AR Sponsor
Posted: 10/29/2006 5:08:07 AM EDT
| Hello, my name is Gary. I am new to this world of the AR15 and this is my first post. I am not new however to guns in general with my first encounter being with the m16 at the Parris Island rifle range in 1970. Since that time I have never entertained the idea of owning one of these weapons or even knew that you could? That all changed a few months ago when a new friend invited me to go shooting with him at a local gun club. He showed up with 2 Colt pre-ban AR15 rifles and plenty of ammo. Well needless to say at the end of the day I was hooked. This session brought back fond memories of the time spent at the Parris Island range and also how much fun it is to just go shooting and hang out with the guys. Two weeks ago my new rifle arrived, a RRArms Elite Carbine A4. Here is my problem, I am a right handed shooter with a left master eye. The Lord only knows how I qualified at the P.I. range because I can't remember any instructor determining our master eye. So now I have this great weapon and am not sure of the best way to shoot it right handed and be accurate? It would appear from doing some research that the only alternative, aside from shooting left handed, is to shoot with both eyes open? If that is the case is it feasable doing it using the sites on this gun as they are and still be accurate out to 150yds? I have not been able to try the gun out yet. Also I would like to put an Eotech 552 on it in the future. I will be shooting up to 150 yards as stated. If having both eyes open is the solution is that feasable using this scope and still maintain accuracy? Or does anyone have other solutions to solve my problem so that I can enjoy and shoot this weapon with more confidence? Thank you for your help. |
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Hi Gary. Welcome to the AR world. You have fond memories of Parris Island...?  I don't have an answer for you from a technical standpoint, but I do know a fellow with similar limits I used to shoot competitively with (3 Gun). He had problems with iron sights but could really smoke with optics. Maybe you would find the same to be true for you. |
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I too, am right handed and left-eyed dominant. However, I learned to change the dominant eye when shooting. It is much like learning to do something left-handed. Since I started shooting at an early age, it was probably easier for me. But, the method involves using only one eye (either close it, use an eye patch, or place a piece of tape on your shooting glasses at the spot where you see the front sight and target). Once you have done this enough, then you can stop using only one eye. However, you may need to go back to one-eyed shooting occasionally when you find that your dominant eye is taking over. I have to do this after doing some close-up and detailed work. Or, you can do what some other members have done and learn to shoot left-handed. I suppose, it has more to do with which is your stronger dominance---hand or eye. If you have what is known as lazy eye then it may be easier to shoot left handed. Hope some of this helps. Dave. |
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How can you tell which of your eyes is the dominent one? I've been told to put my two hands together by overlaping both sets of fingers and overlaping both thumbs, so you make a triangle to peep through. Hold it up at full arms length and look at an object through the triangle. Then close each eye one at a time. If the object stays in the triangle with your right eye open then you are right eye dominent. If you can only see it through the triangle with the left eye open then you are left eye dominent. With this method it only stays in the triangle with the left eye open for me, meaning I would be left eye dominent. I have also heard to point at an object that is far off in the distance. Then close each eye one at a time. If your finger lines up with the object while looking through your right eye then you are right eye dominent. If your finger lines up with the object while looking through your left eye then you are left eye dominent. With this method I am right eye dominent. So two different methods give me two different results. Which one is right? ETA: I am right handed. ETA: Ok I just googled eye dominance and a ton of sites came up. Everyone of them gave both tests that I described. With looking through the hole I'm right eye dominant, with pointing I'm left eye dominant. Does this mean I'm screwed??? Wikipedia said that about 2/3's of the poplulation is right eye dominant. They also said that a very small percentage do not have a dominant eye. 
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I'm cross-dominant too and so is my wife. When I started shooting I shot right handed & did so for a few years after I discovered my cross dominance. When I finally decided to switch my hitting percentages went up dramatically (mostly did shotgun back then). Going back & forth with rifles I noticed I shot better lefty so I just switched with all long guns. I finally decided to go left handed with handguns almost 10 years later & haven't looked back. I started my wife off shooting left handed (she's naturally right handed but left footed & left eye dominant) and she had no problems picking it up. I've always used the hand-triangle test as the other one (point at distant object) just left me with fingers or two targets. Another option with the hand triangle is to hold it out there, look through the hole & bring both hands toward your face. The triangle will end up centered over your dominant eye. I would say your best bet is to switch to shooting left handed. It sounds like you've been away from shooting for a while so re-training yourself shouldn't be as big a deal as it would be for someone who burns a thousand rounds/month. That said, however, shooting is a relatively simple task and if you put the time in to learn on the correct side you'll be much better off from what I've seen. |
| I have never had an issue with brass hitting me shooting left handed. Probably have about 5000 rounds through the gun, all types of ammo from Wolf to XM193, the SA surplus, Black Hills 68's & 75's all with no issues at all. Only thing that concerns me a little is the possibility of a KB, but I NEVER shoot without eye protection so even that is not much of a concern. |
I don't think I could switch to left handed shooting. I have NO ability to use my left hand. Even throwing a rock left handed is a joke for me. I'm right handed. I can hit a baseball really well right or left handed, with a tiny bit more power left handed. I kick with my right foot. I cannot kick with my left foot however it is my dominant foot in skateboarding. I cannot close just my right eye lid, I can either close my left or both. I will however give the left handed pistol shooting a try, just to see. For a while now I've been practicing aiming with my pistol with both eyes open, while sitting around in my house. It was hard at first but gradually started feeling not so wierd. I tried it yesterday while shooting and I actually did ok. |
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That military does not have or issue a left handed M16, but they do have a lot of left handed shooters. That's why the brass deflector is there. The military did not have left handed Garands. They forced you to shoot right handed. Millions of GIs did with good results. To check for your dominate eye. Look at an object. Both eyes open of course. Open your hands so that they are flat, fingers together, thumbs outstrectched. Put your two hands together, one over the other, so that you have a triangular opening, The sides of the triangle are your index fingers, and the bottom is your thumbs. Hold your arms straight out in front of you and look through the triangle. Look at the object you picked earlier. Slowly draw your hands back, maintaing focus on the object, until your hands reach your face. Do not loose sight of the object. When your hands reach your face you will be looking through the hole with your dominant eye. Don't cheat. You can also have a friend help. Stand a short distance away and point at your friend. Stand sqare to him not off to an angle. He will be able to tell, at a distance, which eye lines up with your finger. Most men refuse to switch sides or even try. Its not as hard as you think. And with practice the results will please you. If you just can't, or won't do it, then mount an Aimpoint or Eotech and shoot with both eyes open. Mounting it further forward will help too. If you are left eye dominant and shoot from the right shoulder you will naturally roll the rifle to accomodate your dominate eye. Using a red dot sight, and mounting it forward will mean less rolling of the gun. |
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My father started me off very young with firearms. I'm left handed, and remember having a VERY hard time not using my right eye to sight with. Well, Dad's ever patient ex-army and Firefighter attitude "won me over", and I finally learned to shoot with my left eye. Recently (some 30 yrs later) I was having my eyes examined and the doctor mentioned briefly that I was "very right eye dominant". I asked him if he was sure, and he said he was. Point being, I am left handed, shoot left handed, and it feels perfectly natural doing it that way. The bonus is that I can shoot with both eyes open VERY well, and actually prefer it. I think you can train yourself to shoot with the hand you want to shoot with, but that's just me. Find somebody larger than yourself to stand next to you, exhale agressively, and yell "awe come now get it right dammit!" every once in a while. I bet you straighten out just like I did. 
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