Eye dominance

Shootist

Well-Known Member
I hope this is in the right section. On another thread there has been much reference to eye dominance.

I shoot rifles left handed. I rarely shoot shotguns and certainly not enough to get serious about it. But, A while ago I helped out as a 'stooge' pupil on a training course for clay shooting instructors. Part of the course was for the would be instructor to establish eye dominance, and there I started to cause problems. The initial check showed I was strongly right eye dominant, but as soon as I mounted a shotgun I was then left eye dominant. This caused no end of confusion but was confirmed by the instructor of the course, who you might expect was very experienced. After some discussion it was decided that because I had been shooting rifles as a left hander for so long my brain adapted when I was aiming a gun.

I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
 
I'm right handed, naturally left eye dominant. Been an archer since 8 years old and a bit competitive, drawing with right arm and aiming with right eye. Shotgun and rifle off my right shoulder. I can shoot shotgun both eyes open, but prefer to close left if 'aiming'. Guess my brain has also adapted - but occasionally I find eyes fighting for dominance when on clays etc.
 
I'm right handed, right eye dominant but have had problems over the years with dominance flipping as you describe but just at the point of shooting when you are most focused on the target.

The check for this is when you mentally replay the shot and the final image in your mind as you pulled the trigger included the side of the gun not just a bit of rib and the target. I noticed it happened a lot more when I was tired or hungry.

Not a problem with a rifle as the scope only provides a reticule for the correct eye.
 
Eye dominance is set from early age, with both sides of the brain evaluating vision from both eyes but using the image from one eye in preference to the other. Some people may have very small difference in preference and hence considered neutral. It can change around adolescence but will not change because you are mounting a rifle or a shotgun. During the process of mounting one or the other, you are no doubt overriding autonomous reaction with conscious movement. Generally not a problem shooting and therefore aiming a rifle but no good if you are trying to do this with a shotgun, which is never aimed but instead, pointed.

Also, it does not necessarily follow that "handiness", follows the same side eye dominance.
 
Just this last couple of months I have been aware that my strong left eye dominance has shifted. It now seems to be 85-90% right and I think that may well be to do with shooting the rifle off my right shoulder.

I had an eye test last week and asked the optician about it. He said we can train an eye to be dominant...it is quite possible and is not a fixed thing.

I wish I had known that before I had my shotgun put over to the left and tried to learn how to hold it left handed. I did manage but I am so much more comfortable off the right shoulder, even though I am left handed for writing...I am reasonably ambidextrous. As a blacksmith I hammer right handed and use most tools right handed...a matter of having to fit in with a right handed world.

Alan

Posted this and have just seen Deermanagement's post...who seems to have come to an almost opposite conclusion...I am not trying to be contentious but just reporting what the optician said.
 
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Just this last couple of months I have been aware that my strong left eye dominance has shifted. It now seems to be 85-90% right and I think that may well be to do with shooting the rifle off my right shoulder.

I had an eye test last week and asked the optician about it. He said we can train an eye to be dominant...it is quite possible and is not a fixed thing.

I wish I had known that before I had my shotgun put over to the left and tried to learn how to hold it left handed. I did manage but I am so much more comfortable off the right shoulder, even though I am left handed for writing...I am reasonably ambidextrous. As a blacksmith I hammer right handed and use most tools right handed...a matter of having to fit in with a right handed world.

Alan

Posted this and have just seen Deermanagement's post...who seems to have come to an almost opposite conclusion...I am not trying to be contentious but just reporting what the optician said.

I suspect the optician is suggesting that your non-dominant eye's effectiveness can be improved through visual training. I am aware of this but not seen exercises specifically intended to do this. In the vast majority of cases it would not be the appropriate thing to do as a strong eye dominance, either left or right only helps visually in shooting sports and anyone can learn how to shoot from the opposite shoulder despite the initial uncomfortable feeling.

It is a paradox that those right handed shooters who are comfortable doing most things right handed including shooting from the right shoulder are happy to trust the left side to guide the gun during the final milliseconds before triggering the shot. Of course vice versa for the left hander.

Eye dominance is hard wired via the brain so it will not change easily and if it does, I suspect it will be a permanent change via some neurological reason beyond my understanding.
 
It wasn’t until I started pistol shooting that I found out that I don’t have a dominant eye, which is a huge pain in the backside for combat shooting as you’re supposed to keep both eyes open. Sighting with both eyes open just results in see two sets of sights.:cry:
 
I am right handed but left eye dominant. Having tried for over 40 years, I cannot change this! With a rifle it is not an issue. With a shotgun, it is!
However, having shot clays at a very high level, I have managed to over come this. I squint my left eye until I'm locked on with my right eye. Both eyes remain open giving me depth/range perception and it seems to work. Other than an eye failing due to medical reasons, I've never heard of anyone managing to change their master eye. If starting out with shotguns, I would encourage anyone to shoulder the gun in accordance with their master eye. It may feel awkward at first, but it will become natural and pay off in the long run. That said, I am now ambidextrous with both rifle and shotgun, but I really can't be doing with buying left handed guns!
MS
 
I have very little eye dominance so all I do is partially close one eye before pulling trigger on a shotgun, sort of a last minute check.
 
