cross-dominance help

[cracked butt]

I'm getting a Savage Cub for my son's birthday as he likes going to the range and shooting my .22 but the one I have is too big for him (he's turning 5 next month). What I've been noticing is that he's been favoring his left eye but he's right handed. I also tested him and he clearly favors his left eye.
Couple of questions:

1. Does eye dominance establish itself at that early of an age?
2. Do I teach him to shoot left handed now or do I cover the left lens of his shooting glasses? He favors holding the rifle right handed, but wants to switch shoulders and use his right trigger finger when shooting...

 

[markmc753]

Same "problem" myself:
I shoot rifles left handed and hand guns right handed.... seems to work well.

 

[CB900F]

Cracked;

Yes, eye dominance can be there at that age. He will almost certainly be more accurate using his dominant eye, I'd encourage him to shoot off his left shoulder. My daughter's firearms accuracy improved about 10% when she finally switched to aiming with her dominant eye at age 16. She's right handed-left eye dominant.

I'd scout around for an Ithica model 49. It's a junior sized single-shot falling block action that's styled like the Winchester model 94. Down the road, I'd look to the Savage MKIIGL youth, a left bolt action that can have the adult stock put on as he reaches his full size.

Neither gun should cost a ton of money & they're both very decent well-valued guns.

900F

 

[cracked butt]

Thanks for the advice.

My first rifle was a Ithaca 49, nice little rifle.

I already picked him up a cub last week, I'm anxiously awaiting his birthday

I figure the operating the action isn't going to be too much of a problem for awhile as its a single shot and I'll be feeding it for him for the first few years at least.

 

[reeps]

Cracked,
I dont know if it will help, but I was taught to shoot using my right eye. Im left eye dominant and right-handed. Im now in my late twenties and can shoot well with either eye or off either shoulder. I usually qualify expert with both rifle and pistol shooting wrong-eyed.
I guess my suggestion is to let your son shoot each way until he demonstrates a preference or a huge advantage to one eye or the other. I have found that Im far far faster righthanded, and a touch more accurate lefthanded but as always ymmv.

 

[30Cal]

He'll do better if he learns to shoot from the same side as the dominant eye.

Ty

 

[86thecat]

Start him shooting on the dominant eye side so he can shoot a shotgun correctly later. A friends son is 13 and having trouble shooting trap due to cross dominance.