Training to Use NON-Dominant Eye

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RustedBeef

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So I got to shoot a friend's Mosin Nagant earlier today, which happened to also be my first time shooting any rifle, and could not figure out how to actually find the sights for a good while. At first we thought I was shouldering it wrong somehow but figured eventually that I was trying to use my left eye. I tried using my right eye after that but kept having to correct it whenever I reshouldered, so I moved on to shooting it left handed for a while. Wasn't much better but wasn't too bad either, just need practice.

Anyway, what you would recommend I do? Just practice right eyed or maybe left handed? Maybe shoulder on the left with right hand somehow?
 

dennishoddy

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People that are right handed and left eye dominate shoot pistols with both eyes open after a little practice. With rifles, some say to shoot left handed if left eye dominate. I've seen some put a patch over their left eye and shoot right handed.
Edit: see Sanford got here first..
 

RustedBeef

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I'm definitely gonna need to get my own rifle sometime to practice more. I'll probably pick up an eye patch when we go again or try more left handed shooting, too.

Wonder which is harder to train myself to do...
 

Sanford

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It all depends on the individual shooter.
^--- this. My wife has the reverse problem in that she's left handed and right eye dominant. Since she was starting from scratch I encouraged her to learn to shoot right handed just because that's the way most of the hardware's made, and she's been fine with it. Most people can actually learn to do either with practice, though switching back and forth is usually more difficult. Personally I'd only recommend shooting left handed for a person who was both left handed and left eye dominant because for them that should be the most natural. Speaking of rifle only here due to the physical aspects of getting and keeping a solid hold, etc.; for most it's simpler to adapt with pistol.
 

rickm

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My brother is the same way and had the same problem with his Mosin so i solved his problem by just buying the rifle from him and took it home and put in my safe with mine.
 

Fyrtwuck

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Another possible solution is eyeglasses. We had some friends over one day and my youngest son was shooting his BB gun. Their daughter wanted to try it and I noticed she was left eye dominant and right handed.

I brought it to the attention of her parents. They said that she was also having trouble in school with reading and her grades were slipping. They took her to the optometrist to get checked out. After the exam it was determined she had a mild case of dyslexia and was corrected with glasses. After that her grades went up. Not saying that's the case every time, but it was in hers.
 

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