Any lefty shooters?

[FROGO207]

I am not left handed but I do practice firing all my firearms as a lefty just in case. I have several lefty friends and they do not purchase special firearms as a rule. They all favor lever action over all other platforms in long arms and any revolver or ambi pistol. My observation is that a lefty is quite adaptable with firearms for the most part. At least with the shooters I interact with so far. I hope you find a great .22 that feels like it becomes a part of you when you use it. I am betting a top eject lever or possibly a pump will fit the need.

 

[msparks]

I'm lefty as well. I trained myself to shoot right handed. Mainly because I was right eye dominant. Also my first handgun was a 1911, so it was just easier to shoot right handed.

Now I can shoot equally well both left and right.

 

[SwampWolf]

I would think that reloading a typical da revolver might be the most difficult thing for a lefthander to accomplish with a firearm "designed" for righthanders. I know that Charter Arms introduced a da revolver recently for lefties.

Typical sa revolvers, however, seem particularly suited for lefthanders in terms of reloading them, leading some to wonder if Samuel Colt was a southpaw.

 

[wally]

I'm righty, but try to do 10-25% of my practice left handed.

I have a left hand Stag and with an ambi safety, it works well either way, as does the standard AR and most other guns. Although if I did most of my shooting lefty, I'd prefer the left hand Stag just so the brass doesn't fly across my in front of my face -- never been hit with an empty but if you cant the gun and get your front arm up high you can get the empties hitting your formarm.

 

[steven58]

Swampwolf,

I own several S&W and Colt DA revolvers. as a lefty I can say that reloading them is very easy for a southpaw. All you need do is develop a lefty manual of arms.

I will attempt to describe how I do it, sorry I don't have pictures but it goes something like this:

From a 2 hand hold the left thumb pushes the latch forward (on a S&W. On a Colt I use my 3:00 side of my palm down left index finger as a hook and pull back on the latch) while the right hand grasps the cylinder and pushes it to the open position with right thumb pressure from 3:00 to 9:00.

At the same time the revolver is rotated to point up.

You are now grasping the cylinder through the gate as if it was a shot glass.

Next, with your left hand palm down with all fingers extended form a "V" by holding your thumb out to 3:00. Place the revolver barrel in that "V" and slap down to eject empty brass.

Still holding the revolver by it's cylinder, rotate it forward till it's pointing down. As if you decided not to drink your shot and threw it on floor.

Simultaneously, retrieve your speed loader with your left hand and then guide it in to the cylinder held in your right hand.

Load the cylinder and release the speed loader and with your left hand grasp the grip, twist to 9:00 with the grip and to 3:00 with the cylinder till it locks and resume your firing grip.

Like anything else, it reads much more complicated that it is

This works for me, YMMV

 

[LKB3rd]

I shoot lefty, and only have right handed rifles and handguns. No problems. HOWEVER, I do not have any thumbhole stock rifles, which do require a specifically lefty butt-stock. I bet you could google up a ton of them for a 10/22 (.22 rifle) which has a large aftermarket.

My observation is that a lefty is quite adaptable with firearms for the most part. At least with the shooters I interact with so far.

Many lefties are used to adapting to right handed equipment in other activities.

 

[SwampWolf]

You are now grasping the cylinder through the gate as if it was a shot glass.

Isn't "shot glass" broken?

Seriously though, steven58, I tried the method as you described several times and found it more feasible than it might seem just by reading your instructions (which were well explained). Still seems a little awkward to me but, then, I'm right-handed. Repetition would no doubt make me more confident and proficient with your method.

 

[ny32182]

I write and do many things right handed, and do other thing left handed, like cut with scissors, and shoot. I'm strange.

Anyway, I find that many of the common auto rifle designs are more lefty friendly than righty, such as the AK, and AR (the latter especially if you add Norgon ambi mag catch and ambi selector, both readily available components that I would add even if I were a right hander.)

Pistols, different story. I would be first in line to buy a true left handed Glock, and with the numbers they make, I'm kind of surprised they have never made one. The slide catch just doesn't work well for a lefty. Even on "ambi" designs like the M&P, the slide catch is a wishbone shaped part with the actual engagement on the left side of the slide in position for best activation by a right hander, and there is so much flex in the part that using the right side lever significantly hampers functionality. Plus, likely to help with this issue, it is positioned further forward and even with my monster hands I can barely reach it with the large backstrap.