You have essentially central vision which can cause an issue with a shot gun. I know!! You will have a dominant eye but the other will be almost as strong. This can be induced by training. I use binocular microscopes and there fore developed central vision as a necessity. For years I struggled with a shotgun until I got it fitted properly. The issue was too low a mount on the stock causing partial obscuring of my dominant eye, this allowed my slightly weaker eye to take over. One riser pad and it was fine. Rifles were never an issue.
 
Like Felix says, The army sniper specialists I knew shoot both eyes open. When we trained with the assault rifle it was right eye (lefties obviously being some form of disability :lol: ) . Don't know if infantry still train right eye only on the assault rifle ? Suspect things have moved on. But I find both eyes open really distracting.
 
For me the central vision means I have to close one eye at the last minute when shooting shotgun just to make that final check however I normally shoot rifle with both eyes open, don't know why its what I've always done
 
I think the brain is more trainable than many would believe. People have their own solutions but I believe that you can train your brain to override a dominant eye in many situations. I started life strongly left eyed and my boyhood air rifles were left handed. In the cadets I had to learn to shoot the SLR and so I started to practise right handed shooting. It is hard to get a left handed target rifle second hand so I just carried on right handed. Now I tend to instinctively look through telescopes and such right eyed. It is, however, handy to be able to take the odd shot off the left shoulder when a deer appears close by on your far right and you hardly dare move. Then the left eye dominance seems to return perfectly.
 
I think the brain is more trainable than many would believe. People have their own solutions but I believe that you can train your brain to override a dominant eye in many situations. I started life strongly left eyed and my boyhood air rifles were left handed. In the cadets I had to learn to shoot the SLR and so I started to practise right handed shooting. It is hard to get a left handed target rifle second hand so I just carried on right handed. Now I tend to instinctively look through telescopes and such right eyed. It is, however, handy to be able to take the odd shot off the left shoulder when a deer appears close by on your far right and you hardly dare move. Then the left eye dominance seems to return perfectly.

Remember though, eye dominance only becomes an issue if you are sighting with both eyes open, not a normal practice with rifle shooting.
 
My first son is R handed and Left eye dominant as is my youngest son.

No 1 shoots R handed in the army but shoots L handed at home and is an excellent shot off both shoulders which may be very handy should he get into a combat situation.

My youngest son is Nerf gun mad and has always been L eye dominant but righr handed so we are currently having a battle to see which shoulder he shoots off.

I expect he will turn out to be like his eldest brother.

I am R handed, shoot rifle and shot gun with both eyes open.

D
 
My youngest son is Nerf gun mad and has always been L eye dominant but righr handed so we are currently having a battle to see which shoulder he shoots off.

D

Should not be in question..... left shoulder or will never get to his potential. I know many people who have competed to the highest international standard having made the same decision, and by international I mean World Cup, World Championship and Olympic standard.
 
.............No 1 shoots R handed in the army but shoots L handed at home and is an excellent shot off both shoulders which may be very handy should he get into a combat situation.........D

Nice thought, but not practical as you can't shoot the SA80 left handed; you get hit in the face with the bolt.:(
 
Like Felix says, The army sniper specialists I knew shoot both eyes open. When we trained with the assault rifle it was right eye (lefties obviously being some form of disability :lol: ) . Don't know if infantry still train right eye only on the assault rifle ? Suspect things have moved on. But I find both eyes open really distracting.

I used to shoot with both eyes open, sa80 with susat scope, but I am quite heavily right eye dominant so that helped. Very useful to stop getting tunnel vision and keeping situational awareness. Still do it when shooting scopes rifles now.
 
For me the central vision means I have to close one eye at the last minute when shooting shotgun just to make that final check however I normally shoot rifle with both eyes open, don't know why its what I've always done

I have no dominant eye and shooting a shotgun was the same for me before I started using a red dot. My left eye can't possibly see the red dot, so only one dot and easy to shoot both eyes open. I also use red dots on all driven hunts.

Also a rifle with any kind of magnification on the scope is really hard to shoot both eyes open. Practically I have to somehow assist my brain to use the right eye: scotch tape on the shooter's glasses on the left lens or at least partially closing the left eye. Otherwise I just see my whole field of vision like I normally would plus a magnified round area in front of my right eye.

Absolutely the best for me is a good quality 1x red dot (true 1x on an optic is not the same) mounted close to my right eye. As far back on the receiver as possible. A good dot has very little tint on the glass and optical anomalies as compared to the naked left eye. With a wide field of vision through the lens and everything you see being almost the same through both eyes makes the magic work. In my experience no magnifying optic (even on 1x) can touch the seamlessness of a quality 1x red dot.
 
Right handed but left eye dominant so shoot of my left shoulder and tend to keep both eyes open regardless of whether its a rifle or shotgun. I can shoot a rifle right handed but with a shotgun can't hit much of my right shoulder.
 
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