Right Hand, Left Eye

[terryg]

I only own handguns currently and have taught my daughters to shoot them. I don't have any rifles - currently - not even a BB gun.

A while back though, we were at my FIL's house and he has a BB gun. I was showing them how to shoot it. At first I couldn't figure out why my oldest daughter was having such a hard time. She was way off target and her head was twisted all unnaturally. Then it hit me!! I tested her with the thumb trick and sure enough - She is left eye dominate. Right handed, but left eye dominate.

I presumed at the time that the best thing for rifle shooting would be to have her shoot a rifle left handed rather than trying to have her sight with the non-dominate eye.

Is that the correct instruction? If so, should she still hold and shoot handguns with the right hand? Does anybody have personal experience with this particular 'disorder' that can offer advice?

[The Annoyed Man]

My wife has the same thing - right-handed and left-eye dominant. She's got pistols figured out now, but I don't know how it's going to work for her when she finally decides to try rifles.

[WildBill]

Draw a picture that shows your daughter how to align the front and rear sights with the target. Find a BB rifle, check to see that it is not loaded, hand it to your daughter and ask her to aim it at a target. Observe to see how she shoulders the gun and how she aims. Look to see if she is closing an eye or squinting while she is acquiring the target. Whatever is most natural to her is probably the best way to teach her.

I have a disorder, in that I am left-handed, left eye dominant, but shoot right-handed. This is because of the limited availability of left-handed firearms so I was taught that way by my left-handed father. I have been doing this so long that it feels totally unnatural for me to shoot a rifle left-handed. I CC and shoot handguns right-handed, but I can still shoot handguns pretty well with my left hand.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Thats what I would suggest. My dad has that exact same problem. He learned to shoot left handed and it works pretty darn good for him.

[gigag04]

I too am left handed and right eye dominant. Handguns are no prob. For long guns, even with optics, I can "trick" my right eye into taking over by half closing my left eye while shooting it with a right hand grip. I was taught this by some of our instructors and it still allows me to snap shoot with both eyes open, but gives me a natural and accurate sight pictures. It feels weird at first to be using your non-dominant eye but in time your brain will re-train itself.

[CJATE]

I’m cross dominant. I choose to shoot long guns w/ my week hand/strong eye (left handed) its second nature now.

For handguns, I really feel like I need the control of my strong hand, so turn my head a bit and use my weak eye. I recently started to work w/ my weak hand/strong eye and my strong hand/weak eye. I’ve decided it’s easier to train the eye then the hand…

I’m an excellent wing shot and long range rifle shooter,,, I’ll not enter any pistol accuracy competitions any time soon, but I keep them all on the paper, better then most of my friends.

[MoJo]

Cross eye dominance is only a problem with long guns. With a handgun, you will naturally move the gun in line with the dominant eye, rifles aren't as easy. Learning to shoot a rifle or shotgun left handed is the easiest thing to do. Training the non dominant eye to be the shooting eye is possible but, hard to accomplish. There are other options such as offset sights but they are not practical for everyday use. Teach her to shoot a long gun port side and everything will be cool.

[alvins]

I am left handed and left eye dominate. I can shoot handguns left or right handed. im accually a better shot right handed. When im doing skeet or trap with shotgun i do it lefty.

[Mike1951]

I don't claim to be a great shot, but I'm left eye dominant and right handed.

Started out shooting BB guns that way. For almost 50 years, I've been shooting rifles, shotguns, and handguns that way.

Too old a dog to try and change now.

[G26ster]

Get her an eyepatch, or just get her to close her eye. Dominance only matters while both eyes are open.

I am right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot rifles and pistols both from the right side. With pistols I use my dominant eye (left), and with rifles I use my non-dominant right eye. I've never had an issue with this. In fact in the military I always qualified Expert with the M1 Garand, M-14, and M-16. I hang my head to say that "back in the day," the only time I had to qualify with my 1911, I only made Sharpshooter. Oh yeah, and with my military issue S&W 4" .38, I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn

BTW, I found a great M1 Carbine, for a heck of a good price, and it will be here next week It's a WWII GI Rock-ola. 90% on the finish (wood and metal), and bore gauged at less that "2" Yeah, a gun made by a Juke Box and Slot machine manufacturer. How can you go wrong with that?

[remington79]

I'm right handed and left eye dominant. I just close one eye when shooting rifles. I just prefer to keep using my strong hand. For pistols it doesn't really matter. They just naturally line up to my dominant eye since I can shoot pistols with both eyes open.

[tboesche]

Right handed left eye dominant here as well. I usually use the squint method. Half close my left eye to get sight picture.
try this,
place a piece of scotch tape over the left lens of her shooting glasses, she does wear them when target shooting right? The image willbe blurry enough that her right eye will take over.

[74novaman]

Left eye, right hand for me as well. Pistols I shoot right handed and have just learned how to be accurate.

Rifles I still use on the left. May not be the high speed low drag "expert" way to do it, but I can maneuver with it, shoot with it and I'm comfortable so I don't particularly care.