Cross-eye dominant shooters; advice please.

[zig]

I was just shooting a rifle the other day with both eyes open. Not difficult at all.

In a SHTF type of scenario... I'd want to have both eyes open with a handgun, as well. You're going to want to pay attention to the angle of the slide/barrel, not the dots and/or sights. From the hip means 2 eyes are better than 1.

 

[kd7nqb]

I am right handed and left eye dominant but shoot all my long guns left handed so the only thing I shoot right handed is my pistols. I just kinda turned my head, I was actually doing this without really realizing it. I guess I just got lucky. I do occasionally find a rifle that isnt left hand friendly, most recently a BAR

 

[geekWithA.45]

EVERYONE HAS AN EYE DOMINANCE PROBLEM.

The only question is whether it shows up when we're shooting with our favorite hand, or not.

The key to cross dominance shooting with handguns is very, very, very simple.


Cant the gun 10-15 degrees towards the dominant eye. The sights will become accessible to that eye.

Shoot with both eyes open.

Folks should remember to at least occasionally practice shooting with their least favorite hand, and least favorite eye, because nobody says they'll be available when you need them.

 

[Red Cent]

For those that are left eye dominant-right handed that use a rifle right handed, I challenge the "right eye shooting combined with both eyes open". If you would hold the rifle right handed at "port arms" and at the beep, bring the rifle to your shoulder as quick as you can and hit a golf ball at 21 foot. Your subconscious will go to your dominant eye and your conscious mind will struggle to identify one of those two front sights correctly.
Right eye dominant, the reverse challenge. Add to the problem you just bet me $100.00 that it will not happen.
If you have pointed the finger really fast at an object, you have dicovered that the dominance and subconscious will prevail and,of the two ghost fingers, the dominant eye has also prevailed.
Benchresting is a whole different matter.

When speed shooting I will barely cant my head to the right and let the dominate eye work. That is because when you go for the draw and make the presentation, your body does not allow for the fact that your hand will cant the gun.

I shoot all speed disciplines with both eyes open. Depth of field.

 

[Snifferhound]

I'm left eye, right handed and didn't know it was so common. I've shot long arms left handed since I was a kid, so it seems normal to me. The biggest problem is finding rifles and shotguns that work left handed. I lean towards lever and pump action. For handguns, I shoot right handed and sight with my left eye by just altering my stance a bit. My right eye is a "lazy" eye, so I always have both open.

 

[mack]

Good advice here - much better than my solution - heating a fireplace poker red hot and just burning the offending eye out - man that stings.

I am/was left handed too - but that is another story...

 

[wrs840]

For pistols, I shoot RH w/ the left eye; the Horatio Cain cant. It is not ideal, and I find it creates a POI bias to low left.

Bold added by me.

Please pardon my ignorance. I'm right handed. I assume I'm LED because it's naturally easier for me to close my right eye, and my left eye was what I always used as my "sighting eye" for pistols. After I got glasses (bifocals) at 50, I noticed I suddenly had a low left "POI bias". It's isn't hard for me to use my right eye, if I just think to close my left eye, which I have now learned to routinely do. Am I to understand this is "bad" and I need to learn a new method?

Thanks,
Les

 

[Hutch]

As a related comment, shooting a pump shotgun from the left shoulder is way cool. Dominant/dextrous (literally, look it up) hand to work the pump, and feed shells into the magazine while still hanging onto the pistol grip. My biggest problem is bolt-action rifles. Lever rifles work well for me, but I've never had cause to try to reload on under any stress.

I shoot handguns with an isocoles (sp?) stance, and in deliberate, aimed fire, have no problems. Gun games with the timer running leads me to believe I am not as effective as I could be shooting right handed/left eye. I have to break the wrist a bit, so recoil axis is not straight up the forearm.

 

[Texas Gun Person]

OK

I am left eye dominant and left handed, but for a long long time I shot right handed. I started to switch to my left after learning more about eye dominance... and it felt terrible holding a gun on the left side. I could not hit jack, and it just very strange. However, after awhile of forcing myself to shoot left handed... it got better, and I think it was worth it.

I'm one of the people that write left handed, but do everything else with the right.

 

[DMF]

I too am left eye dominant, and shoot pistols right handed.

Most people make a big deal of out this, but it's not an issue at all. With handguns just put the gun up in front of your left eye and go. Assuming you're using an Isoceles or modified Isoceles stance.

