The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: FyreSarge on June 01, 2009, 10:35:35 PM
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I have always shot long guns left handed, but being right handed, I holster pistols on my right side.
I have been shooting for years, but only as recreation. I have read how many people tilt their head in order to compensate for the right hand/ left eye setup.
I have tried using my right eye with "okay" results. Is the head-tilt method the recommended way to shoot a pistol with this "condition", or should I consider working on left hand draw?
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Welcome to the forum.
I'm the same as you. I don't know if it is the correct way, but I do well closing my right eye and shooting a handgun left eyed. I used to shoot a rifle well with iron sights when I was a kid, now I dont shoot worth a hoot. With a shotgun I'm either hot or cold. I cant seem to get the hang of shooting left handed or tilting my head over on long guns.
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http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=1635.msg15658;topicseen#msg15658 (http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=1635.msg15658;topicseen#msg15658)
Do a little searching around. I remember this being talked about more than once. The above is from Marshal, and I know there is one out there by Michael Bane with what he is presently fighting.
Regardless of what you find out, Good Luck!
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I'm kind of in the oposite boat. I'm left handed, left eye dominant. However, I prefer semi-auto pistols, so I shoot right handed as that's where the controls are. I either shoot instinctive (both eyes open, just like a shot gun) which is good enough for SD at 15-20 yds, or I tilt my head if I want better than a 4" group. Your mileage may vary.
FQ13
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I have always shot long guns left handed, but being right handed, I holster pistols on my right side.
I have been shooting for years, but only as recreation. I have read how many people tilt their head in order to compensate for the right hand/ left eye setup.
I have tried using my right eye with "okay" results. Is the head-tilt method the recommended way to shoot a pistol with this "condition", or should I consider working on left hand draw?
Keep on doing what you are doing. No point in changing what is natural for you. It sure works for me!
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Thanks for the advice and comments. I had read the "Lefty" post before posting my own. I just wanted to get more info on the subject.
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I have this problem too.. Right handed left eye dominant.. but I can't seem to figure out what works best for me.. :'(
When I shoot sporting clays I automatically use my right eye.. but when I use my pistols I seem to cock my head over and want to use my left eye.. but then again.. I actually do better using my right eye WHEN I remember to close my left eye while shooting with my right eye open. But I have always shot everything with both eyes open , so to close one eye is something I never remember to do and when you need to compete against the timer.. forgetting anything is costly..
And then I am contending with the frickin &^#$@&^%$$%#(&(^%$ bifocals... which frustrates the living hell out of me.. Because unless I tip my head back a bit I can't really see the front site and when I do that ..the targets are blurry cause I can't see far away..
It is soooo aggravating.. >:( >:(
My god... did any of that make sense? and if you knew how fast I talk.. you would really be confused..
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Teresa,
Your a candidate for progressive lenses. I use them for reading and shooting. I've got the upper part of the lens focused at or about the front sight of my 1911, my longest frame handgun and the lower for reading and close work. Standard bi-focals are a pain in the butt to shoot with. The progressives are a little more money but the make a world of difference.
For clays and trap I can go without thankfully, and just use my standard glasses but there are some stick on magnafiers you can buy so you can read as well.
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Timothy.. I have progressive Bifocals and I HATE them!
That little hour glass of bifocal isn't enough for me to see through.. I have full magnifiers on anytime I am on the computer....or read.. or text..
I really am frustrated with it all. I have also tried every kind of contact ( not hard) and I can't wear them.. Too much slippage off the iris..
Marshal can wear his contacts and he also loves his progressive bifocals..
I'm looking into laser surgery. That will enable me to see far away but then I just use the cheaters for close up.. as it is now, I can't see either..
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I know we are drifting, but bifocals (progressives) are not far from dominance when it comes shooting issues.
I was blessed with these joyful things about 18 months ago, and I can't say I hate them. I do miss a single correction and the ease of so much with them. I love the clearness when I hit the right "zone," but I am still learning where the sight picture is on draw, and occasionally after recoil I can totally lose the muzzle end of the gun :o Repetition helps, but the cost of ammo has really cut into that.
My point is that no matter the limitation it can be overcome. Sometimes it takes fundamentals, and sometimes it takes creativity, but it is always worth it.
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Timothy.. I have progressive Bifocals and I HATE them!
That little hour glass of bifocal isn't enough for me to see through.. I have full magnifiers on anytime I am on the computer....or read.. or text..
I really am frustrated with it all. I have also tried every kind of contact ( not hard) and I can't wear them.. Too much slippage off the iris..
Marshal can wear his contacts and he also loves his progressive bifocals..
I'm looking into laser surgery. That will enable me to see far away but then I just use the cheaters for close up.. as it is now, I can't see either..
I had laser done when the ugly Bifocal word came up. I'm very happy with the results.
Just make sure you talk to folks who had the surgery from the doctor your considering.
The doc I used is a shooter and spend 30% of his time fixing other doctors screw ups.
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Hi,
I'm right-handed, but was blinded in my right eye when a teenager. I therefore shoot right-handed and left eyed. I prefer Modified Weaver stance, but Isoceles is OK shooting down the center line of my body. Haven't done much with long arms, (no "bull-pup actions" for me!) but understand the issues of shooting from the left shoulder with a right handed gun.
Now, my Elder's Vision (Presbyopia) has progressed to poor focus on the front sight. I use trifocal glasses because with progressive lenses ("no line" multiple focus points), I am told that I would be scanning constantly like a turtle. Nor can I wear Contact Lenses or have a Lasik procedure done. Each time that I go for a new optical prescription, I measure the distance from my eye to my front sight and tell that to the optometrist to find out the right correction for that distance, having done so, I can than buy inexpensive "drug-store reading glasses" in the right strength for a clear sight picture and then wear them under safety goggles. This works well for target shooting. Otherwise, I would get a kink in my neck tilting my head to use the middle-distance focus of my trifocals, and it's not a good stance.
For potential self-defense, I have enough experience, practice, and muscle-memory to make an accurate shot, but I have added Crimson Trace grips to my .45 Lightweight Commander (and practiced with them) to make a discerning shot under adverse circumstances without glasses. I have also used my prescription dark glasses and dim range light to practice in low light with a Surefire G2 Nitrolon briefly flashed. You want to be able to testify as to your known capabilities in the circumstances of a shooting.
Always make sure that your corrective lenses are polycarbonate safety glasses. Never shoot without some form of safety eyewear (and hearing protection) if you can possibly help it, i.e., life-or-death. Friends don't let friends shoot without protection. I wear goggles over my glasses to protect them from flying brass or slivers, and to enclose the open sides to keep my eyes safe. (Good glasses aren't cheap, and are certainly worth it.)
My wife is left-handed, but shoots pistol with her right, but with her left eye. Our sons are right-handed with left-eye dominance. Shoot with what works best for you, but always shoot safely and well. :)
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Hi, again!
BTW, measuring the distance from your eye to the computer screen and finding out the correction for that focal distance can make your online time a lot more fun too! You may need to get a bifocal with reading correction, also, in the lower lens if you have to work with papers or written copy at the computer also. Finding out these corrections from the Optometrist adds only seconds, and no money, to the cost of the exam.
To a clearer world . . .
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Very good info, thanks for posting it...... and welcome to DRTV.
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Sarge, try burying the right side of your face into your right shoulder or bicep, make real good contact, and it will line your left eye up, and obscure the right eye, with a little practice, it will become automatic. Good friend/competitor has been shooting pistols like this for 30 years, and He can shoot with speed.