How to train Left Hand child?

[clyancey]

My niece is 10 years old, left hand, left eye dominant. For now we are starting with suppresseed 22LR bolt guns. I'm probably the only real training she will ever get so I want to make this high quality and fun for her so that she sticks with it or seeks it out when older. I don't know that I will get to work with her much more than this upcoming calendar year. I'm personally willing to pick up a left hand 22lr if that is what is best; maybe gift it to her if she sticks with it and show interest.

Given increasing availability of left handed firearms....yet perpetually fewer options than right....how would you advise I train her:

1) Buy left handed firearms?

2) Train right handed firearm techniques where her face is on left side of stock so she has to squint dominant eye but can work controls like right hangers? (This has the safety bonus for blowups but maybe eye strain and reduced situational awareness).

3) teach her to put her face on the right side of stock and run bolt/trigger/scope with right hand and support with left? (Disadvantage of safety, advantage flexibility/plethora more firearm options to buy or borrow in times of need)

4) Some option I'm unaware of?

And finally, should this decision be influenced by consideration of some other shooting platforms that I hope she will also become proficient in like AR, shotgun, pistol etc?

Thanks

 

[Makinchips208]

Good for you for doing this!
I would recommend to do whatever feels comfortable for her.

My right handed son was left eye dominant. I let him shoot left hand at 10 or so. On his own he ended up switching to right hand and learned to just use the right eye.

When helping the kids with hunter safety, many had never shot a rifle before, there was a girl I helped who couldn’t hit the target right handed, she was severely left eye dominant. So I helped her get shooting left handed, much like my son. Since it was a one day event I don’t know where she ended up.

Bottom line, maybe do what’s most natural, comfortable, and works good enough for her to get hooked. In 5 years she can just as easily make the switch and learn right hand and really soar if she is hooked on shooting.

 

[widefat]

I am left handed and left eye dominant. Growing up, it was not a question - shoot right handed. But handguns were just not a thing we shot that often. Later in life, I went through training for handgun and was taught to shoot left handed. I learned that shooting a handgun left handed was natural, and I was leaps and bounds more accurate. Natural point of aim, both eyes open and all that. I still shot long gun righty, closing my left eye. 3 gun comps - left handgun, right long gun.
My tipping point was at when I started shooting long range, where longer periods of slow fire were required. I suffered from eye fatigue - keeping my left eye closed for long periods eventually caused blurry vision and physical discomfort. I faded quicker than others I was shooting with and found myself unable to see targets at distance while everyone else seemed to be fine.
So, I started shooting long range left handed. Holy Sh**. Natural, comfortable, clarity, stamina - all better. I felt cheated. I felt that I had compromised for years.

So I reckon the bottom line, and just MHO, if your an occasional shooter, it doesn't matter. But if you want to be the best you can be, left hand and left eye dominant needs to shoot left hand and left eye.

 

[Haney]

I would use any 22 you can find just to let her shoot a bunch of rounds and see where things feel natural . I let my sons do this at a very young age , their eyes and bodies will dictate . Guidance is needed of course , but giving them some freedom to choose is needed also . My oldest son is left handed right eye dominant and shoots right handed . Younger son is right handed, right eye dominant . He shoots right handed if sitting at a bench , but all other shooting is left handed with left eye . They are both excellent shooters . You just never know until they get some experience with some rounds down range .

You are a good man for doing this , good to see the youth getting out there .

 

[DFOOSKING]

Let her shoot LH/LE on a RH gun if you already have one to give her. The risk is low getting hurt is very low on a bolt gun. Get her safety glasses if your that worried about it. You can use the safety glasses with some scotch tape over her off eye lense to aid in shooting. Fit the gun to her (length of pull and eye relief)...it will be fine.

If funds aren't a concern....get her a LH gun. It's not like their aren't a handful of options for a beginner. Your basically just starting her off and getting her foot safely in the door....so I wouldn't necessarily get too carried away spending money on kid that may never touch the gun after a year. And in the likelihood she is still growing physically....you might be better off not investing heavily to only buy a bigger/better gun in a year or three.

