Left handed? - Right handed?

[P95Carry]

I was well pleased with the sample we got in the ''what are your ages'' thread, not so long ago. Pretty good distribution if truth known...... and thx to all who added their bit.

Occurred to me (and apolagies if this has been done before) ..... to wonder if amongst this noble group of enthusiasts, there is a similar parity with ''life in general'' with regard to handedness??

Add your vote if you would and ... as important ... you ''left handers'', do relate your grievances etc re problems you have faced .... and solutions found etc. I shoot weak hand for practice, both with rifle and pistol but, sure find it damned awkward with some pieces.

I am a standard issue right hander ...... (oops, innuendo creepin there!! )

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Edited to correct inexcusably sloppy typing!

 

[Tamara]

I'm a natural leftie, but I shoot right-handed.

(It's easier to conform, even when it means you're cross-eye dominant, than it is to go looking for southpaw-friendly guns. )

 

[Greg L]

LH

Usually not a problem as either the safety for my pistols is over on the right where I need it (USP v.2) or I don't bother owning them (1911). That's not to say I won't own them if the right deal comes along, I just don't go looking for them.

With rifles I've actually found that I'm faster with using a bolt shooting left handed. I can keep my hand on the trigger while running the bolt with my right (assuming a good rest to shoot off of).

I really don't notice it too much as I've had to make adjustments for most things my whole life.

Greg

 

[spin180]

I was born left-dominant. I have written, eaten, etc. with my left all my life, but for many years did all my shooting with my right hand.

A few years ago, as I got more and more into shooting, I noticed I was having increasing difficulty with my left eye being dominant and shooting right handed.

I then started practicing with my left and found that it came quite natural. Now I can shoot equally well with my left or right, though I can sight more easily shooting left, whereas I have to concentrate more when shooting right. I now carry and primarily shoot left handed

Funny thing though, this only applies to handguns. Using a rifle or shotgun I'm strictly right handed. I've tried shooting long-arms lefty, but I just don't like it.

Queer, huh?

 

[Navy joe]

Lefty, but moving towards being very ambi. Found out that I am going to be a right handed welder, couldn't make left handed work. Doing that everyday helps my right side motor skills. Bigger issue for me is eye dominance, left eye is very much so, so to right hand a rifle I have to close my left eye. Otherwise it looks like the lenscover is on the scope. guns, no big deal. 1911, Glocks, Kahrs, Ar-15, Sigs, Rem 870, M-1A, M-1, all built by and for a lefty as far as I can see. Scoped bolt guns are the only thing I desire to be wrong sided. Stuff like a Nagant I am scary fast with coming over the top, I don't have the straight bolt leverage problems that righties do. It is harder for me to assume stances as a righty. I have to naturally take up the stance left handed and then deconstruct what I am doing then reverse it. Except for pistol, then it is no big deal. No funky Weaver/Chapman stuff, just stick the gun out there and shoot it.

 

[BenW]

Lefty. Luckily my favorite pistol, the 1911, was inadvertently designed for lefties.

I'm always able to get by with my right-handed bolt guns as I never shoot them for speed, my lever gun works just fine left-handed, and so does my M1A. My shotgun is a double barrel so no problems there either. The only left handed rifle I actually own is my Great Plains percussion, and when I get around to acquiring a flintlock, that'll be left-handed as well, just because I prefer to keep exploding black powder as far away from my face as possible.

 

[pax]

If I'm sitting down, I'm left-handed. Mostly, anyway. I write left handed, but use right handed scissors.

Tasks done standing up are mostly done right handed, with exceptions just to keep it interesting (I bat left, play tennis right, shoot right, swat flies right).

Some days I am left eye dominant, some days right eye dominant. If I shoot with both eyes open, I can see neither my sights nor the target -- or rather, I can see two copies of each.

Guess you could mark me down as ambidextrous, but it's more like ambiclumsy.

