left eye dominant

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

chriso

Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Messages
484
hey guys i was reading a thread about how if your right handed and left eye dominant its bad and if your in millitary and right handed but shoot left they train you to shoot right... is this true???
well i am right handed but i prefer doing ALOT of stuff left handed and i am left eye dominant i feel way more comfortable shooting everything rifle,shotgun,pistol... left handed... does this mean i should learn to shoot right handed???
and i actually shoot alot better than most people i know...
 
Spent lots of years in the Navy on the rifle and pistol range and never forced any one to shoot right handed. If you're left eye dominant, that's how they'll have you shoot. Most military firearms don't pose a problem being fired left handed. I'm left eye dominant so I shoot rifles/shotguns left handed. I still shoot pistol right handed. I did get tired of being pelted by brass from the M60, but nothing that was a real problem. Once they added the little bump out to the M16 to get the brass to eject forward, that stopped the empties from hitting me in the face and made life a lot easier.
 
yeah i mean i shoot good...its just that thread made me start thinking maybe i need to change to right handed... but i am left eye dominant i went to katholic school when was a kid where it was bad to use your left hand so i had to addapt right im supposed to be lefty then i guess...
 
I'd shoot however is most comfortable for you.

It's a very good skill to be able to shoot off of either shoulder. It's taken me a couple of years to get proficient shooting left handed. I'm right eye dominate, but my left eye has low astigatism compared with my right, so I see better with my left.

I usually zero my weapons left eyed as I get a better sight picture.

BSW
 
IIRC back in Army basic the lefties shot M16's left handed. I'm right handed and had bigger things on my mind than really paying attention to how the southpaws shot though.

As an experiment I recently tried forcing myself to shoot left handed. It is actually not all that weird, first time trying it I went 19 for 20 on hand thrown pigeons though I couldn't do it again on a bet.
 
i dont want to im just wondering if it would be better if i re learned left handed???
 
I am right handed, but i shoot left handed due to being left eye dominant. I feel like it is the best way for me to go, and now it feels a lot more natural than shooting strong hand.
 
Chris, it depends on what you're doing. I think the only shooting area (atleast personally anyway) where it's a big deal, is going to be when you're shooting a shotgun. The effect there can be very pronounced.

With open sight rifles, unless you're leading a target (i.e. like a shotgun) it doesn't matter. You're going to be using your right eye to focus on the sights. One a scoped rifle it doesn't make a squat. It can make a difference when shooting pistols, but in that case, you don't necessarily have to switch hands. Just switch eyes. It's a hell of a lot easier. :)

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm right handed and left eye dominant. When I got serious about shooting pistols a few years ago, I switched eyes and it helped my shooting considerably. Now when I shoot pistols it's second nature. Where it gives me a problem is when I'm shooting a shotgun and I'm having to lead a target. The wrong eye is tracking the target, and that'll screw you up big time. In that case, I do what the gentlemen above mentioned and I black out my left eye. I usually just put tape over my shooting glasses etc. Ideally, I'd probably get better results by switching to my left hand when shooting a shotgun, but my dexterity with my left hand is awful.
 
I disagree with Strongbad. You should search for my past posts on this topic. I am also right-hand/left-eye. I shoot pistols right handed using my left eye and rifles and shotguns left-handed. I used to shoot rifles right-handed. I am a firm believer that using the dominant eye is vastly superior across the board. There are no really "static" shots, unless they are from the bench, off of a rest, at paper. And I don't want my shooting to be limited to that.

I also suggest you try it both ways. Give it several shooting sessions to be fair--but I think you'll stick with the dominant eye.
 
I used to shoot rifles right-handed. I am a firm believer that using the dominant eye is vastly superior across the board.
Click to expand...

Heartily agree, as I stated early on in this thread.

We had a guy trying to shoot Highpower with an AR, who was just terrrible. We all tried coaching him and he could not seem to do anything to improve his scores. I noticed one day that he was trying real hard to get his head over on the stock when he was sighting in. I asked why he was straining so hard. He was trying to shoot the rifle right-handed using his left eye. We had him switch to shooting left-handed. Problem solved.
 
