Change to left handed?

[JBoomhauer]

I am right handed / left eye dominant and have always shot right handed.

I have shot decent this way and usually finish upper middle/low top of the pack at our local matches. However watching a video it is clear that I am uncomfortable and slightly hunting in the scope.

So for those of you that have made the change, has it been worth the investment of changing out chassis and actions and relearning how to shoot? How long did this take to accomplish?

 

[jab00]

I’m slowly making the same change. I started out with covering the left lens of my glasses with medical tape and kept both eyes open when looking at the reticle with my right eye. I’ve now gotten to the point (over the course of about 5 months) where I don’t need the tape and can shoot with both eyes open and the reticle stays clear.

 

[PAYDIRT]

Don't do it. You only look through a scope with one eye. I'm right handed left eye dom, I just close my left eye and shoot right handed. Natural position is far more important that what eye your looking through the scope with. I bet if you shoot your next match left handed you would know it probably not something that you would want to do again. I see these discussions and it blows my mind thinking "can these people not close their left eye?"

 

[Shaun755]

I tried switching it and hated it.. I just kept practicing with my right eye even tho I’m left eye dominant... It takes a bit of work but for me personally .. I preferred to just try to train it.... you could always be a pirate and eye patch it ?

 

[PAYDIRT]

Why the eye patch? Can you guys not close your left eye?

 

[NineHotel]

Making a side change for supposed eye dominance is asinine. You have many options for correcting your strong side eye; you shoot a monocular system (scope or irons) with just one eye ANYWAY. I prefer to mount the correction to the rifle, so that you are not reliant on prescription glasses and alignment for perfect optical center and astigmatism axis with anything less than Knoblocs or Champions glasses. Your scope has +/- 3 diopters of correction for reticle focus, you've got adjustable parallax for target focus, and you can always mount a lens to the back cap to correct for astigmatism if yours is so bad you can't discern a single point on the reticle.

In the flying target sports, a 1/2" by 1/4" piece of scotch tape on your Decot shooting glasses lens in exactly the right spot corrects the dominance issue (which is very real for two eyes open flying targets) for free. The tape blots the front bead out for your non-shooting side at the precise point where your eyes come to the rib, after picking up the bird with your eyes pointed out in space between the target house and the bead itself. That way you still have the width of vision and the depth perception of two eyes open shooting, but only one bead for your right eye when aligned with the target forming/maintaining your lead.

Not that I have a strong opinion about this. I've seen people change sides when they have a truly bad eye on the dominant side, like 20-200 vision out of it. I've also seen people go to offset sights and scopes where they sight with the opposite eye than their side they mount the rifle on.

Holding two hands up, making a diamond, bringing it back towards your face, and declaring you need to change the side you shoot on - about as ignorant of an idea as I've ever seen - though widely perpetuated.

 

[morganlamprecht]

im the same, i can shoot more naturally left handed...but im also lazy and dont want to swap all my bolt guns over to lefty so i just deal with it lol

accuracy wise doesnt matter for me, im just a little slower lefty because i shoot righty 99% of the time...if i switched to left hand actions id prolly be same same after a week or so


if you currently try to shoot left handed and look awkward and out of whack (like 95% of people), prolly not a good idea to switch, and will take a while

if you can shoot lefty without missing a beat, aint a big deal

 

[jab00]

Why the eye patch? Can you guys not close your left eye?

That’s my issue - I can’t close my left eye and keep my right open, so I’ve been shooting “lefty” with a RH action since I was a kid. The only exception has been for pistols with iron sights and for ARs with red dots or 4x scopes which I shoot with both eyes open (but with my left hand still running the trigger and my cheek on the right side of the stock as if I was shooting “left eye”.

