Will bad eyes mean I have to learn to shoot left-handed?

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Will bad eyes mean I have to learn to shoot left-handed?

Damaged eyesight means that learning to shoot left-handed may be the only option - but this is not as difficult as it sounds.

Tuesday, 12 December 2006

I am an avid game and clay shooter, and am right-handed and eye dominant, so I shoot with both eyes open. Unfortunately, I have contracted a disease in my right eye leaving it with poor sight. This means my left eye is now dominant. I have tried closing my left eye and using a patch, but the deteriorating sight in my right eye means I have trouble focusing.

A:

There are two solutions to your problem.

At one time, such an issue would have been solved by having a cross-over stock fitted to one's gun. This allowed the gun to be mounted on the normal shoulder, but brought the barrels over, so the dominant eye could sight down the rib.

In my experience it was never a very effective solution and was invariably costly, as the stock had to be bent dramatically or a new one fitted.

It is probably not readily adaptable to modern over-under guns because of the long bolt that secures the stock to the action. Guns with cross-over stocks sometimes come up for sale, but they tend to be expensive and there is no guarantee one would fit you.

It is far better to learn to shoot left-handed.

This may sound daunting, but with the help of a good coach and plenty of practice it can be achieved.

Leading shotgun coach, Mike Reynolds, advocates this as the best choice in his recently published book, Shooting Made Easy, price £14.99, published by The Crowood Press, Tel: 01672 520320.

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