Everyone is different. I too am right handed and while in the military, I found that I was left eye dominant.

I shot expert using my right eye with the rifle...just a learning process...never had any problem using the right eye.

I keep both eyes open now when firing any side arm.
 
I am right handed for the most part and left eye dominant. I shoot a pistol right handed,my bow right handed and long guns left. When im shooting long distances i use my right(non-dominant eye) It has not made a difference. When im shooting handguns close i keep both eyes open and my dominant eye takes over.
 
Most militaries will let you go left handed, with a few exceptions, in particular the UK comes to mind since the L85a2 can only eject to the right side so has to be used right handed so you don't take your head off and I don't believe there is a way to get around it like say the Famas has.
 
I'm right handed and left eye dominant. I hold the rifle with my right hand, but when I aim my right eye actually takes over. When it comes to the pistol and shotgun it's my left eye.
 
nope, I spent many rounds in the Army, and except with my very first m-16 variant, an origional with a 4 digit serial number, i allways shot expert, and it got even easier when the a-2's came out. The big prob with a semi, is the brass would go right by my right eye, and a couple of times, got brass caught in the right side of my chinstrap. Talk about the smell of burning flesh!!!!
 
Im cross dominant and shoot rifles left handed, shotguns right handed and not sure about pistols due to being under 21.
do what works for you and dont worry about other people because they will be worried about your tight groups and high scores.
 
yeah i mean i do alot of stuff with my left hand ive just had a bunch of people tell me i should train myself to shoot with the other hand but ive shot right handed plenty of times it just feels way more comfortable lefty and i shoot alot better than most people i know...
 
I'm left handed but right eye dominant....just the opposite... stationary targets are no problem..... but I have to close my right eye when shooting moving targets like skeet.... I know you are supposed to keep both eyes open, but with practice, I taught myself to achieve an acceptable level of accuracy. practice practice practice.....
 
You have a lot of advantages shooting left handed long gun and right handed pistol. Transitions, manipulations, etc.

Shoot however you are most accurate and comfortable shooting.

You're in good company, Larry Vickers is left eye dominant and shoots a long gun left handed and a handgun right handed.
 
I am left eye dominant, right handed. Never caused an issue until I went to the Academy. Sgt told me I would be firing left handed - said no, and I will qualify expert. I was right, he was wrong, and I did qualify expert - shooting in the snow. In Tucson. :what:
I tried shooting left handed rifle, feels WAY too awkward for me.
 
Left eyed/right handed here.

I cant remember if it was suggested or if I tried it since it couldnt hurt, but I swapped shoulders years ago. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

It was a little awkward at first, but I started shooting groups instead of patterns. Today, I see cross dominance as an advantage. Aiming with the good eye, and the good hand is controlling the muzzle.

I shoot rifles alright right handed, but I hate having to squint my left eye to do so. I know it sounds like something small, but that does get tiring after a while.
 
You're better off shooting with your dominant eye. It's pretty easy for your hands to learn what they need to do.
 
I'm right eye, right hand kinda guy. I do practice shooting rifle with my left hand, left eye as that's a very useful skill for barricades. I've seen guys at our local practical rifle matches get all twisted when forced to shoot a left hand barricade, some just fall apart.

When I first started shooting left handed I just couldn't use my left eye with irons optics were ok. Since practicing, I can now shoot irons with either eye or side.

BSW
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Right hand with Left Eye Dominant
Replies
20
Views
891
hoghunting
H
A
  • Locked
Dominant eye vs dominant hand
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
RAT807
RAT807
C
  • Locked
Teach a kid: right-handed, left-eye dominant
2
Replies
27
Views
3K
CB900F
C
T
  • Locked
Scout Scopes and Eye Dominance Question
Replies
4
Views
1K
Sunray
S
T
  • Locked
AR15 & cross eye dominance
Replies
21
Views
2K
corncob
C
Back
Top