Left Hand Shooters

Status
Not open for further replies.
I'm a lefty. The world is righty. Lefties learn to adapt, not just on the range, but everywhere.

I've only ever owned one bolt action, a Mosin Nagant M44. My first rifle was an Ithaca .22 lever action/falling block single shot.

I deer hunt with a lever action Marlin.

Your boys will adapt. They'll do it on their own, and you probably won't even notice most of the time.

Shooting's easy. Scissors are hard.
 
Lifetime southpaw who has learned to shoot most everything with either hand (though I've had limited success shooting "righty" with shotguns <grin>).

Personally I don't especially care for bolt-guns with the swiss K-31 being a notable exception. I tend to stick with semi-auto, leverguns, or my all time favorite, the Remington pump 7600.
 
I'm left handed, as is one of my brothers and my dad.

If i had a son who was left handed, i sure as he!! wouldn't make him grow up as "i" did! (there were NO LH guns when i was a kid) I'd get him a LH rifle right off, and get him started on his way to being the "best" rifleman he could be.

How many here buy their "right handed" kids a "left handed" bolt rifle, "so they can learn to adapt" ???

To the origional poster,

Why don't you shove his pencil or spoon/fork in his right hand too?? It will teach him to learn to adapt!

When i was in my 20's i bought a LH rifle, and it didn't take long to see how much inprovement it made in my shooting skills, to have something that "fit me properly".

DM
 
Hello,

I am a lefty. I learned on a Marlin 880C and will admit that it was a pain to work the bolt with my right hand. I tried reaching over a few times, but it really didn't work well.

Fast-forward several years.

I've found that I prefer right handers' handguns for the most part -- especially single action revolvers and 1911 pistols outfitted with STRONG ambi-safeties.

In rifles I prefer bolt action. I have some modern lefty bolts that serve well with 'scopes, but when it comes to centerfire with open sights, I really prefer straight bolt Mausers and Mosin-Nagants. Bent-bolt rifles with the handle on the right side are still a bit of a pain to work, but straight bolt rifles can be fired by a lefty nearly as quickly as can bolt handles on the left side.

In fact, in the case of the Mosin-Nagant, I find that opening the bolt with my left hand doesn't move it on my shoulder nearly as much as when I shoot it right-handed and operate the bolt with my right hand.

Regards,

Josh
 
As a left handed rifle shooter early in life I managed to get by shooting right handed rifles. When in basic training I found out how much I wished they had a left handed M-16, I cannot count how many times hot brass went down my back burning for what seemed like eternity, having to "stay in uniform" I could not close the top shirt button. Fortunatly the new AR-15's have brass deflectors that do a good job of pushing the hot brass away. Just remember that hot brass down the back could potentially cause the inexperienced to turn the muzzle in an unintended direction so that is something to teach and be aware of. I still experience that ocassionally with my Ruger 10/22 although it is not many times during a typical day of shooting. I am going elk hunting in October and decided to buy a rifle for that trip and started looking around at left handed models as getting a 2nd quick shot from a bolt action right handed one is quite a challenge when you have to reach over the top to load another round quickly and staying some what on target. Through my research I found that Remington now has a very limited selection of left handed ones available and none in stainless which I wanted. I ended up with the Tikka 30-06 and was amazed how easily I could operate it because everything was where it should be. Stag Arms makes left handed AR's and there are 22 cal kits for them available as well, might be an option to consider. Left handed shooters can shoot the right handed models and it is not until they shoot one that is designed for a lefty can they truly appreciate the difference..... Let us know what you end up doing, maybe you will find something that should be added to my safe..........
 
i'm all crossed up because i'm a lefty, but right eye dominant. therefore, i just learned to shoot right handed when i started.

i'd just teach your boys to shoot right handed. it'll be easier on them in the long run, because so few guns are made for left handers.
 
I'm a lefty. The world is righty. Lefties learn to adapt, not just on the range, but everywhere.
Click to expand...

this. since i've been a lefty my whole life (duh), i just adapted to everything as i learned. i use a mouse with my right hand, shoot right handed, use scissors with my right hand, etc. it all feels normal to me.

i think you're better off learning to shoot righty so that you're not limited in your gun choices.
 
think you're better off learning to shoot righty so that you're not limited in your gun choices.
Click to expand...

This thought process is sort of like the Catholic Nuns in grade school whom would use a wood ruler to discourage the use of the left hand.:what: I guess their thought process was the world is right handed so conformity is the norm.:banghead:
 
As a left handed shooter I like centerfires more then .22's most .22's either burn my, eject brass across my face, or it goes down my sleeves. The centerfires just eject out so far you don't have to worry about getting hit. I also don't really care for bolt action's unless i'm shooting from a bench rest.
 
I dont have a lot of experience with bolt action rifles (never owned one), but I've adapted pretty well to the long arms I do own, none of which have ambi anything.

The few left handed long arms I've picked up just felt weird. I could also count those left-handed guns on one hand...
 
I never thought my leftism was an issue till the internet came along.

Actually the only weapons that muck me up are bolts so I don't own any, no problem.

I think single action revolvers were made for lefties in the first place.
 
