Dominant eye Q

[PoorMan]

I'm right handed and left eye dominant. Shoot pistols right. Shoot rifles left (oddly this feels more natural than shooting rifles right to me.)

I'm considering trying shooting pistol left...haven't done so yet.

[tacticalcity]

If you close your support side eye it may not matter.

When shooting right handed I shoot right eye open and when shooting lefty I do the opposite. I don't walk around all day with one eye closed. I close my support side eye (whichever that might be) right as a I point in, line up the sights, and pull the trigger. When I lower to the ready and begin to scan for additional targets both eyes are open again. It is second nature to me.

Shooting both eyes open is an impossibility for me, the way my eyes work. Especially at speed. No amount of practice will change that. It is great that some people can do this, and actually get a sight picture. I cannot. Not with irons. I have found most people cannot.

[Magilla26]

As catch said, It makes a big difference in Archery. Very hard to shoot a bow that is opposite of your dominant eye.

[PoorRichRichard]

OP- let him try both.
If he sucks at both, try an eye patch.

[Divernhunter]

simple fix.....Close the left eye.

After an accident(bad auto) I went from right to left eye dom. It sucks when shooting a shotgun as I always shot with both eyes open.

When shooting rifle/pistol I close the left eye and have NO problem.

[CCrawford]

I've read a couple of different shotgunning books and the authors were both completely in the "must shoot shotgun on dominant eye side" or you will never advance into upper levels of sport/wasting your time.

[Divernhunter]

Sorry I close my eye when shooting a rifle/pistol but not a shotgun. I can no longer hit much with a shotgun and do not shoot one anymore.
I cannot shoot left handed at all.

[gorgo331]

I'm left handed and right eyed. I shoot pistol right-handed. I think this may be related to the fact that I'm a southpaw and have to do most things right-handed with both hands. My brain has to adapt and overcome.

[Dutch Henry]

I didn't find out that I was left eye dominant until I had been shooting for 15 years. I never tried to adapt to shooting left handed and I don't regret it at all. I shoot everything right handed. With a handgun, using the left eye isn't a problem at all. With a rifle, the left eye is closed when sighting so isn't a problem, either. The shotgun took more training; I pick up the target, begin my swing and as I pull ahead of it, I unconsciously close my left eye when I pull the trigger. I shoot trap, double clay birds, sporting clays with a better than average score. YMMV

[windrunner]

Shooting a weapon with a stock should be done on the dominant eye side. A person can cheat with a handgun.

A good friend of mine has that same issue. He is left eye dominant, but he shoots a handgun right handed. It's easy for him to keep using his left eye with a handgun. Any kind of firearm that has a stock, he has to shoot left handed.

[aklon]

I discovered early on that while I was right-handed, my eyes were the opposite. So, I learned to shoot rifles left-handed and to "cant" handguns a bit to the left for sighting and it has worked out very well indeed.

The important thing is not how you shoot, but how well you shoot. Teaching your son to shoot left handed to accommodate his eyesight means he'll hit the target and when he does that, he'll be a shooter for life.

[Sheepdog1968]

Have him,learn to shoot from both sides of his body. It's a more valuable skill.

[wpage]

Learn to shoot with both eyes open...

[wcoastpi]

Found out this weekend when teaching my 8 year to shoot a .22 for the first time that he is Left eye dominant. he is not massively into shooting at all at this point and given our family and how much (little) I get to shoot it is unlikely he'll ever be more than a plinker / occasional target shooter like me. I should add that I am left eye dominant also and shoot right handed. Given that is it worth the inconvenience / possible cost down the line of trying to teach him to shoot left handed with right handed rifles? opinions please?

I am left eye dominate, shoot rt hd action rifles left handed (presents no problem). Shoot hand guns right handed - problem; left eye dominate makes POI left of POA. With combat sights, have to take that into account when target shooting. With adjustable sights, correction can be made. Really, no issue with combat targets (as you are looking for hits in the vital areas) but issue is with bulls eye targets.

Your son can learn to shoot with his right eye if he doesn't feel comfortable shooting left handed. I have a friend who is exactly the same as your son. He favored right handed shooting, so he covered dominate eye with a patch to get used to shooting with a right handed action rifle. Without the patch, his dominate eye would almost always take over.

[4Patriot]

I am a righty who is left eye dominant, and I shoot rifles from the left. I prefer it that way, there is no adjustment needed in my brain, which would require training to overcome nature. As for using my left hand for my trigger work, no problem, even though I am a righty. With right-handed bolt actions I have to reach other, but that is a minor inconvenience. And of course there are some left-handed bolt guns out there. As for semis and lever guns, it's pretty much all the same, except for the safety sometimes. With shotguns the shells eject across your sight line, but it happens so fast you hardly notice it. Pistols are not an issue -- I can shoot them righty just by shifting the gun ever so slightly to the left , so it falls into line with my dominant left eye. My advice is to let your son do what comes naturally.