Hand gun I just move it to the left so my dominate eye focuses. Shotgun is tricky, I break all the rules and close my left eye. I tried shooting left handed, hell no!
Cross eyed dominate shooters! How do you compensate?
- Thread starter BigFoot
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Righthanded, left eye dominant here.
Handguns I use with my right, rifles and shotguns with my left. I only have a fully lefty rifle (CZ .17 HMR) and my AUG has both ejection ports open with a lefty bolt/ejector installed and the righty packed away in case I ever have to sell it.
Handguns I use with my right, rifles and shotguns with my left. I only have a fully lefty rifle (CZ .17 HMR) and my AUG has both ejection ports open with a lefty bolt/ejector installed and the righty packed away in case I ever have to sell it.
Righthanded, left eye dominant here as well.Growing up I always handled long guns on the left side, handguns with the right hand. I had lasic surgery on my left eye 25 years ago and found it easier to sight a rifle with my right eye, as it is not "fixed" focus. Not that it makes much difference, my ability to focus my right eye is going downhill now anyway.
Shotguns remained on my left shoulder, even the pumps and semiautos - just feels more comfortable that way and I keep both eyes open for pistol and shotgun anyway.
Shotguns remained on my left shoulder, even the pumps and semiautos - just feels more comfortable that way and I keep both eyes open for pistol and shotgun anyway.
What kind of sight is on the shotgun?
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- #5
Just your standard bead. For example if I am shooting left to right with both eyes open I lag with my follow through because the wrong eye focuses on the target. The opposite going the other way. I could not shoot left handed in a million years. If I take my left eye out of the equation all is "right" with the world.
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- #6
I was just sitting at my desk and brought my hands into a hand gun shooting position. I really don't move the gun left as much as I turn my head slightly right.
I was reading that a small piece of scotch tape on the dominant eye of your shooting glasses will force your non-dominate eye to focus. That is supposed to be better than closing one eye. I may try that the next time I shoot clays. Which I have not done in several years.
I was reading that a small piece of scotch tape on the dominant eye of your shooting glasses will force your non-dominate eye to focus. That is supposed to be better than closing one eye. I may try that the next time I shoot clays. Which I have not done in several years.
I can shoot left handed easy. But also aiming and hitting what I’m aiming at? Not so much.
I don’t know how cross dominate shooters do it. If you can swing a shotgun with a bead and still hit following thru with your non dominate eye, that’s pretty impressive imo.
Doesn’t sound like a tactical shotgun with ghost rings would be any trouble.
Cadets are actually being taught now, to pistol qualify at 25 yards and greater with one eye closed and then opening both eyes when scanning, moving and/or shooting at 20 yards and in.
This technique has actually helped me with my aging eyes. At 25 yards, I get a double post sight picture at 25 with fuzzy target and fuzzy front post. 20 and in, I’m shooting with both eyes open.
Works until I get brave enough for contacts or lasik.
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- #9
I usually shoot that far only with my Mark IV. I really need to put a red dot on it. Or a pistol scope.Cadets are actually being taught now, to pistol qualify at 25 yards and greater with one eye closed and then opening both eyes when scanning, moving and/or shooting at 20 yards and in.
This technique has actually helped me with my aging eyes. At 25 yards, I get a double post sight picture at 25 with fuzzy target and fuzzy front post. 20 and in, I’m shooting with both eyes open.
Works until I get brave enough for contacts or lasic.
Left eye dominant. I'm probably 70% right handed. I only shoot revolvers typically. I have a TERRIBLE lazy right eye. I HAVE to close it whenever I'm in a bright room or outside until past sundown. Maybe my Daddy was a Vampire?!?
Anyway, I obviously have my right eye closed already, and I usually shoot as good with my left hand after I shoot a couple times.
Anyway, I obviously have my right eye closed already, and I usually shoot as good with my left hand after I shoot a couple times.
Same. I’m afraid if I spend my money on red dots and other accessories, I’ll see a gun I will want to buy and can’t get, cuz I just spent a bunch of money on accessories. Once I spend the $1500-$2000 on the LPVO Leupold is making for me and finish my rifle with an offset dot, I probably will finally give into old age and modern technology and trade my G19 Gen4 in for a Gen5 MOS.
Late to the party. Cross eye dominate pistol shooters often benefit form a high viz front sight i.e. tritium, glow in the dark dot surrounded by orange paint/fingernail polish/fiber optic/gold bead etc. While both eyes open is better for a front sight clear target blurry sight picture, if you have to squint/closed non dominate eye, so be it. When presenting the handgun, driving the firearm out justified to your dominant eye side can help with a more rapid and better front sight acquisition and picture as well.
Re long guns- I have never seen anyone who could shot fast and accurate with a rifle if they were not shooting on the side of their eye dominance, particularly with magnified scope. I have seen marginal performances with red dot sights and shotguns.
Having said that, it has been a thing forever and I have seen stocks on old guns that allowed one to shoulder on the right for the left eye dominant shooter.
Re long guns- I have never seen anyone who could shot fast and accurate with a rifle if they were not shooting on the side of their eye dominance, particularly with magnified scope. I have seen marginal performances with red dot sights and shotguns.
