I can use my "good eye".
Try both ways and see which feels best.
There are those that will tell you that you can wear a patch over your dominant eye forcing you to work your weak eye into becoming stronger. I talked with my Opthamalogist and he advised against that. This works with a "lazy" eye but more than likely your dominant eye will remain your dominant eye.
He proposed learning to shoot with your other hand.
Small world...I'm left eye dominant and shoot right handed as well. For long guns, I shoot right handed and close my left eye as I aim. For handguns, I shoot right handed and aim with my left eye (and sometimes with my right).
Question to you contralaterally challenged folks is this.....When you aim, where are you hitting relative to your aim? I see to be off a bit to the left.
Don't know whether to aim a bit to the right or re-sight my pistols / long guns.
Heck...I have a scatter gun to help compensate if needed in a self defense situation ( a bit of a joke there).
Question to you contralaterally challenged folks is this.....When you aim, where are you hitting relative to your aim? I see to be off a bit to the left.
Don't know whether to aim a bit to the right or re-sight my pistols / long guns.
Heck...I have a scatter gun to help compensate if needed in a self defense situation ( a bit of a joke there).
Yep, another one here. Left eye dominant right handed guy here too. I learned to shoot pistols, rifles and Bows left handed. Since my right eye is so bad vision wise I figured Id have to learn how to shoot left handed. Only thing that blows about being left handed is availability of accessories.
"All crossed up." Yep, that about describes me, too. Only more so.
My eye dominance changes from one day to the next. I've done all the "figure out your eye dominance" tests, and the answers keep changing. I'm not surprised, really.
As a child, when I went to kick a ball, I never knew whether I would use my left or right foot. Nor whether I would use my left or right hand to roll dice, dial a phone, open a door, use scissors, or any of the other myriad tasks that everyone does a million times a day and that normal people don't have to think about.
Generally speaking, I am left handed at tasks done while sitting down, right handed at tasks I do standing up. But that's a very general guideline, and if a task is new to me it usually takes me awhile to decide which hand I will use to do the job. Generally I'm pretty darn clumsy, but I figure I've got good reason to be.
I usually shoot right handed and use my right eye to align my sights. But, when shooting from behind left-hand cover, I use my left hand and my left eye.
When shooting one handed, I use my left eye for my right hand, and my right eye for my left hand. (Yeah, I know ...)
I have absolutely no recommendations how to cope with mixed dominance, except to note that you'll have to make a decision and practice doing it the same way, every time.
You can use your weaker eye if you prefer, but you'll have to practice a lot more than someone using their stronger eye.
You can use your weaker hand if you prefer, but you'll have to practice a lot more than someone using their stronger hand.
Think of it as an excuse to go to the range more often and to burn more ammo downrange than other people!
pax
My eye dominance changes from one day to the next. I've done all the "figure out your eye dominance" tests, and the answers keep changing. I'm not surprised, really.
As a child, when I went to kick a ball, I never knew whether I would use my left or right foot. Nor whether I would use my left or right hand to roll dice, dial a phone, open a door, use scissors, or any of the other myriad tasks that everyone does a million times a day and that normal people don't have to think about.
Generally speaking, I am left handed at tasks done while sitting down, right handed at tasks I do standing up. But that's a very general guideline, and if a task is new to me it usually takes me awhile to decide which hand I will use to do the job. Generally I'm pretty darn clumsy, but I figure I've got good reason to be.
I usually shoot right handed and use my right eye to align my sights. But, when shooting from behind left-hand cover, I use my left hand and my left eye.
When shooting one handed, I use my left eye for my right hand, and my right eye for my left hand. (Yeah, I know ...)
I have absolutely no recommendations how to cope with mixed dominance, except to note that you'll have to make a decision and practice doing it the same way, every time.
You can use your weaker eye if you prefer, but you'll have to practice a lot more than someone using their stronger eye.
You can use your weaker hand if you prefer, but you'll have to practice a lot more than someone using their stronger hand.
