Left Eye Dominant, right handed shooter

[Bullet bumper]

By "looks canted" I mean when I set up behind the gun is any position shooting right handed when the scope is level (according to the level) there is a very noticeable and very irritating cant to the reticle like ______+----------

If I do set it up to what appears level to me, the level on the scope is pegged all the way left. like this ---> |0__|__|___|

On a flat range if I do line up the reticle with a target stand even though it appears canted to me, but the level says its good the vertical and horizontal crosshair lines run perfectly parralell to the target

But if I set up behind the gun left handed when the reticle looks level the scope level says its level. And if i leave the gun exactly where it was and switch to a right handed position the reticle immediatley looks canted


BountyHunter, Ill try the tape on the shooting glasses because I cant shoot this rifle left handed unless I want to catch hot brass in my face after every shot, Its an AR and my "brass deflector" is more of a brass director, because it directs the brass almost straight back, its annoying because my carbine upper does deflect the brass to the side I can shoot that left handed all day

"How this affects your shooting at long range depends on the type of shooting"

Im a target shooter more than anything so a first round hit isnt "as important" or maybe i should say neccessary like it is to the hunter, but I dont want to sit somewhere and spam rounds downrange to "see where im at" and work my way to a target, hitting a 12" plate at 700yds with a .223 isnt really impressive if it took an entire mag to get that one hit , not to mention expensive . So being on target from the start is really important to me if not necessary.

I dont want to be getting cant error but hit the target by overcompensating with windage and since im getting hits belive that my wind calls are accurate when they arent

So you are saying forget what it looks like as long as I use the level on my scope I should have no issues with cant error?

Thanks for your help guys this has been driving me crazy I dont know how many times Ive rechecked the level on the scope I even bought a new bar level so I could make sure the gun and scope were both level at the same time the scope level was. And they are.

I think you may suffer from some kind of cornial astigmatism , a misshaped lens of the eye. I suffer from the same problem . When the reticle is vertical and the gun is vertical the reticle looks canted. For long range shooting where you will use the elevation knob you can't have the reticle look correct but be canted in reality as the tracking of the scope in the vertical plane will be off. Same deal with using a mill dot for hold overs . For short range shooting where you just place the centre of the cross hair on target it makes no difference if you line the reticle up so it looks right but as soon as you move away from the centre it becomes inaccurate . I just set my scope reticle plumb and put up with it looking wrong most of the time
If I rotate my head slightly it straightens up .
I am told normal eye glasses can't fix this issue but contact lenses can I am told , So I am going to look into getting contact lenses for shooting .
The reason it changes from left to right is you are rotating your head and eyes as you change positions and one one way is better and the other worse . Remember that your eye lens is not the perfect shape so it changes perspective as you rotate it about it's centre.
I'm sure an Optomitrist can explain it better but most can't relate it to shooting .

 

[GBA1776]

Wow that interesting, I never would have thought about that, Ive always had 20-10 vision and according to my last eye test which was last year (physical) I still do, but a small issue like that especially only present when I have my head cocked to the side like on a rifle stock wouldnt show up on an eye test. And since its only my right eye I could still see really well especially since Im left eye dominant. maybe thats why im left eye dominant, I have no clue how that works.

So you are saying trust my level no matter how it looks and I should be fine to hold and dial right?

I know someone already suggested that but I still had no explination for it so I wasnt satisfied.

Im going to do some testing on my Bolt Gun and see whats going on, this is the first time Ive had a gun with a level on it, I mean Ive leveled my top turret every time I mount a scope but when its staring you in the face it cant be ignored.

 

[GBA1776]

Ok I was going to put of messing around with this until tomorrow but I couldnt wait, My girlfriend is wondering why the hell im breaking out my rifles at midnight but this is important!!!


I got my 22wmr bolt gun out and mounted the scope level to if after leveling it to the top turret, Ive used bar levels mounting the scope before but never had one on the scope.
According to the scope level when it is truly level the crosshairs look slightly canted, To make the crosshairs appear level the bubble level is favoring the left center line like |___|O |___| So the actual cant on the rifle is minimal.
but since it has a much more traditional stock my head position is more vertical, And when I do cant my head to approximate the AR's cheekweld the scope looks really crooked just like the AR. lightbulb

And when I think about when I did have a scope on my AR previously I had the traditional A-2 stock on it which also puts your head in a more vertical position compared to round carbine stock that makes me cant my head alot more to align my eye with the scope. And since I didnt have a level, let alone a rifle that could shoot accurately at range because a 16" m4 profile barrel and not free floated is not a precision rifle by any means. When I did shoot out at range I had really been playing at precision, I was getting hits but I couldnt do it at different ranges first shot. And with a 2-2.5 MOA gun whats wind? whats cant? whats just the accuracy of the gun? After lots of match ammo and Mods I gave up trying to figure out how to use that Upper for long range, Because I wasnt getting any consistency.

