I have helped shooters for years in the military and 4-H. If your son is right handed, shoot right handed. I have seen The challenge of eye dominance at an early age cause all kinds of frustration. As they get older I have seen the eye dominance change to the dominant hand. Midway and Amazon have inexpensive flip up patches that will clip to shooting glasses. My son had the no dominance. It seemed to change every time we checked him, so we went with the patch and he has done great.
Starting out a young shooter, who's left eye dominant. Got questions..
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I am right hand dominate and left eye dominant. I had to learn to to blink with both eyes so that I could use my right eye for aiming. I now shoot right handed including very long range shooting. You've done well to notice and check his eye dominance. I would suggest trying both ways of shooting. His eye dominance may be a lesser factor than his hand dominance esp if he uses a hand gun. Shooting may be awkward for a while but he will get over that.
milo-2
Well-Known Member
You do know you start at the top and work down? I have to ask, lol
Just sharing my experience. I am an old "guy" now but when growing up in rural Illinois learned to shoot the usual small bore rifle and shotgun, hand gun firearm. no one picked up on me being L eye dominate for years. Just thought I was fumbling with the gun. Fast forward a number of years when I could better express myself and had better understanding of things and we find out. There were no affordable L hand guns available for us so you learn to cope. To this day, I shoot anything with a scope right handed. I shoot very long range now (+2000 yards) with out issues. I shoot handgun right handed but roll my head over a bit and use my left eye. Probably bad mechanic but it works. When shooting a shotgun I hold and shoot left handed. Today there are good options for lefties but still limited I suppose as we are in the minority.
dougduey
Well-Known Member
I'm right handed and left eye dominant. Always shot right handed and have no issues. Tried shooting left handed and it's just too awkward for me. See which way your son prefers to hold the rifle because that's what is natural and will work best. Then either have him close his left eye or wear an eye patch (If right handed is preferred) when shooting. I can keep both eyes open while shooting without an issue. Think of it this way, in baseball some can switch hit, others can't. You don't try to force the batter to swing from his dominant eye position if it's against what is natural. I cannot switch hit, so everything I do is right handed regardless of my eye dominance.
Roedog
New Member
Train him to use both. Its easier when they are younger. Especially if you get him into prs match Style shooting. I have quite a few friends who are left eye dominate who run a right handed rifle. It gives both hands something to do. Which i think they are faster on the bolt than i am with running one hand, on the trigger and on the bolt. I have thought about getting a left handed bolt gun and shoot right handed just for that purpose. Hope some of that made sense. Have fun.
I am a lefty and still shoot some right hand bolts but greatly prefer my lefties. I would teach them young how to shoot from both sides. I shot a coyote a while back at a little over 300 yards from my right side-because it was the only way I had a shot. Nothing wrong with him shooting a right handed bolt and then getting a lefty later on. Another option is to get an extra stock and cut it down to fit. Works great and and easy to adjust as they grow.
I am left eye dominate. I shot right handed guns growing up because my parents and my brothers are right handed and well, thats what we had. I absolutely hated being forced to adapt to right handed bolt and shot guns growing up but it was that or don't hunt.. the first thing I did when I could afford it was buy a left handed rifle and I have never gone back. I still shoot right handed AR-15s but from the left because they are just easier to build that way and the Military doesn't issue out left handed ARs so that's what I learned on. Figure when the crap hits the fan that's what I will be handing out to my side and most of them will be right handed 
For a bolt gun, the vast majority of safeties are usually on the wrong side (tang safeties on Ruger #1 are great!) along with cheek piece if so equipped. Tikka makes some great light weight rifles in left hand for less than $850 and they are super accurate. I have a .308 Tikka lightweight will shoot a .3 if you do your part and that is with factory ammo. If you are looking for a shotgun Browning BPS are perfect for right or lefties.
I recommend a Tikka lite or one of the various Compacts. Single shots (Ruger #1 / Thompson Center).
My wife is a lefty as well and both of my kiddos are right handed... so I feel yah!
Ask yourself this question: Would I force my right handed kid to learn to shoot left handed rifle for a few years?
Great to see you asking for advice...most won't!
Cheers
For a bolt gun, the vast majority of safeties are usually on the wrong side (tang safeties on Ruger #1 are great!) along with cheek piece if so equipped. Tikka makes some great light weight rifles in left hand for less than $850 and they are super accurate. I have a .308 Tikka lightweight will shoot a .3 if you do your part and that is with factory ammo. If you are looking for a shotgun Browning BPS are perfect for right or lefties.
I recommend a Tikka lite or one of the various Compacts. Single shots (Ruger #1 / Thompson Center).
My wife is a lefty as well and both of my kiddos are right handed... so I feel yah!
Ask yourself this question: Would I force my right handed kid to learn to shoot left handed rifle for a few years?
Great to see you asking for advice...most won't!
Cheers
ntsqd
Well-Known Member
If I could only teach myself to start at the right and work to the left, but I can't think that far ahead of myself.
It is interesting to me to see the differences in opinion and the reasons behind them. To me the dominant eye is the most important thing, but to others with far more experience teaching others to shoot it doesn't seem to be so for them. When I tried to shoot right handed very early-on it was clear that it wasn't going to work for me in a pretty short time period.
As to shooting AR's LH'd, with the case deflector (I predate those and made one of my own on my first flat-topped upper built in '89), about every 3rd case grazes my right cheek. Pre case deflector wasn't much fun....
milo-2
Well-Known Member
Far more trials and tribulations than I went through, right eye, right hand. I am sure the hand thing has more to do with muscle memory or training, but my left arm a club for most things, I am sure I look worse than a girl throwing a ball left handed.
I cannot shoot a scope left eye-left side, or iron sights left handed. But throw a red dot on, I seem to be more adept than friends shooting opposite hand-eye. Figure that one out.
Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
LEFT HANDED: I am left handed and I don't have a left hand firearm. When through the Army shooting left hand and shot experts in basic training using a M-14. I used a AR-15-A1 and Car-15 in Vietnam with no problem on either semi auto or fully auto. I never had problem using a bolt action, reaching over to work the bolt. You can get second and third shots if needed. I have a grand son, and daughter, she being left handed. They have been target shooting now for over year. She use a right handed bolt with no problem. They are using open sights presently to get the basic down. I feel that left handed need to learn to shot right handed rifle action, because that's what generally out there. So it's not a big deal in getting a firearm for them. The fit of the rifle is much more important than which side the bolts on. The other is teaching them to shot with both eyes open. A must if in the Arm Forces, if hunting man!
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PREDATORMAN
Active Member
Reading all these posts was way interesting to see how different and yet very much the same that we Humans are. Also to see how many LEs are on this forum. I'm a retired WY LEO (pushing the 70 yoa mark) who was and Still am a firearms instructor for most all of my 40 year LE career. ( I live in AZ now but miss WY so much.). I've seen a lot or cross dominance situations during those years. I'm right handed and right eye dominant myself. Although for the last decade or so, after having eye surgery, I've had a few Eye change ups of my own. Cross dominance issues due to changes in target distance with open sighted handguns. I fathered 2 boys who are both left handed but pretty much ambi for the most part. They started shooting very young. Their Dominant sides and sight problems started early on. By teaching them both proper grip, stance and form techniques for both right and left sides using right and left equipment they found their own Best way. My youngest shoots almost exclusively left and my oldest shoots rifle snd shotgun left and handgun right. They are both outstanding shooters using either side. I'm jealous! Especially now that firearms training has put more emphasis on being able to perform using both sides for tactical reasons. So I guess to round up the point I want to make.... teach learn and train it all from both sides. Mirrored Form
and technique are what really counts for the most part.
and technique are what really counts for the most part.
HighKnob
Well-Known Member
I wish I'd had someone to make me change when I was young. I'm left eye dominant and right handed with my left eye being better also. I've done ok by closing my left eye. I shoot pistol left eyed with both open. But it's been a handicap for shotgun and is now hurting some with rifle that my eyes are getting worse with age. If you can change a kid early by all means do. It will help over the long hall.
Canhunter35
Well-Known Member
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I'm right handed, left eye dominant...shoot right but later in life learned to shoot left, I can shoot better left, you don't need a left hand bolt gun to shoot right. Let him shoot left and use right bolt or let him practice both ways