The "drama" over cross dominance is generally from instructors who are not cross dominant making a mountain out of mole hill dealing with students who are cross dominant.

When I first learned to shoot I struggled, as I naturally wanted to shoot long guns lefty, but the people teaching me insisted I shoot righty, because I did most other things right handed. When they learned I was left eye dominant, they suggested all kinds of strange things to compensate for it, but insisted that I not shoot lefty. Lo and behold once I started shooting long guns lefty I had no problems.

Then I first started shooting handguns in the military, and they insisted that I use the Weaver stance. Never mind that it's a bad way to shoot, it does make it a little difficult on people who are cross dominant. Again, compensating for the eye issue rather than modifying the stance were the order of the day. Later, in my LE training not only was I encouraged to use a modified Isoceles, but I was also told to quit doing things like closing or squinting my left eye, but to simply line the gun up in front of my left eye and go. Almost, immediately I went from being a mediocre shot with a pistol, to being quite good.

BTW, you never hear a person talk about dealing with issues of eye dominance when a right eye/right hand shooter practices shooting with their weak hand. Why? Because it's not a big deal, they just shift their arm and head slightly and line the gun up in front of their left eye. People talk about lots of issues when practicing weak hand, such as grip, trigger control, etc, but never do I hear talk of eye dominance when practicing weak hand shooting.

With pistols just line the gun up in front of your dominant eye, regardless of which hand you a gripping the gun, and regardless of which eye is dominant. With long guns just learn to shoot left handed. It's not hard to do at all.

 

[22-rimfire]

Close your offending eye and there is nothing for the brain to adjust to.

 

[AKElroy]

Am I to understand this is "bad" and I need to learn a new method?

Not at all. Whatever produces the best results for you is all that matters. I am 20/20 in my left eye, 20/400 in the right, which makes me not only LED, but ambliopic. My brain shuts off the right eye most of the time, so I have become largely ambidextrous. I shoot all long guns left handed, and all pistols left eye / right handed. Any bias in POI that this produces, (and for me, it does) I simply adjust out of my guns.

I reject the notion that I can or even need to change eyes in order to shoot the "right" way. What's right for me is what naturally produces reliable hits, regardless how ugly it might look to others.

 

[Jonah71]

Try shooting with your right hand after being blinded in your dominate right eye. It has been an adventure. I am currently in the proccess of learning to shoot with my left hand. It's gonna take some time I think.

 

[c-bag]

WOW, tons of great info. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Red Cent]

Au contraire, amigo. Lots of plaques, ribbons, statues, papers, badges, and stuff for speed and accuracy and long range. Rifle pistol, revolver, and shotgun. Semi-autos, pumps, and bolts
Been shooting a Modified Weaver for about 50 years. Left eye dominant and right handed. Nothin' to it.
Personally, the Weaver absorbs recoil better and the isocolese rocks your world through your arms. Lots of top shooters say the isocolese is better and everytime I see them shoot, about half way through the stage that strong elbow is bent just a kittle. Watch Leatham advertise the laser again.
But for each of us, whatever rocks your boat.

 

[LeonCarr]

I was blessed with 20/13 vision in both eyes until about 5 years ago, now I am 20/20 right eye and 20/15 left eye, and I am right handed. I have no cross dominant issues so far, I shoot both long guns and handguns right handed, right eye wide open and left eye squinting. One of my goals my entire shooting life is to be able to shoot anything with both eyes open. I am slowly getting there, taping the inside of the shooting glasses over the left eye.

I practice shooting everything I own right side and left side, and I switch to left eye wide open when shooting weak handed or left hand barricade, to minimize exposure and maximize cover.

My two big goals in life are to be able to shoot with both eyes wide open and be a billionaire. I think the both eyes open will come first .

 

[oneounceload]

As far as safeties go, most are reversible to make them LH friendly; the sooner you switch, the easier it will be

 

[Red Cent]

Something just occured to me. or two things. Those of you that have to close an eye. Make a rear peep for your pistol. Washer or something, you know, something with a hole in it. Tape it to the gun. Kinda big and a big hole. Not too thick of a ring. If you are definitely left eye dominant and right handed, when you present the gun kinda quick(as if to shoot), and keeping both eyes open, you will have to find the sight. Some of you may be surprised. God made us so that your mind will put the front sight in the middle of the peep hole. That is why a peep is more accurate than "open sights".
Remember to keep both eyes open at all times.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I am the same as you (right handed, left eye dominate). I shoot right handed for all firearms. For pistols, I close right eye. For rifles and shotguns, I close left eye. I shoot more accurately than most people at the range and I see no reason to change. I can't shoot with both eyes open. Big deal. If I ever need to shoot in self defense, I fully expect to have tunnel vision any way.