I would focus more on getting a rifle that is rock solid function wise and decently accurate. Nothing is worse than having a new kid that is truly interested and excited to get to shoot and the gun is a jamming overcomplicated POS. You want them totally focused on learning safe shooting then accurate shooting. Not wondering why shit ain't working or leaving you scratching your head why they aren't hitting anything when they actually are doing everything properly.

Don't worry the long term about the gun whichever you pick. If you can't gift the child the rifle and they never see it again....sell it. LH guns always sell. And there is always future kids who need a starter LH or RH gun...especially if you have all the bugs worked out.

A CZ457 comes in a youth size. And has huge aftermarket support to get bigger/better parts if want to go relatively new. You could even build the gun later for yourself if she doesn't end up with it long term and you can sell off the youth stock/barrel and have a legit target gun for yourself.

There's tons of vintage rimfires at gun shows that run about 150-250ish clams is user grade condition. Guns like the Remington 510 or 511....Winchester 69...Marlins and Mossbergs.

I would avoid 10/22's and any other semi auto simply to keep the kid running a simple system. Some kids don't have the attention to span to maintain safety and giving them 15 rounds rapid fire although may be entertaining for them....its not good for building fundamentals. I would rather they be entertained/attention maintained by the fun interesting targets they get shoot at than the gun itself.

I wouldn't worry about stepping up to shotguns or centerfires at all until you have established they have the baseline skills. Don't get in a hurry to advance your kid. They have time. I went years as a kid freely roaming the farm (7yrs old to 10.5yrs old) with a BB gun, then pellet gun, then shotgun, then centerfire (at 12), then rimfire (at 14). Seems kinda ass backwards but I was having boat loads of fun with a shotgun so buying a rimfire wasn't a desire. But it was my desire/interest level that pushed the pace....and probably my dad being a tad cheap as he had a very rough but functional 522 Speedmaster I eventually "liberated" from his possession.

Cross the bridge when you get there. I was forced as a very small 12yr old kid to try my .243 and it was just too harsh of recoil in its setup for my frame at the time. I left it in the rack for an extra year for the most part. Grew almost a foot the next year. Got my first deer no problem and was out blasting coons and jackrabbits in no time. Not being rushed definitely helped my progression. Eventually I became a hassle to keep me in ammo. Having a rimfire option in between of a pellet gun or shotgun or centerfire would've helped a ton. The name of the game is always progression.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

If she is a lefty AND left eye dominant, then this is simple. She needs a lefty gun. My son is honestly ambi but we have him playing ball right handed and also batting lefty sometimes to keep it up. He is left eye dominant though so he's going to shoot lefty (fortunately for him, I shoot lefty so I have many lefty guns and right hand guns). Just get a lefty rifle but be aware, they have a lot shorter arms and need a much shorter length of pull.

 

[Hecouldgoalltheway]

Tie her left hand behind her back until she learns to do things correctly. It's not your fault that God gave you a broken child, but it is your responsibility to fix it. There is no such thing as left handed, it's right handed or wrong handed. Get your house in order.

 

[Balor]

She is left handed and left eye dominant so buy her a rifle for her not for you make it left-handed so she can learn easily.

 

[Old Man with Gun]

Great advice so far, I'll add a bit. I am involved with Project Appleseed so have been through this a lot as well as cross eye dominance. Best advice is - it depends on what works for the kid.
It is a right handed world, so there is value in getting her comfortable shooting a right handed rifle.
If she is using a red dot or scope and can close her left eye, starting them off right handed can work. If she has trouble closing left eye for scope, try tape over safety glasses on that side. Red dot she can leave both open and many like that.
If she has to shoot left hand on trigger, this is usually also doable with right handed rifle - an adjustable LOP helps control where the brass goes. A 10/22 with Blackhawk Axiom stock is a good starter rifle.
You can go left handed rifle, but unless she will compete I'm not sure of the value vs learning on what she is 99% most likely to encounter.
You can also look for a Project Appleseed event in you area, likely to find some experienced instruction and chance for her to try loaner rifles of different types to see what works.

