Right handed...but cross-eye dominant.

[KevinWood44]

Shooting a pistol is easy, I just move my head over to the right a bit to line up my left eye behind the pistol.

However, shooting a rifle I always felt extremely uncomfortable shooting right handed using my non dominant eye....so I shoot left handed. (Regardless kind of rifle; bolt, gas, etc)

Curious, if you are in the same boat as me....do you shoot right handed or left? If you shoot with your less dominant eye how long did it take for that to feel natural?? Is it different using a scope? Red dot? etc. Do you keep both eyes open? Close your dominant eye to help focus your non dominant eye?

Thanks.

 

[Rob01]

I am right handed and left eye dominant and just shut my left eye. No issues at all. Pistol, scopes, red dots etc.

 

[Jgault]

Shooting a pistol is easy, I just move my head over to the right a bit to line up my left eye behind the pistol.

However, shooting a rifle I always felt extremely uncomfortable shooting right handed using my non dominant eye....so I shoot left handed. (Regardless kind of rifle; bolt, gas, etc)

Curious, if you are in the same boat as me....do you shoot right handed or left? If you shoot with your less dominant eye how long did it take for that to feel natural?? Is it different using a scope? Red dot? etc. Do you keep both eyes open? Close your dominant eye to help focus your non dominant eye?

Thanks.

My son has that issue, he shoots right handed with his non dominant eye, it took him some time at first to get where it was natural and he didn’t have to overthink it, iron sites and shotgun beads were the easiest for him to adjust to and took much less time, then scopes, red dots bring the hardest by far.

 

[cas6969]

Shooting right handed, I use my right eye. Shooting left handed, I sight with the left. (even with both eyes open) It just naturally took care of itself, and for a long time didn't understand how it wouldn't? When I'd see people shooting cross eye dominant or talking about, I was so puzzled. "What? Just don't do that!" lol Just shows not everyone's wired the same. Shooting pistol in longer USPSA or 3 gun stages, at times I'd become conscious that I'd switched eyes after a reload. Didn't effect my two handed shooting other than the mental distraction of noticing it. (this really only started after the vision in my right eye started going south)

If you close one eye, the open one is the dominant one.

Be the man! Don't let your brain and eyes play games with you! Show them who's boss! Show them who's in charge!

 

[Aftermath]

My wife is right handed left eye dominant.
I tried for several years to get her to start shooting left handed but she would always act like I didn't know what I was talking about.
One day she and my brother were shooting off the back porch and he suggested she try lefty. She did and was amazed at how her groups tightened up. I attribute part of that to having to concentrate more on the mechanics.
Now she only shoots lefty and I have never said anything about it at all...

 

[KevinWood44]

Shooting right handed, I use my right eye. Shooting left handed, I sight with the left. (even with both eyes open) It just naturally took care of itself, and for a long time didn't understand how it wouldn't? When I'd see people shooting cross eye dominant or talking about, I was so puzzled. "What? Just don't do that!" lol Just shows not everyone's wired the same. Shooting pistol in longer USPSA or 3 gun stages, at times I'd become conscious that I'd switched eyes after a reload. Didn't effect my two handed shooting other than the mental distraction of noticing it. (this really only started after the vision in my right eye started going south)

If you close one eye, the open one is the dominant one.

Be the man! Don't let your brain and eyes play games with you! Show them who's boss! Show them who's in charge!

View attachment 8214701

LOL Prehaps there is some level of over-thinking but I feel genuine discomfort beind the rifle using my right eye. Maybe my eye sight is significant better in one eye. No clue. Or maybe it just needs to become muscle (and eye) memory =)

I just watched a T-Rex arms video a few mins ago and he has the same issue as me and shoots everything right handed as well. He has to close one eye depending on the optics (I believe using a scope he closes his off eye) everything else keeps them both open.

Thanks Obi-Wan

 

[Rob01]

Definitely overthinking it. Never understood people thinking they have to shoot the rifle from whatever their dominant eye is. Shut your left eye and shoot right handed. Much easier to do that than to train your body to go from right handed to left handed in all it's motions and uses.

 

[Baron23]

Shooting a pistol is easy, I just move my head over to the right a bit to line up my left eye behind the pistol.

However, shooting a rifle I always felt extremely uncomfortable shooting right handed using my non dominant eye....so I shoot left handed. (Regardless kind of rifle; bolt, gas, etc)

Curious, if you are in the same boat as me....do you shoot right handed or left? If you shoot with your less dominant eye how long did it take for that to feel natural?? Is it different using a scope? Red dot? etc. Do you keep both eyes open? Close your dominant eye to help focus your non dominant eye?

Thanks.

I have fairly even dominance so it switches sometimes as my eyes get fatigued.

I was a competitive skeet shooter (well, I competed, don't know that I was ever actually competitive! haha) and with shotguns it is of the utmost importance to have the on eye (right eye if shooting from right side, etc) be the one looking at the target. A little piece of tape on the left lens as an occluder (and it doesn't have to be a big honking piece. just in front of your vision when positioned on the gun). Works

For scoped rifle, I can see when my dominance switches over and a blink or a squint of my off eye will switch it back.

If I had any more issue with it than that, I would wear a piece of tape on left lens of my rifle shooting glasses too.

Something to consider if you want to shoot right handed again.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

I am right handed and left eye dominant and just shut my left eye. No issues at all. Pistol, scopes, red dots etc.

This is what I do.

My 6 year old apparently inherited it. He can't seem to close his left eye, so I put a sticky note over the left lens of his shooting glasses. All of a sudden he started hitting the target.

I tried to get him to shoot off his left shoulder, but he did not like it and wanted to go back to the right.

The kid was trying to get his head down on the rifle, on his right shoulder, to look down the sights with his left eye. Right check scruncnched down, twisting his head in an attempt to put that left eye down into alignment with the sights. Obviously that was not working, and he was shooting over the target.

So I finally put the sticky note over the left eye, got him to straighten up, and pow! Right on target.

 

[jakelly]

Shooting a pistol is easy, I just move my head over to the right a bit to line up my left eye behind the pistol.

However, shooting a rifle I always felt extremely uncomfortable shooting right handed using my non dominant eye....so I shoot left handed. (Regardless kind of rifle; bolt, gas, etc)

Curious, if you are in the same boat as me....do you shoot right handed or left? If you shoot with your less dominant eye how long did it take for that to feel natural?? Is it different using a scope? Red dot? etc. Do you keep both eyes open? Close your dominant eye to help focus your non dominant eye?

Thanks.

This is what I do.

My 6 year old apparently inherited it. He can't seem to close his left eye, so I put a sticky note over the left lens of his shooting glasses. All of a sudden he started hitting the target.

I tried to get him to shoot off his left shoulder, but he did not like it and wanted to go back to the right.

The kid was trying to get his head down on the rifle, on his right shoulder, to look down the sights with his left eye. Right check scruncnched down, twisting his head in an attempt to put that left eye down into alignment with the sights. Obviously that was not working, and he was shooting over the target.

So I finally put the sticky note over the left eye, got him to straighten up, and pow! Right on target.

I’m cross-dominant. @Malum Prohibitum I was the same way as a child. I shoot left handed and recommend allowing the eyes to choose if you start young enough. OP for pistols, I rotate the pistol to about 30*, I highly recommend trying it.

 

[zeroz]

Definitely overthinking it. Never understood people thinking they have to shoot the rifle from whatever their dominant eye is. Shut your left eye and shoot right handed. Much easier to do that than to train your body to go from right handed to left handed in all it's motions and uses.

I dont get it either but I gave up with the old lady and she shoots lefty. For some reason she couldn't hit shit shooting righty but shoots well lefty so I gave up and got her a LH bolt gun and an ambi AR lower. If she shot the AR more Id consider a true lefty one.

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

I’m cross-dominant. @Malum Prohibitum I was the same way as a child. I shoot left handed and recommend allowing the eyes to choose if you start young enough. OP for pistols, I rotate the pistol to about 30*, I highly recommend trying it.

Yeah, he really did not like shooting lefty. I will try it again, but I don't want to force him - I want him to enjoy shooting, which he does. I can probably get him to try it again. We'll see.

 

[mikeshaw2]

If you're shooting positional stuff, using a right handed rifle shooting left handed isn't horrible. Shooting off hand? Different story

I'm VERY right handed but my right eye stopped working (everything's grey and very cloudy) last winter so I switched to shooting left handed. Right off the bat I was more accurate than I thought I'd be, but its still upside down and backwards.

I haven't gotten to the point where I've looked for left handed rifles.

Getting into a prone position I still have to think about which side of the rifle to get behind.

M

 

[Rob01]

Yeah, he really did not like shooting lefty. I will try it again, but I don't want to force him - I want him to enjoy shooting, which he does. I can probably get him to try it again. We'll see.

No reason to if he is happy. People get way too wrapped up in eye dominance. There is no reason you need to shoot with both eyes open or have to use your dominant eye. It’s shooting long range rifles and not clearing buildings in Iraq. Lol not life and death for any of our shooting sports.

 

[Grubber]

Watched a hunting show one time … buddy was shooting a rifle right handed, but somehow he managed to put his chin on the other side of the stock and use his left eye to look thru the scope. Most awkward and idiotic thing I’ve ever seen.

… just because they have a show, does NOT make them experts!

 

[DocRDS]

Try being amphibious! (ambidextrous). I'm cross dominant Right Hander and for me, its no about my eyes but my "handed-ness" I shoot right handed because I learned right-handed. As my eyes got old, my dominant eye switched to the left as my right has much poorer vision.

and yeah "Just close your left eye" Problem solved. There are a ton of tricks but your brain can force you to look out of one. Tape, head movement, etc. Its all about comfort. If I switched to a left-handed rifle, I'd be undoing many decades of practice. And Frank would call me a witch. (I got better).

When I play baseball, I bat left, it just feels better. I kick a ball with either foot too. Its all about comfort. I spose if I practiced long enough I could bat right and shoot left. But why?

 

[jakelly]

No reason to if he is happy. People get way too wrapped up in eye dominance. There is no reason you need to shoot with both eyes open or have to use your dominant eye. It’s shooting long range rifles and not clearing buildings in Iraq. Lol not life and death for any of our shooting sports.

I agree. If the kid is happy righty, shoot righty. I will just add that eye dominance is not the same for everyone. Some people have mild dominance others have strong dominance. Some people are fairly ambidextrous, some are half helpless. People need to find what works for them. In my particular case, strong dominance and started shooting really young, shooting lefty was a much easier solution. I would have had to wear a patch hunting.

 

[DFOOSKING]

You got this....

 

[Malum Prohibitum]

I agree. If the kid is happy righty, shoot righty. I will just add that eye dominance is not the same for everyone. Some people have mild dominance others have strong dominance. Some people are fairly ambidextrous, some are half helpless. People need to find what works for them. In my particular case, strong dominance and started shooting really young, shooting lefty was a much easier solution. I would have had to wear a patch hunting.

You could not close your eye?

 

[jakelly]

You could not close your eye?

Yeah, until I was 13, I couldn’t close my left eye and not my right. My son is the same as me, left eye dominant, right handed, and he can’t close his one eye. The kicker is he can’t close his right eye.

So I’m teaching him how I taught myself to wink both eyes. You hold the eye lid closed and slowly relax until the body can hold it there. Eventually I could hold it closed on my own. With enough practice holding it closed, you can eventually close it on your own. In my case, this was a fairly long road, I had to really clamp in the beginning to hold it, nearly hurting my eye to get it held.

 

[Shifty6BR]

I was born a degenerate...right eye d, left hand strong. Discovered this when my old man bought me my first air rifle Daisy 880 at around 10 ish. He caught me doing this strange thing trying to look down the sights with my right eye shouldering left and just having an odd time.

He told me that I had to pick one..left hand left eye or right hand right eye. I chose left and left and never looked back, been at it for a while and it feels natural, in time Ive trained myself to the point where I can focus with both eyes.

Let it ride with whatever feels the most natural and comfortable regardless if one has to squint a bit, keep it real as the kids say.

 

[KevinWood44]

I was born a degenerate...right eye d, left hand strong. Discovered this when my old man bought me my first air rifle Daisy 880 at around 10 ish. He caught me doing this strange thing trying to look down the sights with my right eye shouldering left and just having an odd time.

He told me that I had to pick one..left hand left eye or right hand right eye. I chose left and left and never looked back, been at it for a while and it feels natural, in time Ive trained myself to the point where I can focus with both eyes.

Let it ride with whatever feels the most natural and comfortable regardless if one has to squint a bit, keep it real as the kids say.

Do you use left handed rifles? Or keep the bolt on the right side?

I have an Air rifle that I am very comfortable keeping the cocking handle on the right side. .. I can stay on the scope very easily. But with a firearms it is less comfortable. It will take some getting used to if I use a left handed bolt gun

 

[Shifty6BR]

Yes, I have all left hand bolt guns, ar15 platforms are regular with the exception of a few ambi controls.

I can handle an ar15 platform rifle right hand fairly well for some reason, almost as well as lefty. But good grief right hand bolt and especially pistol I struggle getting behind and grip when paired to the right.

 

[odoylerules]

Grew shooting right handed rifles. I’m Right handed and left eye dominant, so I shoot left hand rifles now. Made a huge positive difference for me

 

[Leam]

I'm a lefty with right eye dominance. I'd recommend that right handed/left eye dominant use their right hand as trigger puller; the options for left handed firearms are far fewer than right.

 

[CNC-Dude]

I am right handed and left eye dominant and just shut my left eye. No issues at all. Pistol, scopes, red dots etc.

I am as well, just close your left eye or wear a patch like some competitors do....

 

[Shifty6BR]

...... the options for left handed firearms are far fewer than right.

True in general it will always be this way. However lefty options are more readily available than they were say 10yrs ago..as far as actions, stocks/chassis, complete bolt rifles, triggers. Now is the time.

 

[stanley_white]

Welcome to the club!

I write with my left hand, I am left eye dominant, I throw with my right hand, box right handed, and shoot right handed using my right eye.

-Stan

 

[KevinWood44]

Welcome to the club!

I write with my left hand, I am left eye dominant, I throw with my right hand, box right handed, and shoot right handed using my right eye.

-Stan

Same here Stan....sort of. I write and throw right handed - I can not do either even a little bit w my left hand

but Hockey, Boxing, BJJ, Lacrosse - all lefty....and Left eyed dominant. Complete mess.

 

[DFOOSKING]

I throw a baseball right handed. A football....left handed.

Don't ask me how that came to be.