Right handed. Left eye dominant.

And 7 years old. He's been shooting the Red Ryder and Cricket this way, so we have some bad habits, already. What is the best way to deal with this? Eye patch or shoot left handed?

At that age learn to shoot left handed.

It is easier to switch hands than it is eyes. He needs to shoot left handed. Sorry, Dad, you need to find the boy a left handed bolt action.

I can shoot just as tight right handed as I can left, and I do most things left handed. It takes my right eye longer to get focused on the target. I usually adjust focus as well as diopter when switching over to right handed.

I'll be deer hunting in Winters, Ballinger area Thursday to Saturday. Come by camp with him mid-day if I can be of any assistance.

I are wun. Shoot left-handed. And, tang safeties are useful.

That's what I figured. Thank you.

He's got a single shot, right now, so that won't be an issue, at least. When we upgrade, I'll just have to get him something backwards.

I would love to. I'm working in Midland right now and probably will be for awhile, but if we shut down for coil or something, I'll let you know.

I'm righthanded but shoot lefty for 48 yrs now due to eye accident. Never had a lefty rifle. I shoot shotties a lot more than rifles and looked into buying a lefty semi auto. Couldn't stand the feel of it. Now I have a fitted lefty o/u. Can't imagine how I got along without it.

I am in the same boat, 66 old though. I can have both eyes open looking through scope with left eye, using right eye I have to shut my left (go cross eyed if I try both open). Didn't realize this till a real late age, try to hold the rifle left handed it gets me all screwed up.
What should I do, if anything?

I am 50 now and I just close my left eye when rifle hunting. I shoot better than anyone I know that makes a big deal over how awesome they are because they can keep both eyes open.
Now shooting a shotgun is a whole different story.

I didn't realize it was backwards until you told me.

That must be why I can't hit anything with the shot gun, hard tracking birds with one eye closed.
Thought about an eye patch, just so I wouldn't look so dumb.lol

Nobody makes fun of pirates if they can shoot what they're aiming at.

I wish my parents would have caught my left eye dominance at a younger age and had me shooting lefty. It would have made shooting easier.

10-4

Left eye dominant but ambi. Have shot RH rifles since 12 years old. 51 now. No issues at all. Its all in how you learn it. have never had a LH rifle but maybe one day. Even auto loading shotguns no problem. ARs without suppressor no problem. With suppressot (which I always run now) get a little gas splatter in my face. Go with the eye dominance. Save him a lot of bad shooting............Just one mans opinion whose worked with if for 40 years.....Also teach him how to shoot the bow LH. That will be huge in that arena

Right handed, left eye dominant here. I shoot left handed and have for decades. It's just been in the last ten years that I finally broke down and got a lefty bolt action. I also prefer rifles and shotties with a tang safety or modern sporting rifles with an ambidextrous safety.

Thanks guys. Appreciate the heads up on the bow shooting, too. I'll have to fix that before it gets worse, too.

After hunting and shooting for awhile when younger, I found out that I was left-eye dominate but right-handed. Started off shooting right-handed of course, but then switched to left-handed shooting for rifle and shotguns. Can shoot either way just as good, however it feels more comfortable to me shooting left-handed. Pistols I still shoot mostly right-handed.

Now bolts, semi's and autos aside, you can also look at lever-actions for him to learn on.

There are a ton more people left eye dominant than left hand. I work in the eye business and we see almost half the population is left eye dominant, well maybe not that Much but at least a third. Compare that to around a tenth of the population being left hand dominant and it makes
For some backwards shooting.

My son (right handed but left eye) shoots my right handed guns (left handed but right eye sort of, because I shoot a bow left handed, so I am really left eye dominant but just learned to shoot guns right handed and it works fine for me) just fine and cycles the bolt just fine. When it comes time to get him his own gun, I will get him a left handed gun.

I am righthanded and always have shot right-handed, using the right eye but my vision has changed for the worse over the last few years. I was shocked when I realized about three years ago that I was aiming my handguns with my left eye. I just can't focus the right eye on a front sight anymore.

Maybe time to see an optometrist.

Right handed, left eye dominant but shoot w/my right eye, left eye closed. I can't do anything w/my left hand so changing to shooting left handed is not/never was an option. I'm hoping Lasik will cure my awful astigmatism in my right eye & it'll help my iron sights/pistol/bow shooting. Scope has never been an issue.

I didn't realize this was so common. I just chalked it up to him being a weird kid. I mean, he's still weird, but not because of this, I guess.

You sayin I ain't weird?

I found out when I was a kid trying to earn a Cub Scout archery merit badge of all things. Couldn't hit a target shooting RH to save my life. Instructor asked if I was LH and I saiid no. Gave me LH bow for grins and starting pummeling the target. From then forward went lefty. Even starting swinging a baseball bat that way. Became fully ambi in couple years. Changed a lot of things for me

Of course not.

