Weak hand rifle shooting

[Cal44]

I'm right handed, but my right eye is somewhat weak.

My left eye is much stronger.

I usually shoot handguns right handed, but bend my head over and aim with my left eye.

This works well for handguns, but obviously not for long guns.

So my question is, for right handed people, do any of you shoot a long gun left handed?

Does this work OK for you?

I have a bunch of lever guns, and can't shoot them accurately any more with iron sights beyond about 20 yards.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Hunting, bench shooting ?????????

CZ makes several LH bolt rifles...................

 

[Cal44]

Hunting, bench shooting ?????????

CZ makes several LH bolt rifles...................

Just bench/fun shooting at the range.

Maybe I'll just break down and put scopes on the lever guns.

But somehow a scope on a lever gun looks wrong.

 

[Big Cholla]

My father was right handed, but left master eyed. He shot long guns left handed and handguns right handed. He did that for most of his life and was one heck of a left handed shooter. I had to have a carpal tunnel operation on my right hand so started shooting both handgun and long gun from the left side. I have always been close to ambidextrous and it didn't take very long to get acceptable accuracy with anything that I shot as a lefty.

Mas Ayoob preached becoming competent while shooting with the off hand. He would shoot a couple of matches a year using his left hand and did very well while doing so.

I had a good friend while I was Benchrest competing that was so good he was rising rapidly in the benchrest world and was close to the top. He had an accident with a skillsaw and cut his right hand trigger finger to the point that he lost some nerve function. He tried to come back shooting right handed and using his middle finger as his trigger finger. It didn't work for him. He switched to benchrest shooting as a lefty. He was doing fairly well with the switch, but it was obvious to him that he was never going to be as good shooting that way. The result was that he quit competition all together.

So, the result vary with the individuals involved. I suggest that you start shooting with reduced loads and pretend that you are a total beginner learning the sport from scratch. Practice perfectly, quit before becoming too tired and don't expect to meet your previous performance levels real quick. AND, go shooting a lot............

 

[BAM-BAM]

Well OK...... I am left handed and right eye dominate...... mirroring your situation.

I shoot handguns right handed and shoot all my rifles right handed.... I was on the High School and College small bore indoor Rifle teams..... for 8 years..... lettered and we were WPIAL champs, and second in State my Sr. year in HS.............. so ya it can be done.............

scope a lever....... yuck ..... try a Williams receiver mounted peep sight ..... or Skinner barrel peep sight first........

 

[muddocktor]

Cal44, I am left handed and normally shoot left handed, but can shoot a long gun right handed. I haven't practiced this for a while though, so I doubt that I am up to my old standard of shooting right handed. But when I did it regularly, I was almost as good shooting right handed as left handed. I guess I sould get back in practice shooting right handed again.

 

[Andy Lowry]

When I first started shooting rifles, I was left-eye dominant. Now I'm not. It took some practice to shoot one right-handed, since all my earlier experience was the opposite. It still doesn't feel natural to me. I got into pistols later in life, so that's always been right-handed.

 

[OKFC05]

Yes, I am right handed and left master eye, and I shoot either right or left handed as I choose. Right handed feels more natural, but training and concentrated practice will overcome old habits.
I don't understand why you can't shoot lever gun accurately using iron sights, since you are supposed to be aligning the sights and concentrating on the front sight, not just looking at the target and ignoring the sights.
An old shotgunner's trick is to put a small piece of scotchtape on the left lens of your shooting glasses just where you cannot see the target with your left eye when the sights are aligned in front of the right eye.


Part of your problem may be you need glasses that focus on the front sight as we all lose the youthful ability to quickly focus on the target and back to the sights.

 

[federali]

Yes

I'm left-eye dominant but I can shoot a rifle off either shoulder as I learned to shoot long guns left handed while I shoot handguns right handed. If you're a hunter, this comes in mighty handy as I've taken deer left handed that had approached from my right side. Attempting to shoot right handed would have required too much motion and would have spooked the deer.

 

[old tanker]

I am right handed and my right eye is my dominant eye. I can shoot pistols with either hand, albeit slightly less well with my left. Shooting a rifle left handed, even one that does not pelt me with brass, is fodder for a Youtube fail video.

 

[armenius]

Due to lenient bag limits and taking does for management I took 13 deer one season. I was hunting from ladder and climber tree stands and took 6 of the 13 shooting left handed.No misses. I practiced with a BB gun and 22 to become proficient.Try it, you will like the new skill.