Left Eye Dominant; Right handed

[Wild_Dog]

So watching my 6 year old playing with plastic dart guns over the last few years I noticed that he always lifted the scope to his left eye while being right handed. Ended up getting his eyes tested in school and sure enough he is left eye dominant. While this plays out nicely for baseball and golf it isn't ideal for shooting. Is this something that can be overcome, or should he be learning to shoot left handed?

[RyoTHC]

From a young age ? I'd definitely start him on left handed... He won't know any different.

I started shooting in my mid twenties and just forced myself to shoot right handed, low and behold after I put the time into learning it turns out I'm left eye dominant right handed, holding a gun up to my left shoulder now feels more awkward than my first date so I've had to turn to sub par solutions like closing my left eye when behind the scope, or running lever action with red dot so I can shoot both eyes open.

[skibum]

Learn to shoot left hand. My youngest son (9) is left eye dominant (right handed), and it took a little to figure it out.

Now that we have, he loves shooting. Forcing right eye dominance, may lead to frustration and non-enjoyment of shooting. We started down this path and quickly switched back to his natural eye dominance.

[Wild_Dog]

Thanks for the input gents.

[PKernohan]

My friends son was the same. Noticed it when he first started shooting a bow. He just wore a patch over his left eye for a while and that seemed to solve the issue.

[canishunter22-250]

I had that problem when I was young. Wore a pirate patch over my left eye and eventually got used to shooting with my right eye. I'm sure glad I did that instead of trying to shoot left handed for the rest of my life.

[digger dogger]

I'm left eye dom, rt handed.
It took getting used to when I was young, now I don't notice it at all.

I golf rt, and shoot a puck left. Go figure:-)

[Rieber]

Just curious, why not have him practice looking through the scope with his right eye? Yes, I did read left eye dominant and I did see the other posts. I remember my parents trying to force me to write with my right hand. That was miserable and I still write with my left but I shoot, golf, play hockey and throw right handed. I use tools with either hand out of convenience and some fishing I hold with the right and other types I hold with the left. I also prefer to drink my beer with my left. Everyone finds their preference and some just need a little help being convinced.

Ask the kid to decide what feel best for him and go with that. What does he do when he brings the rifle up with his eyes closed?

Hopefully you can convince him to shoot same hand as you. Hand-me-downs become more practical whenever "you" need a new rifle excuse. :D

[Buck]

I'm left eye dom, rt handed.
It took getting used to when I was young, now I don't notice it at all.

I golf rt, and shoot a puck left. Go figure:-)

Same as you but i kick left. Anyway i have no problem shooting .

[Steeleco]

I learned to shoot long before I knew eye dominance was a thing. If it were my son, I'd see how he handles the gun and can work the bolt mechanically. If he's more fluid right over left do what you can to get him shooting right handed, if left wins out. Start shopping for hard to find rifles LOL

[firebird]

I'm left eyed and right handed. I also shoot left. With left hand bolt actions. My wife's the same.

Lefty rifles arnt hard to find. It makes it easy and eliminates a lot of the junk. Maybe not be easy to walk into your local gun shop but anything can be ordered or found online.

[Sundown]

Left eye dominate but ive been shooting right handed. Left handed rifles are harder to find and more expensive. It can be overcome but do whats natural. Oddly enougj i find i automatically shoulder my rifle on the left side, far more comfortable.

[oldboot]

I am right handed - left eye dominant. I shoot left handed, always have. I guess that's just what felt nutural when I was a kid running around with my pellet gun. Holding a rifle right handed feels so completely wrong, I have no interest try to change. There are plenty of left handed rifles, and really nice ones at that. I can easily operate a right handed bolt gun, as that's what I always did as a kid. Left handed bolts feel better, but not much in it. I shoot a lever gun now. No problem. If your kid feels natural shooting left, let him shoot left. People always talk about how important it is to make sure your rifle and scope are in a "natural" position. What makes left or right handed any different?

[OoDark]

I shoot bows lefty and shoot rifles right, “thanks to work” left eye is more accurate.

