Spent yesterday morning down in the San Luis Valley with my brother and his boy. He's 9 and was super excited to try out his new black powder rifle he had got for his birthday and I was equally excited to sight in my red dot on my new BCM 14.5" upper. Man, that thing is slick! Super accurate even with a hot bbl and the gas system is tuned perfectly. My pile of brass was almost tighter than my groups! Had to let the kiddo have a go with it. He's lefty but right eye dominant and will out shoot you if you aren't on your game.
Originally posted by pedropcola: Wow, lefty and right eye dominant. That shooting position hurts my neck just looking at him. lol
Any day bringing the kids out is a good day. Nice job.
My wife and youngest son have that same affliction. She's right-handed, left-eye-dominant, and he's left-handed, right-eye-dominant. She's taken to shooting long guns left-handed, and he shoots them right-handed. It's worked out pretty well for them, especially my son who puts in a lot more trigger time than his mom. None of my rifles are set up to be ambi, either, so him shooting righty simplifies the controls for him as well.
I've seen the crossover approach work out for folks too, though, and clearly Ryan's son has it figured out!
Posts: 9459 | Location: In the Cornfields | Registered: May 25, 2006
I'm the opposite of your nephew. Right handed and left eye dominant. Started shooting when I was a couple of years older than him. The person who taught me to shoot discovered almost immediately that I was cross-dominant and decreed that "you will shoot left-handed". Been doing it that way for over 50 years now.
My honest recommendation is for him to shoot right-handed. He's young enough that it should start feeling natural after a couple of weeks. His current position is not really sustainable and will hold him back. And we live in a right handed world. AR's, bolt guns, etc. are all designed for righties.
Posts: 544 | Location: Gunnison, CO | Registered: March 25, 2003
Originally posted by Houndog: Congrats from a recent CO transplant.
I'm the opposite of your nephew. Right handed and left eye dominant. Started shooting when I was a couple of years older than him. The person who taught me to shoot discovered almost immediately that I was cross-dominant and decreed that "you will shoot left-handed". Been doing it that way for over 50 years now.
My honest recommendation is for him to shoot right-handed. He's young enough that it should start feeling natural after a couple of weeks. His current position is not really sustainable and will hold him back.
Same here; right handed, strongly left-eye dominant. I shoot handguns righty but use my left eye, and shoot long guns left shoulder/left eye. Works fine. My dad luckily spotted my cross-dominance the first time he took me shooting.
Some rifles and shotguns (M1, M14, Mini-14, Mossberg 590) are actually better running them left-handed.
--------------------------- My hovercraft is full of eels.
I ran a couple of mags through it again last night. I'm absolutely loving this rifle. So light and just slick as sheep shit. I had a flip up front sight on it but found I'm quicker on target with a fixed sight. I guess it just gives me a point of reference in my peripheral as I bring the rifle up rather than looking for a dot. I also like that if the dot goes out I can still have effective sighting.
Originally posted by Houndog: My honest recommendation is for him to shoot right-handed. He's young enough that it should start feeling natural after a couple of weeks. His current position is not really sustainable and will hold him back.
Bingo.
With low-recoiling rifles such as AR15 and 22lr, the crossed shooting position works. Sorta. With higher recoiling calibers it's really difficult to get square behind the rifle and manage recoil. Precision shooting becomes a serious challenge. It's best to start the change now, before habits get too ingrained.
Posts: 8072 | Location: Colorado | Registered: January 26, 2008
I am 99% percent certain I am left-eye dominant. I am right-handed, and have always done anything gun-related as a right-eye dominant person would; it's worked out alright for me. I wasn't aware of the eye dominance thing, when I started shooting, so I never gave it a thought; still don't.
Posts: 2529 | Location: Northeast GA | Registered: February 15, 2021
Originally posted by KSGM: I am 99% percent certain I am left-eye dominant. I am right-handed, and have always done anything gun-related as a right-eye dominant person would; it's worked out alright for me. I wasn't aware of the eye dominance thing, when I started shooting, so I never gave it a thought; still don't.
Me too. I shoot rifles lefty and hand guns righty. I prefer it that way as it has some advantages.
Posts: 7746 | Location: West Jordan, Utah | Registered: June 19, 2007
