Right handed, left-eye dominant

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LkWinnipesaukee

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I recently took a friend to the range for the first time. We had a Marlin 780 and a scoped Ruger 10/22. I noticed she had a lot of trouble using the iron sights on the 780, so I switched her to the scoped rifle and she shot it just fine. Then I noticed she was sighting from her left eye, and gave her a test to determine eye dominance. Sure enough, she was left-eye dominant, which made it physically impossible for her to sight the 780 with her left eye holding it right-handed.

I really have no idea what I should do. Please help!

Thanks!
 
It's not uncommon and I have the same issue. Not only am I right-handed / left eye dominant, without prescription lenses my right eye is what used to be called "lazy." Unless her right eye is very weak she should still be able to train herself to use it, but it might take time. I have just gotten used to using my right eye when it comes to shooting rifles. With handguns I keep both eyes open anyway, but it's a little easier with those to favor my left eye.

I'm sorry if that's not helpful. I've been shooting guns almost since the problem with my eyesight was noticed, circa age 4.

jm
 
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I am right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot pistols right handed and rifles and bow left handed. It's very easy to shoot rifles left handed when you are left eye dominant. In fact it feels natural to shoot this way as shooting right handed is impossible to do.
 
As a kid I was right-eyed and left-handed. My dad worked with me toward shooting right-handed and it soon became totally natural. Just a matter of repetitive training.
Assuming equal or correctable vision, I would suggest steering her toward shooting right-handed. It may be somewhat harder to train past eye dominance than hand dominance but I think, in the long run, it'll be worth it, even if you have to resort to covering her left eye as part of the training. The overwhelming majority of firearms are built for the convenience and safety of right-handed shooters.
 
My oldest son is RH LED, until someone pointed it out to him... he never thought about it.
He just shoots how it is comfortable.
Its not bad shooting a RH rifle LH off the bench.
For bench work I prefer wrong handed rifles.


Jim
 
Is she really right handed? I was born lefty and was changed in schools..

Seems they missed my wild side, which I discovered on my own in my teens. So I shoot hand guns righty and long guns lefty, and can switch with out much problem.

I like you user name too, since i live close to the lake just up in Tamworth.
 
As others have stated, it shouldn't be a problem for her to learn to shoot right-handed? 'Course, there could be degrees of cross-dominance (although I've never heard it expressed that way)-maybe it would be more difficult for her?
I'm also RH, LED and shoot both rifle and pistol with my right eye.

Now when I try to use the Bindon Aiming Concept-well, at's a whole 'nother story! :banghead:
 
I'm right handed, but am blind in my right eye, so I shoot everything lefty.

Always worked great for me!
 
My ex girl friend is the same way, right handed left eye dominant. She tried shooting with the left eye covered but hated it. She now shoots left handed and can out shoot me no problem. She has real talent with rifles!

Anywho make sure you let her try different methods to see which one she likes best, not which one WE say she should USE
 
I'm also Right-handed and left eye dominant. I've been shooting since I was a child, and never even considered this fact until adulthood.

By the time I noticed the eye dominance factor, I was already an experienced shooter, and attending the police academy. It has taken me some work to be able to shoot pistol with both eyes open, and to this day I will still occasionally need to blink/squint my left eye to get it out of the picture in unusual lighting conditions.

Everyone probably has some shooting handicaps, and some of these are greater than others. Some folks have bad eyes, or weak arms, or shaky hands, or eye dominance issues.

I've adapted just fine to the problem, despite a much stronger left eye. It just takes a bit of extra dedication to that particular aspect!
 
I taught my girlfriends 12 year old daughter to shoot a 10/22. She also shot right handed, left-eye. I tried to correct her but she shoots a LOT better this way. :confused::confused:
 
I don't think this has been mentioned before, but it is actually possible to adapt a rifle to that problem. When I was out shooting clays on a range some time ago, my friend and I were talking to the owner and the strange looking gun he was holding. It appeared he too was right-handed, left-eye dominant. He had the stock of his gun remodeled in such a way that it wasn't in line with the barrel anymore, yet it was about 5 cm next to it. This made it easier for him to bend his head over to be able to sight with his left eye. Unfortunately, this conversion, although entirely possible, is probably rather costly, so I do not know if this would be the best idea.

greetz and take care,

V.

