Help with Right handed / left eye dominant teen shooter

[seattleman1969]

This is really a lot to read... My wife is Right hand Left eye and has issues hitting anything through a scope with either eye.

I am trying to find a way to help her but I am no expert trainer and I am at a loss.

Can someone summarize suggestions here?

 

[Blue Ridge Rifleman]

I'm right-handed, left eye dominant. I started to shoot at 8 years old and I closed my left eye to sight. It was when I was taking hunter safety at age 11 that the instructor had us do the eye dominance test. He wanted me to switch to shooting left-handed but I sucked at it. I had already qualified right-handed and didn't know I had a problem until he tried to fix me.

Fast forward, I continue to shoot pistol, rifle, and shotgun right-handed and have never felt handicapped. My brain has learned which eye to sight with and I no longer have to close my left eye when sighting. I taught my sons and I'm teaching my grandkids this same way.

 

[USA_774]

This is really a lot to read... My wife is Right hand Left eye and has issues hitting anything through a scope with either eye.

I am trying to find a way to help her but I am no expert trainer and I am at a loss.

Can someone summarize suggestions here?

Have her try shooting left handed. Start with something easy to shoot like a bolt action .22 lr.

 

[Blue Ridge Rifleman]

This is really a lot to read... My wife is Right hand Left eye and has issues hitting anything through a scope with either eye.

I am trying to find a way to help her but I am no expert trainer and I am at a loss.

Can someone summarize suggestions here?

How does she shoot over open sights? Are you teaching her with a high-powered rifle or with a .22 like most of us learned to shoot? Are you trying to shoot at 100 yards instead of 50 feet? My point is: make sure she learns good fundamentals and is comfortable shooting, without flinching or jerking the trigger, and can get good feedback on each shot (holes in paper) before you put her behind a rifle that roars and bucks.

 

[corsair4360]

This is really a lot to read... My wife is Right hand Left eye and has issues hitting anything through a scope with either eye.

I am trying to find a way to help her but I am no expert trainer and I am at a loss.

Can someone summarize suggestions here?

Just persuade her to try left handed shooting. In a friendly non competitive situation have her shoot a shotgun using her left hand, left eye etc.

This may sound crazy but with a shotgun, I figured out my problem in about 2 minutes. Where the shooter points, not aiming like a rifle, the master eye dominance change is immediate. I did find having a left handed rifle was easier, however I have several right handed rifles still.

After paying attention I realized I shot my pistols left eyed, using my right hand.

 

[seattleman1969]

She shooting a 22 and her braked 7mm-08 which kicks like a 22 but of course the report is unbelieveable.

 

[corsair4360]

She shooting a 22 and her braked 7mm-08 which kicks like a 22 but of course the report is unbelieveable.

The braked rifles report is not fun, especially for those nearby, been there done that. Get her some good hearing protection that amplifies normal levels of sound, blocks loud noises

 

[Floridaboy123]

Hi all.
My eldest daughter is old enough to get her minors permit and shoot handgun at the range. All good till the point where she starts to shoot and only manages a few hits .
Its her first visit to the range and i'm standing behind her , so I cant see that she has both eyes open, trying to shoot right eye.
Later at home we were talking and I just asked her to close her left eye, as it turns out she cant but she can close here right .
back to the range and would you know it , Right eye closed and she has improved remarkably.

So is this OK.

I have no experience with this and would appreciate some guidance .

I didn't hear about left eye dominant until my early 20's. 57 now. I shoot right handed with both eyes open, have shot like that since young. My right eye just takes over. Shooting a pistol, open sights sometimes I get some blurring but discovered with pistol straight in front of face left eye get clear sight picture. I'm no expert pistol shot but ok. Trying to switch to lefty never worked for me and never made sense

 

[Treeslug]

The braked rifles report is not fun, especially for those nearby, been there done that. Get her some good hearing protection that amplifies normal levels of sound, blocks loud noises

Say what? Could you repeat that, I can't hear you!

 

[cmysix]

she can still shoot left eye right hand if she wants, one of the top female shooters does it, I think she's in the NRA magazine this month?

 

[Roo78]

As with many others, both my daughter and son have same issue. I tried getting them to shoot left handed but a trip to the eye doctor and glasses seemed to work better. They had hard time shooting left handed, which sucked because I am a lefty and have a large number of left handed guns.

Both my girls wear glasses for reading. I was thinking they should when shooting but they didnt seem keen but it might be something we have to try.

 

[Roo78]

Ever try using a pair of shooting glasses with the left eye covered, to force using the right eye?

Turns out the father in-law had some all along. shes going to give them a go next range trip/

 

[Roo78]

Big thanks to all who shared there advice and stories.

It highlighted my complete ignorance in regards to eye dominance and shooting hand gun , something i am new to.
it'll take a while to get the practice needed to see results were a fair trip way from the range and our local regulations don't allow for use of hand gun outside of registered pistol clubs.

But in the mean time practice with a toy gun will have to do.

StaySafe

ROO

 

[Martin@Hin]

L Handed left eye dominant, steel slivers in left eye.
Hand gun I shoot lh but move the gun to my rh side and can see the sights clearly.
Open sights on a rifle is a no go.
Shooting R Handed after 55 years? Well what can I say