doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Eye dominance and the SxS

This past year I've noticed something unusual in my shooting. I've always had to work through my left (off) eye wanting to take over at times. I'd just squint down a bit when I'd notice it happening and usually it's at times when I'm not well rested. Happens to many I think. Anyway, what's been interesting is it never seems to happen with my SxS guns. They are dead-on centered on my master eye. It's not a matter of my thumb on the forend obscuring the bead because I don't hold my thumb that high. I do know I can shoot my SxS's much more naturally with no squinting required. Is it because the slim horizontal profile gives my off eye no traction? Whatever the case it tends to make me stick with my SxS guns these days.

I`d guess your s/s guns have more cast than others that you shoot with.
I have the same issue with most of my o/u guns which can`t be cast enough due to stockbolts etc.Only one that has enough cast is a Beretta 20b and it fits well.
My s/s guns are all correctly fitted ,so give no problems either.
Hth.

I'm right handed and right eye dominate - I think the opposite thing happens to me when I shoot a side-by-side...ha ha.

Dave, I have had the same issue. Not sure that it is a side-by problem per se. Just a weak "strong" side eye that sometimes gets out arm-wrestled by the left side. A squint or two at the trap range and then things seem to get back to normal again.

I'm left eye dominant. Strongly. I shut my left eye when I mount the gun to shoot. I prefer the sxs, but I don't know that it really helps me shoot any better than an OU. I've been doing it long enough that I don't mind the L eye dominance. But I wish that the vision in my R eye were as good as my L. Not a big deal since I had macular pucker taken care of, but on occasion I will lose a target (or a bird) against a dark background, like trees.

Larry, I have exactly the same problem and with the same solution and problems. I am working to shift it back because it wasn't always this way. My right eye has degenerated faster than my left and I didn't always keep mt prescription up.

It's a weird but good thing in my case. Last night I was doing some gun mounting in the cave and with my OU my left eye would take over, with my A5 my left eye would take over, with my 30" 16 ga. SxS no left eye interference. I guess I'll just stick to shooting my doubles.

Dave, it may well be that the O/U gives your left eye "more traction" and also that the S x S's very large horizontal surface provides a very large amount of linear surface for your right eye to look down giving it more traction, and strengthening it's dominance in that way.

Makes sense to me.

SRH

Interesting that due to eye problems, I have had to switch to shooting left handed and eyed and it works well for me. I grew up shooting right handed and eyed until later in life various eye operations caused me to switch to left handed and left eyed.
I am presently shooting my doubles left handed and left eyed due to an eye operation three years ago. Shooting leftie slows me down, but accuracy does not suffer.
This is also true with my double rifles and lever action rifles, but not with a bolt action where the shooting is good, but working the bolt is clumsy.
Being able to shoot left handed has always been easy for me and on a couple of rifle hunts, it allowed me better shots than shooting righty would have.

Stan, that's a good point. I didn't think of about it in that way, but it makes real good sense.