Oh, shooting? I work on shooting one handed with either hand, and, when I use two hands, I shoot right handed. Switching hands makes no difference since I never know which eye is going to be working that day.

pax

On the other hand, you have different fingers. -- Steven Wright

 

[P95Carry]

I never know which eye is going to be working that day.

Pax .... I think I'll continue to just cope with my hypermetropia and be thankful....... at least the right eye is consistently less bad than left!!

 

[Schuey2002]

Southpaw here that is right eye dominant. Though, I can shoot just as well with my right hand (using either handguns or rifles) as I can with my left.

 

[10-Ring]

Lefty w/ long guns, righty w/ handguns. Last summer tho, I did a lot of weak hand shooting so I can now shoot comfortably lefty now too...

 

[3 gun]

Born right handed but I've learned to miss just as well left handed.

 

[sm]

Right-handed, right eye domiant.

On 1911's--I don't like, want or use ambi's...MOA is fine for me left handed, taught that way...

Same for Revos when using left (weak-handed).

I can and do shoot with either hand, two or one handed grip...focusing more on one-hand when weak- handed shooting.

 

[ahadams]

LH However I grew up in a household where everyone else was RH so I got to figure out how to shoot left handed with righthanded guns. Also got to do same in the Army, which with M16A1 could be fun if I couldn't find one of those little snap on brass deflectors! Anyway by this time I'm as comfortable with RH safeties as I am with LH...still no good with a bolt gun though...at least not without taking it off my shoulder, etc, etc,

 

[Lennyjoe]

I write, throw and even itch right handed but I shoot primarily left handed.

Left eye dominant.

Couldnt aim at a B-52 flying over at 50 ft with a shotgun with my right eye. Its that weak.

I tought myself to shoot guns and bows left handed. Wasnt really that hard at all.

I can shoot handguns right handed just have to use my left eye to aim. Bummer huh.

 

[New_comer]

Righty here

Always been, & hope always will be...

 

[Schuey2002]

Always been, & hope always will be...

As they say, "Left handed, but of the right mind."

 

[Bily Lovec]

naturally left handed, but right eye dominate, the true sign of being ambi, is the inability to write with either hand

 

[280PLUS]

right handed, right eyed, i occasionally practice lefty so i'm fairly comfortable with it but not as accurate

don't recall ever trying to shoot rifles lefty.

m

 

[p35]

Extremely left handed. Biggest problem I have is with my BHP- i keep intending to put an ambi safety on it but haven't done it yet.

I think it becomes second nature to a lefty to deal with a right handed world, to the point that a lot of us don't even notice many of the adjustments.

 

[12-34hom]

Both.

12-34hom

 

[BenW]

I think it becomes second nature to a lefty to deal with a right handed world, to the point that a lot of us don't even notice many of the adjustments.

Hey thanks a lot man. Here I was getting ready to sue for government entitlements because of my disability, and you start throwing logic into the picture! Now I have to get along by making things work for me instead of complaining that I'm being discriminated against. Way to mess up my early retirement.

 

[Blackhawk]

R

 

[P95Carry]

Thx for posts so far and ..... Amazing!! - the ratio is thus far all but 2:1 right to left .... when I would have expected something nearer to 3:1 perhaps .... and 5 ambi's ......

Keep the votes comin if you can .. bigger the sample the better the result. Thx guys.

 

[cratz2]

I'm definately right-handed but am probably more ambi than many are. I've played guitar forever as well as many other instruments which leads to lots of left hand control.

I've always shot handguns right-handed but practice left handed a bit just in case. When I first started shooting rifle, I was a bit better shooting left handed. My grandmother's brother got me started (twice actually, almost ruined it the first time) and suggested I try each way. I'm definately right eye dominate so I forced myself to get better shooting from the right.

the true sign of being ambi, is the inability to write with either hand

Hey... I have that too!

 

[Nightcrawler]

Lefties do it right, baby.