[WebleyFosbery38]

Because of my less than stellar vision, I've always naturally shot pistol and rifle lefty, shotguns right handed. Pin in the but to shoot M16 without a brass deflector, button up your shirt, hot hot hot!

Like everyone else has said, practice. Not just shooting, do others things.with your off hand also, get used to using it.

[locutus]

Dry fire. Lots and lots of dry firing and as much live fire as your budget allows. (I've never seen any need or use for snap caps, since dry firing won't hurt a modern weapon, but if they give you the warm fuzzies, they certainly won't hurt anything.)

If you normally shoot two handed, the only reason for one handed fire is if your strong side is injured. So one handed firing with the strong hand is pretty much a waste of asmmo

But one hand with your weak side is critically important. If you're right handed, and get shot or stabbed in the right arm or shoulder, you'd darn well better be able to shoot one hand, left handed.

Webley F makes a good point about using your weak hand for other things. Hold your fork in your weak hand one meal per day for a month. It really will improve your weak hand shooting. (Hint: don't do it at a meal when you have guests for dinner! LOL)

[HockaLouis]

Originally Posted by silverado113

Honestly and I'm not trying to be sarcastic, you just have to practice. I actually shoot better right handed (I'm a lefty) but I can't draw with my right hand worth a crap to carry that way.

Guys who "bust caps" aren't practicing anything worthwhile anyway... We used to "help" people like that sight in their guns till they were off the paper.

[PC167]

When I have to qualify at our county range, part of the course of fire is shooting weak hand. It's repetition , like Silverado113 said you need to practice.

[sweeper22]

Originally Posted by dgray64

What's the best way to build off hand accuracy?

Shoot with your off hand....(more often).

Sorry, that's not intended as a rude response. I do misc scenario defensive pistol shoots once a month. Often times one of the courses will be an off-hand shoot. It tends to be where I shine...probably because I slow down by maybe 30% and end up with a truer sight picture. That probably implies both a good weak hand and sloppy, hurried work with the strong hand on my part.

But I'm more ambidextrous than most. I'm right handed, but left eye dominant; which might also help me.

Lots of physical motions feel akin to trying to write with your off hand when you first start. Sports are a good analogy. Batting/throwing (baseball) with your off hand, shooting (bask) off-handed, or even the quick footwork involved in a new basketball or soccer "move". It's all awkward to begin with. Repetition and muscle memory is the only thing that will develop that into a more natural response.

Repetition is your friend.

[dgray64]

You are all, ALL, absolutely right! It was a cool, overcast afternoon, a little while ago, so I took my Walther P22 and a brick of Wincheser Xpert HV .22 shells on the 4 wheeler to the pasture.

I loaded up and got fairly close to the target (probably 8') and let fly with my left hand and my left eye. I had to close my right eye. I usually shoot with both eyes open, but with this combination, I put 10 in the plate. Hmmm. Backed up a couple of feet and tried again. There was probably one flyer, but the plate was getting a lot of holes in it and not around the edges. I tried my right hand with my right eye, both open. Not bad. I reloaded as I only have two mags. I tried right hand with left eye. Shot well. Tried a couple shots with my left, and handed off to my right, using my left eye and nailed the plate well.

This went on quiet a while. I burned up about 250 rounds and had a great time. By the time I finished, I was hitting from my normal range location with each hand and with both hands, fast.

I really appreciate all the advice. It worked very well and I have more confidence again. As to playing sports with my off hand, that doesn't work well as I'm 69 and don't get into sports. I may try eating with my left hand. Again, thanks a bunch.

Dave

[gollygee]

Good going. Except for tying my shoes & fishing, my left hand is practically useless. I learned to cast a fishing lure left handed because when I was a kid they didn't make reversible reels & my dad taught me that I should cast with my left hand so my right could retrieve. He told me if he ever caught me casting with my right hand, he'd take my rod away from me! So it's been an uphill battle to shoot left handed. Still working on operating the controls, etc.

[dgray64]

Keep at it Gollygee. A lot of things come hard to me. If it weren't for the computer, no one would be able to read my writing. My right hand is a mess and my left hand it totally unintelligible. HA! It sure is a lot of fun accomplishing something new like I did yesterday. Keep shooting!!

Dave

[GunLink]

Originally Posted by silverado113

For trigger control, snap caps while you're watching tv. I meant to add, don't forget shooting lefty means corrections are backwards http://www.gunlink.info/targets/PistolChartL1S.pdf

Thanks for linking to the correction target, Silverado. We have the targets in several formats (including right and left handed versions with and without scoring rings) on this blog post as well as this forum thread.

This is definitely something I should work on more. My offhand is terrible, from the actual shooting down to working the controls like the mag release, decocker, etc. With as much practice as most people have shooting strong-hand and getting it dialed in, the correction targets can be a good way to get an idea of what one needs to work on to get "on paper" with their off hand.

[25-5]

It is important to practise weak hand supported. Cover is important and often is available for your weak side only. Weak side barricade is good training.
Hell it's all important, it's all fun to practise. Sitting , standing, in the car, on the pot, and I see a thread here of in the shower.
Please remember it is the first accurate shot that counts. There is "No Second Place Winner".