Right handed, but left eye dominant

[StanleyActual]

Had the same Issue with my daughter. Had her shooting right handed until I checked her eye dominance. Left eye dominant, she needs to shoot left handed. She does some things right handed and some things left handed. Imo her eye dominance should dictate how she'll shoot. She definetly shoots better left handed

 

[Pro2A]

If his shooting eye is his left eye then IMO he should shoot lefthanded. Take it from me a lefty who's right eye is dominant, use the dominant eye! AND as soon as possible teach him to shoot with both eyes open which is much easier if the dominant eye is doing the sighting.

Agree with AZShooter. Teach him to shoot with dominant eye. Especially at early age, child can learn to use non-dominant left hand on the trigger .

 

[Salmotrutta]

I built a rifle for my son who is currently 4 years old, but will start shooting next year. He's right handed, so I built him a little 16" 6 Creedmoor on a Savage action. Its a great little rifle. However, the other night we were playing around looking through an empty paper towel roll and I noticed he kept putting it up to his left eye. I ran downstairs and grabbed one of my scopes and told him to look through the lens and tell me about the lines he saw. He put it up to his left eye again.

So now I don't know if I should teach him to shoot righty, or if I should build him a lefty rifle instead. I wouldn't mind building a new rifle. I love that whole process and then it would free up a new action for another build that I don't need. What should I do here?

100 % switch him to lefty. But before you do make sure he is left eye dominant. I like having kids put both hands together and make a "sight" (a little circle about quarter sized) using their thumbs and index finger, the stand 15-20 feet away and have them put the "circle" on your nose. The eye you see is thier dominant eye. This works better as some kids use a different eye depending on which hand they choose to point with and trying to get a 4yo to explain thier "sight picture" and if thier image "moves" is near impossible.

Getting him all lined up and mounting guns LH will also set him up for a shotgun. You will cripple his chances with a shotgun (or trad bow) and introduce so many struggles if you leave him on his right side with a left eye.

 

[SteveLM]

Another left eye right-handed shooter here. In my case, I shot right-handed in childhood, through high school and college before learning that I was left eye dominant, so no going back now! I shoot well enough but I have to take a short time to focus my vision while sighting, so you can train yourself to use your non-dominant eye.

Recently, however, I came across an interesting product that is like a "half eyepatch;" it's a vinyl patch that can be applied to the left lens of your shooting glasses... and you should ALWAYS be wearing shooting glasses... that "degrades" the view of your left eye thus making it much easier to concentrate on your right eye. See: Amazon product ASIN B06XFZQS1C
I've been experimenting with the different versions, and they seem to work. Because the patches are vinyl, they stick to your glasses and are also reusable (just keep them clean)...

 

[skipglo]

I too am right handed, left eye dominate. Been shooting lefty since I was 6. For shotgun, get an over/under. For rifle your bolt choices are limited to maybe two choices at your LGS or a custom but a lever action or semi auto generally works fine (just make sure to wear safety glasses). Black powder is a real PITA. The percussion cap will spatter hot stuff on his cheek - make extra sure to wear good fitting safety glasses for black powder. Archery is also a pain to find a lefty in the correct size. The good thing is that he will probably grow up to be a better shot than you - All of us lefty's are better shots than righty's. You might consider starting him with a lever action .22 (I still have my Browning BL22 from 50 years ago) or look into a left handed Vudoo or RimX bolt 22.

Just about every factory gun makers have left handed guns today. Not like it used to be for sure....so there are many choices today

 

[LouEl]

My boys are 35 & 40. My good looking wife and both boys and daughter are left eye dominate. I did not realize this until I noticed they all were shooting pistols with iron sites using their left eyes. All my rifles had scoped. When I realized this aimpoints were put on all their shotguns. When the aimpoints needed replacement they said they would rather have low power scopes on their shotguns. My grandson is left eye dominate and when he turned 6 he said he wanted to start shooting. I ask my son if I could get him a BB gun and his answer was make sure you can put a scope on it. I will teach him to shoot all long guns with a scope using their right eye. All pistols with their left eye just like you taught me dad. I ask why. He said because even with both eyes open, after I shoot my dominate left eye can find the game much faster. My left eye dominate grandson is now 11 and has harvested 5 deer looking thru a scope with his right eye and a right handed bolt 243. I will leave it up to my son's how they will teach their children how to shoot.
My happy daughter after her hunt.

