Left Eye Dom...Confused...?

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rzmitch

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I always want to pick up a shotgun "right" and yet I am seriously left eye dominant...

Is this of real importance in shotgun use, hunting and sporting clays? Should I re-train to left or with a shotgun and keeping both eyes open it doesn't really affect things?...help!!!
Mitch
 
I don't shoot trap or clay but I am right handed, left eye dominant too.
After a couple of seasons of service rifle and me having problems with my left eye twitching during long matches, I started shooting left handed.
It takes some practice but IMHO it is the only way to shoot if you are right handed , left eye dom.
I shoot with both eyes open now and my sight picture is twice as good as before.
You don't lose your depth perception either with both eyes open.
 
I am left handed and right eye dominant. I started shooting left handed but an incident when an old Savage .22 pump action fired without the action being fully locked blew burning gasses etc into my face so I switched to right hand shooting. Only later did I realise that was the proper side for me as my right eye is dominant.
It is possible to learn which hand to use but when one eye is dominant you can not fool it. Trying to keep both eyes open when shooting with the weak eye causes problems as the dominant eye will over rule the sighting eye. Using both eyes when shooting from the dominant side means you get the benefits without the trouble.
 
Unbeknownst to me, I was naturally a lefty from birth. My father, believing he was doing me a favour, adamantly (pushed me to use my right hand so's to be more compatible with a right hand-dominated world. Such was the belief back in the 60's, that you should push your kid to be a righty.
As a result, I write with my right hand, do alot of things ambisexually :D but handle a hockey/golf stick and bat like a lefty.
Quite awhile after learning to shoot, I was told that I should always shoot with both eyes open. It took very little effort to transition, but I felt it helped me shoot better and also be more aware of my surroundings as well.
In my humble opinion, shoot with the same side eye as you handle the gun. It just don't seem right, watching some guy with his face straddled cockeyed across the butt of a rifle while shooting left-right or vice-versa ;)
 
rzmitch said:
I always want to pick up a shotgun "right" and yet I am seriously left eye dominant...

Is this of real importance in shotgun use, hunting and sporting clays? Should I re-train to left or with a shotgun and keeping both eyes open it doesn't really affect things?...help!!!
Mitch
Click to expand...

IF it causes you problems - you can switch to lefty firearms OR close the left eye when you shoot.

Some left eye dominant persons can still shoot right side / right eye/ both eyes open with no apparent problems. Don't let all the hype scare you. I've done it for years with no probs whatsoever, and i'm right handed and left eye dominant.
 
For clay shooting, you could try putting a small piece of tape on your left eye so it blocks out the end of the barrel, and then shoot with both eyes open.

Doesn't work so well for me though.
 
MauserMike said:
For clay shooting, you could try putting a small piece of tape on your left eye so it blocks out the end of the barrel, and then shoot with both eyes open.

Doesn't work so well for me though.
Click to expand...

does that work for anyone???

If your going shoot with just one eye I'd say get an eye patch from a dollar store for a $1.00 looks cooler and easier to put on and take off. Personally I'd just shoot with my dominant eye with both eyes open. The joy of having no noticeably dominant eye I get to shoot from my most comfortable side.
 
It is certainly easier if your dominant eye is on your shooting side. It makes it easier to keep both eyes open which is an advantage. But think about this. One can catch a ball in flight with either hand without closing an eye. A right or a left handed hockey player can hit a puck with the stick without closing one eye. The point I am trying to make is this: The ball player keeps his eye on the ball and does not consciously think of the glove and the hockey player keeps his eye on the puck without consciously thinking of the stick and so a shooter should keep his eye on the target without thinking about the gun. How? Practice the mount and point until it becomes instinctive, and when shooting concentrate on the target. If you have an opportunity search for Gil and Vicky Ash’s books and/or tapes on the subject.
 
Closing your dominant eye while shooting ,can, over a long period cause a condition known as dual-eye dominance(cross-eyed), which can create it's own set of problems.
 
left eye dominant

I use a small piece of scotch tape on my left lens of my shooting glasses for trap and sporting clays. I do not try to block the dominant left eye but rather obscure the focus, in the straight ahead direction. That way with both eyes open periferal vision is not compromised
 
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