I started messing around with the the both eyes open with the bolt guns recently just to see if anything changes significantly, which hasn’t been the case (apparently my marksmanship sucks regardless of which hand/eye combination I use)

 

[10ring'r]

I use to be Rt. hand/Rt. eye dominant. Had an issue with my Rt. eye and had some lasik done, fixed prob. but lost some center vision, so now I shoot a scoped rifle, Lt. eye/Lt. handed. Has taken me about a year to get totally settled in behind the gun (after 55+ yrs. of doing it the normal way), but not an issue now. I still shoot handguns Rt. handed, but I manly shoot them with both eyes open in defensive practice, but when I want to do "precise" shooting, I have to turn my head slightly to the Rt. and sight with my Lt. eye. Sucks, but you will adapt. Good luck. Mac

 

[Erud]

I think NineHotel about nailed it. Switching eyes is a heck of a lot easier than switching hands. Try walking around for a day with your dominant eye closed, you'll get used to it pretty quickly and it's not a big deal. After that, try spending a day using your left hand for all of the stuff that you'd normally do right-handed. If you are like most people, you will find that to be a huge pain in the ass. Tape on your glasses, a blinder, or just shutting your left eye is a lot easier, and you won't have to go through the hassle of buying left-handed rifles that are hard to find, and hard to sell.

 

[JBoomhauer]

Thanks for all the replies. I keep hearing I should switch, but am not convinced it will be worth the effort. Typically my Accuracy is similar to right handed, but it feels awkward. The slight hunting in the scope is more of a focusing my right eye to get the reticle clear. Maybe it is time to close the left eye.

 

[PAYDIRT]

When you close one eye the other becomes your "dominate" eye. Don't get me wrong I wish I didn't have to close my left but it's not that big of deal, even when shooting trap.

 

[Healy]

I tried to make the switch and realized it wasn’t for me went back to shooting right hand/ righteye

 

[Shaun755]

I tried to make the switch and realized it wasn’t for me went back to shooting right hand/ righteye

That’s what I did and just focused on training the eye.. I had a really hard time closing my left eye

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

I'm right handed/Left eye dominant and found that learning to shoot a rifle or bow left handed was way easier than fucking with eye dominance. With some people, eye dominance is not selectable - your brain is hard wired to be that way and fucking with it has consequences. When I trained my left eye dominance into right eye dominance my musical skills at sight reading and improvisation were drastically diminished....I had headaches and vertigo and problems with reading comprehension.

Likely because my brain is left eye dominant and fucking with eye dominance didn't rewire my brain.

Shooting left handed was natural and easy for me with a rifle. I am ambidextrous with a pistol and can even shoot one with each hand.

My brother had the same issue and converted/trained himself into right eye dominance. He does not shoot as well as I do with a rifle and suffers headaches, loss of reading comprehension, vertigo and other issues 30 years after defeating his natural eye dominance and refuses to believe that his issues could be caused by fucking with nature. It's the OP's brain and his eyes - choose wisely. Maybe he was born to be left handed but forced by convention as a child to be right handed, Maybe he's closet lefty as I was.

VooDoo

 

[Jerry m]

I am right handed / left eye dominant and have always shot right handed.

I have shot decent this way and usually finish upper middle/low top of the pack at our local matches. However watching a video it is clear that I am uncomfortable and slightly hunting in the scope.

So for those of you that have made the change, has it been worth the investment of changing out chassis and actions and relearning how to shoot? How long did this take to accomplish?

Buddy of mine went through this. He switched to shooting rifle and shotgun to left hand - left eyed. He is an excellent wing shot. he shoots handguns right handed. Spend the time dry-firing and switch.

 

[Pre-64]

I'm left handed right eye dominant, so I shoot right handed.You can train your hands, you can't re-train your eye. In a controlled situation you can work through changing eyes but what happens when shit goes sideways, will you remember to close your dominant eye?

 

[PAYDIRT]

I'm left handed right eye dominant, so I shoot right handed.You can train your hands, you can't re-train your eye. In a controlled situation you can work through changing eyes but what happens when shit goes sideways, will you remember to close your dominant eye?

Yes you will remember, it becomes muscle memory, just like you can drive a car. I hope that everyone that's at my next match is trying to shoot unnatural. It only take one eye to see through a scope, it doesn't matter which eye it is. The only training your eye needs is to close. Retrain my hands v/s close one eye?? That doesn't even begin to make sense.

