Help....What first gun?

[PhilS]

I shot a RH MK38 for a year and made reasonable progress.  I've just had the stock straightened so it now fits me. If you are comfy shooting of your left then persevere.

I close my left eye on some shots (used to be all) and have learnt to keep it open on others, so it can be done (I am central to right dom but a lefty).

 

[westley]

If you are left handed, you are going to require a volunteer. Get your volunteer to poke you in your right eye, conversely if you are right handed, get the aforementioned volunteer to poke you in the left eye. If you are struggling to find a volunteer, you could, of course just close the relevant eye. 

 

[HDAV]

Oh crap this harder than I thought. I finally felt sorted left handed ..

Best to buy a right handed gun or a ambidextrous gun ?

I read somewhere that a r/h gun could still be used by a l/h shooter?

So the ones at the club are ambidextrous?

Very few "ambidextrous" guns basically they are cast on or off yet to find a true dead straight one (it wouldn't really be suitable for anyone) yes you can close an eye but if you are closing your master eye you may struggle (i did)

Look i'll be honest i have always been RH i thought being told to shoot left handed (to match eye dominance) was crazy talk. 

4 years later i'm happy shooting left handed (took a couple of months of irregular practise and a left handed (caston gun) If you have the option to be a right handed shooter life will be so much easier I would jump at it! Unless there is a very good reason to shoot  left handed (like what i have)

Try driving a couple of miles with one eye closed and see how it goes.

 

[Finners]

Right eye dominant

left handed!

If you was to hand me a shotgun I'd accept it left handed ready to shot. But it felt strange. So tried it right handed felt ok continued till I met wayne at A1 I asked him the same questions and we finally came the same conclusion of being a lefty.

So you're the same as me then. I am right eye dominant but left handed.

From what you've said, you might only be slightly right eye'd (if so, that's the same as me too)  The trouble with eye dominance is it's not a simple matter of one eye or the other, it can be a matter of degree. Also the dominace can move about. Say if you're tired for example.

When I started shooting, being left handed I bought a left handed gun and shot OK. I used to "dim" my right eye (half close it) which forces the left eye to take over. I have also owned and shot right handed guns, but never too well to be honest.

Having recently bought another left handed gun, I have had a lesson with Carl Bloxham, he got me to smear a little vaseline on the right lens of my glasses, I can still see through it, but agin it has the effect of making my left eye the dominant one. Well it seems to work as my scores have gone up significantly (more than 20%)  My plan is to get a little patch fitted to my shooting glasses (I have just bought a pair of distance glasses just for shooting) which will effectively replace the vaseline. But that's me, and not necessarily right for you.

The fact is, eye dominance is a complex issue and no one one here will be able to guide you specifically without at least seeing you shoot and or checking you out.

In short, if you have any doubts over your eye dominance, and have any ambitions for shooting well, you'd be best to get that sorted properly before doing anything else.

As HDAV said, as a newbie. Had I been properly informed about this, I should/would have learnt to shoot from my right shoulder. But you really need to be certain of your dominance issue before going down that route.

 

[Skeet UK]

So you're the same as me then. I am right eye dominant but left handed.

From what you've said, you might only be slightly right eye'd (if so, that's the same as me too)  The trouble with eye dominance is it's not a simple matter of one eye or the other, it can be a matter of degree. Also the dominace can move about. Say if you're tired for example.

When I started shooting, being left handed I bought a left handed gun and shot OK. I used to "dim" my right eye (half close it) which forces the left eye to take over. I have also owned and shot right handed guns, but never too well to be honest.

Having recently bought another left handed gun, I have had a lesson with Carl Bloxham, he got me to smear a little vaseline on the right lens of my glasses, I can still see through it, but agin it has the effect of making my left eye the dominant one. Well it seems to work as my scores have gone up significantly (more than 20%)  My plan is to get a little patch fitted to my shooting glasses (I have just bought a pair of distance glasses just for shooting) which will effectively replace the vaseline. But that's me, and not necessarily right for you.

The fact is, eye dominance is a complex issue and no one one here will be able to guide you specifically without at least seeing you shoot and or checking you out.

In short, if you have any doubts over your eye dominance, and have any ambitions for shooting well, you'd be best to get that sorted properly before doing anything else.

As HDAV said, as a newbie. Had I been properly informed about this, I should/would have learnt to shoot from my right shoulder. But you really need to be certain of your dominance issue before going down that route.

Yep, Finners is right. 

It would be well worth exploring the possibility shooting with your dominant Hand, and using one of the corrective devices to "force" the dominant eye.

In order to "change" the eye dominance, you need to obscure its view of the end of  the barrels.  You can of course block they eye off completely, but that also reduces your field of view and ability to perceive distances. 

Get some shooting glasses and try something like the Shot Spot http://www.shotspot.co.uk/

And at a cost of about £18, plus  a pair of glasses, it is something you can do pretty easily.

The kit comes with the clear discs, in several levels of opacity and several white paper discs of matching size.

You dampen the outside of the lens and fit the paper disc, moving it until it is just the right spot.  Then you wet the inside of the lens, put on the opaque disc in the same place as the white one.

