If you were a lefty, is firing a gun the same as a right?

Question

are the guns different? If there is a big difference, could a lefty use a gun made for a right? How difficult would it be?

And when you shoot do you keep both eyes open or just one? I read somewhere that a lefty could learn how to shoot with their right hand but they might have problems with ocular dominance...does this matter if you keep both eyes open?

Answer 1

I my self am righthanded but left eye domanent, this is what interprats that i shoot lefthanded.
Shooting from the left shoulder is no different from shooting from the right the onley facter that may be different is the way the stock is cast (left cast for lefthander right cast for right hander) or which side the bolt or ejector is on ie rifles and semi aoutomatics.
When shooting a rifle with scopes on i personaly dont think it makes much difference, i can manage to use the bolt even if it is on the opposit side, however if the stock has a strong right hand cast in it it can affect my shooting.
To tell how a stock is cast,, take a unloaded gun and look down the barrels towards the stock that way you can see the cast.
I have shot since i was 6 and have used many different types of guns, its all about preferance whats good for one may not be for another, were all different.
My prefferd choice at the moment is a beretta 686 (shotgun) which has a straght stock meaning it would be comftable for ether a left or right hander.
When it comes to my eyes both remain open at all times,, it drops down to how you cope with that though, everyones different,,

Answer 2

There are some exercises you can perform to determine your dominant eye. Having both eyes open, hold up a ruler or straight object and look down the edge. Close one eye then the other. The one that lines up is the dominant eye. I shoot better with both eyes open. Shoot the gun you want before you buy it. If the smoke and spent powder are in your face or the spend cartridge hits your arm, you may want to buy the left handed version. If I were left handed, it would be awkward to use a right handed bolt action. I would want the bolt on the left for ease of use and follow up shots. A handgun would be far enough in front of you that it would probably not be a problem. Find a shooting range that rents guns to "try before you buy". If that is not possible have someone at that gun shop show you what would happen when you fire and reload the gun.

Answer 3

If you are just starting out, it's best to shoot with your dominant eye. To determine your dominant eye, fully extend both arms, make a small opening with your hands, focus on a distant object through that opening, slowly bring back your hands to your face while keeping that object in focus. That opening in your hand will go to your dominant eye. Shooting with your dominant eye will be a big help because you will be looking down the barrel and not on the side of it. This is a big thing for shotguns, but not so much if looking through a rifle scope. It's your choice, but shooting with your dominant eye may eliminate some potential aggravation.

It's best to shoot with both eyes open. That way you have better depth perception and peripheral vision (safety). If you shoot with your non-dominant eye, you will either have to close your dominant eye or cover the lense over your dominant eye to force your non-dominant eye to become dominant.

Some gun manufactures make left-handed models. If you want a semi-auto rifle or shotgun then a side ejection, right handed gun will be a pain. The brass or shells will always be crossing your face, you will feel a few bits of burning powder on your skin, and you may even be hit by hot brass. It's almost a must to get a left-handed gun. Rimfires don't matter as much, nor do pistols.

If you want a bolt action or pump action rifle or shotgun, it isn't as important to have a left-handed gun. One major drawback is on a bolt action rifle, you have to lift your head off the stock to operate the bolt making quick follow-up shots nearly impossible.

Some stocks are contoured for right-handed shooters, making it an uncomfortable fit for lefty's. The safety may be difficult to operate for a lefty as well.

Left-handed guns are nice to have. You only live once so you might as well get a nice gun that is designed for you. They may be harder to find or a few bucks more expensive but if you're serious about shooting, they'll be worth it.

Answer 4

I have a family with lefties and cross-dominance. Rifles with left-handed bolts and stocks restrict your choices a little, but it isn't a huge problem any more. With autoloaders, lefties sometimes do a "hot brass dance," but again that goes into the category of minor annoyances. My little brother simply learned to shoot right handed, and with a scope on his rifle the eye-dominance isn't a problem for him (and occasionally he turns heads by shooting either way). For cross-dominant people, it's probably best to learn to shoot with the dominant eye, even if that means having to shop for left-handed guns for a right-handed person (again, been there, done that). As the family handloader, I've gotten quite an education working up loads for the kids' left-handed rifles, and eye dominance is a bigger problem than the reach-over for cycling the bolt, but neither is an insurmountable problem. As a matter of fact, I found the left-sided bolt is actually something of a convenience at the bench, and if you make your first shot count in the field, the slower second shot is a moot point.

Answer 5

Actually, whether you are left handed or right handed when it comes to shooting a rifle (or Pistol) is mostly dependent on your dominant eye. It's very difficult and unatural feeling to try to hold a rifle and sight down a rifle right handed when you have a left dominant eye. I am a lefty and can do it, but it's not natural feeling. I did it in the military because they make you shoot right handed in Training. Most of my rifles are right handed and I shoot them left handed without trouble. Semi automatic rifles and shotguns shot opposite from the way they are built is sometimes un-nerving because of how the cases eject. Bolt action rifles and lever action rifles do not pose a problem. Try it both ways, you'll know very quickly, One way will feel immediately right as you look down the sights, the other way will be very ackward when you try to figure out which eye is which. LEft handed shooting by the way means your Trigger finger is on your LEFT hand.

Answer 6

I'm left handed although I can shoot both the only issue that I've had with any gun is with bolt action guns unless you want to spend more money. When I shoot I keep my right eye closed I'm left eye dominate so for me when I shoot right handed the shots are perfect when I shoot left handed I have to aim to the right a little.

Answer 7

My dad is a lefty and has never owned one of the special left hand rifles. They normally run higher in price. When i use a scope i close my weak eye. But my brother shoots with both open. He claims it makes target acquisition faster. I keep both open using iron sites on my revolvers. Do not let a right handed person zero in your scope, it will be off when you shoot it. Your perspectives are different and you will hit a couple inches further to one side than they did.

Answer 8

If a lefty is shooting a right handed rifle the bullet brass will hit the lefty in the right shoulder or upper right arm. You can order a rifle made for a left handed person.

I am right handed, I shoot with both eyes open. I have tried to fire my rifle left handed. I am a little less accurate on that side. But not by much.

Answer 9

1st. Shooting left handed is the mirror image of shooting right handed. A lefty can use a right handed gun and a righty can use a left handed gun. In some cases the stock/grip is shaped to make it 'not friendly' to lefty's, but you can still shoot it.

2nd Just because your left/right handed doesn't mean your dominant eye is one the same side. My dad & brother are right handed and left eye dominant. Mom is a right hand/right eye dominant and I am left handed, left-eye dominant. We are all shooters. Dad and bro just squint the left eye and aim with their right.

Answer 10

I am left handed and YES they do make left handed guns. You can buy a left handed bolt action rifle or a left handed semi-auto shotgun. They have them in the store at Cabela's for example. If a left handed shooter fires a right handed semi-auto the shell is ejected in front of his/her face instead of off to the side. A bolt rifle is designed to hold the foregrip as you remove your hand from the trigger and eject the spent cartrige to chamber a fresh round. The standard rifle has the bolt on the right side for right handed people.

BUT like I said I am left handed and I fire only right handed guns and always have. The shell ejecting in front of my face has never been a problem. I hardly notice it at all. I have fired my rifles so much that removing my hand from the foregrip to eject a spent shell seems like the way it should have been done in the first place. Right handed people just do it wrong.

The eye has never been a problem. I seat the butt of the gun against my left shoulder and look down the site path with the left eye. (Close the other eye) I hold the guns just the opposite of right handed people. They make left handed fishing reels too but in truth right handed reels were made for left handed people. Right handed people just do it wrong again.