Probably have to switch eyes, any tips

[smylee grouch]

My eye doc says my right eye just wont get back to what I want or need to shoot so will have to switch to my left eye. How many of you had to do the same and what tips or advice can you offer. I have shot left handed before but all my flinters have at least 1/4 inch cast off for a RH shooter so I do have to climb over the comb so to speak.

[smokinbuck]

I lost the use of my right eye about 16 years ago and had shot RH all my life. Learning to shoot LH just took a lot of practice. I did rig up a rifle with sights that allowed me to shoot RH with my left eye for the few times I had to do what I used to do. Can send pics if you are interested. Good luck.
Mark

[LynnC]

I understand Smylee. My right eye is heavily damaged. I still shoot right eyed but the vision varies day to day and i fear I will one day be forced to go left eye. I look forward to all advise....

[Daryl]

Smylee and Mark, sorry to hear of your loss of right eye vision & having to switch to left handed shooting. It is a struggle, indeed. No downplaying that, however
it can work, if you work it. A very close friend of mine went blind in his right eye due to his diabetes. I ended up with his Ron Fox bows (really heavy weights at my
draw length), however I am holding them for him - maybe, in the future. I was visiting with him just a couple days ago and his vision in his right eye is returning.
He fairly quickly had turned to being left handed, so it is possible and he noted, fairly easy to "change hands" as it was necessary.

[Daryl]

Practice is about the only way to achieve this new goal.  A blinder (taped of glasses?) on the right eye might help, or just forced perseverance.
I wish for you guys, it was an easy transition.  Perhaps it was easier for my friend Gord, as he went blind in his right eye, over night. To  shoot
 his air rifles and handguns is his passion, so he had to switch to continue.
Practice. Both Taylor and I had to do that in basic training, so it is possible.  We even have a target on our trail that is an "other" hand target.
We never miss it. (IIRC -LOL)

[smylee grouch]

I always shot with both eyes open and right eye dominant but now that blurry spot in my right eye has changed me to left eye dominant so I guess I can still shoot both eyes open from the Port side.

[rich pierce]

A good friend of mine who is an outstanding competitive shooter switched. He started building guns that fit him when shooting left-handed. Of course back in the day they’d have simply hogged the buttstock out till things lined up.

Bending a stock is an option. Taylor Sapergia made a tutorial on this. Worth a try.

[smylee grouch]

I had thought about bending the stock and will wait to see how it goes first. All my rifles will be handed down to grand kids so I might just live with what I got for the rest of my shooting days. Now days I hunt out of blinds or stands anyway so I'm thinking it might work out for the limited amount of hunting I will be doing. Time will tell.

[alacran]

Sorry about your eye problems Gary. In Shumway's Jaeger book there is an interesting rifle with the stock configured to accommodate your problem.
I don't have the book with me right now or I would pm it to you.

[Bigmon]

I have a wrinkle in my right retina that is causing me big problems with vision.  Everything looks crooked and wavy.  That on top of just normal aging eyes.
They can not gaurantee any positive results, even at UPMC eye center in Pittsburgh where they are building a many many million $$ new eye center!?  Go figure.
I been shooting my BB gun lefty to see how that works.  It's ok but I have no lefty flinters.
Anyway, I can't see so good from my left eye either.
Getting old is NOT for sissys!

[mushka]

The only thing that finally made the change successful for me was a lot of practice and the adapt, improvise, overcome, principle.

[Terry Reynolds]

I shot smallbore with a guy that was right handed but left eye dominate and his rifle sights was set up so he could use his left eye but shot right handed. That dude could shoot.

[Daryl]

My buddy Gord said that the change to shooting left handed, was fairly easy, as it was absolutely necessary if he wanted to shoot.

[smylee grouch]

Yep, I guess if you want to play in the sand box you have to scratch like the big cats. 

[smokinbuck]

Bigmon,
My wife had a wrinkled retina. It came with double vision, unable to get a proper prescription and other concerns. She had laser surgery recently and it worked perfectly.

[George Sutton]

I have macula degeneration in my right eye. I had to learn to shoot left handed. Initially it feels strange but you get used to it. The mechanics are the same, it's muscle memory that you need you need to develop. Forget bending stocks, get a left-handed rifle and practice.

[Hungry Horse]

Yeh, don’t do it sober, and don’t let your ex-wife do it. Oh, you mean shooting left handed. I had one eye go sour also. But lucky for me it was my left eye.

Hungry Horse

[Darkhorse]

Everytime the subject of a LH'er shooting a RH rifle comes up most RH'ers responding all say it's no problem at all for a LH'er to shoot RH rifles. So I don't see a problem here.
Maybe you could talk Jim Kibler into running you a one off LH rifle???

Seriously now. I would do like George Sutton suggested and get a LH rifle. Either build one yourself that fits you. Or have a custom rifle built to fit you.
Then take that rifle to the field and practice, practice, and practice some more.
It is not that difficult to learn to shoot LH'ed (or RH'ed) with some dedicated practice. I am a born lefthander but knowing the buck sometimes comes from the other side I have taught myself to shoot righthanded with a degree of accuracy. Another thing is the rear sight, if you can get away with it have a rear peep installed on the rifle.
Sometimes dry fireing really helps. In your case simply putting a mark on the wall then raising your rifle to the aiming position then letting down, then repeating,might work wonders.
However you choose to approach the problem I wish you luck.

[RossN]

I went through this, and it isn't hard to switch eyes - just slow.

Buy an accurate air rifle and several thousand pellets. You'll get there - just keep at it.

[Daryl]

I actually have some recently learned expertise in that line of thinking.
(air rifles over the last 10 years, springer, PCP & CO2)

[Chocktaw Brave]

I’m right handed, have always shot RH. Two years ago I had a detached retina in my right eye. They patched it up,  lots of scar tissue that makes my right eye vision poor to say the least.
I tried shooting left hand, but it’s real awkward for me. So I have been practicing right handed. I’ll never be the shot I used to be at high power rifle, but I can hit a reduced silhouette at 100 yards pretty regular now. I don’t pick a spot in the center as I used to, I aim at the whole target instead. I know, not what we are taught, but it works for me.
I do however sight my rifles in with my left eye, that way I’m starting out with a more accurate shot placement.
I just pray my left eye holds out( it was the one doctors were worried about), they patched it too, but because it had not detached yet, it took the repairs better.
I have not attempted to shoot archery since the surgery, I have taken moose, bear, and caribou with the bow before. But I never take a shot that might just wound the animal. Hence my reluctance to take it up again.

[smylee grouch]

Thanks every one for the advice and tips. I have been shooting a 22 and thats going fairly well but when I shoot my62 flinter the right hand stock with 1/4 inch or a tad more cast off is very awkward and hard to hold as I have to squirm all over it to find the sights. With only one leg and shooting from a walker doesnt help. More time with the rifle will help and that will be what needs to be done. Going back to Manitoba in Sept. for Bear so I have to pic up the pace. 

[Daryl]

Good luck, smylee. Practice, practice,  practice.

[smylee grouch]

Thanks Daryl. On June 30 I shot that postal target but my patching was old and blew on me every shot but I'm hoping to give the July match a go when I can resupply my patching.

[Daryl]

GREAT!!!!!