Right Handed, but left eye dominant. What to do??

[aflin]

Out of curiosity, how do you adapt when shooting when you are right handed but left eye dominant? Do you shoot with your left hand or right hand?

[John_Wayne777]

The answer is...it depends.

Larry Vickers, for example, is right handed but left eye dominant. If you see pictures of him shooting a handgun you'll notice that he holds the weapon with his right hand. You'll also notice that his head is generally cocked to the right...which brings his dominant eye in line with the sights. He shoots a rifle left handed.

What you'll find with enough research is that every shooter who achieves a high level of skill has elements of individuality that they've adopted over time and with experience to get as good as they are and to compensate for whatever issues they bring to the table. Some things they've learned from others, some things they've figured out on their own. When you're trying to improve trying out some of their techniques would be a good starting point.

Ideally you want to shoot with both eyes open, but you may have to close one eye at least for a while to train your brain on what you're seeing.

You may find that trying Mr. Vickers' technique works for you...or you may find that it's easier to just switch hands. It's something you'll have to play with to figure out.

[vecdran]

Uh. I scoot the gun over about 2 inches. :confused:

I wasn't aware this was an issue with handguns. Now rifles? Erghhh...

[An Undocumented Worker]

I've just trained using my right eye. At first I had to close my left eye completely, now I mostly just squint, and on longer shots with good lighting I'll leave both eyes open while still using my right eye for aiming.

Lots of dryfire practice helped for me. Although I'm not 100% sure I'm left eye dominant it almost seems to me that each eye serves a slightly different role for me. With practice you can adapt thier roles.

[CyberM4]

For me my right eye stays closed. This has worked for me for years. Now with both eyes open I can line up front sight with rear sight. without changing anything with my shooting. I'm left eye dominant. Plus I shoot pistol and rifle right handed.

[theblackknight]

Dude Im cross dominate the same way. I shoot rifle both eyes open with a 4x ACOG. When I shoot pistol, I use my left eye. I shoot the same as LAV with pistol. I kinda get a "stock weld" on my bicep, but not as much as you might think. If anybody ever tells you your ****ed up for shooting like this or you should just switch hands, show them otherwise.Just make sure you can walk the walk.


If you want to learn to shoot good with both eyes open, tape over the front of your rifle optic. See how you can still see the reticle on what your aiming at? Train like that for a little then take the tape off.

[Fidalgoman]

I'm the same way. I tend to shoot my pistols right handed and left eyed. Shoot my AR (aimpoint) with both eyes open. And shoot bolt guns with high power scopes with my left eye squinted but not usually all the way closed. Most people will find left eye dominance is the brain selecting the preferred eye out of long time habit. The more I practice using the “correct” eye for the job the easier it becomes. If I go for a while without shooting I fall back and have to train myself again.

Unless your right eye is nearly blind or has other problems it becomes an issue of practice. It's the brain that actually sees. The eye may be a marvel of engineering but it is not about absolute straight grid lines and perfect optics. The eye gathers information and the brain learns to interpret that information and compensate for irregularities just like a computer can do for a digital telescope. The brain seeing is why hunters can pick out the outline of a wing in the brush and similarly the ear hearing the rumble of a crowded room and the brain selecting a single voice from the din. TMI, I know.

[l8apex]

Don't know if you are already shooting isosceles, but that tends to help with people who have CED. Everyone with CED adapts slightly differently, I shoot ISO but know some who are able to use a mod Weaver and shoot well. Unless the shot requires very precise placement, I am able to shoot with both eyes open. Give a few different techniques a shot to see what works for you.

[usaffarmer]

Im right handed, and shoot handgun left eye and rifle right eye. Its funny to see instructors look at me and say what the hell are you doing?

[ROCKET20_GINSU]

I am right handed, left eye dominant.

Pistol:
When shooting freestyle I use my right hand, I turn my head to the right to help align my left eye but unless you were watching closely you would never know. When I'm shooting bullseye I use my left hand (1 handed).

I find that my dexterity in running the gun with my dominant hand far outweigh benefits of switching my dominant eye, or trying to employ the pistol with my support hand.

