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Old August 17, 2013, 09:17 PM   #1
monoxide
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Shooting with scopes

Ok so I have a model 60 marlin and winchester ranger .30-30 both have scopes on them. But when I use the scope I have to lay my head on the stock and look out my left eye when I have them on my right shoulder. If I try resting my cheek on the stock to see out of my right eye I can't even see the lens. I feel like this isn't the right way to do it. I know this is a noob question but how do I shoot with a scope.
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Old August 17, 2013, 10:42 PM   #2
BornToLooze
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I always just hold my head where I can see it with my right eye, I don't lay it on the stock.
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Old August 17, 2013, 11:30 PM   #3
Theohazard
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First, it's a lot easier to use any kind of rifle sights if you're shooting from the side of your dominant eye. Most people's dominant eye is on the same side as their dominant hand, but not always.

So if you're right eye dominant, the rifle should be in your right shoulder, your right cheek should be firmly against the stock (cheek weld), and your right eye should be looking through the scope.

If you still can't see through the scope at this point, first make sure your cheek weld is putting your eye at the correct height. If not, the best way to do this is either adding some sort of pads or risers to the stock, or changing the height of your scope rings. Raising or lowering your head from a comfortable cheek weld in order to see through the scope will usually cause you to be less accurate; the idea of a good cheek weld is that your eye will be at the exact same hight every time you shoulder the rifle and it won't move.

After you've made sure your stock and/or scope is at the right height, next check for eye relief; if the scope is too close or too far away from your eye you should be able to move the scope backwards or forwards within the scope rings to get the proper distance from your eye, but you might need to get a new mount for the scope.

Basically, the idea is to get a good cheek weld to the stock, and then adjust the scope to your eye; this will help you look through the scope the same way every time. If you move your eye in an unnatural position to see through the scope, you're probably going to be less accurate.
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Old August 17, 2013, 11:46 PM   #4
hoghunting
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Are you using the see-through rings where the rings are open so you can use the rifle's sights, then the scope is mounted above? If so, that's your problem.
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Old August 18, 2013, 01:39 AM   #5
monoxide
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Shooting with scopes

I am left eye dominant but right hand dominant. My .30-30 has the rings so I can use both rifle sights and scope my 22 is just the scope. I tried shouldering on my left side and it was so uncomfortable and just holding the rifle made me feel unsafe shooting off that hand.
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Old August 18, 2013, 01:52 AM   #6
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I suggest you learn to shoot left-handed; you'll always have problems shooting any kind of rifle as long as you're shooting right-handed with a dominant left eye.

Learning to shoot left handed isn't as hard as it seems. Sure, it feels weird at first, but anyone who shoots for self-defense should already be training to shoot from your weak side; that's where I learned to shoot left-handed.

Also, see-through scope rings for iron sight use are almost always terrible; usually that means the scope is mounted high enough that there's no good way to get a good, consistent cheek weld and still be able to use the iron sights effectively.
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Old August 18, 2013, 02:11 AM   #7
monoxide
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ill try shooting off my weak side tomorrow when i go to the range.
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Old August 18, 2013, 02:18 AM   #8
Theohazard
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Yeah, just practice and you'll find it's a lot easier to shoot from the same side as your dominant eye.

I'm right handed and right-eye dominant. When I shoot left handed I get used to using my non-dominant hand, but I can never get used to shooting with my non-dominant eye.
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Old August 18, 2013, 02:28 AM   #9
monoxide
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Shooting with scopes

I just shouldered my rifle on my left side right hand on front of the stock and doing that makes it seem so heavy. Ill try shooting the 22 like that till I get comfortable then move to the 30-30
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Old August 20, 2013, 10:03 PM   #10
snolden
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Have you already adjusted the eye relief on the ocular lens of the scope. Most scopes have over a half inch of adjustment
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Old August 20, 2013, 10:21 PM   #11
dakota.potts
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monoxide,
I am left eye dominant and right handed.

The first time I ever shot a rifle I shot it left handed because I knew that's what I would have to do because of my eye dominance. Since then (6 months or so) I have shot left handed.

The other day at the range, we had our Remington 700 out and I decided to take a couple of shots right handed. You definitely will have to re-learn your feel for the rifle! Things like where your hand lays in relation to the bolt feel very different.

But it can be done pretty easily. The rifle may feel heavier because you're not in the proper position which you would be on your natural shooting side. You do have to consciously put yourself into a proper position a few times before your body adapts, especially if you're switching back and forth.
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Old August 20, 2013, 10:37 PM   #12
Ridgerunner665
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My wife is right handed and left eyed...she has shot rifles and shotguns right handed her whole life...she didn't even know she was left eye dominate until I got her into shooting handguns...she can hit anything she aims at with a rifle shooting right handed but she really had to work hard at it to get used to aiming pistols, and I'm not exactly sure how she aims pistols but she figured it something that works.

My point is...starting young makes it easier but if you don't....practice makes perfect.
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Old August 27, 2013, 08:12 AM   #13
Bubba Phett
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If you do not have luck learning to shoot lefty, another option would be to see if you can change your eye dominance. You might try an eye patch over your left eye for awhile. In time your right eye should become the dominant eye. For some people this happens in as few as fifteen minutes. Longer for others. There is also the matter of how long the switch will last, again this will vary by individual. You may be able to permanently change your eye dominance, or you may be able to train yourself to switch dominance when shooting rifles. You also might have no luck at all. The thing to remember is, eye dominance is not the same as hand dominance. The right hemisphere of your brain does NOT control the left eye and vice versa. Information from each eye is sent to both hemispheres of the brain.

The right hemisphere of your brain interprets information from the left side of your field of vision for each eye. Left hemisphere interprets the right half of your field vision for each eye.
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Old August 27, 2013, 10:25 AM   #14
Toney
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Throw away the see through mounts,
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