Switching shooting sides

P

Phil

Active member

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Has anyone had any success switching from shooting right handed to left. Like I was telling Hitch I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder a few months ago at work. The doc says it's irreparable and that I'll need a replacement shoulder down the road. I'm not in to much pain now, I just can't do any over head lifting. I'm tempted to try shooting but being on Workman's comp I would hate to get caught or do any more damage than is already there, the doc says it's bone on bone now.
Whats the difference between a right and left handed shot gun besides which way the empties fly out. My SBE Black eagle II is only a year old, it's not like I can go, hey give one of those lefties too to complete the pair.
I don't bow hunt but somebody told me that if I got a doctors note saying I could not draw back a bow that I could get permission to use a cross bow, is that true, if so how do you go about it?
 
swapping shooting sides will be fun but the dominate eye thing might be the biggest issue.it can be done as my dad broke his collar bone in high school and had to shoot right handed one armed that year.ever since he has shot a long gun right handed and a hand gun left.....as far as the crossbow thing, contact your local dnr and they can give the info. most states have something in place for handicapped hunters.also, i shoot left handed and have shot a right handed gun my entire life.wouldnt know how to load a left handed version.every now and then you will get some powder in your eyes that didnt burn clean when the shell ejects.typically this happens when its windy and its in your face.
 
I'm so right handed that I stick myself in the nose with a fork if I try to eat lefty..that said...I shoot left handed every now and then just to be able to if something happened that I had to do it all the time. I'll switch and shoot lefty if blind and partner makes it safer. I have a sore right shoulder too that will throb for a month if I play golf, lift or pull something wrong or just lay on it wrong...I think holding the gun lefty is tougher on my right shoulder than the recoil. Best of luck.
 
it takes some adjustment but can be done -- and the dominate eye problem can be corrected with a nickel sized piece of tape over the right lens of your shooting glasses positioned so the right eye cannot see the end of the gun barrel - it forces the left eye to look down the rib without interference from the right eye (if you can get what i'm trying poorly to explain - lol)
 
Yep, when I shoot righty, I shoot with both eyes open..when shooting left I have to close my right eye. Also, some guns have "cast off" to the stock which makes it damn near impossible to switch L or R. Does your bennelli shims kick it right or left?
 
Phil,you do not want to try to shoot from the right shoulder,maybe never,depending what your post-op revieles.
If you are caple of closing your right eye,then shooting from the left side will be fairly simple.You may be able to open the right eye just before you shoot,
and the right eye wont have time to focus.I can't close just my right eye,so I would use tape on my right lense.Place it on the upper portion of your shooting glasses,
so that when you cheek the gun it will be aligned with your right eye/gun barrel.You can keep both eyes open this way.Remington has made lefties in autos and pumps,
but most left handed shooters have mostly shot right handed guns.Adjust any gun you have or acquire, best you can,including cast off/on.You want to be able to mount and shoot in one motion at a target 25-30 yrds and center your pattern.No aiming.Thats for rifles.These are the easy fixes.
 
Phil

with your right rotator cuff torn you should probably continue to shoot R. Your R shoulder will probably not tolerate holding the end of the shotgun, and swinging
or lifting above shoulder height. It will be easier to get your right hand to the trigger, then the forend of the gun. As far as crossbow forms when i lived and worked in michigan as a physical therapist, the hunter would bring a form from the Dr, and i would fill the strength and ROM measurements and send it back to the dr for a signature
korey
 
Definitely doable but will take some practice. The secret will be to have a shotgun sitting around and pick it up and mount it "lefty" several times a day. You need to retrain your muscles.....and your eye. You might try putting a sticker on your right lens (if you wear glasses) and when you don't see it.........you know you've been able to shift your dominance.

I've been able to shoot right and left most of my life with bow & shotgun but it's something I started long ago when working on cars. If I couldn't do something with my right hand, I merely shifted to lefty. It was an automatic thing.

