Shooting off hand/shoulder with optics question

[Furbyballer]

Hey guys,

So I have been shooting proficiently for probably about a year now, but there is one thing that I can't seem to figure out: obtaining a sight picture when shooting weak side with my rifle.

I can not, for the life of me, see either my red dot or my reticle when I attempt to shoulder my rifle on my left. I am right handed and it seems very right eye dominant. Is this a training issue? If so, how do you start to break this habit and start working on it?

Thanks
Dan

[dbain99]

Left shoulder = Left eye
Try putting some scotch tape over the right lens of your shooting glasses to encourage the use of your left eye until it becomes more natural.


Sent via telegraph with the same fingers I use to sip whiskey

[jack crab]

I started with a forward mounted reflex/red dot sight, both eyes open on a .22 to establish mechanics. Later moved to a scoped .308. Both eyes open with a hand or card on my shooting glasses in front of my right eye. It helped to raise the bipod substantially so everything lines up easier.

It's a frustrating process. I think you have to approach it as if you were a new shooter learning for the first time rather than an accomplished shooter trying a different technique. I shoot handguns equally well right or left handed because I use my right eye either way. With scoped rifles, there is only one way to get a sight picture shooting from your left shoulder, and that's with your left eye. You just have to keep working the alignment between body and rifle until you see the reticle. Shotguns with just a bead, I don't even want to think about.

[Furbyballer]

thanks guys. I will start re-training my eyes this weekend.

[tacoops]

Do you find yourself moving your head around trying to get a sight picture? If so you might be shouldering it wrong and getting a bad cheek weld. I had the same problem, it was my mechanics more than it was my eyes.

[mbarnes]

I think caliber would be more important than optics when shooting off someone's hand/shoulder.

[Beef15]

For a long time I had to close might right eye to shoot rifle left. After a couple years of intermittent weak side training that need went away, unless the optic is mounted very far forward, then it takes conscious effort.