Starting out a young shooter, who's left eye dominant. Got questions..

[UplandFreak]

I am a father of two young boys, ages 11 and 8 and both are learning to shoot rifles and bows. My 11 year old is left eye dominant but the 8 year old is not. I was able to purchase them a left hand bow and right hand bow respectively, but it is hard as hell to find a left hand compact bolt action rifle. I am a die hard model 70 fan and winchester does not offer left handed rifles but they offer right handed actions in a compact. Should I train my left eye dominant son to shoot with his right eye? or should I just have him shoot left hand with a right hand rifle? A full size rifle's LOP is too long for him and 24" barrels are too heavy. The compact fit just right but I have no idea if I should just have him shoot the compact right handed rifle for 3 years and then pass it to his brother and get him a left handed full size rifle at that point? Would having a right handed rifle for 3 years and then switching to a left hand rifle effect his learning development? I am taking him antelope hunting next year year when he turns 12 and we are starting to shoot weekly to prepare him for the hunt. Any input would be appreciated.

My son is right handed and left eye dominant. I realized this when he was about 6yrs old shooting BB guns. I have him shooting left handed. Savage is your friend. They make some awesome options in left hand rifles. My son is 13 now and has a Savage 11 6.5 creedmoor with a boyds at one stock so we can adjust it to fit him. He also has a new savage 110 Storm in 223 and their accufit stocks are amazing. Both guns are tack drivers and both guns fit him really well.

 

[HARPERC]

.......His mother made him a patch for the left eye and within a month or so, he was shooting right hand, right eye. Now he's an excellent long range shooter, a total righty at 38.

I think eye dominance "may not" be etched in stone in youngsters, but I'm certainly no expert.......

We did the patch thing (duct tape) it worked to a degree, I think better choices exist. Can't argue with success it worked for you. I pushed a bit more 30 years, and several young shooters ago than I would now.

Never sure what per cent of kids have cross dominance issues. We seemed to have more than not, and they all grew or trained out of it.

 

[codyadams]

Having said that, some kids have AMBLYOPIA, which means one eye literally doesn't SEE as well as the other. This is not an eye dominance thing, per se, but for these kids you must train them to shoot from whichever side has the "good" eye. So a right handed kid who has amblyopia in the right eye is best trained to shoot from the left side. Yes, its awkward at first. It'll take some time. But it is for the best that they learn to shoot using their best seeing eye.

My son has amblyopia in both eyes, it's just worse in his right, to the point he can't see through a scope or bow sight. That, unfortunately, is why he has to learn left handed. It sucks, because he is pretty dominantly right handed.

 

[FEENIX]

I am a father of two young boys, ages 11 and 8 and both are learning to shoot rifles and bows. My 11 year old is left eye dominant but the 8 year old is not. I was able to purchase them a left hand bow and right hand bow respectively, but it is hard as hell to find a left hand compact bolt action rifle. I am a die hard model 70 fan and winchester does not offer left handed rifles but they offer right handed actions in a compact. Should I train my left eye dominant son to shoot with his right eye? or should I just have him shoot left hand with a right hand rifle? A full size rifle's LOP is too long for him and 24" barrels are too heavy. The compact fit just right but I have no idea if I should just have him shoot the compact right handed rifle for 3 years and then pass it to his brother and get him a left handed full size rifle at that point? Would having a right handed rifle for 3 years and then switching to a left hand rifle effect his learning development? I am taking him antelope hunting next year year when he turns 12 and we are starting to shoot weekly to prepare him for the hunt. Any input would be appreciated.

I am left-eye dominant and right-handed. When I first started shooting, I used my left eye to look through a right-handed set-up. The view is not the best but it was OK until I trained my right eye to shoot with it. I shot better with my left eye but a bit slow and clumsy in the bolt cycling process and shooting fundamentals. However, as others noted, it is best to train him with a left-handed rifle from the start. Good luck!

 

[FEENIX]

Excellent advice from ALL above. I can sure sympathize with your situation. I'm left eye dominant, but right-handed. When I first got into Law Enforcement (14 years ago) the range instructors initially thought I was screwing around when shooting pistol quals because they thought I was looking somewhere other than the target (my head turned to the right/sighting with my left eye). I have to close my left eye when looking through a scope otherwise I see 2 reticles.