 

[SalomonQST99]

I'm left handed and have learned to live in a righty world. It's not difficult as most of us end up being ambidextrous. More important to learn the fundamentals of good marksmanship than worry about what side of the rifle the head goes on.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

Left eye dominant and left handed - the answer seems clear and easy. Get her a lefty rifle.

 

[Leftie]

I'm left handed and have learned to live in a righty world. It's not difficult as most of us end up being ambidextrous. More important to learn the fundamentals of good marksmanship than worry about what side of the rifle the head goes on.

This is good advice. Anecdotally, focusing on the principles and fundamentals behind good marksmanship and then engaging in a "discovery learning" process to find what works best for them typically creates a positive learning environment and also has good performance outcomes. Unless there's a requirement to teach a certain methodology or way- and only that way- I'd focus on keeping things enjoyable and building confidence and compentency with ANY platform. Many left-handed people become ambidextrous eventually, but prefer performing certain tasks with a dominant hand. Some of the most capable shooters that I know became ambidextrous and don't think too much about primary/support side... they just apply the fundamentals and learn the shooting platform's manual of arms with both hands in order to get the results that they want.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

You'll spend more money trying to get her left handed firearms, you'll have to listen to her gripe about us righties dominating the world and making it difficult, her handwriting will look cruddy, the most common left handed rifles are made by Savage, but

Don't try to change her, far less trauma, far better for her, and shooting as a lefty is not that hard.

What is hard, is that nothing we have will ever be of much use to her shooting wise unless you like lever action rifles and Ithaca Pump Shotguns.

 

[Longshot231]

I haven't had time to read through this entire thread, only skimming. So if this has already been said, I apologize.

My son was cross dominate like I am. He is right handed with some things and left handed (left eye dominant) when it came to shooting.

I'm right eye dominant but can shoot from either hand. Although as I've got older, the left side seems to be a little more challenging these days.

So qualifying with the M-16 from both sides wasn't difficult.

I got my son an S&W M&P 15-22. It pains me to say this because I hate Smith & Wesson but the M&P 15-22 was the best idea that they ever had with firearms. The one for my son has been 100% reliable.

It's not a tack driver but gets the job done and when my son was the age of your niece, he took the the 15-22 like a duck to water.

It's a little more expensive than a typical kid's rimfire rifle but it's light and the stock is adjustable.

You can use the sights that come with it. If it doesn't have any sights, PM me. I will send you the sights for the 15-22 that I have. All I ask for is the cost for the postage.

Having taught my kids and few others to shoot I can tell you from experience that they love the red dot sights. Now I am going to get criticized by those who think a kid should start off on iron sights and get good with them before going to other optics.

I will answer that criticism by saying that if they don't like shooting to begin with, they aren't going to like iron sights. However, there is something magical or almost like a video game when it comes to red dot sights. I've never seen a kid not like them. Besides they can challenge themselves later on with the iron sights.

The Vortex Strikefire II will cost about half as much as a 15-22 but it will be worth it.

Vortex Optics StrikeFire II Red Dot Sight 30mm Tube 1x 4 MOA Red Green

The Vortex StrikeFire 2 is the perfect solution for a shooter looking for a red dot sight that allows for lightning fast target acquisition. This...

www.midwayusa.com

Also think about this with the M&P 15-22. With the newer versions having the M-LOK forend there is all sorts of accessorizing that your niece can do later on.

Now I will really set the iron sight crowd on fire. If she likes the red dot, imagine how much fun she will have with a weapon light and laser.

Without knowing what your budget is, I realize that the rifle and red dot might be considered too costly for a 10 year old but if it keeps them interested, it will be money well spent.

 

[clyancey]

So much valuable advice given. I'm reading, considering, and rereading everyone's input. So I just want to say thanks to you all for taking the time to help foster another generation. Warms my heart.

