Left eye dominate and right handed-

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Pa Teeny

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I have a question about eye dominance. I have a 5 year old son and 8 year old which both are left eye dominate and right handed.

The great news is my 5 year old won a new Remington 770 rifle in any caliber. I will get the 270, but should I get left handed or right handed. The 8 year old shots the right handed .243 no problem. Has anyone got a suggustion. The 5 year old is proud as a peacock that he won a deer rifle.

Thanks.
 
If he is going to use the gun and is right handed go with the right handed gun.It will not be a problem with a rifle,he will have to learn to close his left eye anyway.
I have his condition and the only problem I have is when I use a shotgun.It is a big deal when using a shotgun and there are ways to overcome that condition that are very easy to do.
So I say its no big deal but it must be addresed when using a shotgun.
 
If he shoots LH, get him a LH rifle. As for the eye-dominance, it won't matter with a scope. Open sights. shotguns and pistols is what he'll struggle with.
 
I have struggled with the same problem all my life and Grizlehunter said it best. I am normally right handed and it feels awkward to try and use things left handed.I get laughed at in the dove field with a shotgun. I use a double barrel,side by side, and it seems to help.I also use a peep site on my bow. I just can't seem to shoot a long bow instintly no matter how much I practice. Good luck, and I'am glad you have discover the problem as soon as you did, I have seen people that have grown up and never knew of this problem.
 
I have been debating this issue with myself for the last year. My 8 year old wants the right handed gun so I will get 2 of the same guns.


Thanks for the advice.....I will go right handed..



Anyone intrested in an FN_FAL .308. I might trade it or sell it. I have not shot it in 2 years....and probably have only shot 100 shells through it. I will see what I get for a trade...if not much you might see it in classifieds.

thanks
 
Dad had the same problem in the corps they made him wear a patch over his left eye and made him shoot right handed

Now he shoots a left handed rem 700 bdl '06 before that he shoot a lot of right hand guns left handed it can be done just not gracefully
 
Im just the opposite and so is my nephew. Taught him to use the weak eye and it seems to work well if you start them with it. May have to close one eye to start...
 
I just went through this same situation about 2 years ago with my son. He's left-handed and right eye dominant. I tried my best to get him to shoot right-handed. Although he tried his best, he was continually frustrated and was almost in tears. The final straw came when I asked him one day if he wanted to go shoot. He said......"Only if I can shoot left-handed!". That was the end of the battle as far as I was concerned. He now shoots lefty and is beginning to acquire his own LH rifles, although he shoots a RH bolt gun without a problem.

Although he IS right eye dominant, this hasn't caused him any problems at all shooting lefty. He can out-shoot me most any day we go! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Best advice: Let him do what is comfortable to him. His body will adjust in due time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

WillSD2007-1-1-1.jpg
 
The eye dominant handed thing is more a problem with handguns and instinctive shooting. With a long gun they will learn to shoot, however is the most compfortable to them anyway. Do not force them to shoot one way or the other.
 
How did you determine the eye dominance with your 5 year old? It has been my experience that the kids have difficulty looking down a rifle correctly and may skew your impression of eye dominance.

That being said, the current recommendation is to teach a kid to shoot based on their eye dominance. This will allow them to retrain their arms and hands vs retraining their eyes, because the default setting of the brain will always go back to left eye dominance. I have paraphrased this info from the 4H shooting curriculum. Contact your local 4H instructor and see if they can help...
 
Good Thread!

I have a 4yo who's very Ambi. But for shooting he really wants to go left. I've considered training his and forcing him Right, but I'm getting over it. He shoots left when he does it himself, so I'm just gonna let him.

I can't really tell the eye dominance, although I think (90%) it's left. His body dominance is equal. He's just more comfortable with the gun on his left shoulder.

It'll rarely make a difference, I use lots of single shots, break action shotguns, and my pistols have ambi safeties. When he comes to buying his own bolt guns and autos, he'll be old enough to pay for them himself!

I was taught Right, even though I'm Left Eye dominant. It was the best thing, since I'm spastic retarded with my left hand! I've got to where I shoot a bow and shotgun Right, and completely, both-eyes-open, instinctive. No problem. But my son is totally Ambidexterous, so I think letting him go Left is the Right thing to do.
 
I am left handed and left eye dominant, I shoot rifle shotgun and bow right
handed as dad taught me. Shotgunning I have always blinked my left eye at
the last moment to get a correct rt. eye sight picture. I shoot pistol left handed
and am a top local competitor in pistol and a very average rifle shooter for a
person who shoots regularly. My suggestion is let him pick what he is best
with and buy the appropriate guns for it. I never liked the idea of the ejection
port on my "other eye side" as when there is even a minor failure gas and
powders blow out. So if possible left handed guns for a left handed shooter.
My own dad just couldn't afford left handed actions when I was young as they
were very custom in that day and age.
 
I have the same condition and shoot left handed. I can use left or right handed guns with no problem. With right handed actions you will have more calibers and rifle models than left handed models. I can operate a right handed bolt action very fast because most of my rifles have been right handed, practice with both. Since shooting is all hand eye cordination I would think that using the dominate eye too aquire a sight picture would be a no brainer. Left eye dominate shoot left handed. I have a four year old son and will teach him to shoot with his dominate eye. I think Ted Williams had the same condition except right eye dominate left handed. The bottom line is make it fun for the kids with some coaching.
 
As a kid I had the same problem only I was right eye dominate and shot left handed. I dealt with this through BB guns, my first 22, and first 410. I was the only shooter in the family but I finally figured out that there was something wrong. I forced myself to become a right handed shooter. If I remember correctly it didn't take long at all. I'm 60 yrs old now and couldn't shoot left handed if I had to
 
I am right handed and left eye dominate. I shoot riflr, shotgun and pistol right handed, have all my life. I just close my left eye. Pistol shooting I will generally hold it in line with my left eye especially if there is speed involved. I don't consider it a hinderence really. I have tried left handed shooting a few years back I broke my right arm right before Christmas and so I shot a lot left handed. I could never get the feel for it and always felt kind of weird, even though I did shoot rather well.
I say it is a comfort thing, let him shoot the way he prefers and feels most comfortable.
 
Lets not forget the kid is 5. If he is truly left eye dominant (which can be difficult to determine at times and from what I understand can change at that age) he will have zero problems shooting lefty. Starting at age 20 or 60 would be difficult.

Do you know how to test for eye dominance?
 
I am right handed and left eye dominant. I shoot shotguns and rifles left handed. Pistols I shoot with my right hand but use my left eye for aiming. I know it sounds weird but it works for me. I grew up with right handed rifles and shotguns. Never had a problem shooting them left handed, I have bought one left handed bolt rifle I shot it well also, but I don't have it anymore. I say let the kid shoot however he is most comfortable, he will become a better shooter if you don't force him one way or another. Just my .02 anyway. It has worked for me for years.
 
i am right handed and left eye dominate i shoot even my bow left handed- as for my guns, all shotguns and bolts are right handed the only left handed gun i have is my ar-15 just because i didnt want the brass flying across my face
 
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