Is it hard to shoot left-handed when you're right-handed?

Balthazar

Balthazar

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
23   0   0
I assume it's not the same for everyone, but I'm right-handed and it feels more natural for me to shoot right-handed (I'm right-handed at every sport: hockey, baseball, golf...).

The thing with shooting is, I've got better vision with my left eye (by far). (Yeah, it sucks).

Any right-handed shooter learned to shoot left-handed (or vice-versa)? How hard was it to adapt?
 
you should shoot your dominant eye. I'm left handed but right eyed and had to learn to shoot right hand when I started. One advantage of cross-dominance shooting is that it seems easier to learn to shoot the opposite side. This is quite useful in action shooting games or even hunting at times ( such as with turkey or deer stand hunting) especially with a red dot.
 
Which eye is Dominant? Not worse or better but Dominant.

Some people are cross dominant.

Make a circle with your thumb and index finger.
Look with both eyes open at an object in the circle that almost fills the opening.

Close one eye at a time.

The eye that is dominant will see the full object, the non-dominant eye will see some or none of the object.
 
dinsdale said:
Which eye is Dominant? Not worse or better but Dominant.

Some people are cross dominant.

Make a circle with your thumb and index finger.
Look with both eyes open at an object in the circle that almost fills the opening.

Close one eye at a time.

The eye that is dominant will see the full object, the non-dominant eye will see some or none of the object.
Click to expand...

left eye is dominant
 
Balthazar said:
left eye is dominant
Click to expand...

when it comes to archery, you shoots based on your dominancy, not on what is comfortable. My wife learnt to shoot right handed (despite being left handed) because of her eye dominancy.


IMHO, you go with your dominant eye and never look back.
 
mustang979 said:
when it comes to archery, you shoots based on your dominancy, not on what is comfortable. My wife learnt to shoot right handed (despite being left handed) because of her eye dominancy.


IMHO, you go with your dominant eye and never look back.
Click to expand...

ok thanks

I guess I'll have to learn to shoot left handed then
 
Along the same line, but someone at work was telling me that left eye dominant people should be looking for a gun that has the action on the left hand side (I think I got that right??)

Does it really madder??
 
I shot left handed until I was about 14 (many years ago). I'm left eye dominant, and still shoot a bow left handed. However, my dad made me switch to right handed shooting because of his right ejecting semi-auto's. For years, particularly when wing shooting, I shot either hand, depending on what worked best at the time. Now I shoot exclusively right handed, and it feels odd to shoot left handed. So, yes, you can switch hands, but if you do, watch out, it might stick.
 
I would say go with what feels comfortable. I tried to switch to left hand skeet shooting years ago because of left eye dominance and decided it wasn't worth it.
 
i tried shooting my friends gun (hes a lefty and im not) and had no trouble looking through the scope, but holy hell i couldnt aim
its like trying to write with the wrong hand, i cant do it at all
 
mustang979 said:
when it comes to archery, you shoots based on your dominancy, not on what is comfortable. My wife learnt to shoot right handed (despite being left handed) because of her eye dominancy.


IMHO, you go with your dominant eye and never look back.
Click to expand...
+1
Shooting is a learned skill, so it'd be foolish to start off on the side opposite of your dominant eye.
 
I'm left handed but started shooting right handed at such a young age that It stuck with me. Luckily enough I'm right eye dominant so it worked out for the better.
 
Are we talking Hand gun or rifle/ bow? I am right handed in all things except rifle and bow, then I shoot left. Being left eye dominant, it just came natural to me to shoulder on my left. When shooting hand gun though, I am right handed and just put my arm across my body to my left eye, this also feels normal.
 
I am left handed and right eye dominant. I have taught myself to shoot pistols with my right hand and my pistol shooting has improved very much. It doesn't seem detrimental to me personally when I shoot a rifle left and I of course aim with my left eye. I will be teaching myself to shoot rifles and shotguns right handed soon. I think that it will especially help my shotgun shooting to shoot right because of my right eye dominance.

It will pay off in the future to learn to shoot left because of your left eye dominance. Your short term results shooting will suffer, but long term you will be much further ahead, IMHO.
 
Last edited:
Ski911 said:
Are we talking Hand gun or rifle/ bow? I am right handed in all things except rifle and bow, then I shoot left. Being left eye dominant, it just came natural to me to shoulder on my left. When shooting hand gun though, I am right handed and just put my arm across my body to my left eye, this also feels normal.
Click to expand...

I have the identical left eye dominance, right-handed habits.
My only difference with you, is that I shoot bow right-handed using my left eye to sight. I overcame this issue, by using a string peep sight on my compound bow with pin front sights. My mechanical release is purposely very long, and I leave the wrist strap long too. I always have to keep the 'kiss' point in mind, as it's very close to my face.
If I ever have to release an arrow, with this set-up, at an upward angle, I may be S.O.L.
 
im heavily left eye dominant but recently ive been trying to figure out how to shoot right handed. The only problems I have so far are opening the proper eye when shouldering the gun and finding that comfortable spot for my cheek against the stock

Im not doing it because I want to switch to right handed shooting, I just want to have the option of switching hands if needed while im hunting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom