Ambidextrous?

[JOHNKIES]

Just curious if anyone practices shooting with both hands? Not at the same time, individually. I am right handed and can be decent with my left hand on handguns, but when it comes to rifles and shotguns ................. well, if you are standing immediately behind me you are likely safely out of range. Something about the stance of left handed firing of long guns is just too much to overcome. Bolt action rifles require extra manipulation of course, but most weapons are reasonably ambidextrous.

[Swamp Angel]

I'm right-handed as well and really had to force myself to learn to shoot side-arms left handed. You're 100% right about how much more difficult it is to shoot rifles and shotguns with your non-dominant (recessive?) hand. It's like trying to bat a baseball opposite-handed. I can finally do it relatively well on a consistent basis, but the hardest part is switching eyes for aiming. I'm right-handed and right-eye-dominant. It took me awhile to figure out why I was sooooooo uncomfortable in a left-handed stance with a rifle. The I realized that I was laying my head all the way across the stock to get a sight picture with my right eye.

Focusing and sighting the target with the non-dominant eye is definitely the most difficult part of it for me.

[Architorture]

I don't worry about shooting shotguns left-handed, but I occasionally take a few practice shots left-handed with my rifles as there are times hunting when only a LH shot will do. This is an excellent way to get drilled in the eye with a scope. :)

I shoot my pistols with LH only sometimes, too, but its not particularly pretty. But I shoot shotguns and pistols with both eyes open, so that reduces the awkwardness of it, somewhat. Its the trigger control on a pistol that really suffers.

[Buck Henry]

I cannot even pick my nose with my left hand. I would never consider trying to shoot from my left side.

[JOHNKIES]

" ............ I realized that I was laying my head all the way across the stock to get a sight picture with my right eye........."

Hopefully only with smaller caliber rounds! That with sting with something like .308!

[revwayne]

When I practice I do so from both sides primarily because the military retrained me to think in terms of 'what-if' and to develop shooting skills from both sides. In fact I had to laugh when a buddy of mine wanted to shoot a scoped, bolt action rifle - we both shoot LH primarily and when he attempted to use the rifle he handed it back and told me that there was something wrong with my 'setup'. I shot 10 rds. through it and he looked at the target - his comment, "Weird." It's all about the eye dominance and how we adjust to that trait from either side.

[huntfish]

I'm left eye dominant but shoot right handed. I shoot from both sides with my rifles, like Architorture stated, it comes in handy while hunting. Shotgun wise, it's just plain ugly shooting from the left side. Pistol wise, I shoot both hands using my left eye. Talk about being confused.

[trout4life]

Handguns yes. Long guns no. I am right handed and left handed shooting takes awhile to get used to but if necessary it can be done. Some situations could call for only a left hand shot or you right might be wounded. A Marine friend told me they had to train to cycle the gun with one hand. Think belt loops, shoe loops.

[fly on the wall]

Interesting question JOHNKIES.

Homemade slingshots in my youth caused me to hold right, pull left.

When I graduated to bows, I pulled right held left.

I'm not sure that did or didn't do for my hand/eye coordination, but I can shoot rifle left or right quite well, shotgun passable left quite well right (except wing shooting in which neither have an advantage) and shoot pistol right handed. I wouldn't bet that I could hit the ground if I dropped a pistol left handed.

Oh, I cast right, reel left with fly, bait caster and spinner.

[AllenG]

I cannot even pick my nose with my left hand. I would never consider trying to shoot from my left side.

Same here. I'm so dominate right handed that so long as it did not hurt I would not notice I had lost my left for a few days.

Bit odd being that left brained dominate given I'm an artist. Maybe I have an excuse for my mediocrity.