And every time ive shot someone elses precision gun its had the more traditional stock and All the NM AR-15's and AR-10's ive used used the A2 stock. And ive always used there guns for crosshair shots to shoot groups at 100-300yds

Well Im really relieved that its only my eye thats messed up and not my new scope I dont use it much anyway, I do all my looking through the left.

THANK YOU BULLET BUMPER!!!!
my first son will be named after you (but tell people hes named after Steve Mcqeen) and and if its a girl I shall call her BB

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

When I read the initial post I thought we were working on an issue of eye dominance. Appears it's actually a spent case deflection issue. It's difficult to help solve a problem if it isn't fully and accurately described in the beginning.

left eye dominant lefty here... I've got a rh ar that I shoot lefty all the time and it's always cleared me just fine as it's tossing the brass back.
As to your eye dominance and handiness issue, I suggest going lefty (including your gear) but it's really your boggle and you just have to straighten it out for yourself.
I can shoot either hand if I want to but righty feels rather awkward as I'm not very practiced shooting righty.

 

[GBA1776]

Going all lefty isnt going to work for me, If i sold all my stuff and got a great price on all of it Id still have to spend quite a bit on it.

Im going to tweak the ejector and extractor and try to make this upper useable left handed, But since I now know why im having the issue with "cant" even though its just an optical problem it doesnt bother me near as much.

Having a problem that you cant understand is much worse than the same problem when you know why.

Not to mention the ability to switch shoulders/hands with a carbine or pistol is pretty important, I have no issues with ejection on my 16" upper and aimpoint, or My CZ-85.

When im trying to be as accurate as possible, either shooting groups or shooting at range I would use my right hand anyway.
The only reason I brought up the ejection issues shooting left handed with my precision upper was the fact I couldnt simply switch shoulders and test it.

I want to thank everyone for there help. This has been driving me nuts for over a month now. I figured this site was the perfect place to ask for help, Ive learned alot by reading articles and forums, Its much easier to learn from what other people have done, Instead of wasting all the blood, sweat, tears, and money reinventing the wheel yourself.

 

[Bullet bumper]

Ok I was going to put of messing around with this until tomorrow but I couldnt wait, My girlfriend is wondering why the hell im breaking out my rifles at midnight but this is important!!!


I got my 22wmr bolt gun out and mounted the scope level to if after leveling it to the top turret, Ive used bar levels mounting the scope before but never had one on the scope.
According to the scope level when it is truly level the crosshairs look slightly canted, To make the crosshairs appear level the bubble level is favoring the left center line like |___|O |___| So the actual cant on the rifle is minimal.
but since it has a much more traditional stock my head position is more vertical, And when I do cant my head to approximate the AR's cheekweld the scope looks really crooked just like the AR. lightbulb

And when I think about when I did have a scope on my AR previously I had the traditional A-2 stock on it which also puts your head in a more vertical position compared to round carbine stock that makes me cant my head alot more to align my eye with the scope. And since I didnt have a level, let alone a rifle that could shoot accurately at range because a 16" m4 profile barrel and not free floated is not a precision rifle by any means. When I did shoot out at range I had really been playing at precision, I was getting hits but I couldnt do it at different ranges first shot. And with a 2-2.5 MOA gun whats wind? whats cant? whats just the accuracy of the gun? After lots of match ammo and Mods I gave up trying to figure out how to use that Upper for long range, Because I wasnt getting any consistency.

And every time ive shot someone elses precision gun its had the more traditional stock and All the NM AR-15's and AR-10's ive used used the A2 stock. And ive always used there guns for crosshair shots to shoot groups at 100-300yds

Well Im really relieved that its only my eye thats messed up and not my new scope I dont use it much anyway, I do all my looking through the left.

THANK YOU BULLET BUMPER!!!!
my first son will be named after you (but tell people hes named after Steve Mcqeen) and and if its a girl I shall call her BB

No worries mate . Yes , set you gun up vertical and the scope reticle vertical. Dial on elevation rather than hold over with the reticle that way you are using the centre of the cross hair most of the time. If you have to add extra elevation by holding over with a Mill reticle using your bad eye , cock your head around more so you can see it straighter.
Holding off for wind using the reticle is ok as the wind line is at the centre half of the lens . Dial for elevation and hold off for wind .
I'm not as good looking as Steve Mc Queen unfortunately but my fathers cousins in England built some of his motorbikes .

 

[Milefile]

I created an account just to reply to this problem because I have it and found this forum inquiring about it online. I just plain can't shoot a rifle right handed. When I try to get a sight picture holding it right handed I am basically missing that area, I just. can't. see. it. There's no amount of head twisting or adjusting that will change it. It goes for red dots too. When I shoot left handed I can see everything just fine. The first time I ever shot a rifle my friend asked me if I was left handed. I said no. He pointed out that I was shooting left handed, so I tried it right handed and that's when I discovered my "disability".