I also worked with a bunch of my classes when teaching and pushed them to work out their weak hand and many of then learned. I used to stand in one place in front of the black board (chalk in each hand) and begin writing with my left hand and when I got to the middle, merely continue with my right hand. I just told the class I was just too lazy to move. :)

Work at it.
Lou
 
Phil,
Sorry to read about you shoulder, especially with season about to open.
I've had both my shoulders cut on due to torn cuffs. In fact, they were about a season apart. Didn't help my shooting much but got some great tips from clients I guided then.
The single thing I realized was that my left shoulder, the one hiolding the forearm up, just plain couldn't. Period. So shooting rithg handed was out. That was okay as clients kept me busy anyway.
When my right shoulder was out of commision, I shot with no problem. BUT, I made sure the butt of the stock was between the rotator cuff and my neck. In other words, I didn't have to tilt my head anywhere to sight down the rib. Come to think of it, I shot much better then with that and try to duplicate it today. Adrenalin of the moment doesn't always allow that though.
You must have really messed yours up for the doc to say it is unrepairable. Second opinion?
Anyway, if the injured shoulder is your trigger side, you may do okay.
Best wishes for your season.
 
Phil et al:
I've been following these threads with interest. My rt rotator cuff has been repaired once then completely removed with all the residuals cleaned out including the bursa and the biceps tendon. It reduced the pain but gave me only 65% function. The left rotator is also torn. We have bow season coming up the 15th of this month and I find I can pull my bow back once and that's it. I have also done work ups for a crossbow on patients (now in Wisconsin all you need is to be 65 or over) but I really don't want to go to that? I'm trying to figure out what to do . I've cut the poundage of my bow down to 41 lbs and still have problems drawing. Any lower and I bounce off of a deer. Maybe Hitch has the idea, go with a camera.
I've purchased a Berettta for duck hunting which I've yet to try. To shoot left handed with a bow or shotgun will take me too long to learn with the hunting seasons upon us. I guess it's TS until I can figure out what to do. I guess all of this is to say Phil that you're not alone with your problem if that helps at all?
wis boz
 
find yourself a skeet club and go shoot a few rounds left handed -- its humbling at first but you'd be surprised how fast you catch on if you've been shooting your whole life -- the tape on the right eye will really make a difference and speed the process along -- i like it better than one eye shootin
 
phil if you dont mind me asking what motion with your arm did you make to tear your rotator cuff. just for future reference should i find myself doing something like that i'll remember your story, cause it sounds like a real hardship

eddie
 
First of all thanks very much for all the feed back it was outstanding. I'm no sharpshooter when I'm shooting right , it's scary just thinking about shooting left handed. My shoulder does bother me when I'm holding the forearm up left handed. I think I'm going to try what Kevin was saying about putting the butt closer to my neck. I'll try it with the 22 primers in the those empty hulls first, with my doctors OK, who I'm going to see Monday. As far as second opinions my lawyer sending me for one and workman's comp is sending me for a third.
Ed, I drive a truck for Pepsi, I was taking cases of soda out of the top bay, which way over my head, you have to drag them forward then lift and jump of the truck. Not easy for the vertically challenged. It first happen about four years ago then about four or five more times after that. Every time I went the occupational health place where they send you. They treated it as a muscle strain every time. then the last two times they were only a month apart, after that I said that's it and told them I wanted to see a specialist. All this time it kept tearing until it completely separated.
As far as being real hard ship this is nothing. All you have to do is look around and see what other people are going through some a lot younger than I am. If the only thing I shoot for the rest of my life is a camera and my dogs can retrieve other hunters birds I'll be fine. Thanks again for all your info and support. Phil
 
Hi Phil
I am going to ask a stupid question so bear with me
did they do a MRI on your shoulder, and was the doctor a orthopaedic surgeon who specializes with shoulders?
Korey
 
Phil,
I would seek an ortho Doc that specialty is shoulders.I'd ask him/her about the impact of shooting (recoil)on that shoulder.Extending the right arm, to swing and shooting left handed would add more torque to the right shoulder.Good luck. Keep us updated,
 
Yes on both counts ,it was a MRI on my shoulder and yes it was an orthopedic specialist, and trust me I'll be asking every doctor I see those very questions.
 
Phil,
take it a step further, find one that did a fellowship in shoulders. Many orthos (heck many specialties) have subspecialties within their field. JMO of what I would do.

I am right handed, left eye dominant. I shoot Lefty, I have my whole life. I have however, practiced righthanded and have now gotten to the point where I will depeneding on the position in the blind/ducks etc switch hands and proceed to miss just like normal.
 
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