Right or Left Shooter?

[Randy F]

Curiosity has gotten the best of me after a conversation I had the other day with a right-handed gentleman that shoots left-handed. I know of plenty of left-handed people who shoot right-handed for various reasons, be it eye dominance, left-hand rifle availability, and so forth, but I’ve wondered just what percentage of hunters shoot right-handed or left-handed.

I can’t imagine a better and more diverse group to get a good idea of what percentage of hunters shoot right or left.

Personally, my left hand isn’t worth anything but handing things to my right hand...except shooting. I can’t shoot as well left handed but surprisingly, I’m ok at it.

Are you...

1. Right-Handed and shoot right

2. Left-Handed and shoot left

3. Left-handed but shoot right

4. Right-handed but shoot left

5. Either

 

[baxterb]

Right handed shoot right but was born left handed and am left eye dominant. I shoot recurves and longbows equally as well with either hand.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I am right handed, and shoot right handed. However I have shot clay pigeons left handed while playing around with friends. I didn’t do too bad. I tried handguns and rifles left handed, it was terrible.

 

[Randy F]

Don’t forget to vote.

 

[Tracey Colson]

Right handed, but left eye dominant. They discovered it at a scout camp when I was pretty young and I have shot left handed ever since

 

[Jörg Krüger]

I shoot rifles right handed, but I dont do to bad with a handgun left handed. Shotgun is good either wich way as its aim and squeeze

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Ruger no1, says it all.

 

[nztimb]

Rifles I started out left handed as my father was and was emulating him but changed to shoot right handed except when a shot needs to be taken left handed. bow I always shot left handed and pistol was always right handed.

 

[CoElkHunter]

While growing up, my youngest brother is right handed and shoots handguns right handed, but shot rifles and shotguns left handed. He used an Ithaca pump shotgun that loads and ejects shells from the bottom. He has since trained himself to shoot everything right handed. Odd?

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Right handed shoot right. All though I can and have shot rifles left handed if I have too.

 

[Nkawu]

Born a natural lefty but forced to write with my right hand at school so now right hand dominant but still left eye dominant. I shoot left handed rifles off my left side but shoot a right handed bow. I’ve always felt I’ve had an advantage with a rifle/shotgun because I control the fore end with my dominant hand for aiming. I’ve always been a good shot and better than all my right handed right eye dominant friends.

 

[Adam From Africa]

Nkawu, that’s exactly my experience. My right hand/arm is dominant and much stronger but I’m also left eye dominant. So the butt goes naturally to my left shoulder and my dominant right arm/hand carries the weight of the stock.

 

[sgt_zim]

for an extra twist...

mostly right handed, but shoot left because of left eye dominance, but...

I shattered my left cheek playing baseball in high school. Part of pre- and post-op care for that meant wearing a patch over my left eye (like a pirate) for a number of weeks. Consequently, my left eye became a little lazy. Now, when I am fatigued, it takes a couple blinks to get my left eye engaged.

On LPVO scopes, it isn't a challenge for me to keep both eyes open and shoot LH. But the more power I add to the objective, the more difficult it becomes to get my left eye to do its job, so usually high power at long range, I'm a one-eyed shooter (left). I guess I got it figured out well enough. I'm in the 1000 yard club with my 308.

 

[Tbitty]

I shoot primarily right hand, but can and do shoot lefty for practice and when needed. Rifle is easiest for me, shotgun a close second (although I am slower to react when shooting left). While it's not truly "equal" performance either way, I can claim proficiency when using my off hand.

 

[fourfive8]

I am right handed and right eye dominant. And shoot everything right and right. But shoot a sling shot left handed, always have- go figure? Trained a lot with handguns left handed though. Handguns left handed seemed easier to me than long guns left handed.

Off or cross eye dominance can make for some odd learning experiences. I used to see it with some of my friends growning up. We were largely left to our own devices back then living in a rural area and could shoot and often learned to shoot on our own. It was a different time. If they were right handed but left eye dominant, some would cock their head, sideways all the way over the stock to use their left eye to aim with.

 

[MS 9x56]

I am left handed but right eye dominant. I shoot rifles shotguns and bows right handed. Pistols I shoot left or right handed but left is more natural.

 

[BeeMaa]

Right handed and shoot right...most of the time.

I practice shooting left handed with both dry and live fire drills. Never know when you are going to need those skills. A practice that was carried over from doing pistol shooting drills. It should be more common in rifle training, but that's not been my experience.

 

[Randy F]

It’s interesting to me that #4 is that high so far.

 

[Art Lambart II]

I'm right-handed but left-eye dominant so I shoot a rifle and a bow left-handed but I shoot a pistol with my right hand.

 

[Opposite Pole]

I’m right handed, left eye dominant, shoot right handed.