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Shooters Eye

PdogPdog Member Posts: 291 ✭✭
edited June 2002 in Ask the Experts
Was reading Feild and Stream today and it told me how to find my shooters eye, well thats all and good but now i got a problem, is the shooters eye the one u look down the scope with or not. Bye the test it made my left eye my shooters eye(dominant eye) and i have always used my right eye so wondering if i changed to my left if i would shoot better. Thanks in advance for any replies
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Comments

  • HiCapHiCap Member Posts: 77 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hey Pdog;

    I too am left eye dominant but right handed. It helps me a lot when I play golf, but it totally throws off my shooting game!

    What I have found to work so far (and I am still a work in progress) is that I have switched to left handed shooting for my shotgun / sporting clays. The theory here is that I have to look down the barrel and not across it. It has taken me A LOT of work to switch and I am not yet completely comfortable mounting and shooting left handed! It will be a long time before I am even remotely a competative threat out on the clays course.

    For my handgun shooting, I have just taken to cocking my head to the right (touching my right ear to my right shoulder)and moving my hands to the left a little. I still shoot right handed, but now my left eye is behind the sights better. I tried switching to shooting left handed, or closing one eye or the other, but neither of these really felt right. I figured with handgun shooting I would be more likely to be in a defensive situation than when I have my clays gun. And with my life on the line, I wanted to do everything that was most natural and didn't require a lot of concious set up. For me, this is the process I described above.

    I'm going to FrontSight Defensive Handgun school out in Las Vegas in a few months and they may teach me something different, but for now this is how I solved my eye dominance issue.

    The best advice I can give you is to take several hundred (if not thousand) rounds to your local range and see what "feels" right for you.

    Best of luck to you.
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  • PdogPdog Member Posts: 291 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for the reply. I was goign to shoot my 22 pistol some but my rifle isnt' working ruger wants me to send it in but kinda of iffy about doing it. And i work so many hours right now dont' have the time so was getting some others opinions on it. And again thanks for the reply and any others i might get went back to another thread i made and for some reason it was locked.
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  • groundhog devastationgroundhog devastation Member Posts: 4,495
    edited November -1
    pdog, I am also left eye dominant but I still shoot the rifles with the the right eye. It is about impossible to use the left ey and shoot a right handed gun!! I guess I do pretty well using my right eye for the rifles but if you see me shoot a handgun you would probably LYAO!!! That's why I like the holosights on the handguns. Both eyes open and super fast target aquisition!! GHD
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  • pikeal1pikeal1 Member Posts: 2,707
    edited November -1
    I am also left eye dominant, and I have resorted to shooting left handed. After a while i got accustomed to it and can do it fairly well now. I keep both eyes open while shooting pistol and cock my head to the left so that my eyes line up behind the sights. I guess it just boils down to what fits. If you don't have time to go the range, just set up at home and get some snap caps and dry fire a bit to get the hang of it.
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  • spr1946spr1946 Member Posts: 64 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have always been a rt. handed shooter and always had trouble because of my left eye dom. My son is right handed and is left eye dom. I started him at 5 years shooting but didn't get the switch to left handed until he was older. He is now 25 and shooting left handed is normal.(almost) Test and train them early.
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  • PdogPdog Member Posts: 291 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks all i tried it with my left eye on the pistol i have and worked okay, but can't use my left hand to pull the trigger just feels odd, will have to try my deer rifle sometime, since i use a single shot, i think i can make the adjustment will have to see
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  • HappyNanoqHappyNanoq Member Posts: 12,023
    edited November -1
    Desiding wether it's left or right eye domination have been difficult for me too.

    Especially when I with my Ansh?tz .22 hit just as well with left and right eye - the right is the dominant though.
    But only in standing position and laying position - sitting pos is a total fluke with my left.

    Even shot clay-targets with my semi-auto Winchester 1500XTR 12g with my left eye, threw only 6 more targets than with my right eye(side).
    Usually gets 21 of 24. 23 at best... got 14 of 24 a couple of times, 17 at the most with left eye.


    Go with what your body tells you is right and just ... practise practise practise !!!!
    If you feel the rifle tears you up or is uncontrolable when shot from your left side.. or right side. Just go with whatever is most pleasant and practise from there.


    Happy shooting =o)

    Regards
    Peter E Jeppesen
    Greenland

    I love my silenced .22, the Winchester leveraction 30-30 and 357Mag... and offcourse any 12 gauge. =o)
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  • anderskandersk Member Posts: 3,627 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    My experience (and that of people I've introduced to shooting) says you are better off to shoot using your dominant eye for sighting. This is not a problem for pistols, but with rifles you just have to teach yourself to shoot left/right handed according to which eye is dominant.

    I'm right handed and shoot left handed ... I learned young and it is no problem at all!

    Bonne Chasse!

    Ken
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  • anderskandersk Member Posts: 3,627 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    My experience (and that of people I've introduced to shooting) says you are better off to shoot using your dominant eye for sighting. This is not a problem for pistols, but with rifles you just have to teach yourself to shoot left/right handed according to which eye is dominant.

    I'm right handed and shoot left handed ... I learned young and it is no problem at all!

    Bonne Chasse!

    Ken
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  • Guns & GlassGuns & Glass Member Posts: 864 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Some suggestions on "cross shooting":

    > Handguns-1. Use dot sights such as Aimpoint, Holo sights, Acogs, or Occuled Eye sights. The bullet will hit within the dot! Even though your shooting a trajectory horizontal angle that's not in line with your eye.
    2. Sight extensions can be made that move them L&R . They cost a bit, but the feeling of shooting naturally, and the greater fun can be worth it.

    > Long Guns-1. See #1 & 2 above.
    2. Cast-off stocks are available, and can be made that fit naturally inlining the eye with the bore. Shooting accuracy is much,much better, and 'felt recoil' can be reduced.

    > Eye Wear- Try using a patch that blocks the front, and side on the shooting glasses. Better yet, use a Pirate style patch. This not only blocks out light, but keeps you from squinting, and squeezing youeye-eyes. Makes it easier to shoot by relaxing * muscles. You'll look a little different, but will shoot better, and somebody will eventually show up looking like a fellow Pirate.



    Happy Bullet Holes!
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