Rifle:
Left handed. There are several benefits to this:

1) your strong hand is handling the most of the weight of the gun and you have your strong hand swinging the gun and manipulating the pump (if you have a shotgun).

2) Additionally, if for some reason you are not using a sling your transitions are much smoother.

GU

[sevin8nin]

I shoot right handed for both rifle and handgun and I'm left eye dominant as well. I just shoot with both eyes open and I don't have a problem. I shoot with more of a squared up stance when shooting handguns, but that's about all I've adjusted for.

[skyugo]

i've just trained right eye enough that it's not really an issue. it did take some work... i don't shoot much rifle, so it can still trip me up on them a little.

[Corey]

I am strongly left eye dominant and mixed hand dominance. When I first started learning to shoot (and even with toy guns as a kid) I shoot a long gun left handed and I shoot a hand gun right handed but hold over to aim with my left eye. I can shoot a long gun right handed, but cannot shoot both eyes open that way. I have tried learning to shoot a hand gun left handed, but never could shoot as well that way as right hand/left eye.

[rifleman2000]

I was right hand, left eye dominant.

I practiced right eye dominance until I was right eye dominant. It did not take long. Simply practice aiming down your hand with your left eye closed, open your left eye and force yourself to maintain the sight picture with your right eye.

I now shoot both eyes open, right eye and right hand.

[rsgard]

Am i incorrect in assuming that being right handed and left eye dominant is very common?

Right handed means your left brain dominant and since the crossover for nerve control switches sides somewhere under the nose (according to my paramedic instructor) that would mean that the left brain also controls the left eye.

I know im right handed with left eye dominance but weakly left eye dominant.

Anyone remember that Nicholas Cage movie about apache choppers that they put a plastic parascope on one of his eyes and blindfolded the other and made him drive a jeep to correct his eye dominance?

[THCDDM4]

My wife had the same issues, but a good friend told me to have her stop using the gun/the sights and just shoot at what her mind/eye/body pointed to; now she shoots ****ing great. Modified point shooting isn't for everyone, but she couldn't get a good shot in (30) using the sights, so we adjusted her way of shooting to just rely on herself and she is a true marks"woman" now. Try it out and see if it fits your style. Personally I really like using myself over the gun to get things right at a reasonalbe distance, out past 50 yards is when I will start using sights (Iron sights, I don't much like hte holo-this and that, I have eagle eyes and rely on them instead of optics); I still shoot better than all of the LEO's and Military guys I know who swear by using sights/optics; and piss them off on a regualr basis showing them such. Not trying to start a big argument or discussion here; I know the percentages on sighting VS. point shooting, but what works for each individual is what works for each individual; period. Maybe try it out if you're still having problems after exhuasting your other options.

I love the style of modified point shooting my wife and I utilize, it works very well for us.

[Bubba FAL]

I'm left-handed, strongly left-eye dominant, but shoot (mostly) right-handed. Despite being left-handed, my right side is my "strong" side.

For rifles: right-hand hold, just close the left eye as I take up the trigger slack. Have tried shooting various rifles left-handed, but it just feels "wrong". Don't know if it's because I'm left-handed, but I can keep my left eye closed for long periods without fatigue.

For handguns: right-hand hold (most of the time), move the gun in front of my left eye. Switching to a left-hand hold doesn't have much of an effect on accuracy.

Shotguns (wingshooting): well, some things are just a waste of ammo - can't hit squat shooting right or left-handed. Strange because I've done a lot of point-shooting at fruit tossed in the air with shot loads out of a revolver.

[Nest]

I'm left handed and right eye dominant. I tried the closing my left eye, turning my head, and squinting my left eye. Eventually I got to where I can shoot left handed or right handed just as well, though I still prefer left handed. Finally a shooting instructor taught me to hold my weapon, and have my stance so that I will be aiming with my left eye when shooting left handed. Then lean the weapon to the right so it is at a 45 degree angle and the sights line up with my right eye. Kinda like shooting ghetto style, only not so severe of a cant. Works great for me.