I'm in the same situation now. I've known it for years. I'm primarily right handed and of course growing up always shot right handed. I don't know if my eye dominance changed when I got older or what but I'm 100% left eye dominant now. With rifles I'm not to bad but a shot gun or pistol is entirely different story. I'm teaching myself to shoot everything left handed now and being 32 it's hard. I mostly shoot shotguns left handed now and my accuracy is 10x better being able to shoot that way. I don't miss a lot. Still doesn't feel natural to me but we are getting there. Pistols I'm trying but can shoot either way now that I know. Rifles I'm not gonna take anything left handed yet but after deer season gonna give it a shot on hogs and get some confidence built up.

I'm left eye dominant and shoot right handed. Always have. My brain and left hand have a failure to communicate. I ain't the best shot in the world but I ain't bad either. I usually leave both eye open target shooting. Animal killing I close my left eye. It works for me and has for 25 or so years.

Right handed left eye dominate here as well. When was a kid and head a lot smaller shot right handed but used my left eye to aim. Became much more difficult as I got older and learned to cope with it by closing my left eye. Read as a kid in Outdoor Life that to be ready for any hunting situation you need to be ambidextrous in shooting and took that to heart with the BB gun and learned to shoot either handed.

These days doesn't matter with shotgun or rifle either shoulder, in a skeet league would switch between shoulders on rounds and had the same average score from each but have to shut the left eye when shooting right handed. Handguns I am not that good shooting left handed but use the left eye when shooting right handed.

I guess you could say I am mixed up on the handed/eye thing, still shoot mostly right handed mostly with Bow, rifle, shotgun and handgun but can hit with either side with all of them except am much better with handguns using dominate right hand and left eye.

First check with your optometrist, eye dominance can change while growing and also once a person gets into their 50's or older. Also, if your son is wearing glasses, (hope not at his age), prescription can be changed to match dominance. A piece of clear scotch tape over a shooting glasses lens can also help with dominance yet still let enough light through to allow for depth perception. I'm 61 and my dominance started to change about 3 years ago causing skeet scores to plummet....had prescription changed and all is back to normal.

P_102

I am also right-handed and left eye dominant. This has never been a problem for me and even though my eyesight is starting to change, I still have no problems shooting MOA or better. It's all about practice and becoming comfortable. Making your kid shoot in an uncomfortable way may discourage them from developing the love for shooting and hunting we all desire them to have.

Let them shoot how they want. Left eye dominance is easily overcome for most folks with solid trigger time.

Here's my story. My Dad noticed on my first or second quail hunt that (at about 5 or 6) that I was holding my 410 right and shooting with my right eye closed. He tried to correct that until it an eye exam proved I had 80-200 vision in my right eye. The doctor said it was a lazy eye and prescribed wear an eye patch, we did that on and off for a year or so...no help, still all the while Dad still taking me along. I kept on shooting, all ways being behind the quail, but after a few years and many dove/quail hunts I started to figure that out and started getting out in front of them and leading them right. And believe it or not that transferred to an open sighted rifle. The eye sight never did improve over the next several years, and then a scope came along.....now what (my method didn't work) I started shooting left handed with a little 243 with a 3x9 weaver....man was that strange, but over the next several years and many adjustments and practice I could really shoot. The eye sight thing never did bother me, or hamper me. It was thought that my left eye got all the vision both both eyes, because I could see a quail blink at 100 yards. In fact a quide ask me years later if I plugged that thing in at night, I asked to what he was referring to? He said that bionic eye..lol ..to say all that to say this, some 60 years later, I still can shoot a shotgun right or left handed and shoot a scoped rifle left only with a right handed gun ( I didn't even know they made a left hand gun....for years). I still teach today to shoot right and left at a very young age in case later there is an accident later, you never know. So I would recommend, first make sure there is nothing wrong with the eye sight. Then teach him to shoot on both sides of a weapon with both eyes open ....best thing ever ....and draws interesting talks at the gun clubs. Good luck, if I can be of assistance PM me.

I grew up shooting and never knew I was left eye dominant till I was in my 30s. I learned how to throw my dominance without even knowing it. I simply squint my left eye a bit which throws my dominance to the opposite eye. Once in the military I learned to shoot with both eyes open and to shoot from both strong side and support side. After while I was able to throw my dominance without even thinking about it. All that said, If I was 7 yrs old I would hope someone would start me out on my dominant side.

That's the plan, now. I've got a youth model H&R single shot that's still too big for him because he's so small. I'm going to hack off a few inches of the stock for him, get him shooting the Cricket left handed, and have him ready for deer season when he's 8, hopefully.

