Daughter right hand, left eye dominant - pistol - What to do?

[Arizona Fusilier]

Before I knew what "eye-dominance" was, I was taught to simply close my left eye (I am right handed). Let me emphasise......there was no analysis done..... just close your left eye and sight down range with the other.

Rifle, pistol, shotgun.....I do so quickly and instinctively, as the firearm is brought up to eye level. If the situation dictates, I open my left eye to assess the situation and hit it again. No issues whatsoever.

Absolutely no offense.....but because of this, I have always been taken aback by these cross-dominance threads, like the kid has ADD or something. I have learned much later in life that I too am cross-dominant, so seeing people so spun up about it is somewhat unnerving.

Close the other eye....and chillax

[hopeitsapar2]

As a new shooter with the same issue. I was shown to camber the gun about 45 dergrees toward the dominant eye. It seems to correct the issue as the sights are still aligned on target. It has worked well for.me

[Frank Ettin]

Originally Posted by hopeitsapar2

...I was shown to camber the gun about 45 dergrees toward the dominant eye....

Not the best idea. Sights are regulated to be directly above the axis of the bore. Canting the gun that far changes the geometry and can affect point of impact relative to point of aim. See posts 7 and 16.

[m&p45acp10+1]

I was taught to shoot left handed. When they tried that crap of putting tape, and eye patches on me it gave me migraines so bad I vomited on the feet of the idiot that did it. Simple fix see how she does shooting lefty. If that is a problem, then work on another solution.

[mehavey]

Use the patch, and learn shoot strong hand. It comes naturally quickly.
If one develops such strong [for that matter any] significant vertigo
as to become sick then there are much deeper problems afoot.

Best find that out early and address it medically.

[Reloadron]

Handgun I shoot right handed using my left eye. Rifle I shoot left handed and have all my shooting life of well over 50 years. Shooting left handed just comes natural and I have several left hand bolt guns.

Ron

[jfruser]

Wife has the same issue as OP:
1. Right handed.
2. Left eye dominant.
PLUS....
3. Can not close left eye (without closing both).
4. Difficulty operating semi-auto handgun "left handed."

We went through all the permutations and settled on:

Handgun
1. Shoot right handed.
2. Turn head a bit to align left eye with sights.
3. Close right eye if'n she feels like it.
And she does fine, now.

Long Gun
1. Shoot lefty
2. Close right eye if she feels like it.
Same thing: she does fine.

For my own part, I can shoot--for a while--both eyes open. But after a while, after I get tired, I have to close the lfet eye.

[Excoastie]

We were just talking about this when I went through my CCW class this past Saturday. This is where I discovered that I was cross-eye dominant (left eye- right hand) as well.

I don't have any words of wisdom when it comes to long guns, but what I have found with shooting a pistol that works for me, is to use an exaggerated Weaver stance to the point where I'm almost standing side on to my target, which in turn brings the weapon up to the proper sight picture.

Once I realized why I kept pulling most of my rounds to the left (thought it had something to do with grip, anticipation, etc) my accuracy improved significantly. It's still a work in progress, but I am getting better.

Knowing that there is an issue is the first step to either over coming or correcting it.

good luck to the OP

Exco

[FITASC]

Close the other eye....and chillax

Do you do that when driving down the street, playing tennis, baseball or golf? All of those activities require 3-D depth perception which you lose when you close one eye.

Since she is fairly new, it would be best to start her on her dominant eye side, especially for rifles and shotguns

[mehavey]

This is not hard... or at least it needn't be.

Aim dominant eye side for handguns.
Aim dominant body side for long guns.*
Shoot dominant body side for everything -- for that is how you will react in the moment



* in the moment at both skeet & trap w/ only a ramp & bead, I shoot right/aim left. No big deal

[armoredman]

Been ignoring all of that for 40 years. Qualified Expert again last week with pistol and shotgun.

[tipoc]

I'm also right hand left eye dominant.

