Left handed shooters

[dukkillr]

Gas from the bolt going in my eyes is the exact reason I quit shooting 870s and started shooting BPSs.

[kitchawan kid]

After 50 yrs of shooting I developed macular degeneration in my right eye and had to shoot left,handgun no problem,rifle not to bad but try shooting trap, that you start all over again.

[helotaxi]

There's a significant safety risk in shooting a RH bolt gun left-handed. They're all designed to vent gas and particles from a case rupture to the right.

I would hardly call it "significant."  Rifle makers don't seem to even give that consideration.  Case in point is the current crop of benchrest rifles.  They are dual ported and would thus vent out both sides.  Using factory ammo or smart reloads cut the risk of case separation to nearly zero.  If you are unfortunate enough to still have a case failure, bolt design isn't going to offer you notable protection beyond what a good pair of shooting glasses will.  In fact neither of my bolt guns (one right and one left) would offer what I consider any significant protection from venting gasses in the event of a ruptured case regardless of what side I'm shooting from.  Not something I'm even concerned about.

[securitysix]

I'm also cross dominant, right handed, left eyed.  We discovered this when my dad started to teach me to shoot at the age of 7.  I was sitting at the bench with the rifle on sandbags and barely able to keep shots from an open-sighted .22 single-shot on a 2' target at 25 yards.  He started watching me instead of the target then stopped me.  He moved the gun to the left side of the bench and said "Here, try this."  Suddenly, I was keeping them all inside a 4" circle with most of those inside a 2" circle.  A trip to the eye doctor taught us that just closing or covering my left eye and having me shoot right handed was out because my right eye was 20/180 (it has since improved to 20/60, but can't be corrected by lenses anymore), while my left was 20/20 (now 20/50, but corrected to 20/20 with my glasses).

I have 2 left-handed bolt-actions, one a Savage 12FLV in .308 Winchester and the other a Remington 788 in .308 Winchester.  I have no problems shooting levers, semi-autos and pumps left-handed as long as I can get to the safety, which is why I prefer Mossberg's shotguns.

[dukkillr]

I'm also cross dominant, right handed, left eyed.  We discovered this when my dad started to teach me to shoot at the age of 7.  I was sitting at the bench with the rifle on sandbags and barely able to keep shots from an open-sighted .22 single-shot on a 2' target at 25 yards.  He started watching me instead of the target then stopped me.  He moved the gun to the left side of the bench and said "Here, try this."  Suddenly, I was keeping them all inside a 4" circle with most of those inside a 2" circle.  A trip to the eye doctor taught us that just closing or covering my left eye and having me shoot right handed was out because my right eye was 20/180 (it has since improved to 20/60, but can't be corrected by lenses anymore), while my left was 20/20 (now 20/50, but corrected to 20/20 with my glasses).

I have 2 left-handed bolt-actions, one a Savage 12FLV in .308 Winchester and the other a Remington 788 in .308 Winchester.  I have no problems shooting levers, semi-autos and pumps left-handed as long as I can get to the safety, which is why I prefer Mossberg's shotguns.

You should try a BPS.

[kody]

Left handed guns listed under GBO FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION COLUMN

[Big Nasty]

I to am a lefty with a dominant right eye. I have tried to shoot right handed and there is no way that I can make it work. Whenever shooting my scoped rifles I get a headache from closing my right eye. I bought a left handed bolt gun savage .243 and I can't get used to it with the bolt on the left side, I am to use to shooting right hand guns.

[kid buckskin]

I whould like to know if any of the colt or clone sa are left hand cus I shoot both hand in my gunfight here in az ? What whould some thing like that cost asuming that model p costs 500 to 1100

[JerryKo]

SA's are already lefty.  If your talking single action revolvers.  Sam Colt was a lefty and I've heard that is why the loading gate is set where it is.  So you can load with the left hand and spin the cylinder with the right.
Jerry

[kpel308]

I'm right-handed, but near blind in the right eye, so I shoot lefty rifle and righty pistol.  Best thing that ever happened to me was when they put the brass deflector on the M-16A2 and AR15s!

I never had any trouble with AKs, as they eject to the 2-o'clock position.

Best rifle I've ever owned was a Savage 110FLP in .308 with a TechniCarbon Dynamics stock and pillar bedding job by Walt Culley from down in Florida.  Too bad I had to give it up when I moved overseas.

[LHS]

Left handed and left eye dominant. I shoot right handed bolt action rifles left handed and can cycle the bolt with my right hand faster than most righties. Your trigger hand doesn't move like it does when you shoot right handed. You just have to learn to keep the gun on target with the left hand back further.

[Snowwolfe]

How many of you are like me and learned to shoot right handed because you cannot find left handed firearms hardly?

If I can not find what I want just have it built. End result are much nicer rifles:)

[KP]

Try being right handed and right eye dominate, but just the opposite in your 13 year old son. I used this site alot to figure out what would work for him. I started him with a H&R single shot 243, then I got him a 30-30 Marlin 336 (using leverevolution). Now he shoots a Tikka T3 in 270 win. 

The 270 is about all he needs, but I keep coming back to this site just to see what's going on. I owe a big thanks to all here that have really helped me with my lefty son.

Thanks, KP

[zermatt7]

I'm left hand, eye, ear and foot dominant...Do everything left handed except golf which I do right handed. But think about it...the left side of my body is facing the the hole and my left arm and leg do most of the work.

My identical twin brother writes and shoots right handed and golfs and throws left handed, kicks a football right footed   

Including my dad I was the only lefty out of 5 hunters in my family...So I learned to adapt to right handed guns until I got my Ithaca 37 lefty and a Savage 99C lever action that I took my black bear with.

[LHS]

I shoot left handed and am left eye dominant.
I work the bolt on right handed guns with my right hand (3 incorrect handed brothers taught me that), holding the gun steady with my left hand.

When I had my Mosins I could cycle them and get off a second shot a lot faster than right handers, and still keep good groupings.

[leewago]

I'm right handed, but lost my right eye in a rock fight at 8. (They can put an eye out.)  Learned to shoot left handed.  Although I do everything else right-handed, I can only shoot pool left-handed.

[BW56]

I'm a screwed up hard core lefty from birth. Long rh guns, get shot left side. Hand guns, either hand works. I love screwing with peoples heads while shooting hand guns.  All shooting is done with both eyes open.  Swing it right hand, throw it left. AND ride boards/skis goofy footed.

[LeftieD]

Left handed & left eye dominate. Learned on RH'ed guns, but figure life is too short to live with the wrong tools for the job. Don't use RH'ed baseball mitts, don't use RH'ed golf clubs. Don't wear clothes made for 5'6" tall people with 26" arms or shoes in size 8. Don't drive cars with RH steering wheels unless I'm in England. Will now only purchase LH'ed guns or guns that are most easy to adapt to LH shooting such as lever actions. My shotguns have or soon will get stocks with cast for left-hand. Frankly I don't give a rats behind if my guns don't fit who ever gets them next, my dad sure didn't purchase LH'ed guns because some day I'd get them. But whatever floats your boat is fine with me, just don't make this square peg fit into round holes.