LOL! I know the feeling, we are in the same boat. During M-16 training, our CATM guy made me shoot left-handed. "IF" all I have to do is pull the trigger, then I am OK but since I have to do various shooting positions and it is timed, ... it's a big NO! M9 training is the same as yours.

Bowhunting is another totally different challenge for me because I have mono-vision. I had the LASIK done on my left eye for distance but my right eye untouched for reading. I have to use a contact on my right eye to see distance and have to use reading glasses to see my time, phone, or GPS.

"IF" I see a good deal on a bow, I will be trying a left-handed set-up.

 

[Ranger Rick]

My son is an anomaly. He does most things right handed, so I bought him a Ruger 77/22 to learn with & cut the stock to fit him. Off to the range we go and...he throws the rifle up to his left shoulder. Long story short, that is what feels right & natural to him. No problem. He reaches over the gun to work the bolt & it doesn't bother him. Go figure. And since he shoots from his left side, he simply closes his right eye, even though that is his dominant eye. He shoots well, hits what he wants & it works for him.

Eye dominance is not an issue unless we make it an issue. They just have to shoulder and shoot whichever side feels correct & close the eye not being used. Seriously. That's all there is to it.

Having said that, some kids have AMBLYOPIA, which means one eye literally doesn't SEE as well as the other. This is not an eye dominance thing, per se, but for these kids you must train them to shoot from whichever side has the "good" eye. So a right handed kid who has amblyopia in the right eye is best trained to shoot from the left side. Yes, its awkward at first. It'll take some time. But it is for the best that they learn to shoot using their best seeing eye.

Hopefully this made sense. Eye dominance matters little when both eyes can see equally well because a person can shoot from whichever side feels right and natural and simply close the eye not being used. But a person with amblyopia has one "good" eye & that is the eye they should use, no matter what & that might mean shooting from the non-dominant shoulder/side of body. It just takes training & time.

Sheepdawg,
I agree with Frog4aday = "Eye dominance is not an issue ... ." Plus, Cody's view to "absolutely let him shoot left handed ... " ignores the reality of one size does not fit all. Is your 11 year old a true, 100% southpaw? Agreeing with Frog, I believe it's possible he can be a lifetime RH shooter. Does he have a RH or LH preference with rifles?
There are a lot of scenarios out there. A 100% left handed friend shoots his dad's right handed rifles left handed, and he can cycle rounds smoothly. His own rifle is LH. Another left handed buddy is left eye dominant, and he shoots right handed. I am left eye dominant with significant left eye sensory dominance and with 20/15 vision in that eye. I am also very right handed, and being a carpenter (Ret), I enforced my right handedness. At 10 years old, I learned to shoot right handed with a RH BA pellet gun. I didn't know anything back then about eye dominance. I'm now 68, and have shot rifles right handed my whole shooting life. When I was younger and bow hunted, I went righty. I felt very awkward when I tried a LH bow. When I shoot a handgun, I favor my left eye.
IMHO, If your 11 year old son is left handed and he naturally favors shooting left handed, that's great. I see no problem with him shooting a right handed compact, youth rifle for three years. What about a Mini-14 or Mini-30? Have a great weekend with your family

 

[DJ Fergus]

I am a father of two young boys, ages 11 and 8 and both are learning to shoot rifles and bows. My 11 year old is left eye dominant but the 8 year old is not. I was able to purchase them a left hand bow and right hand bow respectively, but it is hard as hell to find a left hand compact bolt action rifle. I am a die hard model 70 fan and winchester does not offer left handed rifles but they offer right handed actions in a compact. Should I train my left eye dominant son to shoot with his right eye? or should I just have him shoot left hand with a right hand rifle? A full size rifle's LOP is too long for him and 24" barrels are too heavy. The compact fit just right but I have no idea if I should just have him shoot the compact right handed rifle for 3 years and then pass it to his brother and get him a left handed full size rifle at that point? Would having a right handed rifle for 3 years and then switching to a left hand rifle effect his learning development? I am taking him antelope hunting next year year when he turns 12 and we are starting to shoot weekly to prepare him for the hunt. Any input would be appreciated.

Both me and my son are left eye dominant but right handed, we shoot left handed but I can shoot better than a lot of people when I shoot right handed. My dad is left-handed, he shoots right handed. I shoot a bolt action off of a bipod or propped on a rail of some sort when hunting. I've never owned a left handed bolt action. I started out with a lever action, my son started out with a lever action. My son started with a cheap right handed bow set up to shoot it left handed. He now has a bear arena left handed bow and has won several tournaments. Said all that to say this, It's hasn't been much of a deal adapting. It's worked out fine in the long run.