There are two aspects of this issue here.

First is that being cross dominant is not a condition, a problem or issue. About 1/4 to 1/3 or more of people are cross dominant. It isn't an issue for machinists, heart surgeons, welders or carpenters. The dentist don't smear Vaseline or Valvoline on his specs when pulling a tooth. It's not a problem in shooting either. It just is. You adapt to the guns.

Second thing is that there are different shooting sports. Each has it's needs. I'll have to finish that thought later.

tipoc

[lefteye]

Tipoc - I'm curious (and serious.) How do you adapt to a right-hand bolt action rifle (iron sights or scope?)

[mehavey]

Simple -- you (I) shoot long guns right-eyed, and handguns left-eyed.

[lefteye]

Simple -- you (I) shoot long guns right-eyed, and handguns left-eyed.

I am right-handed and left eye dominant. I found it much easier and more accurate to shoot long guns left-handed with my left eye sighting through the scope or on the beads or iron sights, and to shoot hand-guns with my right hand and both eyes open with the left eye dominating the sighting (obviously). Doing the opposite, as you suggest, wasn't natural or accurate. When I confronted being left-eye dominant over 60 years ago it seemed very easy to shoot a .22 rifle accurately left-handed (although it was a right-handed, single shot bolt action.) In short, it was much easier to shoot left-handed accurately than right-handed despite the initial awkwardness of learning to shoot left-handed. The same is true for my compound bows. I can't swing a baseball or softball bat left-handed, but shooting a bow left-handed was easy because of my dominant left eye. I even suspect my cross-dominance adversely affected my golfing right-handed (at least that is my excuse.)

[FITASC]

It's not a problem in shooting either.

Try shooting at a moving target then.

Tipoc - I'm curious (and serious.) How do you adapt to a right-hand bolt action rifle (iron sights or scope?)

As a LH shooter (and left eye dominant) I shoot RH rifles just fine -in fact I prefer it. I hold the rifle in my left hand as I work the bolt with my right.

[lefteye]

I hold the rifle in my left hand as I work the bolt with my right.

Just as I did - and probably most left-eye dominant and left-handed shooters - prior to the availability of left-handed bolt action rifles EXCEPT I prefer the left-hand bolt action rifles I have now.

[tipoc]

Tipoc - I'm curious (and serious.) How do you adapt to a right-hand bolt action rifle (iron sights or scope?)

I didn't answer completely because I had some household duties to attend to.

This opinion doesn't take into account glasses, or bi-focals, those add a twist but not an unsolvable one.

With long guns, keep in mind that as with handguns there are different uses for the guns. Different sports or uses allow for different options.

For hunting, for sighting in a rifle or two at the range, and other situations whether with scope or iron sights it works to simply close the dominant eye and focus with the non dominant. Think of strong right hand and strong left eye, the rifle comes to the right shoulder. Close the dominant eye and look through the sights or scope with the weak. I know and have known members of SWAT teams (in Del Norte Co. and San Mateo Co. who use this method, one a police sniper.) It's older than dirt and works.

For extended sessions with rifle, as in bench rest competition or competitive accuracy matches, the "close the eye" method tires the eye too much and produces strain. A blinder on the shooting glasses or patch over the dominant eye works very well.

This is also possible in skeet.

It's difficult to stalk game through woods, or compete in 3 gun competition while wearing a patch or having the eye covered.

When a person who is right handed and right eye dominant shoulders a carbine with iron sights or scope and keeps both eyes open, their brain simply ignores the information coming from their non dominant eye. You can only focus through sights or scope with one eye. Stereoscopic vision plays no role when peering through a scope. The information processing from the other eye falls into the background, becomes irrelevant. This is the norm. The exception will be in combat, snipers excluded.

Some individuals learn to simply ignore the information coming from the dominant eye while using a scope or iron sights. It can be done but not everyone can do it. It's handy but not needed.