 

[30338]

Shot for 30 years right handed/left eye dominant. It got worse as I got older. Made the switch to all lefthanded shooting including archery 10 years ago. I have never shot better. By following my dominant eye, it became easy to keep both eyes open when looking through scopes. That in turn seemed to cause a much more relaxed feel behind the gun. I would 100% recommend making the switch.

 

[morganlamprecht]

Yes you will remember, it becomes muscle memory, just like you can drive a car. I hope that everyone that's at my next match is trying to shoot unnatural. It only take one eye to see through a scope, it doesn't matter which eye it is. The only training your eye needs is to close. Retrain my hands v/s close one eye?? That doesn't even begin to make sense.

maybe you should practice more weak side

it aint unnatural for everyone

 

[Diver160651]

FYI ^ agreed.

I am 100% right handed, Always shot right handed both rifles, shotguns and bows. My right eye injured became so bad that I had to switch.

I shoot everything left handed now. My bow is a left handed bow, unfortunately I was ultra heavily invested in right hand actions so I shoot them left handed. If I could do it again I would be on left handed actions in a second.

If you’re just a prone or bench shooter switch action shooting does not mater, hell some of those guys make the point of being switch action, because the front on the gun is supported with a bipod or stable rest.

Walking around in the field type matches, hiking or stalking with some sort of blinder over your good eye, or tape on your glasses, really? Again, fine for you benchrest guys or prone only shooters, just not a solution for a lot of us.

If your a one distance shooter maybe you can get away with some sort of stupid with an offset scope as mentioned above. But it induces all kinds of offsets that makes multiple targets just a complete mess in the wind. If the person who suggested it doesn’t get it, well I don’t know what to say.

In the positional came shooting switch action carries a huge time penalty. Every time you fire you need to remove your support hand, run the bolt then place the support hand back and try to re-stabilize your rifle. It’s probably 2 second time penalty. So let’s say 10 shot in 90 seconds, the first not counting you have an equivalent par time of about 72 seconds. It really SUCKS as does any kind of off hand with a large scope and bolt.

Here is an example I posted in the DIY barricade thread: Note how I have to come off the trigger to fast and completely switch hands, then reestablish them. A left hand action would be a huge advantage.

 

[morganlamprecht]

FYI ^ agreed.

I am 100% right handed, Always shot right handed both rifles, shotguns and bows. My right eye injured became so bad that I had to switch.

I shoot everything left handed now. My bow is a left handed bow, unfortunately I was ultra heavily invested in right hand actions so I shoot them left handed. If I could do it again I would be on left handed actions in a second.

If you’re just a prone or bench shooter switch action shooting does not mater, hell some of those guys make the point of being switch action, because the front on the gun is supported with a bipod or stable rest.

If your a one distance shooter maybe you can get away with some sort of stupid with an offset scope as mentioned above. But it induces all kinds of offsets that makes multiple targets just a complete mess in the wind. If the person who suggested it doesn’t get it, well I don’t know what to say.

In the positional came shooting switch action carries a huge time penalty. Every time you fire you need to remove your support hand, run the bolt then place the support hand back and try to re-stabilize your rifle. It’s probably 2 second time penalty. So let’s say 10 shot in 90 seconds, the first not counting you have an equivalent par time of about 72 seconds. It really SUCKS as does any kind of off hand with a large scope and bolt.

agreed, i grew up shooting everything right hand, so thats how i built all my guns

shooting lefty on a right hand action, im slower at gun manipulation in various positions, but the actual shooting task is more natural

when im hunting and taking single shots...ive probably shot 75% of my animals lefty

 

[PAYDIRT]

 

[Pre-64]

Yes you will remember, it becomes muscle memory, just like you can drive a car. I hope that everyone that's at my next match is trying to shoot unnatural. It only take one eye to see through a scope, it doesn't matter which eye it is. The only training your eye needs is to close. Retrain my hands v/s close one eye?? That doesn't even begin to make sense.

