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Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 10:04 am
by ovenpaa
I am right handed, right eye dominant with a rifle however just recently I have started shooting left handed, just a few shots at the range with whatever rifle I am shooting so usually a right handed rifle. My goal is to be as close to ambidextrous and retain accuracy with a rifle as I can be.
Does anyone else shoot both left and right handed rifle and if so any tips or observations?
Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 11:00 am
by Alpha1
I wonder how people who are left handed and left eye dominant get on.
Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 11:44 am
by dromia
I shoot rifle left handed and pistol right handed.
I was born a left hander but we were forced to be right handed at school where left us handers had our left hands strapped to our sides when using the slates to learn our letters.
As I was shooting long arms from an early age I naturally shot them from the left shoulder, when I got into handguns in my mid twenties I was right handed.
I am slightly right eye dominant but it doesn't effect my rifle shooting, it is just as crap as my pistol shooting.
You just adapt as needed.
Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 12:22 pm
by Sandgroper
I'm left eye dominant and although not quite ambidextrous shooting right or left handed is not a problem - just takes practice. My son is also left eye dominant and although, possibly, more right handed than me; he does almost all his shooting left handed. I've handled a LH BA and the cycling of the bolt was as natural as a "normal" BA which makes me wonder if my next rifle should be a proper LH rifle.
Also, which probably helped, was that for most of my time in the RAAF I used a LH F88 Austeyr (AUG) and actually found it easier to use than the more usual RH versions after changing over to it. As for advice - in my experience, your non dominant eye will get tired fairly quickly, so I'd be practicing little and often.
Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 12:56 pm
by ovenpaa
One odd thing I have noticed shooting left handed with a 'scope is I need to concentrate on sight corrections, I have a very slight tendency to move everything in the wrong direction visually before coming back on target. Also shooting left handed with a right handed bolt action is awkward and I am tempted to look for a left handed bolt action rifle even if it is only a .22LR so I can truly shoot left handed.
Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 1:15 pm
by greenshoots
im left eye dominant but right handed, shoot rifles from my left shoulder and pistols with my right hand just bought a cz 524 leftie seems very natural maes a change from levers
greenshoots
Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 1:22 pm
by Les
I'm normally right handed, but I have often swapped from right to left for rifle shooting. I'm definitely not a marksman [with either hand!

], but I can generally get decent groupings shooting the 'wrong way'.

Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 1:59 pm
by Chuck
Right handed but can shoot from either side - but as mentioned, some correction needed.. Really should practice more.
I'd give my tight hand to be truly ambidextrous..
Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 3:39 pm
by Charlotte the flyer
I am left handed right eye dominant. I shoot long firearms right handed as I was taught in the cadets (no choice with the L98). I shoot pistol left handed, the odd thing is that I shoot air rifle left handed too. It just seems more natural to me and I think that it stems from using them left handed when I was younger. I tried 22lr prone left handed and it just felt wrong somehow, I guess it's the eye dominance taking over.
Re: Shooting both left and right handed with a rifle
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 6:40 pm
by simong
Evening peeps,
I am right handed but blind in right eye.
I can shoot my Marlin an d 303 from either shoulder ( if I get it wrong with the Enfield, then it hurts ! )
Shooting prone, I have to shoot from left shoulder. Pistol is right handed but left eye.
I would think that if the Zulus were charging, then you'd shoot however you could.
But then again, according to Bro Corbyn, ther're are no enemies ,
Nukes are though, amibixderous !
Ttfn
The greek