 

[Sflutes]

Many years ago I realized my left eye was dominant and I shot right handed.When shooting a rifle with my right eye,it would cause my eyes to become "fatigued" after just a few shots.I had 20/20 vision at the time.After doing a dominant eye test I realized the problem.I started shooting a rifle left handed and the problem was solved.I found it hard to shoot right handed and use my left eye so I just switched hands.With a handgun it is easy to shoot with my right hand and shift my head to use my left eye so now I shoot rifle left handed and pistol right handed.While I was working I found during re-qual,shooting weak handed was very easy.

 

[hunter67wa]

About 15% of people have this problem and it is one of the first things we check when we start a class. Now pistol is easy L eye dominant R handed just shoot isosceles and cant pistol in front of L eye. With a rifle it is a little more complicated as some folks eye is so overpowering they cannot close the left eye at all. So they become L handed shooters and some people work hard at shooting ambi. But the dominant eye will always be and if your shooting to live it pays to change.

 

[odoylerules]

That's me! Right handed but hopelessly left eye dominant. I decided years ago to shoot left handed. It's been a big improvement for me

 

[cohunt]

Im Comfortable with both I routinely shoot my bolt gun left handed and run the bolt with the right, its very fast and since its not a big caliber its very accurate because recoil doesnt blow me off target. And with a good load on the bipod even working the bolt has little effect on my point of aim.

When I shoot pistol I use my left eye but hold the gun right handed, I can switch but im more comfortable right handed

The problem is I cant shoot this gun left handed without taking hot brass right in the face, Its an AR and the "brass deflector" just plain doesnt work, it actually seems to make it worse. On my Carbine upper I can shoot left handed the brass comes back hits the deflector and bounces 4 ft right and 4 ft back . On my 18" "SPR" upper where I have the issue with the crosshair appearing canted the brass comes out and hits the deflector but just spins and goes straigh back and if im shooting left handed the spent casing is super hot and spinning violently and hits either my glasses or it will hit me right in the mouth.

Once you have taken a piping hot .223 to the face 3" from the ejection port its not an experience you want to repeat, the first and last time it happened the case hit my lip right on my teeth and I ended up very suprised and bleeding.

Its hard to concentrate on shooting fundamentals and follow through if the recoil is a bit much, but its impossible to do when you basically get slapped in the face after every shot.


I am going to try try tweaking the ejector spring to make the rounds go somewhere else but, i dont look forward to getting down on the gun to test it.

Ill be able to do some shooting out to about 800 this weekend so i will get to find out if that "cant" is a problem or if its just the way my brain is interpreting what im seeing

Try putting an adjustable gas block on it and tuning it for correct case ejection.
It may help with accuracy also.

Edit: darn it, just realized this was a 5 year old post brought back to life-- pretty sure the op has figured it out by now

 

[Salmonchaser]

I think you may suffer from some kind of cornial astigmatism , a misshaped lens of the eye. I suffer from the same problem . When the reticle is vertical and the gun is vertical the reticle looks canted. For long range shooting where you will use the elevation knob you can't have the reticle look correct but be canted in reality as the tracking of the scope in the vertical plane will be off. Same deal with using a mill dot for hold overs . For short range shooting where you just place the centre of the cross hair on target it makes no difference if you line the reticle up so it looks right but as soon as you move away from the centre it becomes inaccurate . I just set my scope reticle plumb and put up with it looking wrong most of the time
If I rotate my head slightly it straightens up .
I am told normal eye glasses can't fix this issue but contact lenses can I am told , So I am going to look into getting contact lenses for shooting .
The reason it changes from left to right is you are rotating your head and eyes as you change positions and one one way is better and the other worse . Remember that your eye lens is not the perfect shape so it changes perspective as you rotate it about it's centre.
I'm sure an Optomitrist can explain it better but most can't relate it to shooting .

I've the same issue with astigmatism and became left eye dominant following an injury. This has been a fascinating read. I also became very ambidextrous with all things following the injury.

 

[Sflutes]

Never squint!, always use some sort of vision block for the off eye. Squinting is bad juju for long periods.

Some use scotch tape on the off eye lens, others like me use a Highpower hat with a moveable blinder to sit in front of the off eye.

I , like you , am right handed and very left eye dominant, but I have never made the switch. Too unnatural for me. I shoot longbows right handed as well. Howard Hill was right handed and left eye dominant.

 

[Kansaswoodguy]

I'm that way also I just have to close my left eye when shooting if I open it my vision swaps to the left and I loose the scope picture. I almost wish I'd of learned to shoot lefty.