[j270wsm]

I shoot left handed. I can't remember which way I started shooting, I think it was right handed? Though I don't practice shooting right handed, if needed I can still do it and fairly consistently. Growing up I always shot right handed rifles and you'd be surprised how fast you can cycle a right hand bolt with your left hand. Yes it's a little bit of a learning curve but it's possible. Now that I'm older i mostly hunt with 2 rifles, A Lh Remington 300rum and a kimber 270wsm. Kimber doesn't make any Lh rifles so I'm constantly going back and forth and don't have any issues.

If your son is displaying Lh shooting traits, let him shoot left handed.

[hparrott]

I'm left eye dominant and shoot left despite being right handed. Was easy to learn and a non-issue since that's what felt natural from an aiming perspective.

[Gateholio]

I've helped thousands of people take their first shots, and I'll tell you for sure it's easier to train your hands than your eye.

[ACB]

So watching my 6 year old playing with plastic dart guns over the last few years I noticed that he always lifted the scope to his left eye while being right handed. Ended up getting his eyes tested in school and sure enough he is left eye dominant. While this plays out nicely for baseball and golf it isn't ideal for shooting. Is this something that can be overcome, or should he be learning to shoot left handed?
You can't change it, it's how their brain works.

[ACB]

I'm left eye dominant and shoot left despite being right handed. Was easy to learn and a non-issue since that's what felt natural from an aiming perspective.
Same but opposite for me, I'm left handed but shoot right, right eye dominate. You don't shoot LH or RH you shoot left eye dominate or right eye dominate. It's an easy thing to figure out, say you point your right hand or left hand it doesn't matter, at an object, then cover one eye, left or right it doesn't mater. If when you cover one of your eye's the object that you are pointing at is still being pointed at, the eye that you are looking at the object with is the eye dominate you are. If the object seems to have moved that is the eye that you aren't dominate with.

[ncurrie]

Both my son and I are left eye dominant but shoot right handed. Going to get him a left hand .243 this year however as he’s having difficult shooting a right hand gun. We are both left handed for hockey, I am right or left for golf depends on my day. I also shoot my camera with both right and left eye. It all depends on the day. You just learn to adapt with it all. I would just let him do what he’s comfortable with.

[ACB]

I think people that are very ambidextrous might have the ability to shoot with either hand and eye, but if a person is say RH and right eye dominate the chances of being able to shoot with the other eye would be slim to none. Myself, I'm some what ambidextrous. I write LH, but play most sports RH, except tennis I don't have a back hand, I just switch hands but have to serve RH, 2 forehands. Hockey, Baseball, golf all RH, soccer I can kick with either foot but better with my right. Working with tools I'm equally bad with either hand. So I think that when dealing with young people when first starting to learn to shoot, first thing you have to figure out is what eye dominate they are. Just giving a kid a RH gun to learn on because they are RH may be setting the kid up for a really discouraging time, they might be opposite eye dominate. I know, when I was young and first learning to shoot .22 because I was LH just like my brother I was being taught to shoot LH, couldn't hit the broad side of barn door. then my brother says hey try it RH, what a revelation.

[quadrakid]

i am left eye dominant and right handed. Never knew until i was in my mid fifties and was playing around shooting clays. Always closed my left eye when shooting rifles.

[Buckmeister]

There is a way to get tested, but alot of "right handed" people are actually left handed, or left side dominant. One reason is that schools back in the day frowned on kids using their left hand for writing, so they forced them to use their right hand. So as a result, many products and such are designed mostly for right handed people. I know of a few people who got tested and found out they were actually left dom, so they made the switch. Turns out the brain can process info better when you do, they weren't as dumb as they thought afterall!!

I'm right handed, left eye. I shoot hockey stick left. Golf/baseball right. Rifle right handed, closing left eye. I went handgun shooting last year and tried every hand/eye combo, easiest was left hand grip, left eye aim.

[Wild_Dog]

Did pretty good shooting left. Thanks for all the input.

http://youtu.be/OtfuH4H7LHk