Aiming Issue

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revitup

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I have essentially lost the vision in my right eye and I'm in the process of making my first rifle purchase since that happened. Being right-handed this presents a problem. Obviously I'm now left eye dominant in the extreme. (On the bright side, I can now pistol shoot with both eyes open no problem:)). I'm researching optic options for a AR carbine and I think it's obvious that I'm going to have to find something that will allow me to get my head over the rifle to get my left eye in front of the optics. Don't know how common this is but I'm thinking that someone must have run into this situation before and might have some advice (other that start shooting left-handed which I am considering). I'm thinking a red-dot sight mounted high on top of the carry-handle or on a flat-top receiver with some type of high-profile sight mount. The other idea I had was something that mounts off to the side of the rifle somewhat. I also have a question relative to red dot type optics. How important is it to get one's eye directly aligned with them? Will they still work if my eye isn't directly behind it? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
 
If you just want to shoot at the range then you can find a way to shoot right handed and left eyed. However, I suggest that you teach yourself to shoot left handed. First it will be fun, as long as you can not get frustrated with yourself. Remember that you don't have to shoot well in the beginning. This will allow you snap shoot well once you shooting left hand/left eye. I taught myself to shoot right handed and it did not take long. I can shoot about equally as well from the bench left or right. however I am left eye dominate so I still snap shoot better left handed.
 
I had a friend in AZ who switched from shooting right handed to left handed. Took him a while to get the hang of it, but eventually he was as good a leftie as he was right handed.
 
I'm a left eye dominant righty, and I shoot my long guns left handed, and my pistol right. No problems with the AR platform.
 
Just start shooting left handed. It will be awkward at first, but you'll quickly get used to it. I often practice rifle shooting both left and right handed and it's not a difficult switch with a semi-auto rifle.
 
DPMS and a few others make left-handed AR uppers. Getting left-handed equipment and learning to shoot left-handed is probably your best bet, in the grand scheme of things.

However, another option would be getting an AK with a low, uncentered side mounted optic like the PK-AS. You can shoot it right-handed and left-eyed.

Mike
 
for a red dot, it doesn't matter if your eye isn't directly behind it...as long as u can see the dot and keep ur head in the same position for each shot
 
Best bet would be an EOTech or other Holosight. They are designed so that as long as you can see the reticle you can shoot. Cheek weld etc, can vary as the reticle will continue to display correctly.

-Jenrick
 
How much vision do you have in your right eye? El Tejon showed me a Pat Rogers trick this weekend: You close the front dust cover on a red dot sight such as an Aimpoint then keep both eyes open. This turns the sight into an "occluded" sight, similar to the Trijicon Armson. This sounds hokey until you try it; apparently Pat Rogers has no problem engaging targets this way. So if you can see the dot clear enough, this could be an option for you.

If you can't, learn to shoot left handed. Heck, learn to shoot left handed anyway.
 
Many of the cheaper red dot sights exhibit very bad parallax error if your eye is far off the centerline. The better units don't, so you don't need to worry. For left eye dominance, you might consider putting a red dot forward on a flat top, in the "scout" type configuration. This should make it easier for your left eye to see through. I have a few guns configured that way and I can effectively sight with either eye. You also might look into the larger tubes or open tube styles, as they allow you a wider off center viewing range. Whichever you get, be sure to check it out for parallax error by putting the dot on a target and moving your view out to the side of the tube. If the dot moves off target, you don't want that model.
 