 

[Bob Wright]

I built a rifle for my son who is currently 4 years old, but will start shooting next year. He's right handed, so I built him a little 16" 6 Creedmoor on a Savage action. Its a great little rifle. However, the other night we were playing around looking through an empty paper towel roll and I noticed he kept putting it up to his left eye. I ran downstairs and grabbed one of my scopes and told him to look through the lens and tell me about the lines he saw. He put it up to his left eye again.

So now I don't know if I should teach him to shoot righty, or if I should build him a lefty rifle instead. I wouldn't mind building a new rifle. I love that whole process and then it would free up a new action for another build that I don't need. What should I do here?

I'm left eye dominant and shoot right handed with scoped anything. It can be accomplished except don't let them get frustrated in the process. I'm ambidextrous so it still allows me to switch around easily. Not so for some people. I guess you can make a game out of it, 5 shots each side. You'll have to play along too!
Closing the un-scoped eye or, safety glasses with left eye taped over helped my daughter. She cannot blink....

 

[IHFarmer07]

When I was eight years old, I got my first BB gun and I was the same way, left eye dominant and was right handed as well……lol I would shoot right handed and look across the butt of the BB gun to sight it on something. I eventually got tired of it and I actually trained myself to shoot right handed with my right eye. I can shoot both left and right handed with both eyes open most time. That is one of several accomplishments at a young age I have that I can honestly say I did that all on my own!!

 

[Mike Matteson]

I shot left hand all my life. Including Full auto in the Army. I never gave a problem. I use only righthand bolts, and try and find a persons that left hand to sell the rifle too. Very hard! So what do you do? Learn to shot a right handed rifle left handed. You won't believe just how fasts a left hander can shoot a right hand rifle. If an animal has gone down in a few yards, I am ready with the second shot within 10 or less yards. Teach him or her to shoot with both eyes open.

 

[Darryle]

I had this problem when I began shooting sporting clays, I took lessons from Dan Carlisle and he solved it in short order. He used Chapstick smear placed in the middle of my left lens, it blocked my straight on vision, but allowed me to have the periphery in full focus and use. He told me to use that technique with any glasses I wore at any time. It took about 30 days of daily use to retrain my right eye to become the dominant eye. That has been years ago and it has never reverted back.

 

[Moose Whacker]

Left eye dominate, shoot left-handed both eyes open.

 

[chav0_12]

I think, it'd be easier to teach him now, if he is for sure left eye dominant to shoot let handed before he actually gets the handling of the gun down. I know I did the "diamond-hand" test with my 5-year old daughter because she was having a hard time looking through a scope, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't trying to get her to shoot right handed if she should be shooting left handed. Still, she has a hard time closing just one eye, so an eye patch might be the way we go, or taped up shooting glasses. Haven't decided yet. But, I would certainly not force your kid into bad habits, being shooting with his non-dominant eye.

 

[chav0_12]

I had this problem when I began shooting sporting clays, I took lessons from Dan Carlisle and he solved it in short order. He used Chapstick smear placed in the middle of my left lens, it blocked my straight on vision, but allowed me to have the periphery in full focus and use. He told me to use that technique with any glasses I wore at any time. It took about 30 days of daily use to retrain my right eye to become the dominant eye. That has been years ago and it has never reverted back.

That's interesting. My right eye is so dominant that even when I want to shoot left handed, like in tactical situations I have a very hard time, I can't even close just my left eye. I wonder if I could train myself to be able to use my left eye more.

 

[chav0_12]

I don't know what the right answer is, but what works for my daughter, I put a piece of tape on the left side of ther shooting glasses, and she shoots with right eye/right hand. Myabe I should have tried something else, but she does not want to try anything else.

Haha, girls can be difficult like that.