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You know how a dogs head turns when it thinks it hears sausage?

Firearm Training

Yeah, that’s what I look like when I shoot. You see, I’m severely cross eye dominant. When I shoot pistols, I have to turn my head so that my left eye is over the center line of the pistol.

With pistols, this isn’t a problem. With rifles, I am forced to use my weak eye to aim and my left eye closes automatically so as to not try to ‘take over’. I do not see how anyone can use their left eye while aiming a rifle, but it can be done.

Oleg Volk has an article up at Cheaper Than Dirt on living with Cross Eye Dominance. I like the red dot concept better as I’m used to the idea of keeping both eyes open when you use one (I do this on my Ruger Mark III 22/45 with the cheapo holosight on it).

posted @ 11/29/2011 8:58:29 AM

Comments

George says:

on 11/29/2011 9:18:16 AM

I'm also cross eye dominant. Ive found that the red dot works, as does a low-power scope. I've got a scout rifle set up with the Leupold scout scope, and it when I mount it with both eyes open it works perfectly despite the cross dominance.

Fred says:

on 11/29/2011 9:28:07 AM

My dad, younger sister, and girlfriend all have that problem. They just shoot long guns left handed and pistols the same way you do.

Canthros says:

on 11/29/2011 9:40:53 AM

My sister has the same issue. She just shoots long guns left-handed.

Gerry says:

on 11/29/2011 9:41:27 AM

Same issue. I just shoot left handed.

Robb Allen says:

on 11/29/2011 9:48:13 AM

Here's a hint to all the thugs in the world.

If, through some happening, my right hand is damaged and I can only shoot with my left, you are safe to attack me. I will not be able to hit you at any distance.

I may be cross eye dominant, but holy moley I'm right handed as all get out.

ExurbanKevin says:

on 11/29/2011 10:19:24 AM

I couldn't hit squart with rifles growing up, and then about 5 years ago I figured out I was cross eye dominant.

I solved the problem by shooting rifles with my weak hand. Yes, there is the issue of brass flying across my body, but it's not been anything I've noticed so far.

And high thee to range, Robb, for some weak hand practice posthaste! :)

Garrett Lee says:

on 11/29/2011 10:50:13 AM

For whatever reason, I can't hit anything with a red dot scope. (And yes, I'm cross-dominant.) Maybe that's because I was trying to use it like I do irons, and sighting with one eye?

karrde says:

on 11/29/2011 10:55:03 AM

I know two people (father and son) who have a cross-dominance. Both are right-handed, but left-eye-dominant.

They both shoot their long-guns left handed. (Both are avid hunters of waterfowl...this makes using pump shotguns interesting.)

Neither one owns a pistol, and they don't shoot pistols often, so I don't remember how they handle pistols.

Warrior Knitter says:

on 11/29/2011 1:26:20 PM

I'm also right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot pistols right handed. When I bring the pistol up, the sight is centered on my left eye.

When I shoot rifles, I shoot them left handed. I added an ambi mag release to my carbine to make it easier and quicker to change mags (I also have small hands).

By using a right hand rifle, which I've already adapted to fairly easily, Mr WK can pick up and shoot any of 'my' rifles with no problems.

The only 'issue' I've had is having to bench rest the rifle on the right side of a shooting table. We're always moving rifles from one side to the other depending on who wants to shoot what.

DirtCrashr says:

on 11/29/2011 2:00:09 PM

Me too, and I shoot pistols and rifles right handed because I'm more "handed" than "eyed" - even thought I do graphics and UI design work. That stuff is so close-in eye dominance doesn't matter. And I even figured out how to shoot with both eyes open, sorta training my left-eye out of its dominant role and letting the right-eye take over.
IMO it's more in-the-head than anywhere else.

Matt says:

on 11/29/2011 5:34:34 PM

Thankfully I'm left eye dominant as well as left handed. But the scary part is I can shoot right eye/right hand with a little effort. I have practiced off-hand and shoot almost as well with my right hand as well as my left. The ability to switch sides comes in handy in close quarters. Did Airsoft room clearing exercises frequently and was a favorite point man because I could shift the SMG from one shoulder to the other depending on the corner direction. Another great training vehicle, by the way, to practice shooting under stress and movement.

Rifles retain standard right hand setups. Never had a problem shooting them left-handed. Does tend to surprise people when I cycle bolts with my left hand on a right hand bolt. Takes some practice but you can do it very quickly.

Red dots "both eyes up" are easy. I check students and guests for cross eye dominance and I find the number of left eye/right hand people to be somewhat common.

Peter says:

on 11/29/2011 5:56:59 PM

As a right-eye dominant leftie, rifles are shot right-handedly, a pistol with my left.

I've had more of a problem with finding a pistol with ambidextrous controls than shooting said pistol. I automatically cant my wrists to line the sights up with my right eye; in fact, it wasn't until I tried practicing the Todd Jarrett kung-fu death grip that I realized I was right-eyed.

Ted N(not the Nuge) says:

on 11/29/2011 9:46:02 PM

I'm another left-eyed, right-handed mutant. I shoot long guns left handed, pistols right handed, haven't had a problem yet. Haven't tried bolt action guns yet.

Ted N(not the Nuge) says:

on 11/29/2011 9:48:25 PM

Also, my left eye, no matter how hard I try, won't close on it's own. I simply cannot wink with my left eye. Right eye, no problem. Anybody else's eyes do that?

Kaerius says:

on 11/30/2011 2:04:51 PM

I'm a right eye dominant leftie... but it's quite light, I can switch eye very easily. I shoot rifles righthanded, mostly because I learned on rifles designed to be shot righthanded. I can shoot pistols in either hand(the left aims a little easier, the right has a little better trigger control, because of all the rifle shooting). I switch eye depending on which hand I shoot a pistol with...

AughtSix says:

on 11/30/2011 5:57:10 PM

This guy, an F-class shooter (prone with scope and rest) shoots left-eyed, and right handed: http://www.accurateshooter.com/guns-of-week/gunweek063/

It's also sufficiently common in the smallbore world that quite a few manufacturers make offset sights to shoot cross-eye-handed:
http://www.gehmann.com/pages-en/detail.php?id=556&headline=Zoom

Now, I wonder if the spam filter will catch the post-with-two-links...

M Gallo says:

on 12/1/2011 12:22:33 PM

I'm basically dual dominant. Just as I routinely cross my arms either way, either one of my eyes will easily outfocus the other. This was a big problem until I started using RDS, as if I tried to aim with both eyes open, the non-dominant eye would sometimes focus and kill my sight picture. With a handgun, I just practiced presenting to my proper eye (dending on which hand was holding the gun) and now I pretty much GTG. Rifles I still have to close one eye except when using a RDS.

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