FWIW, you should practice 10% of your shooting out of your non-dominate hand irrespective of which eye you use. That way, if you are forced to do this, you've practiced it.

 

[benEzra]

-With rifles I've always closed my left eye when shooting irons or scopes, but if I use a reflex sight on a defensive weapon I assume I'll either have to shoot leftie or shoot right-hand and close my left eye, losing my peripheral vision. Can anybody advise how they've handled this?

I am mildly cross-dominant but generally shoot with my right eye. I shot for years closing my left eye, but eventually got to the point that I can shoot both eyes open, though if my eyes are tired I may need to squint the left a little.

As far as an optic on a rifle, if you are using an Eotech or something similar then IMO it doesn't matter which eye is dominant; turn the reticle up and shoot both-eyes-open. It's bold enough that your non-dominant eye will pick it up fine.

You might also try shooting with an eye patch over the left eye for a while, to train your right eye to pick up the sights (using a patch instead of squinting helps with fatigue issues). When wearing a patch, it does help to say "aarrrrrrr, mateys" a lot.

 

[rfwobbly]

I train Scouts to shoot and regularly run across this. The best I've found is a pair of shooting glasses with the left lens covered with translucent beige masking tape, so that you can shoot right-handed. You DO want both eyes open and you DO want he same light coming into both pupils, but you don't want to see anything of consequence with the left eye.

If using iron sights you can affix a translucent blinder to the rear sight. I like to make these from common "clear" milk jug plastic. Those are helpful for everyone.

Being "left eye dominant" doesn't mean the left eye is weak or in any way impaired. It's like having 2 printers hooked to your computer. One printer is the "default", but that doesn't mean that the other printer is "bad" or "no good". In the same way, your right eye is simply not the normal "go to" device, but it's still every bit as good. If you'll give the left eye only bland milky white or beige, then the right eye will take over and do fine.

Completely covering or "blacking out" the unused eye makes the other eye's pupil try to constrict, thus ruining the sight picture for the working eye. Here's some current Olympic class shooters to prove what I'm telling you....

Don't let the pretty faces fool you. The last one, Katerina Emmons, won Gold in Beijing with a new Olympic record.

Hope this helps!

 

[DMF]

The tips above work great for Olympic style bullseye shooting. They aren't real practical though for real world defensive shooting, or even competitions like IDPA. A person needs to be able to shoot and move, and keep both unobstructed to search for threats, look for cover/concealment, have proper depth perception, etc, etc. More importantly you need to practice how you will fight because if the the SHTF you will be shooting with both eyes open. Your adrenaline will be pumping, both eyes will be locked open, because your brain makes it happen involuntarily as part of your flight or fight response, so you might as well train to shoot that way.

 

[rfwobbly]

The tips above work great for Olympic style bullseye shooting. They aren't real practical though for real world defensive shooting, or even competitions like IDPA.

I believe the OP was asking about rifle shooting, .22 and centerfire, and the possibility of a pistol. IMHO the milky blinders will work for the rifles, and the isosceles stance used with practical pistol and SD will take care of any pistol shooting issues.

But I've been wrong before.

 

[MinnMooney]

This post seems to come up 5-6 times each year.

Both my dad and I am LED & shoot right handed. My dad keeps both eyes opened but still uses his right (weak side) eye. I close my left (dominant) eye and use my right eye. I've done it this way since I was 5 and never knew I was LED until a dozon or so years ago (I'm way past 50).

It works great for both of us. I wouldn't worry about it.


P.S. We both shoot handguns with our dominant left eyes.

 

[e2cTrainer]

It is not uncommon to be Cross Eye Dominant, sometimes I get 75% of the class and other times it's 25%, but it just so happens I am cross Eye dominant also.

You could try standing in the Weaver Stance and instead of doing the canter of your head, you could canter the firearm to your left eye.

I practice both with the pistol in the canter position as mentioned and left handed and both produce similar results