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Right-handed, Left-eyed

5K views 18 replies 16 participants last post by  fixitfred 
#1 ·
Should a new gun owner start out learning to shoot as if he or she were left-handed if one's eyesight is not very good in the right eye?

What might the impact on one's eventual skill level be if this strategy were employed?

Are there any famous historical one-eyed crack shots for inspiration?
 
#2 ·
I am right-handed, right-eyed.
I shoot handguns with both eyes opened.
Same story if rifle equipped with a red dot.
Holographic sights on both - handguns and CQB rifles might be a solution for RH/LE person.
Magnified optics? Not sure.
 
#3 ·
Easy answer -- shoot left handed.

Being a new shooter you are starting from square one. You don't have to try and unlearn then retrain.

The impact on your eventual skill level will be a higher level than you would be able to achieve using your weak eye.

Do you know what your dominant eye is?
 
#4 ·
One might find out if one's eyesight is correctable in one's bad eye. If not, one should probably shoot left handed.

I shoot with both eyes open in nearly every instance. It is still the dominant eye that controls the sight picture.

Alan
 
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#5 ·
find out what works best for you......

repetition, repetition, repetition............

personally...starting out......strong hand Isosceles , both eyes open, and a lot of practice.....and keep the distance short and get positive results and build confidence....then increase the distance gradually.

after you get the basic 101's, then experiment to your heart's content.....but get a foundation first.
 
#6 ·
A young friend once told me he could not get his rifle shooting right and the recoil was terrible. He was shooting a Win 94 30-30 so I was puzzled with his issues of recoil. I watched him shoot and he was leaning way over the stock trying to aim with his left eye. Every shot was whacking him pretty good on the right cheekbone and he had developed a pretty good flinch as a result. We talked about eye dominance and he ended up using a patch until he could get the knack of using his right eye to aim. He shoots very well now.

Alan
 
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#7 ·
I shoot left handed because I am all but legally blind in my right eye. ( Amblyopia ) I also write with my left hand but in all other things I am right handed. Golf swing, using tools, throwing a ball, when ice skating I mostly just slide on my face but I do slide on the right side of my face so there is that.

I am not a famous crack shot, but I can put deer in the freezer. Many deer have occupied my freezer of course to be honest some have run away from me too. Not too many.

Since what you are doing is brand new to you there is a whole set of mussels that you will need to train. No I don't mean lifting weights I mean repetition. This is true even if you were shooting right handed. Shooting a gun is not a natural motion at first.

Normally with new shooters I recommend shooting with a different grip for both hands but in your case I would recommend shooting only with your left handed grip for a while. After a while trying to shoot with your right hand grip will feel awkward.

Keep both eyes open and focus on the front sight. Keep the distance short. I would not think of taking a shot in a situation beyond 20 feet. Also remember the phrase aim small miss small. A good target for new shooter is a paper plate with a dot in the middle. Aim for the dot but know that if you hit the plate you would have really discouraged a bad guy with bad intentions. In IDPA competitions the bullseye is the size of a paper plate. These targets are used by professional shooters. ( IDPA = International Defensive Pistol Association )

Good exercise to do to help you become a left handed shooter is to go into the garage and simply aim the gun using a left handed grip at different things. Pick things that require you to move your aim point from one side to the other. of the garage. The wider apart the things are the better. Keep your feet planted, swivel from the hips, keep your shoulders square to each target. knees slightly bent. leaning slightly forward. Good strong grip. Check your form often. It's important. Then.... Just aim hold the target in the sights for a moment and then pick a different one. Same deal. If you have a partner you should both do this drill and watch each other for bad form.

The range I shoot at is an outdoor range. Winter in my state is not brutal but it is cold. Too cold for shooting. Wife is as avid a shooter as I am. We do this drill together every weekend for about 15 minutes. We do the advanced version which requires a holster and some dummy rounds for dry fireing but the basic drill is the same.

