Buying a shotgun for a right handed-left eye dominant shooter

[Dmitriy Shevchuk]

Hey guys, I'm fairly new to guns and shooting and am planning on purchasing my first shotgun in some time. Im for sure left eye dominant but I do everything right handed. Sorry if this question already exists answered somewhere out there.

Buy a left handed gun and learn to shoot left handed?
Or buy a right handed gun?

Please give me some suggestions for what would be best in the long run, Thanks

 

[Sistema1927]

Eye dominance is very important with shotguns. With rifles you can close that dominant left eye, but with shotguns you want both eyes open. Yes, It is a pain, but I really think that you need to get used to shouldering a shotgun on the left side.

Oh, I don't think that you need a "left handed" gun, unless you want a semi-auto that doesn't kick the shells forward. Most pump guns will work just fine in right hand ejection, and there is also the world of doubles, SxS and OU.

 

[Sistema1927]

You also don't say what you want a shotgun for. If for upland birds (unless you are in an area that requires non-lead for everything), the older Ithaca 37 pump guns are very nice with bottom ejection. For waterfowl you probably want something that will handle steel shot since the non-lead loads like bizmuth can get very expensive.

 

[jmr40]

Learn to shoot lefty. There are several options that work well from either side. The Browning BPS pump would be my top pick followed by Ithaca, then Mossberg. The 1st 2 eject from the bottom. If you're wanting to spend a lot more most doubles, both SXS and O/U work well from either side.

My brother has the same issue. He never started hitting anything until he committed to shoot lefty. With just a little practice it isn't that hard to shoot a right handed pump or semi if the cross bolt safety is behind the trigger. My brother has tried a lot of them and prefers a right handed pump or semi with the safety in that location.

 

[earplug]

I have the same eye hand issue. Gave up bird hunting years ago. Still have a Ithaca 37 and a older SXS. Browning made a nice shotgun with bottom ejection like the Ithaca that worked for duck hunting, it had a tang safety. Some shotguns such as the 37 offer aftermarket safeties for lefties. The tang mounted safety is much easier for the rest of the family to deal with.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

I'm left eye dominate and fortunately ambidextrous (equally uncoordinated with each hand).
I would recommend shooting left hand. I can shoot rifles and handguns with either hand if I need to but cross dominance is a real problem with a shotgun, at least for me. Right handed guns aren't a big issue to me. It is nice to be able to switch the safety to left hand. Very dirty loads (steel shot) in pumps and autos can throw stuff in your face sometimes. If you are buying new there are a lot of left hand options available. If your budget allows it, doubles are nice.

 

[Sam1911]

Left eye dominance makes for a super strong argument for learning to shoot long guns left handed. Much easier to learn to shoot lefty than to try to force your right eye to take over, and much better than "cheating it" by covering your GOOD eye and going half blinded.

I don't think there's a world of trouble in shooting almost any standard shotgun left-handed, but yeah some like the BPS or Ithaca 37 (or any double-barrel!) are especially non-judgmental to the left-handers of the world.

 

[1KPerDay]

Right handed left eye dominant here. I actually feel right handed pumps and autos are better set up for shooting lefty. Right hand loads and runs the bolt, left hand on the grip. Can see the port easily.

 

[kudu]

It would probably be best to try to learn to shoot left handed, but some work-a rounds exist, piece of scotch tape on left lens of shooting glasses to blur the left eye and make the right take over and dominate. I know a couple of guys that wear contacts and get a weaker prescription for their left eye so their right takes over. All three of my daughters are right handed, left eye dominant. My one shoots right handed and squints at targets, does fair on the skeet range for no more than we shoot.

 

[Jim Watson]

I don't recall anybody that I shot Trap or Skeet with who had changed sides to follow their dominant eye.
I saw a lot of tape and spots
http://www.morganoptical.net/magic_dot
and some blinders like this:
http://www.gamaliel.com/meadowssights/meadow_industries_vari_brite_site_iii_one_color.asp
or if you like your original bead, just the blinder
http://www.gamaliel.com/meadowssights/meadows_sight_blindercrossfire_reduce.asp

A friend's wife lost the sight in her right eye and could not make the change to the left shoulder.
So I looked up some old pictures and we built her an offset rib so she could shoot left eyed off the right shoulder. Kind of clumsy looking but it worked on the Trap field.

 

[Sistema1927]

It has been quite a few years since I bought a shotgun (none of mine can handle steel shot), and even though I am right eye dominant and don't need bottom ejection, I really like the looks of that Browning BPS Hunter.

 

[red rick]

My dad was right handed but shoot left handed . He used a left handed semi and sometimes a double barrel . My brother got his Remington 1100 and I got his Stevens double barrel .

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Left eyed, and right handed checking in.

I shoot all long guns left handed. And, as it turns out they are all right handed guns. Some of them have ambi safeties installed, but they are all right handed.

