Becoming a left handed shooter because of left eye dominance

Samson23

Samson23

Regular
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
Location
Alberta
My eyesight has been poor ever since I was a kid. I have prisms in my glasses that help them coordinate better, but even still, my right eye is very weak. When shooting, this presents as a kind of doubling at distance with both eyes open, and quick fatigue/blurring in the right eye when closing the left eye. Thus, even with a holo sight on my Tavor, I often end up closing or half-closing my left eye until inevitably I have to take a break from right eye fatigue.

I was out yesterday shooting with a friend and finally got frustrated enough with my quickly failing accuracy that I decided to try shooting left handed. After a few minutes of teaching the left side of my body what to do, I was stunned. The sight picture was not only shockingly clear, but identical with both eyes open or the right eye closed, with no fatigue. It felt like I was seeing through a new pair of eyes. I'm going to take the Tavor back to the range to re-sight it in left-handed and see what the differences are, and believe I have no choice now but to start shooting rifles left handed.

I'd like to hear what other right handed folks with severe left eye dominance and/or right eye weakness have done. Cheers.
 
I don't have the eye dominance problem but still taught myself to shoot left handed when the need arises. Not a bad thing to be ambidextrous, it helped out when cataracts where raising hell with my vision.
 
From what I gather you're doing the correct thing by giving up your right handed shooting. Luckily the tavor is completely ambi

I still am ignorant to this fact in my shooting but with pistol it doesn't hamper me too much.
 
I have the same eye problem.My shooting was legendary for being so bad until one day I had to shoot left handed and actually hit something.Took me a few minutes to learn after that. The only problem is my left hand is useless to do anything with as I am extreme right handed. I would never be able to work the bolt on a rifle with it even and I have been shooting left handed for 40 years now. I also had more burns on my right arm from shooting a semi prone then you could imagine. 30-06 imprints on the arm may look neat but getting them sucks.
 
I am a lefty and I am right eye dominated. It is training. If you left hand is weak, hit the gym and buy a squeeze ball to improve its gripping strength.
 
onetwentyish said:
I am a right handed shooter but have a dominant left eye, so I have found it easier to shoot left handedly since the start... you will get used to it.
Click to expand...

I see in your sig you're looking for a lefty tavor bolt. Any specific reason? I didn't have any issues with ejected brass hitting me when I shot mine left handed.
 
Imagine my surprise the first time I read about eye dominance and did the test on myself. Oh the horror.

a year later now and man is it nice! I can look through a scope all day, both eyes open, without strain. While the stance still feels a bit new and unnatural it has improved tons and the more I practice the better it gets.
 
I am right handed, but left eye dominant.
I do shoot left handed, but only with a right handed gun. I tried a left handed bolt rifle once, and found it really awkward loading, un-loading etc. left handed. Much easier to manipulate the right handed rifle.
 
Samson23 said:
I see in your sig you're looking for a lefty tavor bolt. Any specific reason? I didn't have any issues with ejected brass hitting me when I shot mine left handed.
Click to expand...

Really? I've been thinking about a Tavor for a long time, but figured they wouldn't work at all for a southpaw, without a LH bolt anyways...
 
Took the girlfriend shooting the other day and found she was a left eye dominant righty. Tried the left handed thing but she was more comfortable holding the gun right handed. I figured the feeling would turn her off shooting but she asked yesterday when we could go again. I think it might actually have helped, the more of a challenge seems to have sat well.

Other than just "shoot lefty", if anyone has tips on how to teach/train, post em up. Hoping to gleam some pointers.
 
I just did the tests and found out that I am either no eye dominant or left eye dominant, I think it might beleft, and I am a right handed person. So now the dilemma, do I try to shoot left handed.
 
I just tried holding my shot gun up and lining the sights up with both eyes, can someone tell me when you do that and both eyes are open do you see double vision down the bore? I think I may be neither eye dominant. Also can someone try this test. You put your arm out and cover an item in the room with your thumb with both eyes open. Then you close each of your eyes one at a time and whatever eye you close that makes your thumb move farther off the object is your dominant eye. The problem I'm having is I cant cover the item with my thumb as I see double vision and can still see the item.
 
mattf87 said:
I just did the tests and found out that I am either no eye dominant or left eye dominant, I think it might beleft, and I am a right handed person. So now the dilemma, do I try to shoot left handed.
Click to expand...
I guess it depends on how extreme it is. In my case, its night and day. I'm looking forward to putting more time in left handed to see what I can actually accomplish.
 
The test I do is to focus on something in the distance and make a circle around it with my thumb and forefinger. Then bring my hand to my face and see which eye the circle moves to.
 
mattf87 said:
I just tried holding my shot gun up and lining the sights up with both eyes, can someone tell me when you do that and both eyes are open do you see double vision down the bore? I think I may be neither eye dominant. Also can someone try this test. You put your arm out and cover an item in the room with your thumb with both eyes open. Then you close each of your eyes one at a time and whatever eye you close that makes your thumb move farther off the object is your dominant eye. The problem I'm having is I cant cover the item with my thumb as I see double vision and can still see the item.
Click to expand...

Focus on the front sight, not the rear sight.
 
I know a very good shooter who shoots left because of a left eye dominance. He uses right handed guns and makes them work.

A good sight picture is critical to good shooting. Slightly awkward gun manipulation is less of an issue.

As for the rest of us, we should practice shooting left handed a bit, because sometimes that is what we will have to do.

I recall deer hunting once, sitting down, back to a big tree, overlooking a gully. Suddenly I heard noise to my right, and saw a deer walking along only 20 yards away. If you are sitting, the only way to shoot to your extreme right is from the left shoulder. I found it very awkward because I had never done it before. Since then I have practiced a bit and can shoot a rifle fairly well from the wrong shoulder. With a pistol, I shoot a foot to the right for some reason.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom