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

[bradleyr001]

Shoot to your dominate eye. As a kid (my story), I was taught to shoot at age 6, when my dad noticed me holding my head over the stock to look through my left eye when shooting right handed, he switched me to shooting left handed, I never looked back and was expert all but one year of a 24 year Marine Corps career. Shooting right handed guns never bothered me, you just adjust to what you have to do, working the action, etc. I never had a problem with AR's brass hitting me except from other people on the line when hot brass would occasionally make its way down my back, not fun. I also eat and write left handed, but do everything else right handed, all sports are right handed. Eye dominance was something I could not overcome and couldn't hit the broadside of a barn shooting right handed/right eyed, changing to my dominant left eye, I rarely missed anything, and out to 700-800 yards am pretty confident in my ability to hit what I am shooting at. I still have a mix of both right and left handed guns and some of my favorites are right handed, but you just learn to work the bolt and go on, it doesn't slow me down much at all if I am packing and shooting a right handed gun.

For the OP, I would definitely teach to shoot to the dominate eye side, it will make understanding the fundamentals that much easier and he will be more comfortable and relaxed when they feel more natural because of the eye dominance. Once he learns to shoot left handed, he can learn to shoot right handed if he wants, but for you and his sake, teach to the dominant eye when just starting out and learning the fundamentals of shooting.

 

[808mike]

Lots of awsome advice on eye dominance! My dad was a lefty so i grew up shooting left handed bolt guns right handed. Now for bench and prairie dog shooting I prefer left-handed actions so i never have to get off the scope on the lighter recoiling rifles i dont even break my cheek weld while shooting.

Pic is a HS stock cut to 12 inch LOP 10 lb 223 set up for 75 gr hpbt . Just waiting for kydex cheek riser since i put on a bigger scope.

 

[joseytoo]

Please! Let your son shoot what comes naturally! I am right hand, right eye dominate, my oldest son is the same. My Daughter is left hand, right eye dominate, and shoots right hand. My middle son is lefty all the way. I bought him a left hand 243 Sako for his 12th birthday. Later he bought a Remington left hand 06 and a Browning left hand 06. All my kids are exceptional shots, not many can stay with them. Do your kids a favor, let them do what comes naturally, and don't listen to knuckleheads who have never been down that road! There are plenty of left hand rifles, from 22 to big bore, you just have to be diligent when looking. I tried a long time to find a Rem 700 short action, they are available, but I found a Sako first. Shoots Great!

 

[Bucklowery]

One of my shooting buddy's is left handed and left eye. He can shoot both ways cause he had right hand gun growing up. When we started long range shooting it actually helped. He shoots a right hand gun left handed and works the bolt with his right instead of his left. His head never repositions or hand off the gun Almost makes me want to buy a left handed gun

Thanks

Buck

 

[kduffy]

I have been through this same scenario. The PSE bows have long since been equipped for bowfishing. The right handed left eye dominate one, probably should have been left handed anyhow, maybe could read his writing....

As was mentioned early, Savage Axis with Boyds stocks, Weaver tactical scopes. My youngest's heavy .308 will out shoot my custom .308 with factory ammo. The left handed .270 Win is not quite what I would want for accuracy, but is minute of deer. I have seen fewer accurate .270 than good ones of all manufacture. He started out shooting my Ruger #1 in 25-06, that worked for a year, when we could get it pried away from my wife (it's pretty). What they need is lots of ammo and trigger time. Save money on a rifle for the time being and buy more ammo.

I live with being left handed and right eye dominant, have always shot rifles and shotguns right handed, pistols before my eyes started needing helped, worked well with either hand. Dad started me with a Ithaca 37 for birds as I saw mentioned earlier.

I have buddy that is right handed and shoots left handed. He gets spun up when I tell a bunch of friends that he was the youngest and always had to ride shotgun, that is why he learned to shoot left handed.....

 

[Gone Ballistic]

You must have your 11 year old shoot all weapons left handed. Although it is possible to learn to shoot a right handed rifle left handed, it slows the ability to make a quick second shot.
The main reason for shooting with your dominant eye other than placement of the sight picture is if you don't, it eliminates your depth perception.
Shooting is done best using both eyes open, as it allows you to bring your firearms up to the acquired site picture, rather than sighting down the firearm and dragging it to the target. Much faster target acquisition and better ability for tracking the target as well.
Take a look on some of the large online gun auction sites such as www.gunbroker.com or www.gunsamerica.com to name a few. You should find some excellent rifles for slightly used left handed rifles that are usually cheaper prices than a right handed model in the same rifle. Obviously, bows are usually made for the hand the shooter is using.
My wife struggled with trap shooting until I checked for her dominant eye. Although being right handed she was left eye dominant. After some lengthy practice of shooting left handed she was able to win a state trapshoot in her class.
Your son will enjoy shooting so much more if he has a rifle that matches his dominant eye. Great job with getting your sons into shooting sports and hope your new hunter gets one over 15 inches!