I also found a webpage with a picture of such a "crossover stock":

http://www.ukgunroom.com/viewGun.jsp?id=3419

greetz
 
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I'm right handed and very slightly left-eye dominant. Slight to the point that I can change which eye is dominant at will. Sighting was a problem at first when I was a little kid, but years of training have taught my brain to automatically use my right eye as soon as I bring up a firearm. Learning to shoot with both eyes helped a ton.
 
My teenage daughter is right handed but her vision in her right eye is terrible. After a ton of frustration for both of us one day the lightbulb finally lit for me and I switched her to LH shooting. I am a lefty so it was pretty easy for me to show her how to use a rifle the "wrong way". Now she can hold her own in our backyard plinking matches and she feels good about it so she shoots more, it's win/win here.
 
I'd just start her off shooting left handed, rather than fight her eye dominance forever. That is what I did ( I too am right handed left eye dominant) and now I shoot fine left handed.
 
I am left handed, and my right eye is dominate. I have always naturally shot right handed. give me a gun and try to make me shoot left handed..does not work at all completely unnatural. which hand/eye does she naturally pull to use? I think i would go with that one and hopefully for her sake she pulls to use her right hand..the guns are easier to find.
 
I'm surprised at the number of people who have this situation that I thought I alone possessed. I don't use open sights on rifles if at all possible and my scopes are usually more expensive than many of my rifles. Shooting pistol it's now normal for me to shoot right-handed using my left eye. It's just what comes up.
 
agd1953 said:
I am right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot pistols right handed and rifles and bow left handed. It's very easy to shoot rifles left handed when you are left eye dominant. In fact it feels natural to shoot this way as shooting right handed is impossible to do.
Click to expand...

I do the same, I keep meaning to go out and buy an eye-patch so I can train my right eye but I haven't gotten around to it.
 
I am RH & LED. Dad noticed me, early on, trying the move my head all the way over the comb to use the iron sights with my left eye (this was LONG before eye-dominance was commonly understood).

Since then, I have experienced no problem ... and have shot rifles RH my whole life, preferring iron sights. Pistols I shoot RH, with both eyes open, often sighting with my left.
 
I also am "RH & LED" and figured it out for myself in high school. 'been shooting that way my whole life and I have found that although it is easier to shoot a rifle left handed I can shot them ambidextrously. I shoot whatever feels comfortably.
 
I am also right handed and LED ... I found out while in basic....and that SUCKED!!! They made me shoot left handed. It was the most uncomfortable shooting I ever did. I did shoot amazingly accurate but it just didn't feel right. Now that I am out I currently shoot right handed but have big problems with open sights. With scopes I just turn my head farther and look through with my left eye. I wish I could turn it around the way its supposed to be but my right eye is getting bad.

By the way I wasn't always LED. After a car accident, I lost RED due to minor brain trauma.
 
Another RH strongside with dominant left-eye - I shoot handguns mostly right-handed with a slightly turned head to use my left eye, but am also competent shooting the short ones left-handed. Long guns I shoot strictly left-handed, unless using a tactical carbine w/ red-dot optical while doing house-clearing exercises - then it's ambidextrous, depending on circumstances. Been shooting since I was 3 years old (under Dad's supervision), and just adapted to what worked best for me. But I'm not truly right-handed, that's just my strongside. I do lots of fine tasks left-handed when necessary, the other side is for power.

Everyone's a little different - have her try a variety of techniques, she'll find one she's comfortable with. :)
 
Just put your chin down a bit and use your left eye. I am LED but also use my right eye just as easily. I just have to think about it before I do it. I train right eyed.
 
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