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denali
09-06-2008, 02:04 PM
I’m intending to buy my first rifle for hunting but have run into a small dilemma. I’m right handed but my dominant eye is left, and this makes looking through the scope mounted on a right-handed rifle quite awkward. Conversely, looking through the scope mounted on a left-handed rifle feels just right, but then holding the rifle on my left shoulder feels awkward since I’m right handed.

I’m just wondering if there is anyone else who’s had a similar problem. Should I purchase a left-handed rifle and learn to shoot with my left side? Or should I get a right-handed model and hope that my right-eye will “train” to be more dominant?

How many of you guys shoot with a dominant-eye that is opposite of your dominant-hand? Any advice you can give me? Thanks...

Denali

moosecaller
09-06-2008, 07:24 PM
I shoot a rifle right handed and a bow and arrow left. Shooting a rifle left does feel odd but I can do it equally as well, what I cannot do is work the action as well with my left so I shoot right and after 40+ years of shooting I shoot a rifle right and a bow left no problems lots of game gotten with both methods of hunting. I would suggest you shoot right and if your rifle is scoped compensation made by your eyes would not be a problem for a productive hunting/shooting carrer.

Poguebilt
09-06-2008, 08:03 PM
I am right handed but left eye dominant...

I taught myself to shoot left. took along time to find a rifle for a lefty that I liked too... good luck.

Wild one
09-06-2008, 09:09 PM
I switched from right to left hand shooting do to eye dominance and it improved my shooting a lot. I would go with the eye but it depends on how well you can adapt.

RBH
09-06-2008, 09:15 PM
I am right handed and left eye dominant and I guess I always have been. And maybe that is why I have always shot with my left eye closed, which is completely natural (in fact the concept of shooting with both eyes open seems odd, although I can understand how great it would be.) Anyway, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with my shooting so that might be your answer. Maybe try closing both eyes -- increase the challenge!!:razz:

Doe Eyes
09-07-2008, 07:14 PM
I have the same dilemma...
I have a right handed rifle...b/f was trying to get me to shut my left eye but I just couldnt! So, he suggested an eye patch...I gave it a good try but it just didnt feel right. Last time I was at the range, I used my left eye and shot a one inch cluster in the centre of the target.

moosecaller
09-07-2008, 09:29 PM
Being right handed and left eye dominant is not as easy as just picking up and shooting left, it is easy to train an eye to take over but just for interest sake pick up a hammer or any other tool and switch to your weak side and give 'er not that easy! It's going to much easier to train the eye than your whole body to work together to become an accurate shooter. As with does eyes some people have a nerve disorder that WILL NOT allow them to close one eye or the other equally this is an entire different problem all together than dominant eye. Denali what method or how did you find out you are left eye dominant? What caused you to discover this?

Brambles
09-08-2008, 03:32 AM
I'm Right handed and Left eye dominant too, I have shot right handed rifles all my life and its second nature to me, I can even keep both eye's open now. Its just a matter of training. Some say I'm not a bad shot either so I can't say accuracy is less as a result. If it were me I'd buy a right handed rifle, and train your eye's.

But when I pick up my spotting scope it goes straight to my left eye

horse280
09-08-2008, 07:29 AM
I am rh and left eye dominant,so i shoot with both eyes open but it did take some time to train yourself that as soon as your rifle comes up Not to close 1 eye,lots of dry fire practise and not just looking at oprah on your colour tv screen!also try adjusting your amount of eye relief on your scope,but watch your head on your first shot.getting your left hand to listen is harder than training your eyes:shock:

Wildman
09-08-2008, 07:34 AM
I am wondering if it makes a difference if using a scope? I too, am left eye dominant but shoot right as I am right handed & all my rifles are RH.

Shooter
09-08-2008, 07:56 AM
So my son has this same issue. Is the EASIEST way to deal with it at first closing one eye or is it better to keep em both open?

denali
09-08-2008, 08:19 AM
I discovered that my left eye was dominant at the range while learning to shoot my buddy's pistol - I was holding it with a right-handed grip, but I was slightly turning my head to the right in order to use my left eye to look through the sights! At that point the lightbulb went on in my head... that explained why all these years I've snowboarded goofy-footed!

