Cross eye dominant shooting

[lefteye]

I've used both left-handed and right-handed rifles, but I definitely prefer left-handed rifles. I have a few left-handed rifles and they are much easier to use. I never owned a right-handed rifle with a Monte Carlo stock - it would have horrible for me shoot left-handed. My pump shotguns are all right-handed Rem 870 with left-handed safeties. I shoot all handguns right handed and turn (not tilt) my head slightly to the right to allow my left-eye to line with the sights. All of my compound bows are left-handed. And, as I've written before, I am afraid to pick up a cup of hot coffee with my left hand.

[ammo.crafter]

Me too. After being right hand dominant and right eye dominant my eyes switched after surgery and now am left eye dominant.

For handgun competition, I use red dots and they work just fine using my left eye and right hand.
For rifle I found that a single shot like a Contender with a scope works just fine right handed and right eye.

My issue is with shotguns...I have yet to solve this problem.

Good luck and let us know how things workout for you.

[Don Fischer]

I can shoot rifles as well left handed as right handed if I concentrate well. I would not use a left handed gun to hunt with though, problem being I'm not fast enough on that side and I do have to get my mind straight to do it. Of course I am right handed and left eye dominate. Pose's no problem shooting right handed. All my life I have shot rifle's and handgun's with my left eye closed, no problem!

[Red Devil]

Cross eye dominant shooting
I'm right handed, but left eye dominant. I'm having trouble aiming very well at even short distances with iron sites. Since all I'm comfortable with is right hand shooting, what should I do to help my aiming? Should I begin retraining to shoot lefty? Scout scope? Something else

Train your right eye to pick up the front sight.

Using dry-fire drills:

1. Mount the rifle both eyes open.
2. Close the left eye and pick up the front sight with the right eye.
3. Open the left eye while maintaining the right eye sight picture.
4. When the focus begins to shift to the left eye, wink the left eye to reacquire/maintain the front sight picture with the right eye.
5. Lower the rifle and then mount it again.

Practice this 10-20 minutes a day. (detestable personalities on television make great random sighting targets)

Very soon, like a week or two, your right eye/brain will learn the trick.

I am right handed and left eye dominate, but my right eye will find a front sight with both eyes open like a magnet, rifle or pistol.

One trick pony, sure. But then, that is all that is required.




Red

[Scorch]

Cross eye dominant

Cross dominant, not cross eye dominant. Otherwise, it makes it sound like the OP is affected by strabismus.

[lefteye]

I just read the previous post. I had never seen or heard the word strabismus so just did a little internet research. Strabismus includes crossed eyes and many other eye problems including the opposite of crossed eyes, i.e., eyes which are looking in opposite directions. I do not have any symptom of Strabismus, but my left eye is certainly dominant over my right eye, and I am definitely right-handed. I refer to my condition as cross eye dominate as I have seen much writing referring to my condition as cross eye dominant and I suspect shooters who are aware of the condition understand what cross eye dominant shooting is. "Cross dominant" might be interpreted to mean a shooter prefers a cross-hair scope reticle over any other reticle option.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by Red Devil

Train your right eye to pick up the front sight.

Certainly no harm in trying this technique, but there are some of us with eye (or more aptly, brain) conditions that make this exercise futile.

I am a case in point. I don't actually have "poor" vision, in any way. My right eye is 20/20, my left eye is actually far better... 20/10. I can make the world appear to "zoom" in and out if I alternate closing each eye. It's like my left eye has a permanent X2 magnifier.

Whether this is causal or coincidental to my brain all but ignoring my right eye, I don't know. I do know, that for several reasons (firearms and 3D just to name a couple), I have tried to correct it in ways similar to Red Devil's advice.

None have been even momentarily helpful. The instant my left eye is open, all primary vision returns to it. When I was younger, I could consciously force myself to sort of see temporarily with normal binocular vision. As I get older, that has become harder and harder... plus it always gave me a headache anyway and it was never good enough to be able to use the sites of a gun.

Besides which, closing the other eye has never been any sort of problem beyond occasionally being told "You're not doing it right."... usually by people I can handily out-shoot.

[Caliper]

I have the same cross dominance. After fighting it for some time, I switched to shooting long guns left handed. Once I figured out how to shoulder the rifle left handed, I never looked back. It is simply easier to shoot better when using the eye my brain is wired to.

[davidsog]

I'm right handed, but left eye dominant. I'm having trouble aiming very well at even short distances with iron sites. Since all I'm comfortable with is right hand shooting, what should I do to help my aiming? Should I begin retraining to shoot lefty? Scout scope? Something else

You are handicapped when it comes to shooting.

I am the same way and managed to not only make it through some of the best marksmanship and assaulter training in the DoD inventory.

No worries though as you can overcome it.

I shoot a rifle iron sights with my non-dominant eye. Don't "change hands" but change eyes. Focus on the fundamentals paying particular attention to sight alignment and front sight post focus.

I did very well in SOTIC and subsequent service rifle shoots with iron sights. Training and practice is key.

Shotguns and pistol work...

Shooting with both eyes open takes some work but is doable. Practice and force yourself to adapt. You can close your non-dominant eye at first and then practice squinting that eye. Even today I put just a little muscle tension on my non-dominant eye. It is fully open but a little muscle tension on that side helps to clear the brain path to focus on the dominant eye with the wrong hand.

Training and practice is key.

[davidsog]

Train your right eye to pick up the front sight.

Using dry-fire drills:

1. Mount the rifle both eyes open.
2. Close the left eye and pick up the front sight with the right eye.
3. Open the left eye while maintaining the right eye sight picture.
4. When the focus begins to shift to the left eye, wink the left eye to reacquire/maintain the front sight picture with the right eye.
5. Lower the rifle and then mount it again.

Practice this 10-20 minutes a day. (detestable personalities on television make great random sighting targets)

Very soon, like a week or two, your right eye/brain will learn the trick.

I am right handed and left eye dominate, but my right eye will find a front sight with both eyes open like a magnet, rifle or pistol.

One trick pony, sure. But then, that is all that is required.

Good advice