Angus74

Im having trouble deciding how to teach my son to shoot. I have a son soon to be 4 years old, and want to teach him to shoot both guns and bows, when he is old enough and big enough and mostl of all, safe enough.. But my problem is, he seems to be right handed, most of the time, he does things right handed but will use both hands depending on what he is doing. But he is 100 percent left eye dominant, I have tested his eye dominance several times and always left eyed.Should I teach him to shoot left handedsince he is left eye dominant, or just teach him to shoot right handed, and hope he doesnt have trouble aiming when he gets older. What should I do here?? Please give me advice as to what to do, I know I have time, but am wanting to have an idea of what Im going to try to do in the future. Thanks for any advice.

NE Hunter

I'd wait a little while as eye dominance can change.

James B

If his eye stays the same, I would teach him to shoot left handed. Its really no handicap these days with good choices in LH guns. I learned to shoot right handed then lost my right eye in a construction accident. I had to learn to shoot lefty as an adult.

dr0ptin3

im a left-handed shooter, and ive never used a LH-specific gun. doesnt seen to cause me much trouble.

buckstalker1187

I have a buddy that is right handed but after he was shot with a b-b gun when he was younger,his right eye went blurry and hecannot make objects out very clearly. He had taught himself how to shoot left handed many years ago, probally when he was about 8 years old. He shoots both gun and bow left handed....Although it looks akward for me to watch him shoot left handed,he claims that it is very easy for him.

If you said your son can use both hands to do other duties, then maybe he can practice shootingboth ways until you guys figure out whathis eye is going to do. Because your son is still young, things could change with his dominant eye (likeNE hunter said.) Even if his dominant eye doesn't change, you will have the best darn shooter able to shoot right and left handed there is....

BOY I SURE WISH I WAS INTRODUCED TO GUNS AT 4 YEARS OLD....THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EXTRA 3 YEARS OF SHOOTINGUNDER MY BELT.

Soilarch

Same here, left eyed and handed. I've never shot a LH-specific gun and it's never given me a problem...even automatics. (I quickly learned to not 'hung up' on my 10/22 and its never given me a problem...no other auto has either)

With bows, shooting LH is only a minor inconvenience. Not worth worrying about.

KansasHunter5

I am exactly that...Completely right handed, Completely left eye dominant. Have been shooting for years. Here is how i was taught and like to shoot. I shoot all guns right handed still. Handguns and rifles i have no handicap in shooting. Cant head to the right with a handgun, and left eye is perfectly aligned. Rifles, at the range I close my right eye and shoot, but in the field i keep both open, it is just a matter of focus. Being left eye dominant helps me keep one eye on my surroundings at all times. I have to conciously focus with my right eye or close my left eye. A shotgun is the most difficult, but easy to overcome. I have only looked down the side of my barrel accidentally with my left eye twice in the last 3 years out pheasant hunting. To me shooting right handed is much more natural, and i can FLOW with each moving shot and steady a lot easier than shooting lefty. This makes it easier for me to find my target while shotgunning. That said, i try to keep both eyes open while shooting my shotgun in the field, but it is hard. Most of the time i locate the animal with gun up and both eyes open, but then for a split second i close my left eye, center on target and squeeze.

That is how i do it. Probably not the best way, but it works very well for me.

Chris

Doe Dumper

I dunno which I am as I see double when i try to do the test..lol. But I do shoot right handed and do most other things lefthanded..how screwed up is that?

James B

You really don't want an answer to that question do you?

ButchA

Doe Dumper, that sounds exactly like me....
I am probably a freak of nature. I am left handed, but then right handed at this, but then left handed at that. Go figure...

I remember trying in vain to qualify on the M-16 in USCG boot camp decades ago. I remember telling the range instructor that I am left handed and grew up shooting lefty. I was one of those kind of people... So then they put on this funny looking shroud thing over the ejection port so a lefty wouldn't get biffed... As soon as they did that - bingo! I qualified and darn near made sharpshooter!

As it stands now, my Remington 870 12GA is a lefty version. But my Marlin 30-30 is standard righty (nobody makes a lefty lever gun). I shoot the old 30-30 just like I shoot my boyhood Marlin Model 60 .22lr rifle. I just angle my right elbow downwards a bit so my right forearm won't get biffed by an ejecting shell.

With compound bows, if you're left eye dominant is is extremely advisable to shoot a lefty bow. My old PSE bow was lefty and my new compound bow will also be lefty.

Believe me, I have held firearms right handed and they just feel weird and uncomfortable. I just can't do it... With shooting, it's either lefty or nothing.

As far as left handed versus right handed, try to figure this one out!!!!
Handwriting - left handed
Golf - right handed
Baseball (bat) - right handed
Baseball (throw) - left handed
Football (throw) - right handed
Football (punt/kick) - left footed

Butch A.