Cross-Dominant Shooting

[Nanothaniel]

I'm curious what the left-eye right handers and right-eye left handers do in terms of shooting?

Personally I'm left eye dominant but my right arm is my strong arm, I write left handed but I do everything else right handed by instinct (baseball swing, ping pong, pistol/rifle, etc.). When I was a kid I used to shoot right handed and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn because my left eye was focusing in on the sights, these days I mostly force myself to shoot left handed, but I've been considering practicing more my right hand because it feels more natural, I just have to cock my head/pull my arm inward or some combination of the two.

How have you other cross-dominant shooters responded to this conundrum? My initial instinct was to stick with what my dominant eye tells me to do, but these days I'm thinking maybe I should just make lemons into lemonade and work seriously on my ambidextrous shooting.

 

[Breakaway500]

Hickok45 on Youtube uses his left eye (left eye dominant) and shoots right handed..and has NO problems hitting things..

 

[bigwheelzip]

I'm left dominant, right handed. It's not a problem to cross-shoot hand guns, but long guns I'm forced to use the right eye. It does not seem to have the same impact on accuracy as on handguns.

 

[Nanothaniel]

I'm left dominant, right handed. It's not a problem to cross-shoot hand guns, but long guns I'm forced to use the right eye. It does not seem to have the same impact on accuracy as on handguns.

So do you shoot with your left eye closed? That's the only way I can shoot a long gun right handed.

Delving a bit deeper into the subject (and possibly away from competitive shooting, my apologies), even if you can shoot right handed with your left eye, couldn't that be detrimental in a self-defense scenario because your field or vision is focused down and to the right. Personally my field of view is pretty terrible when I'm shooting a handgun right handed and left-eyed, can barely see anything to my left.

 

[petemacmahon]

Nanothaniel,

I share your issue. We moved to PA from NJ when I was 11 and went totally Green Acres. I was the first, and only, kid in the family to take up hunting & shooting in earnest. My dad wasn't a hunter or shooter so I was pretty much self taught. IF someone knowledgeable would have been in my life, I'd probably have started out shooting lefty. I'm a righty, but bat lefty, again I just started out that way. I didn't even realize I was left eye dominant until I was in my 20s.

I shoot all my long guns off my right shoulder, and learned to just close my left (dominant) eye. It works fine for me and I became a pretty competent shot in the whitetail woods with my rifles. BUT, hitting anything on the wing is real challenge with a shotgun! As most of us do when we can't do a thing well, I gravitated away from any shotgunning and just don't do it much at all.

When I took up handguns, in my late 20s, I shot righty, and just continued closing my left eye. BUT, about 5-7 years ago (when I hit around 50) as I realized that my left eye saw close better and my right eye farther better. So, I switched eyes for handguns. I now shoot right handed but use my left/dominant eye. This has helped a great deal with my accuracy, in both deliberate fire and draw and shoot. It was not hard to do at all. And I still have no problem picking up a rifle and closing my left/dominant eye.

That's what worked for me.

Best of luck.

 

[OKFC05]

"I'm thinking maybe I should just make lemons into lemonade and work seriously on my ambidextrous shooting. "


That's the real answer. I shoot IDPA and USPSA right handed and mostly left eyed, but shooting strong and weak handed use the eye most convenient; same with barricade shooting around left and right sides. People who practice standing flatfooted at a firing line are already at a disadvantage, especially if they close an eye or try to hold the gun in front of their right eye and aim with the left. Just move the pistol in front of the eye you want to use.

 

[hkcavalier]

I learned I was left eye dominant at Boy Scout camp, I was 11. I couldn't hit anything with a .22 shooting right handed. Coach had me switch to left and I tied for 1st place that year.

I still only shoot long guns left handed, I've never found a satisfactory way to shoot right handed with good sight picture. Sure, I can line up a 10/22 sitting on a bench rest to my right shoulder and look through the sights/scope with my left eye, but with zero cheek weld. Not real practical.

I carry and shoot pistols right handed, but I've found that I can be more accurate left handed. Better trigger control from all the rifle shooting, that's my excuse. Yes, I tilt my head a little to the right to line up my left eye with the sights. It definitely works, I shot some base competitions in the Marines and was a consistent 370+ out of 400 back then with the M9.

There are some advantages to shooting long guns left handed. Chamber checking is easier. Some designs are easier to cycle e.g. M1 Garand/Carbine, M1A, AK, semi auto shotguns. Pretty much anything with a reciprocating charging handle.

Disadvantages include the flip side of the design part; some designs, particularly newer ones, are more righty-friendly. Guns with cross-bolt safeties are almost never your friend unless reversible. Finding anything but common caliber bolt actions is hard. If you like .223, .308, and .30-06 you're fine. If you want a (for example) 6.5x55 Swede or .358 Winchester you're going to have a tough time. And LH bolt actions are almost never available on the local used market. Savage and Tikka seem to serve us the best with Ruger a distant third. You can always go the lever action or semi route where Browning pretty much rules the roost with the BLR and BAR. I'm talking mountain/prairie rifles for deer and elk here; back East I'd take a Marlin .30-30.