I shoot long guns mostly in 3 gun matches and while you are a slight disadvantage, it hasn't slowed me down too much.

 

[Mitlov]

Hey guys, I'm fairly new to guns and shooting and am planning on purchasing my first shotgun in some time. Im for sure left eye dominant but I do everything right handed. Sorry if this question already exists answered somewhere out there.

Buy a left handed gun and learn to shoot left handed?
Or buy a right handed gun?

Please give me some suggestions for what would be best in the long run, Thanks

Buy a Browning BPS which is bottom-eject and has a tang safety. It's 100% ambidextrous, so you're not locked into either approach, and you can experiment both ways and see what works best for you.

It's also a good, well-made shotgun in general. I've got a Browning BPS Hunter, but I switched out the buttstock for the buttstock from a trap model, to get the monte carlo stock and improved recoil pad.

 

[entropy]

Right handed, left eye dominant here also. I shoot off both shoulders, though better off the right, as that's what I learned first. I shoot pistols better left, but still very good right. Whichever eye is dominant, I recommend learning to shoot off both shoulders, both for SD and hunting reasons. Half the corners in the world go to the right, half to the left, and that deer always seems to come out to the way right.....

 

[PabloJ]

Hey guys, I'm fairly new to guns and shooting and am planning on purchasing my first shotgun in some time. Im for sure left eye dominant but I do everything right handed. Sorry if this question already exists answered somewhere out there.

Buy a left handed gun and learn to shoot left handed?
Or buy a right handed gun?

Please give me some suggestions for what would be best in the long run, Thanks

If you have a strong stomach and aren't holding anything hot in your hand or have cigar, pipe or cigarette in your mouth Google crossover stock and have a look.

 

[Sunray]

The only difference between a left and right handed shotgun is where the empty comes out. You shoot 'em the same way regardless. Been shooting a regular backwards 870(along with assorted semi and bolt action battle rifles, MGs and SMG's) left handed(and using both hands for most things) for eons with no fuss whatsoever.
Buy the shotgun that feels right to you when you shoulder it.
Remember that a recoil pad adds about an inch of LOP. Putting one on is easier with a wooden stock too. Measure your LOP by grasping and shouldering a yard stick like a rifle. Where your trigger finger is bent on the stick is your LOP. Measures on the stock from the trigger to the butt plate. Tape the cutline with masking tape and use a mitre saw or box to cut the stock to length including the pad. Easier to do than it sounds.

 

[entropy]

The only difference between a left and right handed shotgun is where the empty comes out.

And safety placement.

 

[jasonv]

Right handed left eye dominant here.

I shoot all long guns left handed. Shotguns can be hard to find in a left hand model but rifles aren't bad.

I do shoot my bow and handguns right handed.

 

[jasonv]

Browning BPS and Ithaca are bottom eject and load with a top safety which makes them ambidextrous.
Over unders and side by sides are ambidextrous.


Some shotguns such as my Browning A5 I had a left hand safety installed.

 

[FAS1]

I am the same and have always shot shotguns with both eyes open. Swing the gun with the target and follow through. Focus on the target. It just takes a little practice. Many people shoot shotguns with both eyes open as you increase your peripheral vision. Very helpful with fast moving targets/birds.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

I am the same and have always shot shotguns with both eyes open. Swing the gun with the target and follow through. Focus on the target. It just takes a little practice. Many people shoot shotguns with both eyes open as you increase your peripheral vision. Very helpful with fast moving targets/birds.

Please don't take offense, Everyone shoots shotguns with both eyes open or at least they should. Your dominate eye will be the one "on target". The dominate eye should determine which finger is on the trigger IMO.

 

[FAS1]

Please don't take offense, Everyone shoots shotguns with both eyes open or at least they should. Your dominate eye will be the one "on target". The dominate eye should determine which finger is on the trigger IMO.

None taken. I am 54 years old and this is what works for me. I have no problem hitting my target. My eyesight has always been excellent and just starting to use over the counter readers the last few years. That's a bigger problem for me to adjust to when shooting. Starting to have problems seeing the front sight

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

None taken. I am 54 years old and this is what works for me. I have no problem hitting my target. My eyesight has always been excellent and just starting to use over the counter readers the last few years. That's a bigger problem for me to adjust to when shooting. Starting to have problems seeing the front sight

51 and in the same boat. Now where are my dang glasses? Oh yea, there on my forehead.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Don't forget that 99% of o/u and s/s shotguns have stocks with "cast off" for right handed shooters. This causes major issues with how the guns throw their patterns. (They don't shoot where they "look").
I know as I too am "ipsilateral", the technical term for right handed/ left eyedominant.
My shotgun selection is heavy on Remington 870's and an 1187, as they lack cast off, and have had inexpensive left handed safeties installed.