 

[Roo78]

A personally relevant thread .
i have two daughters , one left one right handed . both shoot my right handed bolt gun .
the oldest shoots right handed and the youngest shoots left handed ,reaching over the gun to cycle the bolt. they both shoot well
i have decided that this xmas ill be buying them both a tikka 223 . one left hand and one right hand and ill put them into boyds heritage stocks with LOP for there current size. keeping the factory stocks for later.\
its great having the kids enjoying having a shot.

 

[oneeyejohn]

I know it is hard to find a left hand rifle. I lost my right eye to a stroke in 2002, so I thought I will just shoot the right hand rifles I have. A far as shooting at the range it can be done, BUT if you need to get off a second shot in a hunting situation it is very awkward and clumsy. CZ makes very good, reasonable priced Left Hand rifles, that will be very good for a boy to start with. I have a CZ model 527LH in .223 my son gave me and he ordered it through a dealer. It is a small light weight rifle well suited for a young boy. Look at them on the internet. I have two LH Remington's, one I bought used for $475 I found on line, the other new for about $700. I will be a life time purchase if you get the boy a good left hand rifle. My daughter is the same right handed and left eye dominant. She did not get to be a good shoot untill her Husband got her a left hand rifle.

 

[Echo Charlie]

I taught a few thousands to shot and still teach.
Eye dominance is only an issue if shooting with both eyes open.
Always advise someone beginning shooting a rifle to be comfortable and hold the rifle the side is better prepared, use that eye and close the dominant one or cover it with something.
The problem its when that eye doesn't see properly or enough for a minimum of shooting results.
In that case start the process on the other side. Its just a matter of training. Children can do it easily. Even grown people can do it.

 

[P7M13]

I'm right handed, left eye dominant. It was at an action rifle shoot that the RO watched me and suggested I start doing everything left handed. My accuracy went up noticeably on the first outing.

I shoot a 2012 Matthews RH Solocam both left and right handed. The aim is the same, just note the touch points. I was in Archers Afield in Tigard, OR, and note the new ones have that grip yoke that forces you to use the bow with the hand it was designed for.
All my rifles, including my BP flinty, are RH. Even Monte Carlos and rifles with exaggerated cheek swells will shoot well left handed. Thumb hole stocks, not so much. IMO, consistent sight alignment and trigger work make the most. It's way easier to concentrate on the front sight when you use your dominant eye.
Learning to shoot pistols left handed has been difficult.
Edit to add, I find I can work the bolt and rechamber a round much faster when shooting left handed.

 

[richhymas]

Clearly lots of great advice here. I am left handed and left eye dominant but my dad raised me to shoot right handed. A few years ago I switched to shooting a bow left handed and within a month or two I was shooting better than ever. I really want to switch to lefty for shotgun and rifle too. Just need to put in the time. If you can start them off lefty it would be best, even with a right handed gun. Ideally with a left handed gun.

 

[Vaughng]

Ruger is every bit as good as any Model 70 and they make a left handed action. Buy the Lad the right rifle from the start
PS I live in Australia and I have a Ruger Mk 2 in 308 W it is a tack driver but it has a heavy target barrel I am looking to purchase a Classic model 70 to build a 6.5 06 AI as my last ever build. One thing to watch is the early Mk 2 they had a lousy trigger, I believe they have a reasonable trigger on the later models. Ruger has the best scope mounting system ever devised in my opinion. If You are building up a rifle consider the 6.5 creedmore on a long action and as the boy grows and can handle the next step of recoil he can rechamber it to 6.5 /06 or equivilent. I regard the 6.5 creedmoor as just a 250 savage using specialist projectiles
Thank you for bringing up good Children we need more parents like you,
Vaughn Gunthorpe
Plainland Australia

 

[kfreeze]

As someone who is left eye dominant, I always tried to shoot guns and archery right handed growing up. Even shot pistols with my right hand but sighted with left eye. Shot archery with my right eye. It worked, and I could shoot ok, but I never really got good until I started doing it left handed. In our day and age all of the trying to force a kid to make do, do it right handed, or use the right handed stuff is a joke. Once I started using the right stuff for me and doing it the right way it was easier and more natural. The left handed stuff costs about the same as right handed stuff, so cost isn't even and issue. The only thing that is different is that you have to stick to more common stuff to have options.

I would suggest getting him a rem 700 youth rifle to start with. In a few years he can just get another adult sized stock and be good to go. Later on he can always do a custom off of the 700 action too, if thats what he gets into. You can get any aftermarket stuff you want left handed for a rem 700 also. Savage and tikka can get left handed stuff for them too, but the selection of stuff is way less. Thats the sum of what I've learned being left handed over the years and liking high end stuff. Also it will be way easier for him to learn on left handed stuff right away.

 

[kfreeze]

My oldest is 5 and I think he is going to be left eye dominant and right handed. He used to do some things left handed, still bats with both when hitting a baseball. He has a 22 crickett with scope and a BB gun and wants to get on them right handed but aim with his left eye.

I can see it being a challenge to teach him to shoot left handed if it feels natural right.

I did the same thing growing up. Right handed felt right because it was what I saw others do and did it that way. Once I started doing it left handed it came really fast. Just start him doing stuff left handed. It will feel funny at first but that goes away fast. Like when I got my first left handed bow after shooting right handed ones.