Think of it as an excuse to go to the range more often and to burn more ammo downrange than other people!
pax
when a kid, I remember the odd times I took a shot with my left hand squeezing, usually leaning around cover, supported. That was a challenge I didnt perceive to be a handicap until I came into moving shots. Drawing arm with a bow is R. Oh well as long as the target gets hit ,I guess or arthritis/blindness catches up on me, whatever comes first.
Left Eye / Right Hand
Me Too, thanks to nerve damage in the retina. Like others I shoot a pistol RH nd a bow and long guns LH. Actually most of my shooting is prone or bench and I find that in the prone a RH gun shot LH is actually an advantage. I keep the stock against my shoulder, my check to the stock and I keep looking through the scope as I work the bolt with my right hand. Just make sure your bolt doesn't interfere with your nose! This is sort of like the Savage pistol with a RH grip and a LH bolt, you don't have to release your grip to cycle the bolt.
Me Too, thanks to nerve damage in the retina. Like others I shoot a pistol RH nd a bow and long guns LH. Actually most of my shooting is prone or bench and I find that in the prone a RH gun shot LH is actually an advantage. I keep the stock against my shoulder, my check to the stock and I keep looking through the scope as I work the bolt with my right hand. Just make sure your bolt doesn't interfere with your nose! This is sort of like the Savage pistol with a RH grip and a LH bolt, you don't have to release your grip to cycle the bolt.
Pat Bateman
New member
SkySlash, I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. Right handed shooter, left eye with pistols, right eye with long guns. I've just gotten used to it. I have more of a problem with prescription glasses. Not necessarily finding prescription shooting glasses, though suggestions are welcome, but just having a rather large difference in prescription between each eye, and having to deal with that. Things like the varying angles through which one looks through a lens, consistency issues with that...
I'm right handed and left-eyed too. Unfortunately, my dominant eye is not overwhelmingly dominant, so I absolutely cannot shoot an open-sighted firearm using the sights with both eyes open. If I try, I see the target clearly, but have two front sights and two rear sights hovering in the nearfield, equally strong, making it very slow to get things lined up. (Shooting a handgun with 3-dot sights, I get six dots. Not good.)
When shooting a handgun rapidly, I keep both eyes open until fairly late in the shot, then close the right eye and get a flash sight picture with the left. I prefer a right-handed Weaver hold and use a slight rightward head cant to get the eye and sight lined up. Not exactly orthodox, but it works very well for me.
bE
When shooting a handgun rapidly, I keep both eyes open until fairly late in the shot, then close the right eye and get a flash sight picture with the left. I prefer a right-handed Weaver hold and use a slight rightward head cant to get the eye and sight lined up. Not exactly orthodox, but it works very well for me.
bE
Andrew Wyatt
New member
and i thought this was uncommon.
I am also cross dominant, i think because none of my early teachers realized i'm left handed, and taught me how to write right handed.
I shoot rifles left handed and pistols right handed, because my dad wouldn't buy me any left handed holsters or ambidextrous safeties for my 1911.
most of the rifles we have are ambi, with the exception of the bushmaster we had for awhile. I had to pay for a new safety for it out of my own pocket, at the tender age of 13.
I can shoot rifles right handed, but not as well as i can left handed.
i have a leg up in pistol matches that require weak hand shooting, because I have developed good trigger control with both hands.
I am also cross dominant, i think because none of my early teachers realized i'm left handed, and taught me how to write right handed.
I shoot rifles left handed and pistols right handed, because my dad wouldn't buy me any left handed holsters or ambidextrous safeties for my 1911.
most of the rifles we have are ambi, with the exception of the bushmaster we had for awhile. I had to pay for a new safety for it out of my own pocket, at the tender age of 13.
I can shoot rifles right handed, but not as well as i can left handed.
i have a leg up in pistol matches that require weak hand shooting, because I have developed good trigger control with both hands.