You're saying it's easier to close your eye and lose 50 percent of your vision because it's muscle memory instead of training your muscle memory in your hands? That doesn't make since to me. You have a dominant eye because one is better than the other, with a little practice both hands are equal. Also I said on a range , yes you can work through it, but If something goes bad, middle of the night and you have your pistol do you really still want to close one eye?

 

[PAYDIRT]

You're saying it's easier to close your eye and lose 50 percent of your vision because it's muscle memory instead of training your muscle memory in your hands? That doesn't make since to me. You have a dominant eye because one is better than the other, with a little practice both hands are equal.

How are you looking through your scope with two eyes? What else do I need to looking at other that my target? Ask your dentist to switch dominant hands, let us know how that goes.

 

[Diver160651]

How are you looking through your scope with two eyes? What else do I need to looking at other that my target? Ask your dentist to switch dominant hands, let us know how that goes.

And how do you do that if you non dominant eye is not good enough to resolve the image?

Let me through a fast ball at you.. what hand do you instantly catch it with? Oh you trained your brain... that’s right.

FYI I’ve done well at matches shooting left even with a huge time handicap - you do what you have to do.

If you think everyone could simply use their non-dominate eye, them it is really not understanding all the issues..

that said I love your meme

 

[Pre-64]

How are you looking through your scope with two eyes? What else do I need to looking at other that my target? Ask your dentist to switch dominant hands, let us know how that goes.

You're saying it's easier to close your eye and lose 50 percent of your vision because it's muscle memory instead of training your muscle memory in your hands? That doesn't make since to me. You have a dominant eye because one is better than the other, with a little practice both hands are equal
[/QUOTE

How are you looking through your scope with two eyes? What else do I need to looking at other that my target? Ask your dentist to switch dominant hands, let us know

How are you looking through your scope with two eyes? What else do I need to looking at other that my target? Ask your dentist to switch dominant hands, let us know how that goes.

I guess you don't shoot pistols, shotguns or red dots any? If you only ever are going to shoot through a scope then, yes I will concede you shouldn't switch. If you use iron sights or a red dot you will never shoot to the best of your abilities.

 

[PAYDIRT]

And how do you do that if you non dominant eye is not good enough to resolve the image?

Let me through a fast ball at you.. what hand do you instantly catch it with? Oh you trained your brain... that’s right.

FYI I’ve done well at matches shooting left even with a huge time handicap - you do what you have to do.

If you think everyone could simply use their non-dominate eye, them it is really not understanding all the issues..

that said I love your meme

It would suck to have bad vision in any eye. I'm a hardass when it comes to eye pro. I catch it with my left hand, muscle memory from when I was a kid. Should a right eye dom right handed person catch it with his right and throw it back left handed???

 

[JLP.Payette]

I feel your pain. I'm left handed left eye dominant. I shoot a rifle right handed, a pistol left handed, play guitar right handed, and golf left handed. I have an advantage shooting support side because of being left eye dominant but still prefer a right handed rifle.

 

[PAYDIRT]

I guess you don't shoot pistols, shotguns or red dots any? If you only ever are going to shoot through a scope then, yes I will concede you shouldn't switch. If you use iron sights or a red dot you will never shoot to the best of your abilities.

I shoot those also. Close my left eye. I can also shoot shotgun left handed, and yes I close my right eye. I've shot bunches of 25's shooting trap and a few 25's left handed also just for fun.

 

[JBoomhauer]

So far it looks like people have had both good and bad results switching it up. The only way I will know for sure is to suck it up and try a few matches lefty. I am there to learn and have fun, so what if some points are dropped.

 

[Diver160651]

It would suck to have bad vision in any eye. I'm a hardass when it comes to eye pro. I catch it with my left hand, muscle memory from when I was a kid. Should a right eye dom right handed person catch it with his right and throw it back left handed???

Really, you completely miss the point.

Ironically you just confirmed all three of my points in one post.
1. You can train your brain -- BTW muscle do not have skill memory, it a misnomer. Your brian does.
2. Shooting switch action is not good, get a dedicated action if your vision is so poor in one eye you can not resolve the image.
3. You don't really know what you're talking about.

 

[JBoomhauer]

FYI ^ agreed.

