can you shoot with either hand ?

Retired LEO after 30 years. We had to qualify with both off hand and strong hand. I was able to do it, but the off hand never felt quite right. :)
 
jibjab,

The canting of the gun slightly to my dominant eye does help me be a bit more accurate. I can punch paper decently with the cant and unsupported hand.

I haven't been in a match that required weakhand only shooting at moving targets, etc. I assume my accuracy would go straight down the hole if that were to occur.
 
I'd give my right hand to be ambidextrious:D Just kidding. I'm actually lefthanded in a righthanded world.

I've been shooting righthanded all my life, but learned to shoot left handed in my CHL class. Late last summer, my right hand suddenly couldn't hold a gun up to shoot. I found ligaments are damaged and/or missing. Surgery will be eventual to screw some wrist bones together.

I can still shoot a revolver right handed, but all others, including my .22 Ruger Mark II can only be shot left handed. Being a Southpaw, it was quick and easy to shoot accurately with my left hand, but still I needed practice. I put about 30 shots from my .22 Ruger in a 3" circle at 25 yards. I'm a fast learner.

My Kel-tec P11 took a lot more time to hold correctly and not injure my left hand as well.
 
So you freaks that are ambidextrous, do you have a dominate eye.
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Nope. I don't, anyway. I can't speak for the rest of them.

I was shown how to figure out which eye is dominant by putting your hands together, fingers forming a triangle, then looking through it at something and bringing your hands in toward your face without losing the target. Theoretically, the hands would move toward your dominant eye. I could never do it without losing the target with my hands about 6" away. If I close one eye, pick the target, then open the eye, the trick works.
 
I was shown how to figure out which eye is dominant by putting your hands together, fingers forming a triangle, then looking through it at something and bringing your hands in toward your face without losing the target. Theoretically, the hands would move toward your dominant eye. I could never do it without losing the target with my hands about 6" away. If I close one eye, pick the target, then open the eye, the trick works.
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Actually, you don't have to bring your hands to your face. Form the triangle as you described at arm's length and look at an object with both eyes open. Then close one eye. If the open eye shows the object in the center of the triangle, that's your dominant eye. You won't even see the object if it's the other eye.
 
Actually, you don't have to bring your hands to your face. Form the triangle as you described at arm's length and look at an object with both eyes open. Then close one eye. If the open eye shows the object in the center of the triangle, that's your dominant eye. You won't even see the object if it's the other eye.
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OK, just tried that. It all depends on where my hands come up if I select the target. I can move my hands back and fourth, and nothing seems to change. I have no idea.
 
Don't move either your hands or your head, Chris. At first, make sure you're looking through the triange with both eyes open, at arms length. Now, without moving either, close your right eye. If your left eye shows the object, it's dominant. Now switch eyes, and the non-dominant eye will not see the object. It won't be in the field of view.
 
Chris,

Try this. Take a blank piece of paper and write "dominant" in the middle of it. Set in your favorite reading position and read the word on the paper over and over while quickly pulling the paper to about 1 inch of your nose.

Then shut one of your eyes. Which eye is focused on the word?
 
At the club I make people miserable by adding a weak hand to some of the events. I do it to give a little challenge and that little bit of work to shoot weak handed makes it fun. I am not great but if your close in real life I can make your really nervouse:D

Think about it, if you are pinned down so cover only allows you to shoot weak handed without being exsposed what are you going to do? You will get killed if you lean out with the wrong side.

True story, the Britts came up with a bullpup design rifle (SA80)that the empties came out close to the face on the opposite side. Well as they patroled the streets they found when they went to cover on one side of the street they couldn't shoot without hot brass hitting them in the face or having to exspose their body to fire. They used to fight over which side of the street they would patrol:D

25
 
Many times while on horseback I've had to shoot with my off hand rather than bringing the weapon across my chest where my horse can't see it and I'm off ballance. It also puts the muzzle blast farther away from both of us.

If you find that your off hand is a bit weak here's an ideal. Get one of those hand exerciser--the type that you grip and squeeze. This will improve your grip. As for wrist strength, it seem that nothing can beat weights. Try placing them in your hand with you arm horizonal and flexing at the wrist. Turn your arm the other way (palm down) and flex it that way. The good thing about this is that you can do it while watching T.V. Don't do it til you "feel the burn" your just trying to tone first.

Anyhow, I hope this is of some help to you. And yes, you brain does'nt know what hand your shooting with.

God's Blessings,
Ken
 
Being a left-handed firearms instructor in a world of right-handed students I had to adapt to my students to better effectively teach. I'm not as good a shot right handed as I am left handed, but I can manipulate the guns nearly as well right-handed as I can left. However, I do have to put a little more conscieous effort into doing so.
I'm also fortunate that years of shooting firearms left-handed and archery right-handed has conditioned me to switch eye dominance when needed.
 
My range drill is usually to shoot mostly right handed weaver stance, then take a few shots one handed right and one handed left. I shoot OK right handed but I shoot bad left. I usually do better left handed with lighter handguns and worse with heavier guns. I don't get it, I can curl a 30lb dumbbell all day, or scoop up and hold my 40lb kid with my left arm, but I can't hold a handgun over 20oz steady with my left hand.
 
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I think both my eyes are submissive or something

...because Capt Charlie's eye dominance test doesn't work for me. The object stays in my field of vision either way. When I close my left eye, it "shifts" to the right, but still in the triangle, and vice versa.

Oh, well, y'all knew I was weird anyway....

Springmom
 
Spring ~

When you close your dominant eye, the image will shift. How far it shifts (and whether it jumps completely out of sight) is a function of how big and how far away the object is.

My eye dominance changes daily, sometimes several times during the day. All of the eye dominance tests I've ever used give me different results depending on a whole lot of different variables -- up to and including which hand is on top when I make the triangle. Never have done things the easy way.

pax
 
I'm right hand, foot and eye dominant and so mostly shoot that way. I've intentionally learned to switch hit in tennis, baseball, permanently set a left hand mouse and other skills.

So left handed in the Iscoceles can shoot just a little slower and a little less accurate -- but not terrible.

The Center Axis Relock 'system' is supposed to make off hand shooting better.:D
 
Sorry for th late response...


Jibjab, you're saying that you only ever use one finger as a trigger finger? What about using your middle finger, and keeping the index finger flush against the pistol when you fire? Assuming you aren't shooting some short-ass barreled handgun, and thus shoot your finger off, you'll be fine. The United State military did that for years.
It's kind of fun, too.

Not much else I have to say, I guess...
 
Thanks KnJoe, I tried holding my Tarus 85 boot grip with my middle finger on the trigger, my index finger rubbed the cylinder and put the end of my splinted finger next to the end of the cylinder and forceing cone :eek: Then I held my 9x18 makarov the same way, my index finger was in front of the ejector port :eek: thanks for the response, I will turn this into a positive practice now as a lefty and later with both. One never knows what can happen in a altercation, it's wise to be prepared.
 
I can shoot amphibiously, and my accuracy is great in both fresh and saltwater. It doesn't matter, my harpoons always hit the mark.
 
Great post. I think its very important to learn not only how to shoot with non-dominent hand, but also how to reload, pick up gun, resecure it...get cell phone, etc...
 
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