A few takeaways sticking with me right now:

1) Just get shooting with her and see how things start progressing. My wife just told me she is a little ambidextrous already with some sports. It seems more than coincidence that several of you are/know left-ambi folks....must be more common with leftys. So maybe she will take to right handed firearms pretty naturally.

2)I think either way, left handed firearms or right handed, I'm leaning towards her using her dominants eye. Seems important/advantageous to me....but probably will need to stress eye pro with her.

3) I can afford a Left hand CZ 457, cut down the stock to match LOP for youth and give that a try. If she likes this a lot over the right hand (CZ 452 in Mcmillan stock), then I can potentially upgrade the stock/chassis over time to fit her.

4) I think Longshot231 has a good point with fun/addicting 15-22/red dot. A good hook into the sport as well. Will probably incorporate this sooner than later.

Happy new years.

 

[Makinchips208]

I haven't had time to read through this entire thread, only skimming. So if this has already been said, I apologize.

My son was cross dominate like I am. He is right handed with some things and left handed (left eye dominant) when it came to shooting.

I'm right eye dominant but can shoot from either hand. Although as I've got older, the left side seems to be a little more challenging these days.

So qualifying with the M-16 from both sides wasn't difficult.

I got my son an S&W M&P 15-22. It pains me to say this because I hate Smith & Wesson but the M&P 15-22 was the best idea that they ever had with firearms. The one for my son has been 100% reliable.

It's not a tack driver but gets the job done and when my son was the age of your niece, he took the the 15-22 like a duck to water.

It's a little more expensive than a typical kid's rimfire rifle but it's light and the stock is adjustable.

You can use the sights that come with it. If it doesn't have any sights, PM me. I will send you the sights for the 15-22 that I have. All I ask for is the cost for the postage.

Having taught my kids and few others to shoot I can tell you from experience that they love the red dot sights. Now I am going to get criticized by those who think a kid should start off on iron sights and get good with them before going to other optics.

I will answer that criticism by saying that if they don't like shooting to begin with, they aren't going to like iron sights. However, there is something magical or almost like a video game when it comes to red dot sights. I've never seen a kid not like them. Besides they can challenge themselves later on with the iron sights.

The Vortex Strikefire II will cost about half as much as a 15-22 but it will be worth it.

Vortex Optics StrikeFire II Red Dot Sight 30mm Tube 1x 4 MOA Red Green

The Vortex StrikeFire 2 is the perfect solution for a shooter looking for a red dot sight that allows for lightning fast target acquisition. This...

www.midwayusa.com

Also think about this with the M&P 15-22. With the newer versions having the M-LOK forend there is all sorts of accessorizing that your niece can do later on.

Now I will really set the iron sight crowd on fire. If she likes the red dot, imagine how much fun she will have with a weapon light and laser.

Without knowing what your budget is, I realize that the rifle and red dot might be considered too costly for a 10 year old but if it keeps them interested, it will be money well spent.

I got one of the pink 15/22 for the girls. Operated flawlessly throughout many bricks of ammo, and as accurate as the 10-22s we have. Good recommendation:

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

So much valuable advice given. I'm reading, considering, and rereading everyone's input. So I just want to say thanks to you all for taking the time to help foster another generation. Warms my heart.

A few takeaways sticking with me right now:

1) Just get shooting with her and see how things start progressing. My wife just told me she is a little ambidextrous already with some sports. It seems more than coincidence that several of you are/know left-ambi folks....must be more common with leftys. So maybe she will take to right handed firearms pretty naturally.

2)I think either way, left handed firearms or right handed, I'm leaning towards her using her dominants eye. Seems important/advantageous to me....but probably will need to stress eye pro with her.

3) I can afford a Left hand CZ 457, cut down the stock to match LOP for youth and give that a try. If she likes this a lot over the right hand (CZ 452 in Mcmillan stock), then I can potentially upgrade the stock/chassis over time to fit her.

4) I think Longshot231 has a good point with fun/addicting 15-22/red dot. A good hook into the sport as well. Will probably incorporate this sooner than later.

Happy new years.

