Right handed kid left eye dominant

Eye dominance can change, but it usually does not. If you want to start him on a bolt action, get it with the bolt on the correct side. If using a backwards gun were a good idea, all right eyed shooters would have LH guns. People come up with ways to rationalize why they use a backwards gun, but it comes down to laziness or stupidity. You can go buy a LH bolt action of pretty much any flavor you want.

Alternatively, you can go ambidextrous. Lever actions work well. There are semi-auto that have tang safeties or trigger guard safeties which can be switched to the correct direction. AR-style rimfires can usually accept an ambidextrous safety as well. Direction of ejection doesn't bother most people.

There are left hand eject AR lowers available also. All in what you want.

I am the same way. I shoot left handed with right handed bolt actions because LH bolts are very hard to find!!! It's not an issue for me because I'm use to it. My problem is shooting handguns. I use a RH stance but use my left eye. It's a little strange but i'm trying to practice more. Regardless let him decide which eye to use. His body will tell him so you don't have to push him with your opinion. JMO. A CVA single shot is hard to beat for kids in a 243 or 7mm-08. I still use a 7mm-08 caliber because I like it so well!

My dad is the same way. He is a righty, but left eye dominate. Shoots lefty.

Like others said, just start him shooting lefty and he will never know the difference.

I’m the exact same way as your son and so is my son, I’ve been shooting left handed all my life and so has my son. Rifle, shotgun and bow always left handed but for some reason we both shoot a pistol right handed.

I've been that way for 69 years, didn't know it until all this stuff started coming out. Back then no one ever heard of eye dominance that I knew of. Shoot everything right handed except a basketball. I've always shot basketball with left hand, and it's the only thing I can do left handed. Left eye dominant and shooting right handed hasn't hurt my game take home pay at all.

Righty, left eye dominant describes me, and I have shot a rifle off my left shoulder for as long as I can remember. I don't remember even trying it on my right shoulder until adulthood or remember any discussion about it with my father when I first started shooting. First guns I shot were righty pellet and 22's, both bolt guns. I would recommend getting the kid a righty bolt gun and he can adapt to lefty guns later if he wants to, but he might never feel the need.

delacroix said:

... If you want to start him on a bolt action, get it with the bolt on the correct side. ... People come up with ways to rationalize why they use a backwards gun, but it comes down to laziness or stupidity. You can go buy a LH bolt action of pretty much any flavor you want.

....

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If a kid is NOT ambidextrous, and is solidly RIGHT-handed, then it's never going to be ideal for him to shoot by holding the gun like a lefty. He's NOT A LEFTY. That's not how he's wired. Getting him a left handed gun is only a good idea IF (and only "if") he's going to shoot it from his left shoulder. But why should he do that if he doesn't have to?

I SAY the best answer for the "ideal" gun for him, one that he can learn to shoot quickly and with great confidence and comfort, is a rifle with an offset scope, kind of like the M1D style Garand sniper rifle of WWII and Korea fame. If you have to get a gunsmith or machinist to modify the gun and a mount to make this happen, do it. Benchrest shooters and highpower rifle "match" or "unlimited" class shooters often have customized sights that required some work in a machine shop to get them just right.

How about getting a .22 rifle that has a stock that is a good fit to the action, possibly with a rear lug rather than friction fit, and then use a side-attaching scope mount (made to go on a particular gun's receiver).

http://www.jgsales.com/pro-mag-ak-47-side-mount-scope-mount-base-with-picatinney-rail.-p-1081.html

But attach it to the stock, not the gun's actual receiver.
And turn it around, so that instead of it putting the scope directly over the chamber, it will now hold the scope in the air a couple inches offset to the left. That ought to line-up nicely with the kid's left eye when he holds the rifle in the normal right-handed shooting position.

I put a scope on an SKS one time, using a homemade scope base that I screwed and epoxied to the left side of the wooden stock. It worked pretty well, but it turns out the gun wasn't really that accurate with cheap Wolf or Tula ammo, even when scoped. So I went back to iron sights.

But I think the concept is legitimate.


As to the mount in the photo I posted, you'd have to take out that knurled knob and turn it around, if you want to embed a nut of some kind into the gun's stock. Or take the knurled knob out and leave it off, and drill two other holes in this mount, and use a total of 3 wood screws (maybe combined with some glue) to attach the mount to the gun.

It is actually quite an advantage for him to be able to support the weight of the firearm and point it with his dominant arm on the fore end and pull the trigger with the weaker hand. Go ahead and get him a lefty.

As an NRA Instructor, we show that for shooters who are cross eyed dominant, there are several options. 1- he can shoot with his dominant hand, aim with his dominant eye, causing more of a tilt in his head. 2- he can shoot same side as his dominant eye 3- he can try opening both eyes. In the end, it's whatever he feels more comfortable with and can do more naturally. There is no right way of doing it. It's just what works for him. My very first student happened to have been right handed and left eye dominant and he tried every option and he stuck to shooting right hand, aiming with his left eye. It was the only thing he was able to do naturally and consistently. Just make sure he practices as often as possible. Hope this helps!

FemmeFatale829 said:

As an NRA Instructor, we show that for shooters who are cross eyed dominant, there are several options. 1- he can shoot with his dominant hand, aim with his dominant eye, causing more of a tilt in his head. 2- he can shoot same side as his dominant eye 3- he can try opening both eyes. In the end, it's whatever he feels more comfortable with and can do more naturally. There is no right way of doing it. It's just what works for him. My very first student happened to have been right handed and left eye dominant and he tried every option and he stuck to shooting right hand, aiming with his left eye. It was the only thing he was able to do naturally and consistently. Just make sure he practices as often as possible. Hope this helps!

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That works fine for a pistol, but you try getting in the eyebox of a typical scope with the opposite eye and you're going to basically have to exchange a cheek weld for a nose weld. Not even sure how you would ever get on the irons.

jrickman said:

That works fine for a pistol, but you try getting in the eyebox of a typical scope with the opposite eye and you're going to basically have to exchange a cheek weld for a nose weld. Not even sure how you would ever get on the irons.

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Yes you're correct. I was talking about pistol, not necessarily rifles but it can still work the same, you just need to still see what works for you. It's all trial and error. Plus, for hunting, it's good practice to learn to shoot both right and left hand and aiming as well. You're not always going to have the perfect shot on a tree stand! I had to take a left handed shot once and missed completely! I felt like I had never shot before just shouldering the rifle lol feels weird but it's good to know how either way

flyfish76 said:

My son who is 9 does everything right handed (writes, throws, etc.) but we recently determined he is left eye dominant. Consequently, he shoots better left handed. I'm planning to buy a .22 as his next step in shooting, but I'm not sure if I should buy a left handed model i.e. is he always gonna want to shoot left handed? Anybody have experience with this? Gun recommendations are welcome as well. Thanks!

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I'm primarily right handed. My grandfather, My father, and myself are all left eye dominant. We all shoot left handed and I couldn't see myself shooting right handed. It will benefit your son in the long run to shoot with his dominant eye imo. My dad never told me which hand to shoot with. When I was 4 I got a red ryder. I picked it up and started shooting left handed bc it felt natural. Ive done it ever since.

As far as left handed model guns, I have shot nothing but right handed guns my entire life. All my rifles and shotguns are right handed. However I found on my right handed benelli SBE2, that I can adjust the cast to feel just like a left handed gun.

With that said I will be purchasing a new bolt action rifle this year, and it will be a left handed model. When I get a new Benelli it will be left handed as well.