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Question for the ambidextrous

elvenhome21

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I just got a ruger p95 about a month ago. Ive prob shot 120 rounds thru it, however ive run into a slight dilemma.

Heres the general info of whats going on
I am right eye dominant
right arm/leg is stronger
However i shoot more accurately at (15yrds at least) with my left hand even though right now it feels a little awkward (shooting lefty) but im still getting used to the gun itself.
My stance is opposite of what is "techically correct" for either hand. I am more comfortable with either a straight stance or non shooting side foot slightly ahead 1-2"

When i say im more accurate with my left its not to much of a difference but its noticeable. 15yrds left hand , 5 rounds in a 1.25" square box vs 15 yrds right hand 5 rounds in a 2.25" square

My question is do ambidextrous people shoot with both hands or pick one and stay with it. My Right hand is more natural for something like open carry, but for competition shooting i would be better with my left for accuracy.

And is "correct stance" more important than a comfortable stance that seems to be working.
 

Nutczak

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I also shoot lefty with rifles, shotguns, and bows. But I am almost equally as good with a handgun with either hand.

I would work with what you got anddevelop betterskills for both hands, that way if you lose the use of one hand, you are still going to be accurate with the other and will be able to defend yourself or your loved ones yet.
 

elvenhome21

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Nutczak wrote:
I would work with what you got anddevelop betterskills for both hands, that way if you lose the use of one hand, you are still going to be accurate with the other and will be able to defend yourself or your loved ones yet.
thats kinda what i was thinking. I think no matter what im going to have to get my left hand used to the fluid motions of drawing, firing and trying to do everything backwards with my right hand. Which at the moment i cant hit the magazine release when i shoot left handed no matter what my hand position is.

I have some nerve damage in my right hand so i get the shakes from time to time and if i have to grip something real hard that has a impact to it like a hammer it has a tendency to fly out of my hand. But luckily the gun recoil doesnt affect my hand like a hammer does, or at least not yet.
 

rmansu2

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I am not one of the "special" people, but I would say practice with your dominant hand, i.e. whatever hand you will carry normally with. Nobody wants to be in a situation and forget, if only for an instant, what side to draw from. An instant is all it may take.

On the other hand(pun intended), you could justbuy another P95 and carry 2. One on either side. One forstrong sidedraw and one for just incase you reach with the wrong hand.

Good luck and carry on.
 

daddy4count

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It is very likely that the reason you are more accurate with your left is because you are paying special attention to how you shoot with it right now.

Because it is uncomfortable you are forced to concentrate differently than you do when shooting with your dominant hand.

This will go away as your left hand catches up with your right hand... and you will probably find increased accuracy with your right hand in the process.

;)
 

elvenhome21

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its not that im uncomfortable shooting with my left, im actually very comfortable. The problem is when im not shooting, like drawing and reloading is awkward cause i cant do it blindfolded so to speak like i can with my right.
 

Hillmann

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I consider my self to be mostly right handed yet used to shoot everything, but semi auto long guns, left handed(hot shells hitting right forearm. Until I cut off my left trigger finger, so now it depends on the gun weather I shoot it left or right. I really don't see much of a difference between left or right as far as accuracy goes. But shooting left handed can make some guns hard to operate.
 

MamaLiberty

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I'm fully ambidextrous, no dominant eye. I shoot fairly well with either hand, but since my right trigger finger is actually about 1/4 inch shorter, I'm better off with my left hand for some guns. Aside from rifles, I seldom use the gun sights and do mostly point and shoot at short range - the usual self defense ranges.

And, since most self defense will involve shooting from cover and/or moving, I practice being balanced (to provide a steady shooting platform, regardless of position) and safe, rather than any classic "stance" used for target or comptetion shooting. The guy trying to kill you isn't going to be impressed with your modified "Weaver," or whatever. :cool:
 

okboomer

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I started out dedicated righty, but during some advanced pistol classes, the instructor made the point that you may not have a choice in which hand you can use, so you should practice until you are equally accurate with both ... along with that comes the practice of magazine changes, etc.

While doing this, (1+ year after intacts) I also was able to train my left eye for sighting and targeting ... just have to remember to switch eyes LOL

This is along the same lines of training with all the different pistols and long guns that I own ... no matter what I pick up, the muscle memory is there and aiming and firing are second nature ... any little adjustments between, say firing my AR-15 as opposed to my Kimber UCII, are 'programmed' into the muscles and you won't have to think about it, just point and shoot.

I noticed one day that when I pick up the M14, I automatically wrap the sling around my arm ... this gives me a more stable hold on a weapon that is, frankly, muzzle-heavy for me ... my left arm is almost too short to reach the balance-point comfortably, but with the sling wrapped, I can 'move' the balance point enough to be able to shoot accurately and for extended periods without additional support. But when shooting my M1A1 (Auto Ord.) I don't need to wrap for support ... it is 'just right' as far as length, weight and balance for me :cool:

Basically, train in every way you can think of that will expand your skills ... strong hand, weak hand, cross-sighting, both eyes open, dominate eye sighting ... you never know when something will happen that might affect your ability to shoot. Maximize your abilities.
 
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