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

I'm curious what the left-eye right handers and right-eye left handers do in terms of shooting?

Personally I'm left eye dominant but my right arm is my strong arm, I write left handed but I do everything else right handed by instinct (baseball swing, ping pong, pistol/rifle, etc.). When I was a kid I used to shoot right handed and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn because my left eye was focusing in on the sights, these days I mostly force myself to shoot left handed, but I've been considering practicing more my right hand because it feels more natural, I just have to cock my head/pull my arm inward or some combination of the two.

How have you other cross-dominant shooters responded to this conundrum? My initial instinct was to stick with what my dominant eye tells me to do, but these days I'm thinking maybe I should just make lemons into lemonade and work seriously on my ambidextrous shooting.

I've been doing the cock/pull thing you described for over a half century without any problem at all. I do shoot long guns lefty.

 

[catadjuster]

My wife is right handed and left eye dominant. My step-daughter is left handed and right eye dominant. They both shoot quite well - left handed rifle using the left eye in the scope for my wife (same for step-daughter), but then both shoot handgun right handed using their left eye for sighting. It just was the most comfortable for them that way, though I can't explain why the step-daughter doesn't shoot handgun left handed.

 

[ruger 22]

I put crimson trace grips on my handguns and this took care of the problem. With shotguns you can get real fancy with cross-over stocks, offset ribs etc,. All you need is a big checkbook balance since all these will be highly customized to you. However I have seen some very fine shooting with these features.

 

[gwpercle]

I am right handed and was right eye dominant. Did all shooting in a normal fashion. Detached retina = near blindness in right eye.
Vision thru right eye is like being under muddy water at midnight, see only dark and light.

Shoot handguns by holding gun in right hand, using a two handed hold with the pistol out in front (as opposed to a one handed hold ) and sighting with left eye.
Lean (tilt) head a bit to the right and close the right eye and I'm good .

Shotgun and rifle, I just shoulder and shoot left handed using my left eye. Squeezing the trigger on a long gun is not nearly as hard as on a pistol. Not as much fine motor skill required so it's easy to shoot accurately left handed with a long gun. The left eye is used to sight with. Most of my guns have either peep sights , a red dot sight or a scope. I find the old open iron's hard to see at my age now.
I never found any kind of cross over stock or crossover sight that worked for long guns,(I tried ), just shooting left handed was much easier and the only thing I find awkward is I still find myself carrying my long gun in my right hand, so I have to remember to mount it on my left shoulder, once it on the left , shooting lefty seems perfectly natural.
Handguns never caused any problems , shooting two handed.
Just remember two things:
1.) Shoot the way that feels best for you. Handguns give you the option of trigger control with either hand and with either eye. Long guns , the dominant eye is "usually" required...but not always!

2.) You don't have to shoot with Both eyes open. Close one eye and guess which one takes over....right, the one that's open. In my case my left eye became dominant when I was blinded in my right eye! I now shoot with one eye and can do just fine. I see people saying you have to shoot with both eyes open and that's just doodly-squat . You want to shoot a long gun right handed - close the left eye. You want to shoot left handed - close the right eye. Just make it work for you. And there is no big rule that says you have to shoot with your dominant eye .
Gary

 

[bigwheelzip]

So do you shoot with your left eye closed? That's the only way I can shoot a long gun right handed.

Delving a bit deeper into the subject (and possibly away from competitive shooting, my apologies), even if you can shoot right handed with your left eye, couldn't that be detrimental in a self-defense scenario because your field or vision is focused down and to the right. Personally my field of view is pretty terrible when I'm shooting a handgun right handed and left-eyed, can barely see anything to my left.

Yes, I have to close my left eye for long guns too.

For self-defense practice, I point-shoot with both eyes open, and don't worry about rear sight alignment. At 7-10 yards, there is little difference in group spread between point and aimed fire.

 

[raljr1]

I'm cross dominant, right handed but left eye. I shoot long guns left handed, and shoot a pump rifle for that reason. My dexterity left handed doesn't seem to work well enough for rapid follow up shots with a bolt. I shoot shotguns left handed and with right eye closed. If you shoot with one eye closed, it probably doesn't matter which side you shoot from using a scoped rifle. Shotgun is different. I can't seem to shoot with both eyes open because I have esophoria, a tiny bit cross eyed so I get two pictures if I am concentrating with my left eye and the right one is open.

Handguns are easier, I use my strong hand but I still have to close the right eye.

 

[Nanothaniel]

That's the real answer. I shoot IDPA and USPSA right handed and mostly left eyed, but shooting strong and weak handed use the eye most convenient; same with barricade shooting around left and right sides. People who practice standing flatfooted at a firing line are already at a disadvantage, especially if they close an eye or try to hold the gun in front of their right eye and aim with the left. Just move the pistol in front of the eye you want to use.

