Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    Well, for quite some time I have been agitated that most guns I get (or others that I shoot), have bad sights. I'm awful with a shotgun, not great with a rifle, and average with a pistol.

    Now, normally I find I am always off by the same amount. Never once did I put 2 and 2 together, and think that maybe it wasn't the sights, but me.

    So tonight, talking to a friend I mentioned that my taurus sights are a little off. He has shot it before, and didn't agree with me. We also talked about how with a scope, I am dead on. I of course rationalized that with a scope, you would almost have to be dead on (assuming it is sighted in right.)

    He paused for a few minutes, and then asked which eye was my dominant eye. I of course, had no idea what he was talking about. He then explained to me, that being right handed, if my left eye was dominant, I would be cross dominant. I told him he was crazy, but decided to google anyways.

    Wouldn't you know it, he had a pretty good idea of what he was talking about. So I do the little "tests" to see what eye has dominance, and loe and behold. It is my left eye.

    Now, googling it, I have found that it is a fairly common situation. One that many people, from the pros all the way down encounter. And I also found some tips and tricks.

    Some of them where to just start shooting long guns left handed. Others said to put a small piece of tape over the lense of the shooting glasses, and that over time it actually changes. Others still suggested buying essentially pirate eye patches (that they of course sold for a fee).

    Now, my questions are mainly:
    1. Any other cross dominant shooters here?
    2. Any tips or suggestions on what I might do with shooting long guns?
    3. How much accuracy does one lose with this, if they aren't doing it the proper way?


    And yes, I know may people are going to be thinking "How long has he been shooting, and not able to hit anything?". Well, when you think the sights are off, you either fix them, or compensate. Right? I've been compensating for quite some time. Knowing what i do now, I am going to try and shoot with my left eye a few times with my pistols, and see if I notice a big difference.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    I'm cross-eye dominant. I am accurate with my shotgun with firesights or beads - I just sight up the sights with the eye that needs to be used - never an issue there.

    With the pistol I usually hold the gun up in front of my dominant eye, I've read about twisting the gun around the barrel to tilt the sights into line with the eye, twisting your head slightly, blading to the left...all kinds of stuff. I do well with just turning my head slightly.

    Part I
    Part II

    Turning your head


    there are MANY more opinions out there....
    Last edited by falcn; April 7th, 2010 at 07:43 AM.
    FNX-9 Two-tone

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    I am cross dominant as well (right hand, left eye).

    Pistol is no problem, I learned to shoot both eyes open before I understood what cross dominance was.

    Now that I understand the issue, I notice I do a bit of moving the pistol to be inline with my left eye as well as slightly rotate my head to the left. Second nature now.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    Yep, been there done that, mine is so dominant that I don't really have to worry about it shooting pistol, it just lines itself up with that eye

    Rifles....ugh...there's the real problem for me, which is why most of my long guns have scopes,


    Glock Pistols.......So simple a Caveman could fix them!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2008
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    Valencia, Pennsylvania
    (Butler County)
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    I used to be a pretty good shot with cross eye dominance. The my dominant eye changed to the right and I had to learn to shoot with that eye. Now it's back to the left eye and everything is low and to the left. I am trying to learn how to shoot all over again with the cross eye dominant.

    BTW, I have a pirate eyepatch. I think I will start wearing it when I practice.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    Quote Originally Posted by falcn View Post
    I'm cross-eye dominant. I am accurate with my shotgun with firesights or beads - I just sight up the sights with the eye that needs to be used - never an issue there.

    With the pistol I usually hold the gun up in front of my dominant eye, I've read about twisting the gun around the barrel to tilt the sights into line with the eye, twisting your head slightly, blading to the left...all kinds of stuff. I do well with just turning my head slightly.
    Me too.

    what he said.

    and no patches if your interested in shooting pistols for SD.
    1) Its not needed
    2) You gonna wear a patch all the time ?
    3) Ive yet to meet someone who "changed" their eye dominance and when I ask my OPTICIAN about it (not guys on an internet gun board) he laughed at the prospect.
    4) You want both eyes open

  7. #7
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    (Schuylkill County)
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    I'm the same way (right handed/left eyed). Shooting pistols I try to keep both eyes open and turn my head to the right slightly to get my left eye where my right eye was. That being said I'm not a great pistol shot, but I'm getting better. I've only shot rifles with iron sights and do shoot with my right eye open and left eye closed. I'm a pretty good shot with a rifle, so I don't really know how to explain it.

    I have glasses (don't wear them often) but am only very slightly near-sighted on my right eye (still technically 20/20). My left eye requires no prescription and so is a "dummy" lense. But, I've never worn my glasses to shoot, so I don't think they would make any difference either way. Maybe I'll test it out this afternoon.
    Happiness is warm gun (bang bang, shoot shoot)

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    I have a different opinion.

    I'm left handed and right eye dominant and shoot pistols, rifles, and shotguns pretty well. I don't do anything special, I just continue to shoot left handed and close my right eye to aim.

    I've tried all the tricks and nothing stands out as being any better than just closing my right eye.

    As for defensive shooting (up close)...well I don't need to use the sights to hit center mass. I point the gun and focus on the target using the top of the gun (not the sights) as a reference. For the pro's out there, sure you loose some peripheral vision closing one eye, but for target shooting who cares? For longer pistol defense situations were you need better aim, how long does it take to close an eye right before you pull the trigger?

    BTW, I don't think it's possible (in most cases) to change your eye dominance via training. It's more likely that one thinks he has changed his dominant eye when only a nominal eye dominance existed or dominance that switches from eye to eye.
    Last edited by Hawk; April 7th, 2010 at 04:38 PM.
    Toujours prêt

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    I guess I should add that I keep both eyes open if that wasn't clear from my previous posts.
    FNX-9 Two-tone

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Thoughts on cross eye dominance.

    I have been left eye dom ever since I was little. All the way through the military and the 20 years since I have shot left handed with a rifle, right handed with a pistol, tactically its pretty nice actually. But this year out deer hunting I got bored and was actually sighting ans scanning with my scope with my left eye open and it was actually working, It wasnt perfect but if I concentrated I could actually get a sight picture with my right eye. My main problem is I cannot close my left eye by itself. When it came time to shoot the deer I switched back to left

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