In target competitive shooting, with handgun or long gun it's not unusual to see some shooters, even those not cross dominant, put a patch over the eye that's not using the scope to reduce eyestrain and enhance the focus.

This is what I mean by adapt.

Others have already gone over the turn the head slightly method with pistols. it's what I do for defensive shooting, along with point shooting at close range.

tipoc

[lefteye]

You can only focus through sights or scope with one eye. Stereoscopic vision plays no role when peering through a scope.

Absolutely! That is exactly why my dad and I learned to shoot long guns left handed. The alternative would have been an extremely awkward and uncomfortable hold of the long gun to put the left eye in line with the sights - or learning to shoot as accurately with the right eye. I vaguely remember right-hand stocks made for left-eye dominant shooters - the stocks had a an obvious curve in the butt stock to allow the shooter to use the left eye rather than the right. They looked bizarre and were not a good substitute for shooting left handed (if the shooter could.)

I am not suggesting all shooters must shoot from the side that matches their dominant eye. I suspect it really depends upon the degree of dominance and the ability of the shooter to accommodate that dominance. (I am not any eye doctor - or any kind of medical doctor.)

[tipoc]

As a LH shooter (and left eye dominant) I shoot RH rifles just fine -in fact I prefer it. I hold the rifle in my left hand as I work the bolt with my right.

You bring the rifle butt to the left shoulder?

Sometimes it seems left handed folks have a greater challenge than cross dominant eye folks. Not many revolvers are made for lefties...so you adapt.

I knew two bench rest shooters who would wear shooting glasses both painted over the left lens of the glasses to black them out. This reduced eye strain and allowed for more intense focus with the right eye. Both were right handed. One was left eye dominant and the other right eye dominant.

I agree with the guys in posts 6,7, and 16.

tipoc

[ammo.crafter]

After 50+ years of shooting all kinds of firearms, my dominate eye changed from right (strong hand) to left. What royal pain in the butt!

As kraigwy and many others have said, there are things she can do.

I still compete in PPC and consistently finish in the top 3 places.

I use red dot sights on all handguns and use my left eye. Merely a slight turn of the head to the right cures that problem.

For rifle shooting, a scope or red dot is a must.

My shotgun shooting is another story completely. Most frustrating, indeed.
She will have to learn to shoot from her strong shoulder unless you want to spend a considerable amount to have her stock bent.

Good luck to her!

[Erno86]

I believe I read from a source many years ago: That cambering a iron sighted pistol up to 45 degrees, will not affect accuracy too much up to 25 yards --- And shooting a cambered pistol is almost necessary to use while shooting one-handed in a modern isosceles stance, because that will keep your wrist from becoming unlocked, and still allow the pistol to be aligned straight in the web of your hand and forearm.

[FITASC]

You bring the rifle butt to the left shoulder?

Sometimes it seems left handed folks have a greater challenge than cross dominant eye folks. Not many revolvers are made for lefties...so you adapt.

With a RH rifle, after shooting, I lower the gun while holding it at the wrist with my dominant LH and work the bolt with the RH, then remount on my LH shoulder and fire (talking 99.9% either hunting or off a bench rest sighting in for hunting)

Hope that answers your question.

[fredco]

Siding with Sharkbite and Frank Ettin. She should do what is natural to her. Some societies were/are teaching lefties to write right handed at school. As you can guess, it's not a good idea.

In a defense situation, have her tell the burglar to hold on while she looks for her shooting glasses with tape on it. Also not a good idea.

Myself I'm right handed/left eye dominant. I bring the handgun to the left a bit and turn my head to the right a bit. I shoot rifle with my right eye no problem.

Can't shoot a shotgun. Maybe if I close my left eye?

[jfruser]

Originally Posted by fredco

Can't shoot a shotgun. Maybe if I close my left eye?

Yes, that is how I wingshoot most of the time. The pheasants I downed didn't know I had my left eye closed.