So are you saying here you can switch eyes without closing one? From what I've read being able to switch dominant eye position is a gift that about 1% of people have, I can't say I'm in that category. Sometimes I get a bit of ghost vision that makes me feel like I'm going cross-eyed, but it isn't a clear sight picture.

 

[buckyjames1]

Right hander...left eye dominant here:

1. When shooting pistol what I do to overcome is slightly cant the pistol from right to left...sorta like a "gansta" style shooting. This somewhat blocks the field of view of my right eye. Not enough that you would induce a malfunction from flying brass, just a tad bit to block the right eye's view. Like a 10degree cant

2. I also have to slightly adjust my face right, like I am looking right, just a tad in order to best align the left eye to the sights.

3. You can also try to make a.."Surprise face", raising the eyebrows, which will allow you to squint the right eye, just a tad allowing the left eye that smidgen of extra dominance.

*When shooting rifle, a red dot overcomes my left eye pretty easily as long as I don't think about it and let my body/mind make the first instinctive eye/sight relationship. If I second guess or even hesitate, my mind tries to make decisions, causing confliction.

*On a scoped rifle, I go with 1 eye closed for precision, both eyes open for snap shooting

Hope it helps man, its a rough thing to overcome but it can happen.

 

[Wise_A]

I would suggest avoiding squinting or closing your unused eye (in pistol, at least). It leads to sympathetic pupil dilation in your dominant eye (not to mention the distraction of having to do it). Sympathetic pupil dilation is when Eye A doesn't get enough light because you're squinting or covering it, causing the pupil of Eye B to dilate even though it's in full light. This causes a loss of visual acuity in your dominant eye due to the over-dilated pupil.

I usually just turn my head slightly and "occlude" my view of the pistol using the bridge of my nose (one-handed, 90-degree stance). You can accomplish the same thing if you're cross-eye-dominant by using a 45-degree stance.

If you actively occlude (using a blinder), use one that's white or frosted-over, rather than a black one, to avoid sympathetic pupil dilation. Scotch tape across the lens of your shooting glasses (presuming you use cheapos like most folks) works great.

Canting the pistol is also common in one-handed shooting, but not because of eyesight. Most folks, when they naturally raise their arm, end up with their fist canted 15-30 degrees to the inside. That's just the way our bodies work. If you've ever heard the advice that a pistol should be held like you're throwing a punch, rather than grabbing a throat, this is why. Turning the gun so that it's level results in a bit of a strain in the muscles of the arm. A strained, stretched muscle or tendon is bad news for precision shooting.

The tricky part is accounting for this when zeroing offhand.

 

[jaymoore]

My initial instinct was to stick with what my dominant eye tells me to do, but these days I'm thinking maybe I should just make lemons into lemonade and work seriously on my ambidextrous shooting.

Your initial instinct would be correct. You will naturally see the sights line up with the dominant eye at speed, so don't fight it. The more dominant the eye, the easier it will be.

My drama is that my dominant eye isn't my best eye! So for precision work, the off eye usually gets an occluder to prevent confusion over which fuzzy target to shoot. (Generally the right one!) But at speed, it's never been a problem. Left or right handed. Just keep both eyes open and let muscle memory do the work whilst you keep the front sight in focus (if needed.)

It's one benefit of shooting IDPA, Steel Challenge, etc. Your body learns what works to make good hits. Some of the better "practical disciplines" have you shoot from both sides and from awkward postions to boot. You don't need to worry about winning, just learning.

ETA: Dunno what's too far away, but Oak Ridge has a range with a monthly IDPA event.

 

[Mcfoto]

I am also very right-handed and very left-eyed. I am a photographer by trade and have always instinctively lifted the camera to my left eye. When I took up competitive shooting at the tender age of 53, I started righteyed as coached. At a certain point I realized I had better sight picture with my left eye. With the help of a coach I adopted a modified Weaver stance with my feet and trunk canted to the right (when shooting freestyle). During one-handed strings I do the same cant with my free hand balled to my chest. Ironically. This results in better scores during weak-hand strings than strong-hand ones. I'll echo those above, I always keep both eyes open but turn my head enough that my right eye is away from the target. A friend who I often squad with puts a post it note over his non-domination eye!

 

[Sol-Invictus]

I just slightly close my left eye. Left eye, right hand dominant. I quit worrying about the two eye open fad ydars ago when I realized most of the world record holders do the same thing.

 

[sw282]

I am left handed, but right eye dominant. Actually my right eye is my only eye.

Left eye lost in my younger adult years, l now shoot a rifle/shotgun right handed.

I still shoot a handgun left handed tho.. After some good Army doctors put me

Back together l was fortunate enough to find an old retired NRA instructor.

He taught me how to shoot a rifle properly right handed.. Right hand rifle shooting

Is so NATURAL now..Can't say the same for the handgun.. Maybe l have need

of a good handgun instructor too.. Certainly would not hurt..Curiously l always

Batted right handed.. Even when l had two eyes.. A key to good shooting is

proper instruction.. Regardless of what hand used