 

[johnnyp330]

I was looking through YouTube a while back and came across a shooter in the states that did just that.

he was using the opaque sellotape just in the centre of his dom eye and improved his score average too

 

[Finners]

I was looking through YouTube a while back and came across a shooter in the states that did just that.

he was using the opaque sellotape just in the centre of his dom eye and improved his score average too

No harm in giving it a try I guess, only don't use sellotape as it will damage any coatings on your glasses.

But ideally you do need to get it checked by someone who really knows their stuff. Then you can decide which shoulder you're going to favour and that will determine how you deal with any eye dominance issue going forward.

 

[HDAV]

I am very lop sided eyesight (strongly left dominant) and the patches/Vaseline/ruby type foresight didn't work for me I resisted shooting off my left side for too long if I am tired it stills moves about but if you can't see the target your not going to hit it... Except with blind luck and that won't help you progress I still miss (too many) but am happy it's me and I can improve

 

[ehb102]

I used electrical tape to start with, although that was to get me shooting with both eyes open, not to change the eye dominance. I hated those opaque circles. A wee patch of tape was all I needed. YMMV.

 

[welshwarrior]

My advice would be shoot as many guns as you can you won't really know a difference unless it really wrong.

Buy secondhand from somewhere that will advice on gunfit by a gun fitter or recommend one to check for you. If not possible take a coach with you to offer advice on fit, any shop that won't allow that walk away from. Most salesmen know very very little about gun fit but are paid to sound knowledgable and confident.

 

[Gene Holmes]

Re 1st gun. I got a 30" 525 after trying lots of different makes at a local club, and shot reasonably well with it..

Have now moved onto an 32" Ultra XS, I have a big problem with stopping the gun, the extra weight has helped a lot.

Also a leftie with dominant right eye. A trip to Ed Lyons and some some fancy Oakleys have helped somewhat, but I was still squinting my right eye just before pulling the trigger.

The Ultra had one of those fiber optic bead correction things fitted when I got it. it didn't work for me.

A couple of weeks ago, I put a small amount of opaque tape on the right lens, and shot both eyes fully open for the first time. The difference was amazing. I am now playing around with the size and position of the tape to see just how small I can make it, before it stops working.

As for the 525. It's now in the very capable hands of Mrs H who absolutely loves it.

Picking it up from the smiths on Saturday after having it properly fitted, balanced and serviced. It needed shortening and bending  slightly, plus a new pad has been fitted and radius to the bottom added to allow for lady bumps.

Don't need to change guns anymore. just need to do lots of practice.

 

[HDAV]

Gene are you shooting a cast on XS or a cast off?

 

[Gene Holmes]

Gene are you shooting a cast on XS or a cast off?

Its a right hander, so not ideal, but it is quite straight and the adjustable comb helps a little.

It's an Ultra XS prestige titanium and it was a really good price, so I got it with a view to having it fitted properly at my local smiths once I was really happy with it, which I am now.

Picking up the wifes 525 at the weekend, and will make an appointment for me at the same time.

 

[HDAV]

If the gun is RH the toe can't be changed save yourself a fortune and just shoot right handed! It will take 2-3 weeks to get to grips with and you are halfway with a RH gun!

 

[Gene Holmes]

If the gun is RH the toe can't be changed save yourself a fortune and just shoot right handed! It will take 2-3 weeks to get to grips with and you are halfway with a RH gun!

Too bloody old to change now.
Tried a couple of year ago .
Entered a comp, bought 2 cards. Shot one LH the other RH.
RH was a disaster.
Got a really good guy locally that can bend it

 

[HDAV]

Too bloody old to change now.Tried a couple of year ago .Entered a comp, bought 2 cards. Shot one LH the other RH.RH was a disaster.Got a really good guy locally that can bend it

That's completely the wrong way to do it there is very limited bend in a browning stock and toe can't be bent!

Never too old I successfully changed shoulders 3 ish years ago shooting from the master eye side is so much easier and better. No tape no gaff just pick it up and shoot.... It really is better plus you'll then be ambidextrous which can be handy.

 

[Finners]

What happened to the OP? :fie:

 

[PhilS]

That's completely the wrong way to do it there is very limited bend in a browning stock and toe can't be bent!

Just had my MK38 successfully bent  :fan:   ickeat:

 

[HDAV]

Just had my MK38 successfully bent :fan: ickeat:

The toe?

 

[Bryn12]

Re the OP. I decided to return to shotguns less than a year ago and had always shot SxS so I went for an ultra cheap one which was soon moved on when I decided driven game isn't really my thing any more and I don't have my own ground anymore to rough shoot. Started looking at clays more seriously and had a couple of goes at our monthly straw-baler before trying a few guns and found the Browning B525 suited me best so got a 30" for general purpose (March). Next I discovered skeet (May) and reckoned shorter barrels would be better stuck can't get (spare barrels for brownings) so added a grade one B525, 28". I'm now planning on adding another B525 but will butcher it to within an inch of its life to try and get my perfect gun. Would be a damn site easier and cheaper if Browning barrels were interchangeable (yes I have tried).

So in 6months I've bought 3 guns kept 2 and am planning number 4  :fie:  my advice would definitely to buy 2nd hand