Do the precision MTR versions from CZ come only in right hand?

 

[clyancey]

Malum, I believe that is correct. The only Left hand 457 CZ models as of today, that I'm aware of, is the American and Varmint.

And in case anyone else is looking for left hand chassis options, I contacted Grey Birch and even though it does not show listed as an option, they do have Left hand CZ 457 options. I may do this for her if she shoes more promise on left handed firearms vs shooting rights.

La Chassis 457 (Folding Stock/Long Forend)

A light weight modular chassis / stock for your CZ 457 pattern rifle

gbmfg.co

 

[_Windrider_]

Break his left hand and force him to shoot right handed

 

[shoots100]

When I was young, I was the only left handed son out of four, so I didn't have a choice of what handed firearms to shoot until I could afford to buy my own left handed firearms.
I learned to adjust and switching to left handed firearms when I could afford them was no big deal.
I would see if someone local or a local range has a left handed rifle she could try out before going all in.

SJC

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Sirhr

 

[Aftermath]

My wife is naturally left handed, left eye dominant. We are old enough that she was forced to become right handed. She does everything right handed now...write, use a knife...name it.
When we first met, she would still hold the rifle right handed but turn her head like a contortionist to have her left eye look down the sights or the scope. I questioned her but then I was the asshole so I just let her do her thing. She could never shoot a consistent group but, you know, I had only been shooting for like 55 years so I still needed to learn a whole lot more before I tried to correct what her dad had taught her.
I bought her a 243 because she wanted to her own rifle. We went to the range about once and then she didn't want to go anymore. It's not like I was saying anything at all. I already had that part figured out.
Being as this is my major hobby, I continued to go shoot and hunt and I invited her every single fucking time but she never went after that once.
Fast forward quite a few years and I buy her a pellet rifle combo with a built in moderator and a scope. It was what she thought she wanted. It came in while I was 1500 miles away so she had my brother come over to help her get it dialed. He spots the left eye thing (I still had never mentioned that part ever) and suggests to her to shoot left handed. Well. WHAT DO YA KNOW? She could shoot better.

Cater to the left handed, left eye dominance. Buy her left handed stuff.

 

[Aftermath]

I mean, I have trained and will continue to train using left handed. If I am shooting at distance where I have the time to think it all through and all, I can say that I might even shoot better left handed, at least once in a while. I'd have to verify, but I think my best group was left handed. Not by much and with great effort.
I think it's because I am forced to think about every single step differently. My mind is 100% in the game.
BUT...I would not enjoy shooting as much as I do if I had to think the process through to that level every single shot. I only do it because I am probably paranoid and worry that, at over 6 decades of age, I may be forced to shoot left handed under duress due to unforeseen circumstances. Yeah....I could probably stop wasting that time and resources!

 

[Nik H]

My niece is 10 years old, left hand, left eye dominant. For now we are starting with suppresseed 22LR bolt guns. I'm probably the only real training she will ever get so I want to make this high quality and fun for her so that she sticks with it or seeks it out when older. I don't know that I will get to work with her much more than this upcoming calendar year. I'm personally willing to pick up a left hand 22lr if that is what is best; maybe gift it to her if she sticks with it and show interest.

Given increasing availability of left handed firearms....yet perpetually fewer options than right....how would you advise I train her:

1) Buy left handed firearms?

2) Train right handed firearm techniques where her face is on left side of stock so she has to squint dominant eye but can work controls like right hangers? (This has the safety bonus for blowups but maybe eye strain and reduced situational awareness).

3) teach her to put her face on the right side of stock and run bolt/trigger/scope with right hand and support with left? (Disadvantage of safety, advantage flexibility/plethora more firearm options to buy or borrow in times of need)

4) Some option I'm unaware of?

And finally, should this decision be influenced by consideration of some other shooting platforms that I hope she will also become proficient in like AR, shotgun, pistol etc?

Thanks

Left-handed and left-eye dominant here.