Left eye here and shoot right handed and always have. No problems at all for me i just close my left eye. But my eyes have always been pretty sensitive to the sun so I squint my left eye shut a lot so it's 2nd nature to me. I would let him shoot how it feels good to him, but that's just my because I'm no expert by any means.

My son is 8 and has same problem. He shot two deer this year left handed

Good deal.

Same boat here, just keep my left eye closed and Im on target.

I'm 25 and I SWEAR, Mine has changed... I took the test before when i was young and showed me right eye dominant... This year I took it again... and I was left... Idk if I cheated somehow before or what.

I think my basketball shot not developing until College was a major player in this... I went from a post only, to a legit threat on the wing(that was 60lbs ago though lol) I was trying to use right eye when I should have been focusing left, I finally trained myself but it took me YEARS...

That said, wish I had learned to shoot lefty. I can keep up with a rifle with anybody,and beat most people with a bow... but you put a shotgun in my hand and I look like a blindfolded kid trying to hit a piñata...

another thing... there is something called CO-dominance as well... it works a little differently that complete dominance, makes things odd... I have a buddy who is ambidextrous and co-domance in eyes... weird to see him pick up a bowling ball one hand then the other. I've wondered if he woulda been a great tennis player... all fore hands...

One last thing... TEACH THE BOY TO PITCH... only about 10% of the population are cross dominant. And I can't prove it but being able to see out the left eye and it being closer to the plate and coming across makes for better right handed pitchers...

Oh, he will be taught to pitch, anyway. Or just turned loose with a baseball, one.

I wish I was taught to shoot left handed. I'm left eye dominate and right handed. I just close my left eye. However being left eye dominate and right handed makes for quicker reactions times in softball when facing a right handed pitcher I had the advantage. Clean up hitter.

My daughter Sara has the same issue discovered at Elm Fork Skeet range in DFW. The Range Officer noticed her shooting patterns and did something so simple and it was amazing fix that worked. On her safety glasses he put a piece of scotch tape over the left eye. The effect was making the visual fuzzy through the dominant left eye forcing her brain to look more out of her right eye. She shot 22 - 25 after that fix. Don't know if it works on everyone or if it was a mental thing. It did work for my Sara that day. See if that works for you.

I'm right handed but I shoot rifles and pistols, draw a bow, cast a fishing rod, throw a cast net left handed. No clue why I can't throw a ball with my left hand and can't throw a cast net with my right hand. Goofy I reckon.

I'm also right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot a bow, rifle and pool cue lefty. I have a problem with astigmatism in my right eye and have a problem focusing. Use a left hand bolt rifle (Savage was an early and affordable left hand bolt maker) or use a lever action. Browning BLR is very good or the old Savage 99 along with the Winchester 88. Never tried a Sako Finnwolf.. I shoot a handgun rightie, but use my left eye and it makes a difference on sight adjustment.

I have that problem , learned to shoot left handed at a early age , still shoot right handed guns ..

Good luck

Wow! Great thread! Like a support group Some of the absolute simplest and practical shooting tips (for me) I've read in a long time, thanks y'all'. I went through "the change" later in life, thankfully after I was out of the military, but still working at it. Have to resist the urge to compensate and my left hand/arm don't like to cooperate. I can't even...um well do anything left-handed. Have it down pretty well with handguns, once I finally gave in to the dark side...comfortably and accurately shoot with both eyes open right handed letting left eye to do its own thing and focuses naturally and reliably on front sight. My handgun shooting has actually improved a lot with that style in IDPA. I wear contacts but need readers and I can't see worth a dang through an AR rear peep sight. About given it up.
Glad to learn there are plenty of other mutants out there
Going to try out some of yall's tips, thanks!

I always struggled with shooting long guns growing up. I am right handed and always shot right handed. I never knew why I sucked until I was in Marine boot camp. My firearm instructor told me "recruit shoot that rifle left handed you are left eye dominant". I qualified as a rifle expert two weeks later. The Marine Corp knows a thing or two about teaching marksmanship. Teach him to shoot a long gun left handed. I still shoot a pistol right handed. I have been a police officer for 26 years spending most of that time on SWAT Teams and in Tactical Units. It has worked out well for me.

I haven't read all of these but, do any of y'all remember a vitamin commercial, I think Ocuvite, where this guy is firing a bolt action rifle rapidly.....and it was either a right hander shooting a left handed rifle, or vice versa?

Think about it. I guess it would have to be a pretty light hunting rifle, or rested. However, this guy was fast.

If you were right handed, and strong enough to hold up a left handed rifle with one hand between shots, and shoot and cycle the gun with the left hand, you could be faster than working it the traditional way.

I can't find a link for the commercial.

If it's good enough for the Marines, it's good enough for me.

I'm happy to race anyone shooting a wrong handed rifle. It just is not efficient.

There's no way I could shoot a left handed rifle quicker.