learning to shoot with non dominant hand

[stonebuster]

I've had a chronic problem with my right hand(dominant) for a few years and it's gotten to the point I'm going to need surgery and a lot of physical therapy to get it working again to some degree. Probably won't ever get full function and shooting 357 mags afterward would probably be plain stupid. I learned to shoot right hand dominant shooting with two hands. I have practiced one handed at the range right and left handed. Left handed was down right embarrassing, but I think with more practice I could learn to shoot lefty. I'm going to try it with a 22LR SA revolver first, then move to shooting a 9mm semi-auto. I was playing with an air pistol today to get the feel of it and it wasn't too bad. I got to wondering how many of you guys have had to go to shooting with your non dominant hand for physical reasons and how it worked out. Also how long did it take to adjust.

 

[Fiv3r]

i practice with both hands. Mostly because i'm quasi-ambi, but there are certain guns I shoot better left handed than right. Coincidentally, SA revolvers are my favorite gun to shoot lefty. They tend to point more naturally one handed, so to me they feel better in either mitt.

 

[bearman49709]

I've always shot all guns rifles,shotguns and pistols both right and left handed.
I know what you mean about hand problems, I've had two operations on the right hand and four on the left.
I saw my orthopedic on a Monday back in August and he told me I should consider one more on my left hand, when I told him I was seeing a neurosurgeon that Thursday to set up back surgery he told me it could wait.
Life is grand when you start getting old.

 

[ms6852]

I have always advocated shooting with your weak hand as much as your dominant one and one of the ways to do so without breaking the bank is to use 22lr. My brothers never listened to me and until recently never owned a 22 lr handgun.

A while back my brothers and I got together for a shooting session at the range and my brother wanted me to shoot his 1911 Kimber. Unfortunately we could only shoot at the 50 yard so I proceeded to shoot and hit 5 out of seven using my right hand. Of course I got the usual ribbing about how I was an Army vet and blah blah blah.

My brothers than shot and one got 3 out of 7 hits and the other got 2. I than reminded them that I shot with my right hand and I am a lefty. They both bought some rugers 22 the following pay day. Practice practice practice until you get tired of shooting, but do it with 22lr. I always at a minimum shoot a box of bulk ammo 500 rounds at every range session I go. Than I shoot 2 or 3 mags of 45 ACP so that the last muscle memory my body and mind remembers is that of carry gun...a 1911.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
I had a stress fracture in my right wrist about 15-20 years ago and couldn't shoot right-handed (my dominant hand) for an entire shooting season.
I actually got to be pretty good shooting left-handed. Started with a .22LR revolver and eventually worked my way up to .full power .44Mag loads.

While I still occasionally shoot left-handed, I don't do it enough to be proficient much beyond 7 yards.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

I’ve always been pretty ambidextrous. Years of training in martial arts has only helped, so I can pretty much do anything with either hand. So all I can say is to use both sides of your body as much as you can.

First you want to keep your dominant side strong, and you want to improve your weak side. So good luck with the surgery and I hope you find a good physical therapist who you will love and hate as they can be evil at times but they also can do miracles if you listen to them and do what they say (or more).

 

[leo96150]

In shooting Cowboy Action Shooting in the Gunfighter category (one revolver in each hand), I have found that it is a matter of strength in the weak hand much more than coordination or anything else. Dry firing helps enormously. five or ten shots with the right, then an equal number with the left. Repeat, repeat

 

[delrom418]

To get more dexterity in your left hand, you need to do things you wouldn't normally do with your left hand. Start with using your fork/spoon only with your left hand. Use your computer mouse only with your left hand. It will seem totally awkward at first, but will become easier in time. That dexterity will help when you get to the shooting range.

 

[Bo]

I had 2 knuckles replaced in my right hand. (it'll never be the same)
I had to practice left-handed for a while.
The only difference is, I had to hold the pistol a little sideways as I'm right eye dominant.

 

[Bbear]

Sprained my right wrist in college and couldn't shoot righty. Luckily, as a kid, I shot with both. Wasn't too difficult to brush the dust off. The others have it right, start with a 22 and practice shooting left hand/right eye as well as left hand/left eye. never know when you'll need it.

 

[Berger.Fan222]

I was hopelessly right handed most of my life. But when I became an NRA instructor, I discovered the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program, which eases shooters into shooting with the non-dominant hand that builds real skills gradually over the course of the program. Now, I can do pretty well left handed. Recommended:

https://mqp.nra.org/media/4205/pistol-qualification.pdf

 

[Wisco]

I broke my right hand about 7 years ago. I’d always shot 20% or so of my range time weak-hand, but was nowhere near as proficient as strong-handed. For about a 16 weeks I carried and shot lefty. Toward the middle/end of recovery the right hand was fine for support, but still weak.

