Are you right-handed with left master eye, or vice-versa? Lots of people are. Shooting a handgun that way is easier than you might think. I recently wrote and illustrated how in this article.
For long guns, it makes more sense to simply shoot from the shoulder on the dominant eye side, whether rifle or shotgun. Hell, we may have been shooting long guns backward the whole time. Which hand supports the weight of the shotgun or rifle? Which hand works a pump gun’s slide? Which hand tracks a moving target or between multiple targets? Always the forward hand – so why are we assigning strength and dexterity functions to the weaker hand? Dominant hand forward will make the gun feel lighter. Yes, you’re running the trigger with the less dexterous hand…but that ain’t like threading a needle or something.
I’ve informally taught a fair number of people to shoot a .22 pistol, and one of the first things I ask them after safety training is, “What’s your dominant eye?” An astonishing number used to look at me like I was crazy and ask what I meant. I used the simple thing of having them hold up their index finger at arms length with both eyes open lined up on some object farther away, and then close their left eye. I’d ask, “Did the object move from behind your finger?”. If the answer was “no”, then I’d have them look with both eyes again and close their right eye, and ask if it moved. It’s a simple way to determine eye dominance; the eye for which things move when it’s closed is the dominant one.
I was born with an amblyopic left eye so I’ve always been strongly right-eye dominant. Curiously I’m mostly left-handed…except for swinging a bat or racquet and (fortunately) shooting. I occasionally practice shooting weak-hand (left-handed) and it’s simply hard to get used to it, but not impossible. I’d hate to try to compete using the left, but for defensive shooting it’s good enough at self-defense range.
Mid cataract surgery, had to go with the “other” eye. Works great and as you note, while I’m decent with the other hand, I’m still better with the dominant hand.
Interesting considerations.
On a side note, I used to shoot in competition about as well offhand as prone using a model 52c. A rather heavy target barrel and a cracked stock to boot. I practiced offhand dry fire at home a lot. And I did so without my left support hand. Odd that I developed that style of practice looking back. I am still rather good offhand. My cousin was surprised to see me drop a round on the X at 100 yards offhand using his modern .50 cal muzzle loader. In my 60’s at the time, with a cataract in my dominant eye, the scope helped.
My thought is, practice makes the difference, no (or little) matter the rest.
I can’t say whether I was a better shooter cross dominant or not. I tried it many years ago when I was deep into deer hunting with the pistol (and my eyes still cooperated with my wishes). I did it long enough for it to become second nature. On a similar level, I once had a long term index finger injury on my dominant hand (right), and decided to invest in a left handed matching IWB holster so I could shoot and carry lefted handed/left eye. It took a while, but with regular practice I was soon able to reliably draw, fire, and hit, and manipulate my pistol left handed. I think the bottom line here is, if the desire is there, most people who want to can achieve a high level of ambidexterity, and I think it probably applies to vision also. It begs the question how/and whether vision and dominant eyes are rigidly or loosely linked at birth and why. Do we know what assigns dominance, and whether it’s degree is carved firmly into our physiology, or whether it’s largely a “habit”?
Ok now Im hooked. I want to try running my shotguns weak handed, the way you described it makes complete sense. I use the Rob Haught method of push/pull and weak handed would make it easier
Excellent article! Thanks for the link. I look forward to reading more Armory Life articles.
I, too, am right handed, but left eye dominant. I first learned to shoot with a lever action BB gun which just felt natural for me to shoot left handed because of my left eye dominance. Later, when I was given a bolt action .22 LR, I learned to shoot right handed using my right eye because it was too awkward to cycle the bolt when shooting left handed. Because of this, I became an ambidextrous shooter from a very early age.
When I was about 8 years old, my father taught me to shoot a .22 LR pistol right handed using my right eye because that was the way it was done if you were right handed & I became very proficient at it. Although I can shoot handguns equally well left handed, I still prefer to shoot handguns with my right hand because I am right handed. However, as I have grown older, I have found that I can see my iron pistol sights much better with my left eye, so now I shoot my handguns right handed using my left eye most of the time. As Mas wrote in the article, it’s very easy to do using the Weaver stance or my own modified Weaver stance, which I began doing over 30 years ago without even knowing that it’s now called the Chapman Method.
Typically, the only time I use an Isosceles stance is at very close distances (7 yards or less) where speed is more important than a perfect sight picture. When doing so I hold my gun at chest level with both arms semi-extended while looking over the top of the gun at the target with both eyes open & point shooting like Jim Cirillo used to do. He described it as the “Geometric Point” technique (see “Guns, Bullets, & Gunfights” pp. 82-83 by Jim Cirillo). Muscle memory makes this a very effective technique if you practice it regularly on the range. It’s also effective at longer distances if your gun has a laser sight attached to it.
One of the best things about being an ambidextrous shooter is that I can easily shoot around barriers left handed on the left side of the barrier & right handed on the right side. Also if one hand or eye is injured or temporarily disabled, I can still shoot a firearm using the opposite hand & eye. In addition, because I’m an ambidextrous shooter, I prefer carrying my concealed carry gun crossdraw in a vertical holster so that I can access it quickly with either hand.
Finally, I practice shooting both right handed & left handed when I’m at the range & I also practice firing from different shooting positions whenever possible. One thing that makes that interesting to me is that sometimes I shoot better left handed than right handed & some days it’s the exact opposite. It’s the same with shooting positions–I never know which one will be better for me on any given day. It’s very entertaining as well as informative.
I’m a southpaw that’s right eye dominant. Always had been a pretty good pistol shooter but a not so hot long gun shooter. Well when I went to the police academy we had to shoot both pistols (revolvers only, dating myself) and the 870 shotgun both strong side and weak side.
Eureka! I was a good long gun shooter too, just right handed though. Over time, I got to be almost as good shooting pistols right handed as my left. But I’m more comfortable shooting pistols left handed. Still suck shooting long guns right handed.
I discovered I was left eye dominant as a kid, I did photography and ALL cameras are right handed. As for shooting the only problem I had was trying to shoot a right handed flintlock left handed….not fun. I did qualify with the M-16 right handed in my USAF days, and later qualified with the .38 revolver, while shooting left eye dominant…, It’s never been a big deal for me, I just love guns and shooting!