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I guess, I should have titled it off side dominance, because I'm sure there are left handed folks who are, right eye dominant. This is an issue I have struggled with my whole shooting life.
For years, I thought I was just a "bad shot". Trying to look down a scope, the image would suddenly disappear, as I sqeezed off the shot. Shooting clays, dove, or any other moving target, left me with a sore shoulder, and a memory, of seeing the left side of the barrel.
Long gun shooting for me was an excercise in futility, especially if it required speed. I have taken some deer, and an occasional lucky shot at flying objects, but frustration, took me away from it.
Shooting a handgun was not an issue, because I simply " moved" my gun to my dominant eye, and I am very accurate, with it.

I am looking at my 60's pretty soon, and although, putting a blackout on my left eye side of my shooting glasses has been somewhat effective, my concern comes from having to use, an AR, Shotgun, or any other long gun in a self defense scenario. Under stress, my eyes naturally revert to "focusing" in my left eye, and there is at least a second, or two, of hesitation, before I can engage the target. I won't have the luxury, of blacking out my non-dominant eye, if I have to use a long gun in a HD situation.
Please don't tell me to just close my left eye, God blessed me with the inability to wink, which may explain, my failures with women over the years, along with my looks, personality, and demeanor.

There is also the school of thought that I should just start shooting long guns left handed, but, I am so uncoordinated, that, trying that would more than likely result in me shooting myself, before a BG.

If I have not totally shut down, any conventianal, wisdom, I would appreciate, any help or suggestions, you may have. Thanks in advance.

Study hickok45 videos on the youtubes, he shoots right handed but sights with his left eye. A change he made later in life after some sort of right eye problems. He is right eye dominant and still makes it work somehow.

Have you tried using a mini red dot? It doesn't matter which eye you put behind the sight. You keep both eyes open, but you'll only see one dot superimposed on the target. Put the dot on the target and pull the trigger.

I didn't realize I was cross eye dominant until last year. I relearned shooting long guns left handed. Hand guns I just started to use my left eye instead. I figured it out when I tried doing bench rest shooting and realized I couldn't concentrate with my right eye and it became so strained I would shut it. It took some work but I am now a better shooter than I ever was before

When I was a kid my dad notices me using my right eye while shooting left handed, worked with me over time, and retrained my brain to be left eye dominate, I shoot rifles and shotguns left handed but i can shoot a pistol equally as well with either hand

I am 60 years old left eye dominant right handed. I learned this when I was 11 years old. Shoot long guns left handed and pistols left eyed with a right hand grip. It's funny as I have never owned a left handed gun but have had many hot shells land in the crook of my elbow esp 22's.

Pawpaw wrote:Have you tried using a mini red dot? It doesn't matter which eye you put behind the sight. You keep both eyes open, but you'll only see one dot superimposed on the target. Put the dot on the target and pull the trigger.

I have a red dot on my AR, and it does help, I can bring it on target, fairly quickly. And maybe I am over thinking it too much. I have zero issues bringing my pistol sights up to my dominate eye, and getting shots on target, very quickly, and my main issues seem to crop up, on follow up shots with a long gun, which I hope I don't have to rely on, too often. But after the first shot, re-acquiring the target, is just very difficult, because my brain, reverts back to giving my left eye the say-so in where my focus goes.

My daughter had a hard time getting qualified in the Marines until someone discovered she was using the wrong eye. I never taught her to shoot, shame on me.

The red dot sounds easiest!

My brother is cross dominant and so was my best friend... both switched to shooting long guns opposite handed... sounds impossible to the shooter [at the time] but both were picking dove out of the air within days of making the change.

Practicing the mount to the shoulder is the most unnatural part of it... a few hours practice over a few days was all either of them needed.

Interestingly enough neither changed for pistol shooting, and both shoot ok. They just shift their head about 4" over, to center the dom eye over the sights.

Good luck!!!

I'm left-handed and right-eye dominant. When I learned to shoot, everyone shot right-handed, so that's what I learned. I got a lot of stares when I reloaded the revolver without passing it to my left hand, since it was easy to handle the fresh cartridges with my left hand.

Now, I can shoot equally well with either hand.

I shoot long guns right-handed, too, but avoid bolt-action rifles, since they feel "cumbersome" to me.

BTW, I also learned to shoot with both eyes open, to aid in depth perception as well as to see other objects near the target.

I am inherently left eye dominant but right handed. But I taught myself how to be right eye dominant by using a pirate patch over my left eye. I practiced dry firing a pistol for a total of a couple hours using only my right eye with plenty of rest between sessions. Once I got used to it, I practiced with both eyes open, making sure to use my right eye. From there, shooting became much easier. Handgun positioning was more natural, and I was able to shoot through iron sights on a rifle like I was born for it.

Me too. I have a lazy right eye. I have always shot long guns left handed because of it but still shoot handguns with my dominant right hand. I have to compensate on handguns as I tend to shoot to the left - so I aim to the right of center.

I have been thinking of adding either a Crimson Trace Rail Master Universal Mount Laser or a Lasermax Guide Rod to my Glock19.

Thanks for all of the replies, I have heard that wearing a "pirate" patch will train my right eye to become more dominate. I may try that for a while, even when not shooting, and see if it helps.

Jusme wrote:Thanks for all of the replies, I have heard that wearing a "pirate" patch will train my right eye to become more dominate. I may try that for a while, even when not shooting, and see if it helps.

Don't forget to spend some time at the Raingutter Regatta, too. You'll be a smash hit!

loktite wrote:

Jusme wrote:Thanks for all of the replies, I have heard that wearing a "pirate" patch will train my right eye to become more dominate. I may try that for a while, even when not shooting, and see if it helps.

Don't forget to spend some time at the Raingutter Regatta, too. You'll be a smash hit!

Had four years of attendance there. Still have wet shoes to prove it!!