Switching from a dominant right eye to a left eye shooter?

[reefmarker]

My dominant right eye is probably not going to be useful for much any more.

I think I want to keep shooting right handed, with pistol and long gun.  I can not at the current time shoot, I have maybe a month or so before I can do any shooting "sports."

Is there any information out there on drills, etc. for people who are forced to switch from right eye dominant shooting to left eye shooting.  My left eye is still 100%.   Anyone on the forum ever been forced to do this?

Or, would I be better trying to switch to being a lefty for everything.  I once broke by right hand and got pretty good at left handing most everything, but I was a teenager at the time.

[Cedar]

I am a left-eye, right-hand dominant person. I don't know if I went about it the right way, but I just make myself do both, and so I can do both. You might just 'make' yourself do the way you think you are going to have to.

Cedar

[r_w]

My oldest son and daughter are also right hand left eye.  Lots of dry firing weapons manipulation to run the guns lefty. Doing the mag change with your strong hand has definite advantages!

Eye dominance switching is tougher, but can be done.  Lazy eye exercises are a good place to start looking.

[PorcupineKate]

It is much easier to shoot with a non dominate eye if you cover the dominate eye. Placing a piece of scotch tape on the safety lens of the eye you don't want to use is a good way to start switching eyes.  You need the frosted kind so you can't focus with the covered eye.  The tape lets lots of light in so you don't develop problems from having one eye in the dark too long.   With lots of practice you will no longer need the tape.

[David in MN]

Start writing your name 10 times daily with the non-dominant hand. It builds dexterity and may even have cognitive benefits. If you intend to switch hands you need the weak hand "brought up to speed" which can take a few weeks. I'd also recommend dexterity work like piano or juggling.

Shooting a pistol right handed with your left eye can be done but you might look a little off as you lean your head on your right shoulder. Given time and dexterity exercises you might find you prefer to switch to the left. I've found a red dot lets my weak eye focus on a rifle.

FWIW I'm cross dominant and it only really gums me up with a shotgun. Skeet is the toughest.

[goofyshooter]

Shooting pistol right handed/left eye can be done with practice and if you shoot both eyes open it gets a little easier and the. Just do dry fire practice a bunch with your left hand for rifle. I have been doing it for years. A very patient instructor taught me. It took some work but no problem now.

[Jack Crabb]

Depends upon what you are shooting. A lot of bullseye shooting disciplines include eye patches or occluders as standard shooting gear/attire for the nonshooting eye.

For defensive pistol shooting, both eyes open is preferred. Why limit one's field of vision by half in a dangerous situation? Vision should focus on the front sight with one (if necessary) or both (preferred) eyes. Shooting right or left handed with either eye dominant is a small shift in presentation of the handgun if using an isosceles stance.

Long guns are more problematic. The drop of the comb of the stock with proper cheek weld (or sight height for an AR-type design) is designed to place the eye on the side the gun is mounted in line with sights. There are specially carved wooden stocks to allow cross shooting, i.e., using the eye of the side the gun is not mounted. These seemed to be frequently used for trap and skeet shooters in the 1950's and 1960's for wounded/disabled WWII vets.

I recently started practicing shooting long guns as a lefty. To help with the process, I am using a Trijicon Reflex sight. I expect that any forward mounted red dot sight would work as well. The idea with these sights is to focus your vision on the target and then superimpose the dot into your field of view. Being on a long gun, only the eye on the side the gun is mounted will see the dot. Your brain will join together what each eye is seeing.

[Mortblanc]

I feel you have missed the point of the OP.

His right eye is rendered useless.

He does not have a full field of view, focus, or a choice.

For the pistol one might try something like this:

https://seeallopensight.com/product/see-all-open-sight/

It is an advanced fiber optic and a couple of my friends have been using them on both pistol and shotgun.  It works as well with one eye as with both from what I have seen.

[reefmarker]

Yes, right eye basically useless.

I do like all the ideas that have been suggested.

[JustinBoots]

I am left handed and lost sight in my left eye 7 years ago.  Covering the right eye will do the trick. You just have to shoot a lot.  To downside is that it takes a little time to make the switch, the upside is lots of range time!  At the same time, your brain will usually make its own transition.  Just have some fun with it, that is how I made the switch.

[CR Williams]

Also see if tilting the gun so that it lines the (angled) sights up with the left eye does the trick. I suggest this for right-hand/left-eye shooters as a starting point. It also aligns the hand and forearm more in a natural position which could help with recoil management and recovery.

[reefmarker]

I am left handed and lost sight in my left eye 7 years ago.  Covering the right eye will do the trick. You just have to shoot a lot.  To downside is that it takes a little time to make the switch, the upside is lots of range time!  At the same time, your brain will usually make its own transition.  Just have some fun with it, that is how I made the switch.

Finally got to the point I could go to the range and shoot without feeling like my eye would pop!  I have more surgery to do on the right eye, but it is suppose to help preserve my vision.

I can see the rear sight and front sight (not at the same time), but can not see the target with my right eye.  Way too dark and blurry.  So I think a red dot would be useless with my right eye.  I can use a scope, but I bet on a less than 100% sunshine day I would not be able to.

So, I tried some left eye shooting.  I was shooting through a chrono and left eye shooting was very scary, but do able.  I kept thinking I would hit the chrono.  I will need lots of practice.  I usually shoot two eyes open, so covering the right eye may be what I need to do to keep from always going to right eye first.  (I was shooting through the chrono to test out some 300 blackout that was suppose to be subsonic, but ended up over 1100 fps every time.  I didn't have the time to take the chrono down since the place was packed with shooters and going downrange was limited.)