Crosseye dominant...oh NO!

You get used to it
I only find it annoying if I'm shooting close carbine with both eyes open or shooting pistols with both eyes open.

You are probably left eye dominant because of your poor sight in your right eye.

Anyway, our oldest daughter is left handed and right eye dominant. (exactly opposite of your problem. She shoots very well by doing all her shooting right handed.

My suggestion to you is learn to shoot left handed.

Test: point an an object some distance from you (say 50 meters)...while pointing at that object, close left eye...does the object shift in relation to where you are pointing? open left eye and close right eye, did the object shift? If you are using iron sights, that shift between both eyes and single eye is about what you will be off when you shoot. Use a patch to cover the off eye if you have a patch available.

If you are using a scope or a red dot it won't make as much difference, but with iron sights, it can make a big difference.

I am left eye right handed, optics help when rifle shooting, but with open sights it can be a pain shooting rifles, but if your like me and couldnt brush yoru teeth with your left hand to save yoru life, you just learn to adapt.

No bad English -- you're doing fine!

Two answers to your question:

1) You can shoot perfectly well using your "bad" eye and your dominant hand. It works, and many people have shot successfully that way. Shooting off a rest or bench, you'll probably never even notice a problem.

2) The more complete and modern way of looking at the problem seems to be that if you are cross-dominant you will be an easier, more natural shot if you teach your "weak" side to operate the firearm from the shoulder under your dominant eye. The best practices are to shoot under field conditions ("practical" shooting as some call it) with both eyes open for better balance, depth perception and tracking of moving targets.

"Snap" shooting (raising and firing the gun at a game animal or enemy as quickly as possible) and wing-shooting (shotgunning involving moving targets like birds or clays) both require that your whole body work together to move the gun into position and bring the front sight and target into alignment as fast as possible. But, if the gun is mounted under your right eye, but your left eye is taking over control of aligning the sights and target, you're going to miss far to the left.

So, in reality, you can shoot either way. But you will be a BETTER, faster, smoother shot if you learn to shoot long guns from the shoulder of your dominant eye.

A buddy of mine has the same problem, and he just learned to shoot rifles left handed, while still shooting pistols right handed.

The M4 is a really lefty un-friendly platform, but he manages pretty well.

I was left eye dominant and right handed until I had Lasik surgery in my left eye and PRK in my right eye. The PRK turned out much better, so now I am becoming right eye dominant more and more. I have strabismus, so I can't use both eyes at the same time, although with concentration I can shoot a pistol with both eyes open, but always had to close one eye when shooting rifle.

I have qualified "Expert" with both the M-9 pistol and M-16 rifle, so I guess it wasn't much of a problem.

I guess I'm in the group of weird people. I shoot handguns equally well with either hand. Normally when shooting left-handed, I use my left eye. When shooting right-handed, I'll *want* to use my left eye, but force myself to use my right eye. Either works for me in either situation.

Shooting rifles, I shoot right-handed, and use my right eye. Trying to shoot left-handed with my left eye, I can't focus past the front sight post, so it has just always worked in my favor to shoot right-handed only.


But on the pistol range, I'll shoot 5 right-handed, and then 5 left-handed, and alternate until I'm ready to leave.

eye dominence

I went to great lengths to learn to shoot with both eyes open and I did and shot that way for years. Then one day I couldn't hit anything. While messing with my 22 pistol I noticed I was focusing on the rear sight with my right and the front with my left. I could get a sight picture but 25 yard groups were paterns. The solution was simple- I closed my right eye! Despite all that is written I see no advantage to opening both eyes. Pick what suits YOU the best. BTW I discussed this with my eye doctor. She said this is what eyes do.

I had the same problem. I am now a left hand shooter. It took awhile to get use to shooting left handed but I found myself taking a much better shot left-handed because I had to concentrate more on the markmanship fundementals because it didn't feel natural.

I am right-eye dominant and right-handed. But as I grew older, I became far-sighted in my right eye, so the sights were impossibly fuzzy. But I became nearisighted in my left eye, and could see the sights sharply with the left eye.

