How many people can shoot well both right-handed and left-handed?

[jetpopt]

With PB handguns, shooting from either hand is not rare, probably because the short gun itself is easier to position relative to the cross-dominant eye than a rifle is and probably because of the possible need during a self-defense situation. I practice both ways with my handgun, but so far at least, not with my air rifle.

Does anybody shoot their rifle close to equally well on either side? Do you stick with the dominant eye for both hands or do you also train your nondominant eye so that shooting with the nondominant hand is easier?

I don’t see a need to do it with a rifle (excluding war), but if someone knows of good reason to do so, please elaborate.

(Training both ways costs more...twice as much ammo and time consumed!)

 

[SpiralGroove]

I have enough trouble shooting (natural) right-handed.
Don't need to add more variables ......... now if I could just see better with my right eye than left.

 

[gendoc]

i shot right handed for over 50years, and 5 years ago i lost my right eye due to
lack of blood/oxygen supply......like turning a switch off!!
had to learn lefty tunes and today, i think i do better as a lefty at long distance shots on deer with PB's.
airguns schooled me thru the learning process......

 

[Moog]

I'm left eye dominate but right handed. Since I was a kid I shot a rifle or shot gun lefty. As I got older I started to practice right handed. I got pretty good shooting right handed but still felt more comfortable shooting from my left shoulder.
When it comes to pistols I shoot righty. Never practiced a great deal shooting them left handed.

 

[Lewis]

I can go either way with a handgun but have never been able to overcome the left eye dominance with a rifle, lefty only.

 

[pistolero]

I shoot fairly poorly with both hands. I am left eye dominant, but shot right-handed with both pistols and rifles. When my vision started getting bad, I had to start shooting left-handed.

 

[jetpopt]

Thinking ahead to when cataract surgery becomes necessary.

They do one eye at a time, for obvious reasons. So then, train to accommodate the patched eye, go back for the other eye, reset to the normal dominance; oh, boy.

 

[jetpopt]

i shot right handed for over 50years, and 5 years ago i lost my right eye due to
lack of blood/oxygen supply......like turning a switch off!!
had to learn lefty tunes and today, i think i do better as a lefty at long distance shots on deer with PB's.
airguns schooled me thru the learning process......

That’s encouraging. Nice work on your part!

 

[johnac00]

I had an injury to my right eye about 20 years ago and it took close to a year to heal. When it happened the doctor did not think the eye was going to heal, so I taught myself to shoot left handed with an old Red Ryder BB gun. Since then I have been able to shoot right or left handed. Today I can shoot right handed with glasses and left handed without glasses.

 

[rtuba71]

I can write with either hand, but for the life of me I can get comfortable behind a rifle on my left shoulder for some reason lol

 

[baranjhn]

I’m right handed and left eye dominant and trained myself to shoot either hand.

 

[AirShot]

Hand gun can use either, but rifles are left only !! Bat, golf, etc all rt hand, but rifles must be lefty's...

 

[marflow 777]

these 3 words are the key self-defense situation and back in the day shooting .45acp there would be a course of fire that required weak hand shooting and it was hard as hell
can all of do it, sure, could we hit anything not standing in front of us, well maybe
you go from shooting weaver stance, to weak hand, is as i said hard as hell
i sucked at it

 

[dgeesaman]

I spent a few decades shooting right handed but along the way I realized I’m left eye dominant and the left eye has better acuity than my right eye. Plus my right arm is stronger which should make for a more stable offhand hold.

So I picked up a left handed match rifle and learned to shoot left handed this year. During field target events I’ve been shooting the Hunter class lefty and Extreme right handed.

It took very little practice to get comfortable but lefty I’m definitely not as quick to get into a good shooting position and getting my eye in the eyebox of the scope is still clumsy shooting lefty.

Overall I’m happy I tried it and honestly I’m not sure which way is better. I’ll keep doing both until (if) one side becomes my better side.

All of that relates to rifle. I’ve shot a little bit of pistol right handed only. No idea or Interest in trying that lefty.

 

[qball]

I’m right handed but my dominate eye is my left eye so I can shoot both left and right handed just fine.

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

I'm right.handed.
But I've learned to do many things with either hand/arm/way. Shooting I do mainly right handed...but I train both sides
PB pistols: dual weild is where its at on ultimate fun factor for me

 

[Farmplinker2]

Left-handed, left eye dominate. Finally getting serious about handguns, practicing with both hands. Definitely easier shooting a rifle Left-handed, though I try to practice with both hands.

 

[MikeVV]

Back on 01, my first motorcycle crash, I flew over the car on my right, and landed on my right side. My arms were tucked into my sides me to keep from breaking an arm or...
Well, that part worked, but with my upper arms at my side, when I landed, my body weight tried to force my arm into chest, and I ended up with five broken ribs on my right side,

All that was to say, being right handed, I had a really difficult time learning how to wipe my butt with me left hand ! So no, no left hand shooting here !

Mike

 

[Firewalker]

I dont know if it was just the training I got but I keep both eyes open in shooting both pistols and rifles, I also learned to shoot both left and right handed and still drill with both so yes, I can shoot with both.

With the shoulder issues I've had, I have gotten better with my left (off) hand and can shoot as well with it BUT I still cant load a double-stack magazine with my left...

 

[Northwoods22]

I've worked most of my life in the firearms industry. One of my first jobs after gunsmith school was with an outfit that built long range rifles. I was the guy who shot the proof target that came with the rifle. Lots of heavy recoiling calibers like .300 Win Mag and .50bmg. I'm right-handed right eye dominant, but I taught myself to shoot left-handed left eye to give my right shoulder a break. Shooting the big stuff 8 hours a day 4-5 days a week is hard on the body.

Also, when I was in the Army, Abrams crews were issued the Beretta M9, and one of our training courses was shooting weak hand, which I found to be fairly easy. I'm retired now but I still shoot maybe 25% of the time left-handed just because I'm so used to it I suppose. One of the things I love about Weihrauch guns is that they are all ambidextrous. They're my go-to guns for the days I feel like shooting lefty.