Right handed with left eye dominance

[bruns333]

I have been shooting birds and clays poorly for several years and just thought that I was still new and learning. A friend help me figure out that I am left eye dominant. What do you guys suggest as the best method to fix this? I want to continue to shoot right-handed as it feels safer to me. Thanks!
Matt

[kninebirddog]

Wear shooting glasses and put a piece of tape or some cellophane over your left lense

[Chaingang]

Hi Matt,

The easiest and certainly cheapest fix is placing a small piece of scotch tape over the left lens of your shooting glasses. Just enough to cover your pupil. You could of course shoot with your left eye closed, but you would lose depth perception.

Another alternative is using one of the newer fiber optic shooting sights that fits on the end of your barrel. Easy hit is one brand that promotes correcting eye dominance issues. The theory behind the light sight is that you will only be able to see the bright light if the correct eye is looking directly down the barrel.

Here is some more info on Easy hit: http://www.easyhit-usa.com/


P.S How is the Higgns pup turning out?

[jlp8cornell]

Matt: One of my friend's is a shooting instructor and gun junkie. I sent him your question. FWIW, here is his answer.


This is a fairly common problem, opinions differ.

The best solution is to learn to shoot left-handed. (On a two-handed gun
like a shotgun, this is much easier than with, say, a bullseye target
pistol). It's really hard at first, but once you overcome the learning
curve, then you have solved the problem perfectly.

The other alternatives are to wear a patch over your left eye (you won't
be happy with this), or to alter your stance so you can aim with the
left while shooting right (a patch over the right eye can help with this
at first). These are not really good solutions, though. Shooting
left-handed will be the best alternative in the long run.

Other folks will offer other advice...

[stlgsp]

Smear a little chapstick on the left lens.

[bruns333]

Thanks for the suggestions! Tom, I love my Higgins pup, she is 2 y/o now and all bird dog. Could be a little more relaxed in the house, but she always finds birds and is tough as nails. She had some nice grouse points this last season and got a placement in an Open Derby stake this spring. How is Wilhelm doing?

[hustonmc]

As a shooting instructor in the military, our most succesful, sure shot way to correct the problem is shoot left handed. Once you get the muscle memory down you'll be fine.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

Matt,
No doubt about it this situation is a pain in the "bleep", and the military instructor gave you the best advise, lean to shoot left handed. However if you plan to stay as a righty, I know guys who are pretty fair Grouse gunners, who have learned to squint their left eye almost shut, while shooting instinctively. Some of these guys are pretty fair Grouse gunners, but they will never really be 1st class Grouse gunners and the have accepted that fact.
RGD/Dave

[Chukar12]

I had to switch to my left at 44 years old after 35 plus of right hand shooting and it really wasn't a huge deal. I am slower no doubt in no small part because of a heightened sense of consciousness for safety. I went to a gun fitting guy in Ca and had him set two of my guns up and my accuracy is back to where it was when I was right handed and right eye dominant.

[Michael Jobe]

Wear shooting glasses and put a piece of tape or some cellophane over your left lense

Sorta.

You're going to need a partner to do this right. With your shooting glasses on, mount your UNLOADED shotgun while focusing on a spot on the wall. Have your partner stand in front of you and gently put a small blot (with a marker) on your glasses over your left pupil. Now, take some scotch tape and through trial and error get to where you have the smallest peice of tape possible over that blot, so that when you have the gun mounted, and close your right eye, your left eye can't see the end of the barrel. You may have to try different sizes, and shoot some targets to find out what you're comfortable with, but it'll work. Over the course 300 targets spent with my stock fitter, I went from a one eyed trap shooter to having both eyes open(with a tiny bit of tape on the left lense of my shooting glasses) and no decrease in average. Usually people have a fit going from one eyed to two.

After you get your glasses taped up right, you're going to have to learn to stop aiming, which even if you didn't think you were doing, you were while shooting one eyed.

Good luck!

~Michael

[Chaingang]

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried one of those Fiber optic sights that are tailor made for this type of problem.

The Easyhit sight is one and I belive HiViz makes another called the "magni-comp". The theory behind them is that only the right eye (right handed) will be able to see the light when viewing down the rib. This also allows you to keep both eyes open for maximum depth of field. What you have to refrain from is focusing on it entirely as you would with a rifle and use it initially when mounting your gun to gain the correct picture, then the focus shifts to the target. I'll have to admit the theory sounds interesting. I've used fiber optic sights on my shotguns in the past (although not these) and one thing absolutely you must train yourself to do is not to focus 100% in on it. You see it... but in your peripheral vision. I actually think it helps you to acquire your target faster, especially in low light situations.