 

[Radman]

I am a father of two young boys, ages 11 and 8 and both are learning to shoot rifles and bows. My 11 year old is left eye dominant but the 8 year old is not. I was able to purchase them a left hand bow and right hand bow respectively, but it is hard as hell to find a left hand compact bolt action rifle. I am a die hard model 70 fan and winchester does not offer left handed rifles but they offer right handed actions in a compact. Should I train my left eye dominant son to shoot with his right eye? or should I just have him shoot left hand with a right hand rifle? A full size rifle's LOP is too long for him and 24" barrels are too heavy. The compact fit just right but I have no idea if I should just have him shoot the compact right handed rifle for 3 years and then pass it to his brother and get him a left handed full size rifle at that point? Would having a right handed rifle for 3 years and then switching to a left hand rifle effect his learning development? I am taking him antelope hunting next year year when he turns 12 and we are starting to shoot weekly to prepare him for the hunt. Any input would be appreciated.

I have a close friend and shooting buddy who is right-handed but left -eyed dominant. I have read articles that say not to switch them. Too, I know that my friend frequently shoots right handed rifles and if they are zeroed for him he does okay shooting left I'd but anytime he shoots a rifle that has been zeroed for a right eyed person he is always off about the same place, the same distance! IMO do not try to switch him. Either let him shoot his own right handed rifle or get him a cheaper one in a left-handed model for the time being. Good luck in whatever you do and I'm proud of you for keeping your sons in the sport!

 

[Tensilon]

When I was in the corps..... I came into boot thinking I would shoot the pants off of most of the guys there because I grew up in a rural area and used BB guns and 22's way more than most of the guys in my platoon. Progressed to a 270 and did well with it on anything I hunted. Over half of the guys were from either Detroit or Flint Michigan. Rough bunch... many of them had the choice of prison or the corps... that is what they did back then. Bunch of city boys. Anyway, I am somewhat ambidextrous but generally right handed and I was shooting right handed. I thought shooting expert would be a gimme. First time we shot for score I came up short by a few points and I was decidedly disappointed and frustrated. 2 weeks before qualification we were each assigned a shooting coach. Mine was a corporal Tonn from Iowa and he was very happy to get a shooter from Minnesota as it was close to his home. When I expressed my disappointment to him the first thing he did was to check which of my eyes was dominant and lo and behold I was left eye dominant. He told me that we would switch to left immediately. I didn't think 2 weeks was enough time. Boy was I wrong and was he right. Next practice round I was firmly in the expert category. I progressed over the next week until I was in the 240 range. On qualification day I pushed a 242 but a friend of mine that had never even shot a rifle until he hit the corps pulled off a 248. That was like one lousy pulled shot. He was the battalion high shooter. So I can say that switching to shooting left handed was not a burden to me at all and it has kept me shooting well all of my life. I did the "shoot left with a right handed rifle for many years." I did not reach over I just took the rifle off of my shoulder enough that I could work the bolt with my right hand and it worked OK. Not capable of as fast of shooting as a normal shooter but made up for it in accuracy. When I finally decided to buy a left handed bolt it just felt so right. I have bought nothing but left bolts for many years now and I prefer it by far. Oh, BTW I can still shoot right handed but I have always had to close my left eye when doing so. Left handed... both eyes are open and that is a definite advantage. I won't shoot as well right handed but in a pinch I can hit OK doing it that way. I would say that it is a definite advantage to shoot with your dominant eye and that learning to use your off hand to do it properly is not a difficult thing to learn. I taught all of my kids.... 2 girls and 1 boy to do what comes naturally in light of the eye dominance. They all shoot very well. My oldest girl is a natural lefty and left eye dominant. She is a good shooter. The other kids are both right eye dominant and right handed. As an aside hitting a baseball was always easy for me and that is more than likely explained by the fact that I hit righty but my dominant left eye is out front getting a very good look at the ball all the way to the bat. By all means teach your children to use their dominant eye to shoot. Use of the off hand to control the rifle should come very quickly.
Tens

 

[Sockeye66]

I grew up shooting left handed but I'm right eye dominant, my Dad ground the cheek pad off of a sporterized right handed 7mm Mauser and I took both Elk and deer with it. For ducks, my Dad purchased a new Ithaca Model 37 12 gauge (best day ever!) so as to not throw shells and powder into my face. As an adult, I purchased a Left handed Browning A-bolt .300WM. Oddly, for some reason, I began shooting right handed and shoot that way until this day, but I have no issues shooting my single shot 7-08 with either hand. A quality single shot might not be a bad idea, I have four children and between them and my wife, the single shot (Bergara Apex) with either the .243 or the 7-08 is their preferred rifle, simple and ambidextrous.

