Shooting Right to Left

At a USPSA format steel shoot this weekend I was discussing how to run a particular stage with a friend of mine. As a right handed shooter I typically engage targets in a left to right order. He suggested shooting from right to left, that way his body's momentum was leaning towards the right, setting him up to move to the next shooting box, which was to the right. I have timed myself shooting plates left to right, and then right to left, but don't see any real difference on the timer. So my question is about the idea of momentum, or body positioning, aiding in lateral movement. Do you think shooting targets in a particular direction would affect which way you need to move next?

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Originally Posted by 66L

At a USPSA format steel shoot this weekend I was discussing how to run a particular stage with a friend of mine. As a right handed shooter I typically engage targets in a left to right order. He suggested shooting from right to left, that way his body's momentum was leaning towards the right, setting him up to move to the next shooting box, which was to the right. I have timed myself shooting plates left to right, and then right to left, but don't see any real difference on the timer. So my question is about the idea of momentum, or body positioning, aiding in lateral movement. Do you think shooting targets in a particular direction would affect which way you need to move next?

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Why not put it on the timer and find out?

I choose target order based on movement as well, but I'm not really concerned about momentum. I'll often select the order for an array so that I can shoot into or out of the position. Target difficulty can also influence the order I shoot an array. If I need to move a long distance from a position, I will shoot the easiest target last, and if I have just moved a long distance on the way to a position, I'll shoot the easier target first. All of this is assuming that some other factor doesn't govern target order because of stage design or match rules.

I'd think the only way it would make a difference would be if you were willing to sacrifice some stability in your shooting stance on the last target(s). That seems like a poor tradeoff.

I recall from Weaver-stance days that some folks advocated shooting right-to-left because rotation your torso counterclockwise would make you "tighten up" to a more compact position during the string of fire. Rotating left-to-right would supposedly make you "open up", which was weaker.

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Originally Posted by peterb

I'd think the only way it would make a difference would be if you were willing to sacrifice some stability in your shooting stance on the last target(s). That seems like a poor tradeoff.

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I agree that for practical purposes it is probably not useful, but if you only need to hit an A zone, it often makes sense to sacrifice stability to gain speed.

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Originally Posted by joshs

I agree that for practical purposes it is probably not useful, but if you only need to hit an A zone, it often makes sense to sacrifice stability to gain speed.

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Same traffic. I think this is quintessentially shooting on the move, where stability is second to movement. In that case I can understand how shooting an array in a certain order, and using that momentum, is important. For fixed shooting positions it seems it could really be the shooters choice unless there are other factors. I haven't tried anything live fire yet, but in my living room I can dry fire in either direction and move to another position with no perceivable difference.

Moving into / out of a position, or shooting around a barricade, I'll shoot the targets in whatever order is dictated by that position / movement / barricade (ie slicing the pie around the barricade, or so I can already be moving out of the position as I shoot the last target in an array, etc).

But if it's shooter's choice (like an array of targets in the open with no movement involved), I'm a big fan of shooting right to left. I'm right handed, and right eye dominant, so with my right eye centered on the sights, I have a lot more peripheral vision on the left. I find that makes it easier to pick up the next target with my eyes as I transition.

The other argument I've heard supporting this theory is that the way we read, our eyes more slowly left to right, and then quickly snap left to the beginning of the next line. So our eyes are more conditioned to making the fast snap to the left than vice versa. Allegedly.

The weird thing is, ever since I started shooting this way, I've noticed that whenever I pick up a magazine (the paper kind with words and pictures, not the kind full of bullets) to just flip through randomly, I always start at the back and flip towards the front...