FL-NC
Member
I'm not a lefty and don't want to be. According to my research, lefties make up about 11% of the population. Regarding weapon use in the military, here are my observations:
1- The military doesn't issue weapons for lefties. However, the M9 pistol has ambi safety/decock, and the mag release is reversible. The M110 SWS has ambi controls as well. Not sure about the new Sig pistol, I retired before it was adopted. The Glocks in SOCOM are gen 3, so no reversible mag release.The standard Mossbeg 590 shotgun with its tang safety works well for lefties, though.
2- The Gustav 84 MM recoiless and similar weapons cannot be employed left handed, as the optic is mounted at the 9 o'clock position.
3- Lefties need to hold (and throw) grenades upside-down so that the pin can be safely removed with the right hand. Seeing this scares the crap out of me and looks unsafe as heck, but it is how it needs to be done.
4- The US military does not (but should) provide ambi safety/selector on the M16/M4 family of weapons. In my unit, they were installed on the M4 for lefties, contrary to regulations. The absence of ambi switches on these firearms place lefties at a considerable disadvantage in terms of speed, compared to the other 89%. The standard front sling swivel that comes on the M4 is set for a righty, and must be reversed (requires hammer and punches) for a lefty. In my unit, there were removed and replaced with QD rail-mounted swivels, so we didn't have that problem.
5- Lefties tended to be "awkward", though still effective with practice, when using the M24/M40/Mk13 (Remington 700 based) sniper rifles, as well as other bolt action rifles.
6- Lefties often get screwed by supply because when it is time to order new holsters, supply forgets to get some in lefty.
1- The military doesn't issue weapons for lefties. However, the M9 pistol has ambi safety/decock, and the mag release is reversible. The M110 SWS has ambi controls as well. Not sure about the new Sig pistol, I retired before it was adopted. The Glocks in SOCOM are gen 3, so no reversible mag release.The standard Mossbeg 590 shotgun with its tang safety works well for lefties, though.
2- The Gustav 84 MM recoiless and similar weapons cannot be employed left handed, as the optic is mounted at the 9 o'clock position.
3- Lefties need to hold (and throw) grenades upside-down so that the pin can be safely removed with the right hand. Seeing this scares the crap out of me and looks unsafe as heck, but it is how it needs to be done.
4- The US military does not (but should) provide ambi safety/selector on the M16/M4 family of weapons. In my unit, they were installed on the M4 for lefties, contrary to regulations. The absence of ambi switches on these firearms place lefties at a considerable disadvantage in terms of speed, compared to the other 89%. The standard front sling swivel that comes on the M4 is set for a righty, and must be reversed (requires hammer and punches) for a lefty. In my unit, there were removed and replaced with QD rail-mounted swivels, so we didn't have that problem.
5- Lefties tended to be "awkward", though still effective with practice, when using the M24/M40/Mk13 (Remington 700 based) sniper rifles, as well as other bolt action rifles.
6- Lefties often get screwed by supply because when it is time to order new holsters, supply forgets to get some in lefty.