 

[Backcountry sports]

I am a father of two young boys, ages 11 and 8 and both are learning to shoot rifles and bows. My 11 year old is left eye dominant but the 8 year old is not. I was able to purchase them a left hand bow and right hand bow respectively, but it is hard as hell to find a left hand compact bolt action rifle. I am a die hard model 70 fan and winchester does not offer left handed rifles but they offer right handed actions in a compact. Should I train my left eye dominant son to shoot with his right eye? or should I just have him shoot left hand with a right hand rifle? A full size rifle's LOP is too long for him and 24" barrels are too heavy. The compact fit just right but I have no idea if I should just have him shoot the compact right handed rifle for 3 years and then pass it to his brother and get him a left handed full size rifle at that point? Would having a right handed rifle for 3 years and then switching to a left hand rifle effect his learning development? I am taking him antelope hunting next year year when he turns 12 and we are starting to shoot weekly to prepare him for the hunt. Any input would be appreciated.

Get a left hand tikka

 

[fisherman987]

I am a father of two young boys, ages 11 and 8 and both are learning to shoot rifles and bows. My 11 year old is left eye dominant but the 8 year old is not. I was able to purchase them a left hand bow and right hand bow respectively, but it is hard as hell to find a left hand compact bolt action rifle. I am a die hard model 70 fan and winchester does not offer left handed rifles but they offer right handed actions in a compact. Should I train my left eye dominant son to shoot with his right eye? or should I just have him shoot left hand with a right hand rifle? A full size rifle's LOP is too long for him and 24" barrels are too heavy. The compact fit just right but I have no idea if I should just have him shoot the compact right handed rifle for 3 years and then pass it to his brother and get him a left handed full size rifle at that point? Would having a right handed rifle for 3 years and then switching to a left hand rifle effect his learning development? I am taking him antelope hunting next year year when he turns 12 and we are starting to shoot weekly to prepare him for the hunt. Any input would be appreciated.

I too am left eye dominant, but strongly right handed. No one was there to get me started shooting when I was eight so I ended up teaching myself to shoot right handed. The funny thing is I somehow ended up teaching myself to shoot a slingshot and a bow left handed because it just felt better for some reason. Now I know why. Where it really hurt me, was shooting a shot gun. I have to close my left eye to shoot it right handed which is not nearly as accurate as having both eyes open. Bottom line is I think it is best to cultivate shooting left handed like you are doing, even if it is with a right handed rifle, but since you are shaping his future as a marksman, I would look at other rifles that do come configured in a compact left hand option and get him started right.

 

[grizz1874]

I am a father of two young boys, ages 11 and 8 and both are learning to shoot rifles and bows. My 11 year old is left eye dominant but the 8 year old is not. I was able to purchase them a left hand bow and right hand bow respectively, but it is hard as hell to find a left hand compact bolt action rifle. I am a die hard model 70 fan and winchester does not offer left handed rifles but they offer right handed actions in a compact. Should I train my left eye dominant son to shoot with his right eye? or should I just have him shoot left hand with a right hand rifle? A full size rifle's LOP is too long for him and 24" barrels are too heavy. The compact fit just right but I have no idea if I should just have him shoot the compact right handed rifle for 3 years and then pass it to his brother and get him a left handed full size rifle at that point? Would having a right handed rifle for 3 years and then switching to a left hand rifle effect his learning development? I am taking him antelope hunting next year year when he turns 12 and we are starting to shoot weekly to prepare him for the hunt. Any input would be appreciated.

I am lefty and have never had any issues using a right hand bolt... I actually prefer it from a rested shooting position

 

[Rooks]

Buy him a Remington 700 or model 7 in a compact stock, then upgrade to an adult stock as present for another event. All due respect to the Winchester rifles of the world but you can't beat the availability of rem 700 components...