If your gun has a laser use it for this drill. put the dot on an item and just hold it there for a few seconds, then move your aim point to something on the other side of the garage. Then also do it with the laser off. Do not become dependent on the laser.

Last thing, and I recommend this to all shooters who have not done this. Find and take an NRA certified gun safety course. Lots of good stuff there.
 
#8 ·
I am right handed but I’m a left eye dominant person. I shoot my bow and all my long guns left handed. I shoot my hand guns right handed but with my left eye. It works for me and my son who is built the same way. I don’t even think about it.
 
#10 ·
I am right handed and left eye dominant. I learned to shoot rifle and shotgun left handed and been doing it that way for 60 years now. It simply comes natural and I have several left handed bolt guns but also shoot right handed bolt guns left handed. Handgun I use my right hand but shoot only with my left eye. Again, it just comes natural and if I pick up a rifle and place it in my right shoulder it feels odd and unnatural. I was about 8 years old when my uncle and his friend gave me a Remington 510P 22 rifle to shoot. I could not hit the target but they noticed my impacts were grouping. They moved the rifle to my left shoulder and I began hitting the target and the bullet impacts were where I was aiming.

Ron
 
#11 ·
I am left handed and right eye dominant. I have chosen to shoot with one eye closed instead of trying to learn to shoot everything right handed. It's up to you and what you think you'll be doing in shooting sports. If you're shooting stationary targets having one eye closed isn't a big deal. When you start shooting moving targets or have to transition quickly from target to target is when having an eye closed will hinder you a little. That being said I shoot sporting clays and do a little competitive shooting and do just fine with one eye closed, but i'm sure i'd be better if I had my full field of view.
 
#12 ·
I have the same vision condition. My left eye has , with advancing age, become my dominant peeper.
A hand injury on my left mitt, has made my fingers pretty stiff . So the index finger motion actually pushes the trigger in reverse . (Getting better handgun accuracy) Blessing in disquise? This kinda' shoved me into being ambidextrous.
 
#15 ·
I am left handed/right eye dominant. I suffer only negligible effects within 20-25 yards. The further out I go the more pronounced my POI drift will be. Inside of 25 yards ( both eyes open) my POI is consistently off 2 inches to the left. If I close my right eye, its dead on. I tilt my head slightly to the left and drift my arm slightly to the right. It works for me but I doubt I will ever be shooting jelly beans off a golf tee or anything like that.
 
#17 ·
I am left-handed. When I was growing up, I sucked at playing baseball. I could not hit a ball or catch a ball. I was not good at shooting.

When I joined the Navy in 1963, I barely qualified with the M1 Garand.

When I attended advanced infantry training at Camp Pendleton in 1969, I was shooting an M-16 left-handed and not hitting my target. The early M-16 did not have a brass deflector and spent bras was hitting my forehead in full auto. I had my helmet pulled low to protect my forehead.

The Marine instructor stopped me and checked me for eye-dominance. I am very left-handed and very right-eye dominant. He had me switch to shooting right-handed and I qualified expert. I shot expert with rifle and 1911 every time until I retired. I finally understood why I was not good at tasks that required hand-eye coordination.

I shoot rifles and shotguns only right-handed. I shoot handguns for close self-defense with either hand and both eyes open. I target shoot handguns at distances with either hand and my left eye closed.
 
#18 ·
I think its better to start a new shooter out shooting from the dominate eye side.

Now, I've seen many good rifleman shoot with a scope from the other eye side.
I know a lot of pistol shooters that are OK right handed and left eye dominate.
But to get real good with a shotgun you NEED to use the dominate eye side.
 
#19 ·
Old thread I already posted to it but don't know what I said so let me say or repeat: Shoot on your dominant eye side. you can thank me later.
When I was teaching my right handed son to shoot. I found out he was left eye dominant so taught him to shoot left handed. Everything, rifles, shotguns and handguns.
 
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