left eye dominance, right handed shooter

i experimented and found that squinting my left eye would force my right eye to take over...

My brother and I go to the same optometrist. This is the way our optometrist suggested to my brother to try shooting long guns as he is left eye dominant but has shot right handed for years. Don't recall exact conversation but the doc told brother not to close left eye completely, but to squint as that will still let some light into his left eye and he will be able to see moving targets in a better overall manner.

We listen to 'doc' cause he's an excellent shot and I don't think brother or I have yet to outshoot him. :o
 
If you are truly left eye dominant, then you need to shoot from the left side. If your dominance switches back and forth, then some fuzzy tape over a spot on the left eye lens will force the right eye to do the work
 
I personally think the eye question is overdone. Unless you are way dominant with one eye, you're better off just closing the left one if you are right handed.

Only to an extent shotgun shooting as well as comp or defense AR shooting Both eyes need to be open. Your field of view needs to be enough to see whats going on around and behind the target.

As Dave said you can train yourself and your right eye will begin to take over. But you've got to do it, and do it constantly. I have my flip up scope covers flip off to the left to block my left eye. So when i used a rifle with no scope cover my right eye takes over. Same goes for my AR with the aimpoint. But its much harder for pistol/shotgun. Squinting works as well.
 
I agree with OneOnceLoad - shoot from the left shoulder. You should really be shootin' with both eyes open.

Regards,

Mark.

P.S. My late father was right-handed but blind in the right eye. He shot from the left shoulder with no problems.
 
A buddy of mine is right handed but left eye dominant. He learned to shoot left handed and now he has no problems at all.
 
Try shooting opposite handed. I'm kinda messed up myself. It took
a lot of self training for me because I shoot a long gun left handed and aim with my left eye and I shoot right handed with a pistol aiming with my right eye. It's kinda weird I know.
 
All this is why, with grandkids, we first do a test for eye dominance before they ever pick up the first shotgun or rifle. It is so much easier to teach them if they're shooting from the dominant side, whether left-handed or right-handed.
 
As an update, I went to the clays range last week.

I tried closing my left eye just as i was about to shoot -- didn't work very well, as the clay would seem to shift location as I closed the eye.

I squinted my left eye -- at first this felt very awkward and I missed more than I should, but as I went through the course I got better and better and was nailing them better than ever by the end. That said, it's not easy to do as I found it a bit hard to track down the clays.

I tried a few times shooting left handed. It felt all wrong. At age 42, trying to change my dominant hand for some fun sporting clays and upland bird hunting a few times a year definitely ain't worth it.

I'm going to try the tape over the left lens technique next time I'm out.

But I'm pheasant hunting for my first time in a few weeks and looks like I will have to work with the squinty method for now.

Anyway, just wanted to report back for those who are curious.
 
I tried shooting with tape for a third day and I believe it will work pretty well for me. A guy with the same problem showed me how I was using twice as much tape as needed and that greatly increased my field of vision and reduced eye strain while at the same time I didn't have any problems with cross domiance.

You might be surprised how well the tape works for you andhen2003. Try it dong pointing drills about the house swiknging along the interface of a wall and ceiling).
 
This one comes up often.

I too am left-eye dominant and strictly right-handed.


I use my left eye for pistols simply by movving my head over more, but go forced right-eyed with shotguns and rifles. Never had much trouble with practice.

I completely close left eye when clay shooting.
 
Shoot left handed. My father was a lefty with right eye dominance, he shot right handed just fine.

It will feel awkward for a while but you will get used to it.

I shot sporting clays with a gentleman who lost 95% use of his right eye a few years back. He said that it wouldn't stop him from shooting so he learned to shoot left handed.
 
Learn to shoot left handed. You will suffer at first, but as you learn, your shooting will eventually improve far past the point you will ever get now.
 
As a side note Hickok45 thats on youtube with gun videos is left eye dominant and shoots right handed and is a very good shot and has been in competition so you might contact him through a email and he may just return some info. He happens to be on some of the gun forums especially Glock forums so that may be another way to contact him. Just a thought
 
Back
Top