But anyway. For long guns I haven't shot them all, but haven't owned one yet where I'd be knocking down the door for a left hand model. I can make most of them work pretty well.

 

[thedrewcifur]

i'm a lefty for handguns but i can shoot with ether hand for rifles and shotguns.

 

[steven58]

SwampWolf,

I know just how you feel. That's what it's like for me when I try to do a revolver reload right handed!

The first time I tried it the full speed loader and revolver wound up on the deck and the only thing I managed to save from the fall was 2 empty shells

To those who comment about the "distraction" of ejected shells in the field of view I submit the following: 20 years ago I was gifted a lefty Rem. 870. It was the biggest PITA ever! Here's why:

As I was used to the sight of an ejected empty as part of normal operation for my non bolt repeaters, I kept unconsciously flipping the gun over to make sure it had operated properly.

I missed being able to easily glance into the chamber without turning the gun over.

The push button safety was on the correct side for a lefty, but I had trained myself for years to use a RH safety so I kept fudging it up.

It was 15 years before ANYONE made a LH cantilever rifled barrel for it. By then I had bought a designated slug gun.

On another subject, we lefties can easily do a "tactical reload" with a loading gate equipped lever action without taking the sights off the target or breaking our firing grip

 

[steven58]

NY32182,

Never lower a river where you can raise the bridge: just don't use the slide release

I have taken 2 defensive pistol courses recently and both of them eschewed the use of a slide release and favored slingshoting the slide. Same with a tactical carbine course. they only used the charging handle, not the bolt release.

Their reasoning was that in a high stress reload it's best to avoid fine motor movements in favor of gross motor movements. KISS principle, do each thing one way so first loading = every loading. Also, you get a bit more slide travel / recoil spring compression when slingshoting.

 

[ny32182]

True, but I'm a competitive shooter where speed is king. I slam the magazine in hard enough to hopefully drop the slide. With enough wear on the part it works most of the time, but will never be as reliable as having a lever to push. If it doesn't drop and I have to slingshot, it costs me about .8 sec on average, which is a 50% increase over a good reload for me.

 

[steven58]

NY32182,

Do they make extended versions of the controlls so that you could use your index finger to hit them? If not, how bout having a smith weld something up for you?

I used to own a G-19 and I hit the slide release with my index finger. It was, as you described, a rather low profile piece of stamped sheet metal. About 15 minutes with a set of small vice grips and needle nose pliers and I had it bent out just enough that it worked fine for my purposes.

After a few years wandering in the wilderness with the G19, I was saved and returned to carrying a 1911(with an ambi safety of course ). Praise be to St. JMB!

 

[banek]

My brother was in the Marine Corp. and he said more right handed snipers are going to left handed rifles so they never have to change there grip on the stock.

 

[beatledog7]

I'm naturally left handed. I shoot rifles righty (I'm right-eye dominant) but handguns lefty, so I use LH holsters. Finding them can be challenging.

 

[monet61]

I'm left handed, but living in a right handed world taught me to make do. I actually think that if someone gave me a left handed gun, I would have a difficult time using it. No problem here.

 

[ny32182]

Do they make extended versions of the controlls so that you could use your index finger to hit them? If not, how bout having a smith weld something up for you?

I used to own a G-19 and I hit the slide release with my index finger. It was, as you described, a rather low profile piece of stamped sheet metal. About 15 minutes with a set of small vice grips and needle nose pliers and I had it bent out just enough that it worked fine for my purposes.

After a few years wandering in the wilderness with the G19, I was saved and returned to carrying a 1911(with an ambi safety of course ). Praise be to St. JMB!

I have a G34 that comes with the extended controls from the factory.

I have huge hands and the slide catch is barely forward of my knuckle in my standard grip. Unless they figured out a way to move it an inch forward I can't reach it with my trigger finger. I have a smaller-handed lefty buddy who rides it some with his trigger finger to try to make the drop from slamming in the mag more reliable, but at the end of the day he has the same issue I do; it works most of the time but not always.

Regarding the mag catch, the extended one dug into the joint between my fingers; I swapped it for the factory short part as found on the G17, 19, etc and that solved the issue. I hit it with my trigger finger and there is very little handicap on this operation.

I do have an M&P, and if I can get my gear issues worked out I might shoot it next year. Despite what I said earlier there are several things I like about it from a lefty perspective.