I am 100% right handed, Always shot right handed both rifles, shotguns and bows. My right eye injured became so bad that I had to switch.

I shoot everything left handed now. My bow is a left handed bow, unfortunately I was ultra heavily invested in right hand actions so I shoot them left handed. If I could do it again I would be on left handed actions in a second.

If you’re just a prone or bench shooter switch action shooting does not mater, hell some of those guys make the point of being switch action, because the front on the gun is supported with a bipod or stable rest.

Walking around in the field type matches, hiking or stalking with some sort of blinder over your good eye, or tape on your glasses, really? Again, fine for you benchrest guys or prone only shooters, just not a solution for a lot of us.

If your a one distance shooter maybe you can get away with some sort of stupid with an offset scope as mentioned above. But it induces all kinds of offsets that makes multiple targets just a complete mess in the wind. If the person who suggested it doesn’t get it, well I don’t know what to say.

In the positional came shooting switch action carries a huge time penalty. Every time you fire you need to remove your support hand, run the bolt then place the support hand back and try to re-stabilize your rifle. It’s probably 2 second time penalty. So let’s say 10 shot in 90 seconds, the first not counting you have an equivalent par time of about 72 seconds. It really SUCKS as does any kind of off hand with a large scope and bolt.

Here is an example I posted in the DIY barricade thread: Note how I have to come off the trigger to fast and completely switch hands, then reestablish them. A left hand action would be a huge advantage.

The time hit is the biggest reason i don’t want to shoot left handed right bolt. I’ll try it out and if it works I can fully commit to left hand actions.

 

[JBoomhauer]

I'm right handed/Left eye dominant and found that learning to shoot a rifle or bow left handed was way easier than fucking with eye dominance. With some people, eye dominance is not selectable - your brain is hard wired to be that way and fucking with it has consequences. When I trained my left eye dominance into right eye dominance my musical skills at sight reading and improvisation were drastically diminished....I had headaches and vertigo and problems with reading comprehension.

Likely because my brain is left eye dominant and fucking with eye dominance didn't rewire my brain.

Shooting left handed was natural and easy for me with a rifle. I am ambidextrous with a pistol and can even shoot one with each hand.

My brother had the same issue and converted/trained himself into right eye dominance. He does not shoot as well as I do with a rifle and suffers headaches, loss of reading comprehension, vertigo and other issues 30 years after defeating his natural eye dominance and refuses to believe that his issues could be caused by fucking with nature. It's the OP's brain and his eyes - choose wisely. Maybe he was born to be left handed but forced by convention as a child to be right handed, Maybe he's closet lefty as I was.

VooDoo

I may be a closet lefty, generally if the stage was set up to be a disadvantage to right handed shooters I just swap to the left side anyway.

 

[Pre-64]

It would suck to have bad vision in any eye. I'm a hardass when it comes to eye pro. I catch it with my left hand, muscle memory from when I was a kid. Should a right eye dom right handed person catch it with his right and throw it back left handed???

Try something one time, go play a game of catch with a patch on either eye, you might be surprised how difficult it is. And yes you can shoot shotguns to an extent because with shotguns you are looking at the target, NOT your sights like you are with iron sights, red dot and such.

 

[morganlamprecht]

The time hit is the biggest reason i don’t want to shoot left handed right bolt. I’ll try it out and if it works I can fully commit to left hand actions.

trying it is the easiest way

i have buddies who are really good shooters and when a stage description calls for weak side shots, they look like a fish out of water and waste half of their time trying to get behind the gun

ive never had that issue, being left eye dominant (my right eye is much weaker), i can get in and setup without issue...eye box is quick to find and my NPA is usually really close

 

[morganlamprecht]

I may be a closet lefty, generally if the stage was set up to be a disadvantage to right handed shooters I just swap to the left side anyway.

i do this often also...instead of playing yoga to get right handed, just shoot it left and move on

 

[PAYDIRT]

Really, you completely miss the point.