These sights on not super expensive and worth a shot if your not keen on learning all over from the opposite shoulder.

Here's some thoughts on them from some who have used them. http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtop ... ce47d6a395

[Pryor Creek Okie]

As a shooting instructor in the military, our most succesful, sure shot way to correct the problem is shoot left handed. Once you get the muscle memory down you'll be fine.

I was once an Army marksmanship instructor as well, and I couldn't agree with this more.

[Greg Jennings]

No offense intended, but were you guys rifle instructors or wingshooting instructors?

Big difference between the hand-eye required to swap over for shooting a rifle and that required for wingshooting.

Also big difference in swapping over when one is 18 or 19 and has an opportunity to go to the range and when one is pushing 40 and gets to shoot *maybe* a half-dozen times per year. I swapped my son over, but we identified it very early.

Might be helpful to consider this: http://www.traphof.org/Inductees/Martin-Nora.html . What it doesn't say is that she has cross-dominance and closes her off eye.

[Chaingang]

Greg I think I saw a statistic somewhere that the majority of women that shoot right handed are left eye dominant, forgot the percentage, but it was high.

And I totally agree about learning to shoot off the opposite shoulder if you have been shooting a shotgun for years upon years from one side as us middle age guys have been. For those that are cross-dominant or opposite dominant, the tape over the glasses or the newer fiber optic sights or just plain closing the eye may provide at least SOME alternative. Point being, there worth a try before a resorting to switching shoulders.

[Greg Jennings]

I don't have any statistics, but my wife is right-handed/left-eye dominant. She also has trouble squinting her off eye. A "spot" works for her.

[ohmymy111]

I am also right handed and left eye dominate. I am lucky that I can shoot left handed just as easily as right handed. BUT if you don't have a neutral cast gun, which most S X S are not neutral, then good luck shooting left handed.

So I bought a easy-hit sight. I thought what the heck, for as little as it cost it was worth a try. THE THING WORKS!!! I don't use it as a sight, I focus solely on the bird like you should. But the fact that your left eye can't see the sight at all, and your right eye sees the dot, it subconciously pulls the dominace over to the right eye. I could not be happier that I bought it.

[Chaingang]

So I bought a easy-hit sight. I thought what the heck, for as little as it cost it was worth a try. THE THING WORKS!!! I don't use it as a sight, I focus solely on the bird like you should. But the fact that your left eye can't see the sight at all, and your right eye sees the dot, it subconciously pulls the dominace over to the right eye. I could not be happier that I bought it.

Glad to hear that it worked. At least the theory behind it seems to make sense. Even if it didn't work, like you said, it isn't going to break the bank trying it out. Good luck with it.

[kbshorthairs]

I am right handed and nearly blind in my right eye. I started shooting at an early age and just naturally shot left handed because of my eyes. Putting a piece of tape on glasses or closing my dominant eye was not an option. I agree that switching to lefthand shooting might be difficult, but probably would give the best result. IMO

[BigShooter]

Might be helpful to consider this: http://www.traphof.org/Inductees/Martin-Nora.html . What it doesn't say is that she has cross-dominance and closes her off eye.

If you'll notice this is the trapshooter's HoF. To me there is an enormous difference between picking up the speed and trajectory of a trap target vs. the targets presented at different stations & different courses in sporting clays. Of the thrown target sports, sporting clays is intended to most closely duplicate various wild game shooting opportunities. IMO sporting clays & wild wing shooting present far greater challenges to a left eye dominant, right handed shooter. Regardless of the solution employed, cross eye dominance will always place a shotgunner at a disadvantage to a matched hand, eye dominance gunner.

[Greg Jennings]

All things being equal, it is a disadvantage in any sport.

OTOH, if somone is a weekend bird hunter, they might not want to put in the effort and dollars required to swap over. Bringing up that Nora made the trapshooting HoF was intended to show that one can be a good shot shooting one eyed.

BTW, I happen to know that she is a heck of a bird shot, too.

[BigShooter]

By the end of 1998 Nora had 231,000 targets registered. Anyone that shoots that much is bound to be a pretty good shot. Practice makes perfect!

An alternative to obscuring one lense is to follow the target with both eyes & close the off eye a split second before pulling the trigger. That also takes lots of practice.