1. Do her a favor and buy her a left-handed CZ so she not only learns how to shoot properly but does so in a way that is natural to her. Forcing her to do things right-handed is moronic.
2. If she enjoys shooting and becomes proficient, introduce weak hand (right hand) drills as well.
3. This has nothing to do with any other weapon. When I was younger I shot competitive IPSC with 1911s and did so with my left hand. Shot trap and 3-gun as well...all left-handed using right-handed semi-automatic firearms and never had a problem

Do it properly or don't do it

 

[gunsnjeeps]

Have to agree with Nik above. If there is a hot brass problem buy a left hand bolt rifle to start. If not, start slow pretend to play mirror image.

I work with a lot of left handed shooters getting into Service Rifle. I like that it is easy to stand face to face and do training like looking in a mirror. They are your reflection and you are theirs. Works for Service Pistol, also. Only thing out of place is the ejection port. No muzzles going both ways or trying to look over shoulders.

 

[marsgoose]

He should always shoot with both eyes open regardless of eye dominance.

 

[xpshooter]

Being left handed most of my rifles growing up was right handed bolt guns that i just shot left handed, hell I was near 30 years old before I bought a left handed bolt gun. Shooting right handed while using a scope was easy to learn also, mainly trigger control. The only problems are using open sights or shooting shotguns where the dominate eye is really needed. Also, shooting most semi rifles(ar) and shotguns that eject from the right side isn't recommended, it can hurt!!

 

[Tokay444]

Beat the shit out of it like the nuns in Montreal used to do to my mother in-law when she was in school. It works.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

When we first met, she would still hold the rifle right handed but turn her head like a contortionist to have her left eye look down the sights or the scope.

My first grader is right handed but left eye dominant and does this same thing. I am right handed and left eye dominant, too, but apparently first graders have trouble closing one eye. He hated shooting left handed when I asked him to try it, and I did not want to make shooting no fun, so I put a sticky note over his left side eye protection. Problem solved. It built his confidence to start hitting targets once he was shooting with his right (non-dominant) eye. That head contortion thing does not work, and the shots miss.

 

[Lthrt]

Cross eye dominance makes shooting a red dot with both eyes open nearly impossible on rifle or pistol. Use the side your eye likes if using a red dot or any sight system on a handgun. Scoped rifles, only minor downside is eye fatigue from having to close dominant eye, easy. Never, ever try PRS-type matches with a wrong-handed bolt gun. I’m left-handed right eye dominant and tried once, had to break position and re-acquire targets every shot. Sucked.

 

[Aftermath]

My first grader is right handed but left eye dominant and does this same thing. I am right handed and left eye dominant, too, but apparently first graders have trouble closing one eye. He hated shooting left handed when I asked him to try it, and I did not want to make shooting no fun, so I put a sticky note over his left side eye protection. Problem solved. It built his confidence to start hitting targets once he was shooting with his right (non-dominant) eye. That head contortion thing does not work, and the shots miss.

My wife is naturally left handed, left eye dominant. We are old enough that she was forced to become right handed. She does everything right handed now...write, use a knife...name it.
When we first met, she would still hold the rifle right handed but turn her head like a contortionist to have her left eye look down the sights or the scope. I questioned her but then I was the asshole so I just let her do her thing. She could never shoot a consistent group but, you know, I had only been shooting for like 55 years so I still needed to learn a whole lot more before I tried to correct what her dad had taught her.
I bought her a 243 because she wanted to her own rifle. We went to the range about once and then she didn't want to go anymore. It's not like I was saying anything at all. I already had that part figured out.
Being as this is my major hobby, I continued to go shoot and hunt and I invited her every single fucking time but she never went after that once.
Fast forward quite a few years and I buy her a pellet rifle combo with a built in moderator and a scope. It was what she thought she wanted. It came in while I was 1500 miles away so she had my brother come over to help her get it dialed. He spots the left eye thing (I still had never mentioned that part ever) and suggests to her to shoot left handed. Well. WHAT DO YA KNOW? She could shoot better.

Cater to the left handed, left eye dominance. Buy her left handed stuff.