I retrained myself -- the trick is just to tilt your head slightly. With practice I made it automatic and also learned to shoot with both eyes open. That way I see the sights sharply and also see the target in focus -- the brain merges the two images and I get a beautiful, sharp sight picture.

I shoot left handed rifle, right handed pistol, and that's the way its gonna stay.

Luckily haven't been hit by flying AR 15 brass (yet).

Okay, some of you folks are making me wonder if I should try shooting left-handed.

I'm somewhat cross-dominate. I always, even as a child, shot pool (billiards) better left-handed and still do to this day. I can and do shoot pool right-handed but I'm not quite as accurate. I only recently bought some scopes and viewing through them is definitely easier (or more intuitive, or comfortable??) with my left eye.

Sometimes I hate learning new stuff because it spills over into other areas which complicates things and, more often than not, costs money to remediate weaknesses.

I'm cross dominant. (Right handed, dominant left eye).

I shoot pistol left eyed, long guns right-eyed.

I close the eye I'm not sighting with. Not necessarily perfection, but it works well enough for me.

I can't figure out what dominance I am. When I do the tests it's 50/50...sometimes it shows up right and sometimes it shows up left. Is it possible to not really have a dominant eye?

Maybe it has something to do from learning to shoot? I was taught to shoot when I was very young. At the time (because I was so young), I only had the dexterity to close my right eye so I was taught to shoot left handed, even tho everything else I do in life is right handed. Now, I only shot rifles growing up but I probably spent at least an hour a day out in the yard for YEARS shooting bb/pellet rifles. I took up handguns later and naturally shot them right handed as that was what felt natural when holding a pistol.

So...I don't know which way I should shoot? I can use a rifle and have no issues shooting left or right handed, but due to much more experience shooting left handed...when I grab a rifle I shoot it left handed with left eye aiming. I pick up a pistol and shoot right handed with right eye aiming. Both feel equally natural?

I can't figure out what dominance I am. When I do the tests it's 50/50...sometimes it shows up right and sometimes it shows up left. Is it possible to not really have a dominant eye?

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Of course it's posslble to not have a dominant eye or a dominant hand. My great-grandfather was abidextrous -- he couldn't write with either hand.

I'm the same way. Every time I take the test the dominant eye switches. I'm right handed and can not naturally shoot left handed. I also decided to start shooting with both eyes open two years ago. Nothing like learning to shoot all over again at 30. Now my eye sight is getting worse with age and shooting has become frustrating. I don't want to switch back to closing my left eye but feel I am going to have to.


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My left eye is dominant and my right hand is dominant. That's why I do handguns with my left hand and longarms with my right. I close one eye whenever I'm aiming and it is always the one that is not looking down the sights.

I have left eye dominate and am right handed shooter. I've been shooting for 30 years at this point and never knew/thought it might be an issue until I started reading about it on forums two years ago. For pistols I find that I automatically close my right eye. For rifles, I automatically close my left eye. I'm not a bullseye shooter but I'm a solid reliable shooter for hunting and self defense and don't see the need to change. IMO this both eyes open shooting is way over hyped. If you shoot well enough to meet your needs I wouldn't change anything but there's no harm it trying it to see if you like the results. Having said that, all of us should probably practice 10% of our time from the weak side just in case we need to shoot that way some day.

I have the exact same problem.
My simple solution was an EOTech 512 holographic sight and an Aimpoint red dot comp sight.
Shoot right handed - keep both eyes open - see the dot - pull the trigger.
Beats the heck out of trying to shoot left handed. Yes I tried that, and didn't like it much.

I'm the same as alot of others here. I'm right handed and left-eye dominant. I've been shooting that way since hunters safety as a teen. I've gotten used to it and it doesn't even feel strange now.

Despite all that is written I see no advantage to opening both eyes.

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Not getting dead is the primary advantage.

I'm right handed and strongly left eye dominant. I shoot handguns righty (with both eyes open, sighting with left eye), and long guns lefty. Works for me.