Left eye dominant righty help

Kevdubbya said:
Being so new to it, I think I'm going to try to make the switch to left. Thanks all for your input.
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It will go quicker than you think. When I switched from a natural left shooter to right, it was AKWARD. However, within a couple weeks I was shooting right as comfortable and naturally as I do left. What I did was to set up some targets (I used cans) at about 50 yards and shot them, first right handed then left. I would continue to shoot off whichever shoulder until I hit the can, then switch shoulders and start over. Of course, I would hit the can regularly shooting left but struggled at first shooting right so I would shoot once or twice left, then it would take several shots to hit shooting right so my "new" side would get a LOT more practice than my "natural" side. I would also take my heaviest rifle, (a muzzleloader at the time) and while watching TV in the evenings, I would raise the rifle to my "new" shoulder and point it at the TV, hold it there for as long as I could then lower for a few minutes then repeat. Didn't take long at all and I was shooting just as comfortably on either shoulder. Comes in REAL handy when hunting. If an animal shows up to my right, I just shoulder the rifle left and shoot, it it show up to my left, shoulder right and shoot. No contorting my body to get in shooting position. Before some douche nozzle comes on and starts raging about pointing a rifle at the TV (don't point a firearm at anything you don't want to destroy), save it. I'm not interested.
 
I am in the same boat as you. I am a terrible shot with a shotgun. Recently I bought a left hand compound bow and the difference is crazy. I am warming up to the idea of shooting guns left handed as well now.
 
Longwalker said:
I've never met a good shotgun shooter who was cross dominant. I have met quite a few who were frustrated and kept trying to shoot from the wrong shoulder. I believe you need to train yourself to shoot from the left side.
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You could be right...I missed one that day. I should switch shoulders. :p
 

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Longwalker said:
I've never met a good shotgun shooter who was cross dominant. I have met quite a few who were frustrated and kept trying to shoot from the wrong shoulder. I believe you need to train yourself to shoot from the left side.
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THIS! The best way is to shoot to your eye dominance. It is way easier to lear to manipulate the gun off a different shoulder than it is to change eye dominance.


Zantarthewise said:
I'm left eye dominant right-handed as well. I taught myself to shoot left from day one. Other than casings in the face there was no down-side to doing it.
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Casings in the face? 37 years shooting left and I've never taken a shot shell hull in the face.
 
My wife is the same. She basically had to learn to shoot left handed, but I know guys that have been successful using sunglasses with the left eye heavily tinted and the right basically just a light-clear yellow. You can buy these for this very problem.
 
Well Spank, bragging aside, I'd like to meet you. You'd still be the first. Exceptional ability to overcome a handicap is not normal. Good for you.
 
I'm left handed, and right eye dominant. I learned to shoot right handed a long time ago. Today, the thought of shooting left handed, as I had once, is totally foreign to me.
It was easier for me in the sense that there are a lot of right handed firearms out there.
 
Longwalker said:
I've never met a good shotgun shooter who was cross dominant. I have met quite a few who were frustrated and kept trying to shoot from the wrong shoulder. I believe you need to train yourself to shoot from the left side.
Click to expand...

I know several shooters that use a dot on their glasses to combat left eye dominance and those guys aren’t good shooters…they’re very good shooters!
 
Kevdubbya said:
Being so new to it, I think I'm going to try to make the switch to left. Thanks all for your input.
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Being early in the game it would seem like this is the easy choice. I have taught many kids to shoot and changing hand comes very quickly. I don't find most shotgun actions are complicated enough that handedness really comes into play especially shooting clays (semi and O/U). IN fact you are actually using your dominant had to point the firearm. Your left hand is literally just pulling the trigger while shooting. I would change in a heartbeat.
 
We had a new shooter at skeet today. He shot 3/50, and later informed me that he was left eye dominant. His gun is also a terrible fit, nowhere near enough drop at comb. We are thinking that he may try shooting left handed next time.
 
stubblejumper said:
We had a new shooter at skeet today. He shot 3/50, and later informed me that he was left eye dominant. His gun is also a terrible fit, nowhere near enough drop at comb. We are thinking that he may try shooting left handed next time.
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Thats pretty bad. Hard to not go up from that starting point. I remember the first time I shot trap. Was using my 16g Beretta sxs which is the gun that fits me the absolute worst of all the guns I own. The gun shoots much too high when shouldered. Unbeknownst to me, that turned out to work to my advantage and I crushed the first 12 clays. I can’t remember what my final total was but I want to say 20 or 21. Thinking that was way too easy I tried a round of skeet next and I honestly dont remember hitting a damn clay. That was humbling. I still have the gun, but can’t remember the last time I ever shot it. I’m thinking of getting it restocked so that it actually fits me and I can try taking it out again.
 
1963beretta said:
Thats pretty bad. Hard to not go up from that starting point. I remember the first time I shot trap. Was using my 16g Beretta sxs which is the gun that fits me the absolute worst of all the guns I own. The gun shoots much too high when shouldered. Unbeknownst to me, that turned out to work to my advantage and I crushed the first 12 clays. I can’t remember what my final total was but I want to say 20 or 21. Thinking that was way too easy I tried a round of skeet next and I honestly dont remember hitting a damn clay. That was humbling. I still have the gun, but can’t remember the last time I ever shot it. I’m thinking of getting it restocked so that it actually fits me and I can try taking it out again.
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We have had people not break a target in 50 shots. And we have had people break 20/25, the first day. Some improve quickly, some don't improve. We will see how he does over the next few weeks.
 
If you want to be a competitive shooter you will have to learn to shoot off of your left shoulder
Trying all kinds of trickery will not work you are working against your self if you try any other way
I’m left eye dominant and right handed I started shooing trap in about 1973 it took awhile to get use to shooting off my left shoulder but once I mastered it all was good
I shot competition trap for 20+ years and usually be in the running if I did my part
Take my experience for what it’s worth
Good luck
 
It is encouraging to read all these stories. I have been shooting for almost 20 years and it was only in the past few years that I found out I was left eye dominant (I am right handed). I never even considered that this aspect may hamper performance. It is encouraging to read stories of people who made the switch decades later. I seem to be one of the ones who think it's too late to teach this old dog new tricks. Plus I have built up a collection that is predominantly right handed. Thankfully some of them are ambidextrous so I may try converting some to left handed.

I did recently try to shoulder a pump on my left side. It did not feel natural but that's likely because that is not what I have been accustomed to all this time. And because I do not have the benefit of coming from a family of firearms owners, most of what I learned have been learned on the way by myself, with occasional help from others. I know golfers can get coaching from professionals for proper fit and technique - not sure if we have folks in our midst who are specifically trained on helping others with both fit and acclimating the shooter to a different way / form of shooting.

I have been tying my own ties for coming on 44 years. I have always done it one way. It wasn't the best way because my knots always need adjustment and are uneven. I recently watched a Youtube video of some different ways to tie ties and I like the result but the muscle memory keeps going back to the old way even though I know it's neither optimal nor produces the result that I want. Perhaps shooting left handed just needs to become a regular habit.
 
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