Having said that, it has been a thing forever and I have seen stocks on old guns that allowed one to shoulder on the right for the left eye dominant shooter.
I'm cross dominant left eye, right handed. I try to shoot both eyes open whenever possible. Shooting pistols, I bring the pistol in line with my left eye. However, if I try to make a precise shot, I'll close my left eye and focus with the right. Long guns I shoot off my right shoulder only. With a scope I close my dominant left eye and force myself to use the right. However, due to some surgery I had years ago, there is some weakness in my facial muscles on the right side and I have difficulty keeping my right eye lids open while squinting my left eye shut for any length of time. When I was shooting a long string during FTR, I sometimes shot with both eyes open even though I was looking through a high magnification scope with my non-dominant right eye. I just had to ignore what I was seeing through my dominant left eye! That was very difficult. Of course, you can cover the left eye and that solves that. If you have flip up scope covers, turn the rear one sideways to block the sight of your left eye. Shooting a red dot or LPVO on low power with a long gun I shoot both eyes open, using my right eye. I usually shoot both eyes open on shotgun, not sure which eye I use, probably that's why I suck with a shotgun!
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I’m pretty much in this boat. Minus the surgery. I close my dominant left eye when using a scope. Red dots and handguns go both eyes open.
JCinPA
The Lather Maestro
I'm not much of a shotgunner, but have been coaching pistol for new shooters for decades. Cross dominant vision is easy for pistols, with two solutions.
1) Close the non-dominant eye, problem solved
2) If you like to shoot with both eyes open, which is what I coach shooters to do, simply turn your head to the dominant side (only a little bit, not extreme), lining up the pistol with your non-dominant eye. Your brain compensates and sort of temporarily makes your non-dominant eye dominant, if that makes sense.
Either of those methods work, but you'll find tilting the head a bit and lining the sights up with your non-dominant eye will work very well, and much easier than you may think. This explains it.
Lena Miculek lays it out nicely, also, can skip to 2:00. I like the chapstick idea on the shooting glasses, too.
About shotgun, I am no good with one, but a friend is a competitive clays shooter. He was a good competitor when he discovered he was cross dominant. At that point a coach told him to start shooting lefty, which he at first resisted. Later, he did try it with a borrowed gun. His shooting went completely to heck for a while. Then it started to come back. Finally, he bought a new gun, set up for him, and now he is an even better competitor than he was shooting righty. By a lot.
Can't speak from experience but worked for him.
1) Close the non-dominant eye, problem solved
2) If you like to shoot with both eyes open, which is what I coach shooters to do, simply turn your head to the dominant side (only a little bit, not extreme), lining up the pistol with your non-dominant eye. Your brain compensates and sort of temporarily makes your non-dominant eye dominant, if that makes sense.
Either of those methods work, but you'll find tilting the head a bit and lining the sights up with your non-dominant eye will work very well, and much easier than you may think. This explains it.
Lena Miculek lays it out nicely, also, can skip to 2:00. I like the chapstick idea on the shooting glasses, too.
About shotgun, I am no good with one, but a friend is a competitive clays shooter. He was a good competitor when he discovered he was cross dominant. At that point a coach told him to start shooting lefty, which he at first resisted. Later, he did try it with a borrowed gun. His shooting went completely to heck for a while. Then it started to come back. Finally, he bought a new gun, set up for him, and now he is an even better competitor than he was shooting righty. By a lot.
Can't speak from experience but worked for him.
Left handed and right eye dominant.
I shoot the pistol with my left hand and both eyes open up close. At distance I close my dominant eye. With shotgun and rifle I shoot right handed with both eyes open. If I happen to close an eye it is my left, non-dominant eye.
I shoot the pistol with my left hand and both eyes open up close. At distance I close my dominant eye. With shotgun and rifle I shoot right handed with both eyes open. If I happen to close an eye it is my left, non-dominant eye.
Shotguns (both one and two bead setups), and handguns I’ll shoot with both eyes upen. The dominant eye will take charge of the sight picture by itself.
Rifles is a different story,,,,,,
Rifles is a different story,,,,,,
When I was still shooting a lot of trap many folks did this. I tried it when my scores crashed, wasn't my eyes, it was the jerk on the trigger. Curing my flinch was a whole different issue.
I shoot left handed, but am right eye dominant. Making things more complex is as a strategy to combat aging eyes, my eye doctor undercorrected my right eye contacts script so I can see close with that eye.
All told, when Im shooting rifle, I shoot with my left hand/eye with no issue. When Im shooting pistol, I shoot left handed but sight in with my right eye. That allows me to focus on that all important front sight.
Took a little bit to get used to, but works for me.
All told, when Im shooting rifle, I shoot with my left hand/eye with no issue. When Im shooting pistol, I shoot left handed but sight in with my right eye. That allows me to focus on that all important front sight.
Took a little bit to get used to, but works for me.
Okay. I was up all night feeling guilty for lyin' to y'all.
I just close BOTH eyes shoot by feel. I have found no discernable difference in my hits on target!
True story doggone!
I just close BOTH eyes shoot by feel. I have found no discernable difference in my hits on target!
True story doggone!
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