I also did the classic dominant eye test where you hold your hands out at an arm's length and with both eyes open, look through the hole formed by your hands at a distance object. Keeping that object in view, you slowly move your hands towards your face until almost touching your face. The hole formed by your hands will end up being over one of your eyes - the dominant one.

http://www.archeryweb.com/archery/images/eyedom.gif

I'm still undecided about whether to get a left-handed or right-handed rifle. I think I can get away with shooting a pistol with my left eye by simply turning my head a little, but this is slightly difficult while shooting a rifle... :???:

I think the best I can do is give shooting with my left-side a try for a month and see how it goes... of course unless there's a really weird scope extension that will reach my left eye.... hmmm...

denali
09-08-2008, 08:29 AM
Closing my left eye solves the problem slightly, however when I do this my right eye is not as 'wide open' as before (when I usually 'wink' I naturally keep my left eye open and it's the right one that closes).

My left eye has 20/20 vision, but my right is slightly less than that...this isn't an issue really unless I'm using open sights at a distance.

Weird topic, eh? :razz:

branthunter
09-08-2008, 11:54 AM
Eye dominance is not as important shooting a scoped rifle as it is in shotgunning. My son is rh'd but L. eye dominant He shoots his scoped rifle rh'd fine but couldn't hit anything on ducks shooting the shotgun rh'd and we had to swith him to left, at which point his %age improved dramatically. I had given him one of my Browning pump guns, which ejects downward so is fine that way for left handed shooter but he found the action of pumping with his left hand/arm to be awkward so we switched him to a side-by-side double and that was much better. I strongly doubt it would be possible to effectively learn to adapt to shooting a shotgun with the non-dominant eye. One would have to add to whatever lead was appropriate to bird speed, distance, angle of flight, and wind a further lead factor for the offset caused by aiming with the wrong eye, altho I'm not sure that comment would apply if you were shooting with both eyes open (I'll have to get a gun out and test that and comment further).

Knobbies
09-22-2008, 11:21 AM
I have the opposite problem from you guys: I'm right-eyed but I shoot left-handed. I only recently discovered this during a brief foray into archery. Luckily I use a bow right-handed, so no problem there. Rifles are left for me, but for some reason, handguns are right. ?? I used to shoot a lot when I was a kid, and always closed my right eye when doing so, never thinking much of it. Branthunter, in reading your post, I remember now that I was always able to shoot pretty good with a 22 but couldn't hit a thing with the .410, so what you're saying makes sense.

I guess since I'm planning on getting back into hunting and really want to go after ducks and geese, I'm going to have to learn to shoot right handed... or stick a rear sight on a shotgun. :-D

Rock Doctor
09-22-2008, 02:17 PM
LOL,
Some of you guys think you have issues????
I Bat, Golf, Throw, play Hockey, Catch, and Drive left handed. I write, Carve, Bowhunt, ahem "Wipe":eek:, ect, right handed.

I shoot, and fish either left or right handed. I'm not sure how it all works but I think it's easier to train your eyes to work with the rest of your body than to train your body to work with your eyes.

When I shoot open sights (pistol or rifle) or look through a scope, I keep both eyes open. This gives me 3 options of what I am looking at, left eye view, right eye view, or both eyes view. With time and practive I have gotten to the point where I can choose which view I want to "see". It's a little hard to explain to someone that can't do it, but for example:
When I look through a scope I see 2 images, one overlaying the other, one magnified with x-hairs, and the other not. Somehow I can choose which image dominates my view (in the past I could not controle it, and my vision would randomly switch from magnified view to non-magnigied view).

SHORT VERSION
It's all about practice, controle and self discipline

Just my 2 bits

RD

brian
09-22-2008, 05:02 PM
Same problem left eye dominant right handed... I just keep both eyes open. The only problem occurs for me if my left eye sees something very distracting closer up and it ghosts into my field of view. Then I have to shut it.