Anybody shooting bolt actions when you are right handed but left eye dominant??
Are you shooting a left hand bolt using left eye, or right hand bolt and closing your left eye?
What are recommendations?
Guns & Shooting
Shooting bolt actions - right handed, left eye dominant????
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I still have a few right handed bolt actions, mostly military types, and I am left eye dominant. I shoot left handed and have to live with getting entirely out of position for a second shot.
My solution, years ago, was to get left handed bolt actions. They are out there, just a bit harder to find. Solves the problem whether hunting or in target competition.
I shot with my wrong left eye for 30 years before I figured out I was left eye dominant. Always being right handed we just assumed the eyes followed. Been shooting the same Browning bolt I bought with my paper route money when I was 14. It's a right handed action. I have to close my left eye, and I'm good with it, even though I know it would be better to have both eyes open.
That said, I've switched over to shotgunning on the left side, and most of my friends have told me how impressed they are that I can now hit the broad side of a barn. It made a world of a difference. All it took was a safety switch. Cost me about $40 to have a friend do it cause I'm lazy like that.
With a bow, that's another story. Shooting a right handed bow, I always squinted my left eye, just like my rifle. Then I switched to the "Peep Eliminator." This allows me to shoot right handed bows while keeping both eyes open and using my left eye to align things. Using this new setup, I'm pretty accurate out to 65 yards with a 2001 Hoyt, by the way, so I know it can be done.
Good luck in your search. I hope you find something that works for you.
Welderguy, So I assume she is shooting a right hand bolt action, Is she aiming/shooting left hand? Or is she shooting right handed and closing her left eye and aiming with her right eye? If you are looking for a .243, Browning does make a compact left hand Micro Midas. Nice looking with walnut stock. Unfortunately I was looking for a 6.5 Creedmoor, and that caliber is not available in left hand, only right hand. However apparently like ammo, even firearms are hard to come by at this time.
Not sure of your location, but Midwest shooters supply in Lomita does have a Browning lefty 243 in stock, (as of last week).
My son is grown now so my wife uses his bolt action youth model .243. She is right handed but left eye dominant. She has bow hunted for years but only started gun hunting the last 2 or 3 years. She does ok with it. I was going to buy her a left handed bolt for Christmas last year but had a hard time finding one at the time. Where I really give her credit is learning to shoot a vertical bow left handed, I’m not sure I could do that.
I'm left handed and left eye dominate, but when I started hunting/shooting back in the 60's, my dad said shoot right handed, because we can't afford left handed guns. In his defense, we probably never thought or heard about eye dominance back than. About 30 years ago, I tried switching to shooting left handed bird hunting because of a shoulder injury. I shot a woodcock. But than a grouse got up and I nearly shot myself. End of that experiment.
I don't think I shoot as well as some of my friends, but I don't think I shoot that bad either. I shoot a right handed bolt with a scope right handed today. My advice is to experiment, but do so safely.
Fritz
You may want to shoot left handed with right hand rifle. A number of left hand snipers were not only accurate but very fast. You will note the sniper character in Saving Private Ryan shot from both sides but in most scenes he shot from left shoulder. You get a faster and more stable bolt cycle as the stock remains between your face and left arm/shoulder. After a study using Army Rifle Team members the FBI concluded that the reason Lee Harvey Oswald could shoot so fast is that he was left eye dominant but used right hand rifle.
I would second trying shooting with both eyes open. I was trained that way and it came very easy to me, though it doesnt to everyone. I've shot with both eyes open the last 25 years, on every platform and sight type, pistol, shotgun and rifle with higher power scope or red dot. If you can train your eyes to do it it eventually just comes naturally.
I would try learning how to shoot with both eyes open. I know it’s sounds hard but can be done. I have taught many with shotgun and handgun to shoot better this way. I shoot running game with a scope and most times both eyes are open. Sometimes I can’t help and the left eyes does close. Not sure if that would help with your issue but I would try it. Was trained to do so and on my own perfected it.
My oldest daughter is right handed and left eye dominant. I picked this up very early and she learned to shoot left handed with a right handed bolt. (Offered to upgrade her to a left handed bolt as the other kids started hunting, but she really liked her youth Winchester Model 70 - Still uses it). Over time she has done well, and is quite good with it. One time putting two shots in the chest of a buck while it was running. She crosses over with her trigger hand to work the bolt. This year she shot a doe on the run and blew its heart up from 80 yds away. Proud dad moments....
Displaying 1 to 14 of 14 posts
