Right handed but left eye dominant

[willforu1]

After about a 10-15 year hiatus I have rekindled my interest for hunting and shooting sports. I want to shoot sporting clays and maybe skeet. I am right handed. I have went out 3 times this year to shoot clays. I was told the first time out that i should shoot a shotgun with 2 eyes open. I am trying to stick to this. I am having a tough time with all targets especailly those flying from left-to-right at 90 degrees. Yesterday my buddy told me that he thinks that I am left eye dominant and gave me a few tests and he was absolutely correct.

Now what to do? The way I see it is I have 3 options.

1. Switch to left handed - probably the best option but man does this feel awkward and I am using an 11-87 auto.
2. put a piece of tape over my left eye of my shooting glasses so that I could use the periffial vsioon of my left eye to pick up the target but not have it take over when I am pulling the trigger.
3. Close my left eye at all times.


I guess I could see if I can correct my left eye dominance by corrective lenses?

Any ideas? How the heck can I get used to shooting left handed. I really want to get into this sporting clays but if you cant break too many targets it is no fun.

[dougwg]

I have over heard one of the gentleman that own Firing Line shooting range say that he was able to "Slap that crap right out of you".

I think it might be some "new intense therapy". :)

[no.4shot]

Maybe this article will help:

http://woolleyshooting.com/Articles/eye.html

[willforu1]

That was a great article. Looks like shutting one eye is out of the question. I think I will try to make the switch to left handed. this will give me an excuse to buy that O/U that I always wanted. that 11-87 just ejects them into my face.

[postban]

...
2. put a piece of tape over my left eye of my shooting glasses ...
...

That works for me. Use a small piece so you only lose vision at the moment of the shot and lose sight of the side of the gun. You can still use both eyes to pick up the target and go to strong eye when the gun is mounted for SC.

I can shoot shotguns left handed as well but have problems with my eye switching randomly, lazer surgery on the peeps did that. Tape fixes it.

Just has to be opaque or blurry like scotch tape I find. Free to try anyway.

[willforu1]

I just wondered how this happended. (how my left eye became so strong). I think I always was slightly left eye dominant. Not a problem for my rifle shooting because I close my left eye. I developed a stigmatizm in my right eye and I believe it got progressivly worse. Now I can only shoot rifles with a scope through my right eye. I even catch my self closing my right eye to read sometimes. I may try this tape idea but I think the long term answer is to make the switch to lefty. Shot a deer left handed once.

[no.4shot]

Looks like shutting one eye is out of the question.


I am no expert, but this is what I have learned about the shotgun sports. Shoot what is comfortable. If you try shooting left handed and don't like it go back to right and try the tape. If the tape don't work then shoot one eye closed. I shoot one eyeclosed. I tried the others without success. My scores really suffered. Even after six months. So I elected to shoot one eyed.

Another example of this is stance. Do a google search on trap stance and you will get thousands of different ones. Some will say be straight others will say bend you front knee.

So my advice is do what is comfortable but don't let you scores suffer.

[esq_stu]

With a pistol, I shoot righty and am right eye dominant. I practice lefty and use my right eye but I have trained myself to tilt the gun to the right - kind of gangsta style. Much easier to use the opposite eye that way. It works for me.

I'm thinking you should try a shotgun that way?

No, maybe not. I guess the stock is still on your right cheek. Oh well . . .

[DHughes]

Willforu1;
I think the most important thing you must consider is how far do you want to progress as a sporting clays or a skeet shooter. Are you just going out to have some fun with your buddies occasionally or do you have a desire to get good enough to take up the sport on a competitive basis? How long have you been shooting? That may have an influence as to wether you are willing to switch shoulders. If you want to be the best you can be, switching is the best option.
There are a lot of very successful competitive trap, skeet and sporting clays shooters that shoot with tape on the dominant lens of their glasses.
There are also shooters who watch for the target and then close the opposite eye just as they are finding the sight picture and pulling the trigger. This works pretty well for some. And then there those who close the off eye before the even call for the target. I think these shooters are handicapped the most as they loose depth perception as well as field of vision. Depth perception may not be as important for a skeet shooter as they are always the same distance but sporting clays targets are always at different distances from the shooter and the varieties of targets are endless.
So I would recommend you spend a little time with a Level 1 instructor. He can help you decide whicg tecnique would work best for you and get you comfortable faster before you develope habits that will be harder to break. Check out this link for a couple of articles and some info on instruction.


http://www.islandlakeshootingrange.com/instrviews.htm

[no.4shot]

This past weekend When I was at the trap range I tried shooting with both eyes open. It was tough...15,15, then a 19. Thats way down from my usual 22 or 23. I am going to stick with it though for a couple of weeks and see if I see an improvement.

All of that frustration because of this thread.....thanks OP

[DHughes]

Willforu1
I sent you another IM yesterday. Just wondering if you got it.

[Tallbear]

Willforu1
I sent you another IM yesterday. Just wondering if you got it.

I tried your pirate patch Don, and it worked!!!! :brow:

[gauddylee]

I use a pirate patch over my non-dominant eye. I works great increased my accuracy 10fold

[DHughes]

Glad it helped

[DHughes]

Hey Mike and gauddylee;
I hope my "Pirate Patch didn't cover the whole eye.
It should only be abt 1/2" - 3/4" max and must be precisely placed on the shooting glasses.

[Tallbear]

Hey Mike and gauddylee;
I hope my "Pirate Patch didn't cover the whole eye.
It should only be abt 1/2" - 3/4" max and must be precisely placed on the shooting glasses.

I just took it off the dead pirate and put it on. :pirate:

[mydogmax]

My problem is I rifle shoot left-handed, pistol shoot right-handed. And have an annoying habit of closing my RIGHT eye when I pistol shoot. I catch it fairly soon and correct myself, but one of these days I'm gonna do everything via the same hand!

[willforu1]

Willforu1
I sent you another IM yesterday. Just wondering if you got it.
I only got the first note.

Why do the topics disappear after a few days? I thnk we would get more traffic and get more people involved if these threads did not disappear.

[DHughes]

I only got the first note.

Why do the topics disappear after a few days? I thnk we would get more traffic and get more people involved if these threads did not disappear.
I think it's on your ene. By that I mean that you can set it to show messages for 1 day or 2, a week, month etc.
I don't remember how to do it though.

[PhotoTom]

I think it's on your ene. By that I mean that you can set it to show messages for 1 day or 2, a week, month etc.
I don't remember how to do it though.

Within each forum, there is an option at the bottom of the page for how far back to display. In your user options, you can set your own preferred settings that will apply for all forums...or, you can select "use forum defaults" which will vary from forum to forum.

[DHughes]

Thanks Tom, that did the trick.

[Shireman]

I have this same problem. When I use a bow I hold it right handed and close my left eye.

[no.4shot]

my Kid does that with his bow. Now I put electrical tape on his left eye so if he tries to do that he only sees black. That has really helped his lost arrow count.