I started shooting skeet last fall and l love it. I usually shoot 16-21 birds, but struggle with my mixed eye dominance issues. Tried closing my left eye, but that just makes you half blind. Tried closing it right before I pull the trigger, no joy. So I have spent the last 5 months shooting with a piece of tape strategically placed on my left lens to give me some peripheral vision, but keep my dominant left eye from seeing the bead.

This was the best fix I could find, but it’s aggravating as hell on the skeet field, and a down right handicap shooting sporting clays.

So today I decided to try shooting lefty. Some friends and I tried shooting 5 stand today for the second time. First round I shot right handed and hit 5 birds. Next round shot lefty and hit 15! The blind spot was gone, the double vision was gone, and I felt like I just went from looking at a 12” black and white to a 65” big screen!

It’s going to take a boat load of practice, but I’ve decided to commit to the change. I know it will be like starting over, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

Welcome to the dark side.

Yeah I don’t know why anyone would try to force themselves to shoot cross dominant with a long gun.

I'm convinced my son should have been LH. My Dad was and both brothers are LH. Lots of it in the family. He's RH, but hits baseballs LH, rides skateboard like a LH (er footed), even writes like a lefty (which is very strange). So I made sure he shoots rifles like a lefty. He's emigrating to Israel to join the IDF, so we're getting in trigger time. He does shoot pistols RH, but with his head craned over.

quote:

Originally posted by Nick:


It’s going to take a boat load of practice, but I’ve decided to commit to the change. I know it will be like starting over, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

I'm in the same boat. My cross eye dominance is ok with handguns but not with a rifle. I haven't shot a rifle in 30+ years. I didn't have the cross eye dominance issue when I was firing the M16 decades ago. I guess my later years produced a change.

I am so reluctant to switch to left hand rifle shooting but I don't believe I have a choice. My right eye is much weaker than my left. If I attempted to change my eye dominance, I don't think it would work well for my vision (any Ophthalmologist please chime in).

How are you making out with your attempt to change? Is it slow and frustrating or surprisingly easier than you thought? - This question is also for anyone else who made the change?

Attempting to shoot left-handed is so unnatual to me. I havent gone to the range yet but will attempt to shoot lefty next week.

quote:

Originally posted by Nick:
It’s going to take a boat load of practice, but I’ve decided to commit to the change. I know it will be like starting over, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

While either one requires training, some folks find that switching to the other hand/shoulder is easier than training their non-dominant eye.

I know a number of cross-eye dominant shooters who shoot opposite of their primary hand. (Some even shoot handguns on one side, and rifles with the other!)

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by Nick:
It’s going to take a boat load of practice, but I’ve decided to commit to the change. I know it will be like starting over, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

While either one requires training, some folks find that switching to the other hand/shoulder is easier than training their non-dominant eye.

I know a number of cross-eye dominant shooters who shoot opposite of their primary hand. (Some even shoot handguns on one side, and rifles with the other!)

I would prefer to try to train my non-dominant eye. My concern with training my non-dominant to be dominant is that it might be more of an issue because I see much farther with my dominate eye. Anyone have any insight or opinion on that?

What'd Steve Carlton ever do to you?

I am one of those cross-dominant mutants that shoots rifle/shotgun with left hand due to being left dominant and pistol with the right hand nudged over to the left. Started that way as a youngin' with the toy guns and just seemed natural to me.

Welcome to my world,I made the switch fifty years plus.
I still shoot handguns right handed though, but that is easy as it takes just a 3 inch switch to the left with the right hand.

i also shoot rifles left handed and handguns right handed, with the 3" shift, but my glock keeps throwing brass in my eyes (thank God for eye protection) when I shift 3"...guess that's a reason to stick to my sig's and HK's and walthers!!

quote:

Originally posted by av8erman:
I am one of those cross-dominant mutants that shoots rifle/shotgun with left hand due to being left dominant and pistol with the right hand nudged over to the left. Started that way as a youngin' with the toy guns and just seemed natural to me.

Same here, though I'm not in agreement on the 'mutant' classification. Simply put, I'm Left eye dominant, but physically right hand dominant...

I shoot a rifle left handed, which is VERY natural to me because I have greater fine dexterity with my left hand. I have always shot a rifle lefty, even when that rifle was a stick I picked up off the ground as a young boy playing in the neighborhood war games.

I shoot a pistol right handed, from a bladed stance, which moves the gun over towards my dominant left eye. I cock my head ever so slightly to get sight picture and it works, again, VERY naturally for me. I also always shot a 'stick pistol' the same way as far back as I can remember. I came to shooting handguns much later in life (well after my neighborhood war gaming days) and after I had become much more 'athletic' than when I was a young sniper. I naturally picked up the handgun right handed. I never had to think about it, I just did it, and still do...