Ironically you just confirmed all three of my points in one post.
1. You can train your brain -- BTW muscle do not have skill memory, it a misnomer. Your brian does.
2. Shooting switch action is not good, get a dedicated action if your vision is so poor in one eye you can not resolve the image.
3. You don't really know what you're talking about.

1. The thread wasn't about poor vision.
2. Have your dentist switch to his non dom hand.
3. There's always that one guy.

 

[Pre-64]

1. The thread wasn't about poor vision.
2. Have your dentist switch to his non dom hand.
3. There's always that one guy.

That's exactly what this thread is about, do you try and use your less dominant or poor eyesight eye, or use your better visioned eye. ive never seen sights on any of my dentists tools, but that reminds me of a joke. What has six eyes and 13 teeth? The third shift at Waffle House.

 

[JBoomhauer]

Paydirt does bring up a good point. I have been guiding the rifle/aiming with my non dominant less precise left hand, Running the trigger and bolt with the hand that I am more precise with. My trigger pull may not need to be that precise nor running the bolt.

 

[PAYDIRT]

Show me where in the first post that it was about "poor" vision.

 

[Diver160651]

3. There's always that one guy.

yep judging by your feedback you are “that guy”

Ribbing aside, your joke was funny as hell

 

[Diver160651]

Paydirt does bring up a good point. I have been guiding the rifle/aiming with my non dominant less precise left hand, Running the trigger and bolt with the hand that I am more precise with. My trigger pull may not need to be that precise nor running the bolt.

Honestly, with time, you might shoot better, if you have any bad habits with your years behind the gun.

 

[PAYDIRT]

yep judging by your feedback you are “that guy”

Ribbing aside, your joke was funny as hell

My "report card" lol. Don't be stalking my profile.

 

[morganlamprecht]

I’m good friends with a dentist so I asked...

Shooting is child’s play lol

 

[Vodoun daVinci]

Show me where in the first post that it was about "poor" vision.

Many folks believe that eye dominance is about quality of vision in that eye - they assume that because we are Right Eye Dominant it's because we are right handed and that the right eye "sees" better or things look better with that eye so it becomes dominant. Folks will argue about it all day and I can't change anyone's mind.

The truth is that we are one eye dominant because that's how our brains hard wired themselves during development......We often speak of people being right brained or left brained.

"The theory is that people are either left-brained or right-brained, meaning that one side of their brain is dominant. If you're mostly analytical and methodical in your thinking, you're said to be left-brained. If you tend to be more creative or artistic, you're thought to be right-brained. "

So, a person can be (is) one eye dominant depending on whether they are left brain or right brain wired. You can fuck with it and change handedness or force eye dominance but if that forced configuration is against how your brain is hard wired you can have issues. Low reading comprehension, loss of mechanical or fine motor skills, vision problems, headaches, etc.

My advice having been there/done that is that if you are left eye dominant then move the damn gun over to your left shoulder and use your dominant eye. Relearning handedness can be difficult but it won't fuck up your brain like playing with eye dominance. I used to teach Japanese style swordsmanship and there is no such thing as left handed Kenjutsu. All my students (hundreds over the years) had to learn to be right handed and it did not take the left handed ones very long nor ever hurt their brain function.

Not so with people I have been shooting with who have forced eye dominance to remain right handed. Like my brother.

VooDoo

 

[morganlamprecht]

idk if its common or not, but i was so left eye dominant, i didnt even know my right eye was bad

i went for my drivers test @ 15 or 16, and they covered my right eye first, i read all the lines to the bottom...then they covered my left eye, and i couldnt read the top line...i thought the little machine was messed up, and asked the lady to double check it...i had been reading off the board at school and playing sports my whole life and never had vision issues...ended up needing correction and had an astigmatism

when they checked our eyes still in elementary or whenever that was, i always had 20/20...sometime between jr high and early high school it changed in my right eye, but i never noticed it because i didnt ever close my left eye, apparently

 

[Steel head]

I have a friend like that
It absolutely was easier to switch hands than eyes.

 

[StrayDog]

Watch out MMPRL!
Hey Dan, you can shoot my lefties if it helps.

 

[JBoomhauer]

Haha I might take you up on that!