I got pretty good - 70% of what my right could do - but there’s no substitute for a lifetime of dexterity, muscle memory and ultra-fine motor skills built in one hand over the other. It’s not just shooting, but all the other things you do with one hand over the other - touching things, grabbing things, writing, etc.

Still can’t write worth a heck with my left. Or throw. Or much of anything that really requires precision.

 

[mokin]

I can't say I've had to learn to shoot with my non-dominant (left) hand but some years ago I did end up with a lot of bandages on my right hand that prevented "normal" daily activities for quite a while. I seemed to get by.

Up until just fairly recently, I used to shoot with my left hand on a limited but regular basis. Again, I could do alright. I do frequently dry fire with my left hand though. I was really able to see how I move the pistol when doing so. It made me much more aware of the same but more subtle mistakes I was making with my strong hand. Be sure to get dry firing time in as part of the training.

 

[FROGO207]

I also cross train with my offhand with a handgun each range trip due to problems with my hands. Usually it is a .22 semi but sometimes it is with whatever I am carrying that day if the .22 target looks OK first. That said, I had stopped doing it for little over a year due to the lack of .22 ammo and my regular target shooting being taken over by the 38 SPL I was reloading instead and being lazy. When resuming practice after that year off my offhand shooting deteriorated back to really poor from previously being pretty good at 7-10 YDS.

 

[kayak-man]

Back in the day, I had a shoulder surgery that put me in a sling for a month or two. That's what really drove home the point that I need to practice with every conceivable eye/hand/foot/mouth combination out there.

First,I think dry fire is going to be your friend. Dry fire a lot. Pretty much the only things you can't do with dry fire are recoil management, and confirming hold over at distance/compensating for wind.


Obviously you'll have to adapt this to your situation and current limitations, but when I'm dry firing, I like to practice each drill as a progression of 2 hands, then one, then I switch and practice as a lefty 2 hands, then one. I also make a point of doing a few reps (although a very small portion of my practice time) using the wrong eye. Normally, I use my right eye when shooting right handed, and my left eye when shooting left handed, but I like to dry fire about 20 or thirty times with my left eye and right hand, and vis versa.

Another thing that might be worth looking at is the work done by D R Middlebrooks, as he has arthritis (I believe from lime disease) and that greatly affected his ability to shoot until he revised his technique.

Hope that helps!

 

[25-5]

I started shooting lefty for left side barricades in competition. I just started practicing with the 1911 and no problem. I admit is was very strange at first with the magnified recoil, but practice did the trick. Using the Weaver stance I switched hands, feet and eye together. I still practice today.
When I would have a right handed student with a dominant left eye, I would have them use the isosceles stance which made it easy to use right hand and left eye. Brass from a semi won't hit you in the face either, In your case do the opposite. Practice brings quick results.

 

[RedlegRick]

I'm a right, but learned to use my left hand after suffering a serious hand injury in my teens. Even qualified one year in the reserves shooting southpaw. As a left eye dominant, pistol is easier, and since I use a cane in my right hand, I always shoot with my left now and better than with my right
Still shoot long guns right handed, but it's easy for me to switch now. What Wisco said works.

 

[herrwalther]

When I was still in the military, I had a squad leader who was adamant that we practiced shooting with both hands. We may not be as proficient as with our natural shooting hand, but he wanted some familiarity. And at the very least be able to qualify on our primary weapons with non dominant hands. I hated learning to shoot left handed but appreciated the lessons from the crotchety guy. While I don't spend as much time these days practicing, I'll still try hitting the broadside of a barn with my left hand.

The advantage you have is starting small and going up. In my case I learned how to shoot lefty on a full auto machine gun on a tripod and working my way down.

 

[scaatylobo]

I've had a chronic problem with my right hand(dominant) for a few years and it's gotten to the point I'm going to need surgery and a lot of physical therapy to get it working again to some degree. Probably won't ever get full function and shooting 357 mags afterward would probably be plain stupid. I learned to shoot right hand dominant shooting with two hands. I have practiced one handed at the range right and left handed. Left handed was down right embarrassing, but I think with more practice I could learn to shoot lefty. I'm going to try it with a 22LR SA revolver first, then move to shooting a 9mm semi-auto. I was playing with an air pistol today to get the feel of it and it wasn't too bad. I got to wondering how many of you guys have had to go to shooting with your non dominant hand for physical reasons and how it worked out. Also how long did it take to adjust.

When I was an LEO, I got my right [ dominant ] hand hurt during a violent arrest.

Was on light duty in the station in uniform,so I wanted to be armed.

I bought a left handed holster for the .38 snub that I was allowed to carry.

Practiced enough that I felt pretty good with it,then went to a semi auto as it did not require reloading as much.

Good luck and practice LOTS of dry gun drills.