I am in the same situation as you. I am right handed and my right eye is not correctable. I shoot left handed with my rifle. I shoot my bow left handed. I shoot my pistol right handed sighting with my left eye. It is the most natural thing in the world to do. I do everything else in life right handed. You will have no problem doing this. I did this naturally as I have had the eye concern all my life. Just get out and do it that way:)
 
Thanks for all the replies and advice. After trying a rifle in the store with various sight options I think I've decided to just go the left handed route. I could see that holding it right handed and trying to lay my head over the rifle to sight with my left eye was going to result in very bad shooting form and be uncomfortable to boot. The clerk also pointed out that if I decided to shoot anything of a bigger calibre than the .223 I'm considering the recoil could possibly cause injury with my head so far over the rifle. So it looks like I'm shopping for a left handed rifle. I'm leaning toward Stag Arms as they seem to be very left hand friendly and seem to make a relatively high quality product. They're manufactured locally here too (southern CT) which is a plus if I have to use their lifetime warranty. Now to decide on which red dot. Thanks again for all the advice.
 
I switched to shooting left handed because I'm left eye dominant. With about 2 weeks of dry firing, it was no big deal. The hardest part (which for me persists even 2 years after the switch) is remembering to shoulder the rifle on the left side.

Ty
 
Just out of curiousity, did you try the occluded method?
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This wouldn't work for me. I have no central vision in the eye at all. Only some peripferal.

The hardest part (which for me persists even 2 years after the switch) is remembering to shoulder the rifle on the left side.
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Wish you hadn't told me that. I can definately foresee that being a problem.
 
Firstly, I commend you for continuing to pursue your interests. I hope you can find something that works for you.

Secondly, welcome to The High Road!


An idea that comes to me is actually from the world of shotgunning. It seems that a fair number of shotgunners who're cross dominant have stocks made that are sort of "dog legged" to allow the right shoulder mount with the left eye aligned with the rib. Granted this isn't a likely scenario with "black rifles" but I don't see why it couldn't be made to work on a bolt action.

Also, M1 Garand scope mounts were made offset to the left side of the reciever. My guess is that if you didn't use the lace on cheekpiece your left eye would be well lined up with the scope.
 
The offset stock idea doesn't seem like a likely option for an AR bet I'm a little intrigued by the offset scope suggestion. Do you know of any company that might have a mount for a Aimpoint or Eotech type sight that would be offset enough to allow me to get my left eye behind it? I did a little research online and found one company - Larue - but the pics and descriptions of their mounts aren't very clear.
 
The mind is an incredible piece of machinery. Start shooting left handed and learn to do it the right way. First it will be awkward but I am living proof that many things can be done with the opposite hand or side. I am left handed but due to surgery I was forced to learn to write right handed while my left was in a cast for 5 weeks and a long and painful recovery.Due to job requirements I adapted. Yep you guessed it. I write both handed now. I shoot a pistol easily with either hand. I shoot a rifle with either side. You have a will there is a way.
 
I have essentially lost the vision in my right eye.
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Hey! Me too!

Actually after surgery my right eye is back to 20-80 with glasses, just barely enough to get binocular depth perception but not good enough to aim with. I didn’t consider anything else except starting over and learning to shoot left handed. It’s slow going so far but I am improving.

Anyway the original question of holding a long arm right handed but aiming with the left eye got me thinking, and I went looking for the following web sources. By the time I got back to this thread I see other people are ahead of me with these ideas. But I’m posting what I found anyway:

There is apparently such a thing as a “crossover stock” that allow you to shoulder on one side and aim with the other eye:

21062006101651.gif

I understand they are mostly (always?) seen on custom shotguns; they are rare and very expensive. Don’t know the possibilities of getting a stock like this for a rifle, but the THR thread where I heard about them:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=18241

Also I understand top fed firearms, like the Bern gun and the Stoner 86 (including the Robinson Armaments M96 Expeditionary rifle) have offset sights;
http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/2400/2424.htm
http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/0000/54.htm
http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/0900/975.htm

The last one of these was supposedly in production recently; might be possibly to retro fit the sights to a different rifle?

Finally, if you are not wedded to an AR-15, how about one of those scope mounts that bolt to the left side of the receiver?

http://www.mountsplus.com/thestore/prods/PRI-CUS-GAL.html
http://www.outdoorsuperstore.com/product.asp?prod=296197

Could you mount one backwards so the scope/red dot optic hangs out to the left?
 
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