Some standard-configuration rifles are quite lefty-friendly. I consider the Mini-14 to be better for lefties than righties, and I love my Minis. Some things about the AR15 make it a very good lefty rifle, and an ambidextrous or lefty safety lever is very easy to install. Lever rifles and many single-shots tend to be neutral.

Bolt actions are where I draw the line. Truly fast bolt work is difficult to do while reaching across the top, which also interrupts the sight picture, obscuring the target, and using the support arm to work the bolt, while standing or kneeling, means the shooter has to re-establish structural support for the next shot. Either way of working the right-hand bolt is certainly possible for a lefty, but it is not optimal.

Please understand that I am referring to fast bolt work while in the field, keeping the rifle shouldered, and keeping the eyes on the target, as opposed to bench-rest shooting at a range. From a bench, or tripod, a lefty may even prefer a right-hand bolt-action.
 
Most people I’ve witnessed can’t operate a bolt action or lever properly from the shoulder. They tend to remove the rifle from the shoulder in order to operate the action.
Click to expand...

Which makes a RH rifle easy to shoot and work for a LH shooter - as a LH myself, I do exactly that - holding the rifle in my LH at the wrist and working the bolt with my RH - works great that way
 
Lifetime southpaw who has learned to shoot most everything with either hand (though I've had limited success shooting "righty" with shotguns <grin>).

Personally I don't especially care for bolt-guns with the swiss K-31 being a notable exception. I tend to stick with semi-auto, leverguns, or my all time favorite, the Remington pump 7600.

No need for a lefty k31 shooter to shoot right handed.

lho010.jpg

lho014.jpg
 
I'm a lefty with a right hand that has dwarfed fingers (1-1.5" long). I owned a LH Savage 110 years ago but didn't like it. Wished I would have gone with a RH model instead. One nice thing is when shooting prone , keep the left hand on the trigger and use the support hand to work the action. Keeps a better cheek/shoulder weld that way.

In my .22s, I use my right hand to work the bolt. I fire, raise the barrel slightly, pull the right hand back and work the bolt, and as the muzzle comes back down my right hand meets the stock at or near the firing position. I shoot as fast and accurately as most righties.

I think I saw it mentioned: as a lefty, watch out for some of the Monte Carlo stocks with the offset cheekpiece- I find them very uncomfortable to shoot.

Marlin lever guns and Mossberg shotguns are great.

Let the kids shoot. They'll figure it out and if they want a LH bolt gun down the road, they can make that choice then.

Q
 
I am right handed and left eyed. . . I shoot left right now. . . But I am trying to switch to right handed shooting, because right handed guns are the norm (and I am right handed)
 
Last edited:
Ill bring up something that i domt think anyone has yet. I am right handed, left eye dominant. That being said, i dont own a left handed gun and it feels so wrong to shoot a left handed rifle. In nc we do a lot of duck hunt on the coast as well as skeet shooting....... when u are shooting an automatic shotgun and shooting skyward there is times when i have gotten debris in my eye as the ejection port of a right gun is on the same side as your face. However that can be simple remedied by shooting a pump action. On the same note, u dont shoot a rifle skyward on most occasions. So therefore the issue isnt bad with a rifle.

And as a side note, kids just want to burn powder they dont care if its leftor right handed. Just make sure you dont move that trigger and theyll be happy.
 
We all learn to adapt to this right handed world. I have learned to use both hands in everything I do. Only writing and throwing a baseball I have not as yet been able to accomplish.
 
This thought process is sort of like the Catholic Nuns in grade school whom would use a wood ruler to discourage the use of the left hand. I guess their thought process was the world is right handed so conformity is the norm.
Click to expand...

no, it's not. pens are ambidextrous. guns are not. there is zero need to learn to write righty if you're a lefty, as you can pick up any pen around and use it just fine (yes, even a fountain pen. i own some and can use them just fine).

it's probably not even once a month that i notice / remember that i'm a lefty. i adapted to living in a world of righty's so long ago that everything feels second nature and normal to me.
 
I shoot AR's left and right handed. I prefer left handed. I use right handed AR's only.

Bolt actions off a bench left handed work best for me.....prone, not so much.

Overall I go with righthanded rifles, and shoot right handed as needed, but am left handed 90% of the time.
 
no, it's not. pens are ambidextrous. guns are not. there is zero need to learn to write righty if you're a lefty, as you can pick up any pen around and use it just fine (yes, even a fountain pen. i own some and can use them just fine).
Click to expand...

You missed the point entirely. The analogy of the Nuns was not about writing but rather the establishment discouragement of being let handed.

Firearms being ambidextrous are a factor being taken in to consideration in today’s market place witness the new semiautomatic pistols designs. True long arms to a degree are behind the curve but this is changing also. There are more left-hand models being marketed also.

In a competitive market place manufactures may no longer ignore market share that of left-hand usage potential.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Right hand with Left Eye Dominant
Replies
20
Views
891
hoghunting
H
C
  • Locked
Left hand shooter question
2
Replies
38
Views
2K
Txhillbilly
T
B
  • Locked
Left-handed shooter vs. ejected brass
Replies
3
Views
1K
Sunray
S
Z
  • Locked
Left handed bolt action for right handed shooter ???
Replies
12
Views
3K
nvshooter
N
Nathanael_Greene
  • Locked
Left-handed shooters
Replies
20
Views
2K
Andrew Wyatt
A
Back
Top