Eyesight issue

S

SocialAnarchist

Moderator
Hello everyone,

I have a question regarding shooting opposite eyed or whether it is better to just learn to shoot left handed. You see I have a problem with my right eye. While I am not blind I have a cloud like blockage in the upper half of my eye. I tried shooting with both eyes open and it seemed I shot about 6 inches left of my point of aim.

So here are my questions:

1) Just keep shooting right handed and learn to compensate for the obvious left side dominance with both eyes open.
2) Keep shooting right handed and learn to compensate for using just my left eye.
3) Switch to shooting left handed. This may sound harder than it is because I am fairly ambidextrous and off and on I have shot left handed as a just in case my right hand is disabled in a gun fight.

Thanks for any help you can offer.
 
Prior to my cataract surgery, my left eye was my dominant eye, so I simply shot cross handed. Several men remarked I was shooting wrong, but I out shot everybody else on the range.

I now shoot using my right (Wright) eye. Did have to re-sight all my guns, though.


Bob Wright
 
I shoot cross hand, by that I mean I hold my gun right handed and aim with my left eye. It works fine for me. When I go out to the desert I can hit the state of Utah every time. :)
 
kenny53:
I shoot cross hand, by that I mean I hold my gun right handed and aim with my left eye. It works fine for me. When I go out to the desert I can hit the state of Utah every time.
Click to expand...


From how far back?


Bob Wright
 
Shooting with both eyes open isn't going to help you when your peepers are damaged. Move your hind leg over to bring the gun over to your good eye. Or move your arm over.
"...in case my right hand is disabled in a gun fight..." You'll be out of the fight anyway. Weak hand shooting in the shooting games is just part of the game. Has nothing whatever to do with reality.
 
I lean my head a bit and shoot with my left eye and right arm (mostly I shoot onehanded, necessary for muzzleloader pistol competitions). It works very well.
 
How about trying this:
Squint the dominant left eye (for a right handed shooter) just enough to prevent it from being the dominant eye and sighting with the right eye?
I just tried it the other way around, shooting left handed and right eye dominant and it seems to work just fine.
 
T. O'Heir,

Please explain why if I can shoot weak handed I would be out of the fight if my dominant hand is disabled in a fight?

Because I am most certainly not going to curl up in a ball and wait to be killed if it happens.
 
I am right-handed and left eye dominant. I shoot handguns right-handed with both eyes open and my head turned VERY SLIGHTLY to the right (and not tilted to the left.) I shoot long guns (and compound bows) left-handed. I don't know for sure that my technique will work for you but it is probably worth a try. If you try my technique you will probably need to adjust your sight(s) to the point of impact.
 
right to left

Bob Wright is right!

I had the exact same problem and have no problem shooting handgun with my dominant right hand and aiming with my now dominant left eye. I rarely lose a match. A red dot does wonders.;)

Shotgun is another matter all together.
 
If you are left eye dominant and shooting with your right hand, you will loose you straight line of sight. As for both eyes open on aim, I have to close my left eye because a an astigmatism....with both eyes open, focusing on the front sight, I see two targets! Not good!
 
If you are left eye dominant and shooting with your right hand, you will loose you straight line of sight.
Click to expand...

What does "you will loose you straight line of sight" mean? What, in your opinion, is the effect upon accuracy of shooting a handgun right handed with a dominant left eye? Would shooting with the left hand be more accurate? Would closing the left eye be more accurate than keeping both eyes open?
 
Bob Wright:

Most of the time I shoot 7- 10 yards sometimes I'll go 25 yards. At 7-10 yards I keep pretty tight groups, at 25 yards without a rest I will keep them on a silhouette target, with a rest I have had 6 inch groups.
 
Okay, not a scientific method by any means but today I fired 6 rounds from my XDs shooting right handed, left eye open only. The shots were roughly 2 inches left of my aimpoint with one being roughly six inches left of my aimpoint. I count the 6 inch one as a flyer, and the 5 all in a roughly 3 inch circle a more accurate judge. I will have to fire more to see if my aim needs adjustment or if I was just in too much of a hurry.
 
Shooting with the dominant eye is intuitive, as is shooting with the dominant hand.

As long as you line up front and rear sight and the target, and squeeze that trigger, You're going to place you bullet where you want it.

As to having your eye aligned with your shooting hand, that doesn't matter that much. I've shot .45-70s in pistols, which did have a rather stout kick, and the mis-alignment didn't affect my shooting one bit.

Maintain your concentration on the basics ~ sight alignment and trigger squeeze, and you'll develop your own style that will allow you to make your shots count.

Bob Wright
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top