Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Any Lefties Shooting Right-Handed Bolt Action Rifles?

I am a lefty who has never owned a left-handed rifle. Who else out there is shooting left handed with a righty bolt? Ever have any problems in terms of follow-up shot speed or a blown case? Just curious to hear about your experiences.

not me!

I am a lefty who always shot RH boltguns then I bought my first LH boltgun 9 years ago. Since then the leftys are multiplying and the righties are dwindling at my house. I don't have much use for a RH boltgun any more. It may take some searching to find what you want but there are plenty of LH guns out there.

Lefty Mike

Not me! I love my lefty rifles!

Sold my RH Tang safety 6MM, had a primer blow factory round
old round corosion on primer a piece of primer almost went through my right cornea. Took 3 eye doctors to save my eye.
I am awfully uncomfortable about shooting RH rifles anymore.
I should have been wearing safety glasses.

I haven't been hit yet, but have got stuff in my eyes shooting shotguns, always wear glasses at the range, but dont when hunting, sorry to hear about your eye, but I am not comfortable shooting a left handed rifle. I guess growing up in a right handed world you just get used to it, have tried a left handed rifle and it just felt all wrong.

I have both. I only hunt with my lefties but if forced, would have no problem using a RH gun. NO problem.

Grew up with and learned to shoot on all right handed rifles and shotguns. Still shoot RH shotguns but every rifle I have bought in the last few years and all I will continue to buy will be LH. Once you get one you will never go back

I am a lefty that will never own another left handed gun. I love being able to squeeze of a round with my left hand and being able to lift the bolt wth my right. Much faster then having to reach over with my right hand or having to move my left hand off the trigger. JMO

I am a lefty that shoots lefty. I sold my last right handed bolt gun in 1989..a M-70 featherweight in 270.

I refuse to buy a right handed bolt gun much prefering a single shot to a bolt on the wrong side.

The primary reason the gun industry does not know how many lefty shooters there are is so many of us continue to buy right handed bolt rifles out of frustration to the lack of rifle and caliber choices the righty's can buy over the counter.

Doc

Doc

+1 on that!

When done properly the right hand working the bolt an the left holding the rifle works very well . I grew up watching my left handed father working right handed bolts this way .

Myself being very strongly left I am forced to go over the top with the bolts and this is why I converted all my rifles to left back in 88 .

But by the way if you want to see a group of hotshots humbled let your 60+ year father ( age at the time , 80 now and still shooting ) step up to a running deer contest and out shoot the local champs with 4 shots from a RH bolt shooting it left hand using his right to work the bolt . Meat hunting teaches you how to shoot .

Grew up using the right hand to work the right handed bolt but the first time I worked a LH bolt the way they were meant to be done - with the shooting hand - I was hooked. Now have 13 LH rifles, a Ruger #1 and a Marlin lever action. Have had a couple dozen others that went down the road for various reasons, mostly to buy a different LH rifle.

Have two RH rifles but only because I just didn't need a sixth .30-06 or fifth .270, so I got a RH M700 SPS 7mm-08. Also got one of those M700 Mountain Guide rifles made for Cabelas just to experience first hand what it was like to own a factory rifle that weighed less than 7 1/2 pounds. I've learned to work those by twisting them to the left and reaching over with the left hand and now prefer that to the old right handed method.

And since we're singing the southpaw blues, didja ever notice that Ruger #1's discriminate against left handers? The action wall is cut out on the right, you can push a cartridge home easily under a scope with your thumb. But try to push one in with your left thumb under a low mounted scope.

I'm really liking my old Marlin 336 .30-30 more and more these days...

I sold my pre-64 30-06 a few years back and bought a lefty Rem700 30-06. I got tired of having to lift the barrel up in the air to cycle the bolt, never did take the the old lefty reach around..or reach over I should say.

ive grown up shooting rh rifles, shotguns, whatever. just in the last two years ive gotten two leftys. so much more comfortable, just being able to operate the rifle the way its supposed to be. i still have a 10/22, 870, and a model 788 in 6mm, that are all right handed, its a must when shooting the 10/22 and 870 to wear saftey glasses, lots of powder and gases on those two. never any issues with the 6mm but always wear saftey glasses anyways 'cause i mostly only shoot reloads. as far a a follow up shot ive only needed 2. and wasnt too bad just being used to shooting rh rifles for so long. havent had an oppurtunity to shoot any thing with my lefties yet, but its really fun watching rh shoooters struggle shooting my leftys. i will definitly say its worth having a lefty.

yep.... i also have two lefties and it don't seem to bother me which side of the rifle the shifter is on...

I used to, until I bought a LH Remington 700. It is just much better.

I am right handed, but Left eye dominate. I have shot left handed my whole life with a right handed bolt. Never had a problem with a follow up shot. I feel like I am pretty successful shooting this way.

I'm a righty with a dominant left eye. I have shot lefty all my life. On a bolt action, I never take the rifle from my left shoulder, I just reach up and work the bolt with my left hand. It is more natural to me that using the one left handed rifle that I own. Thanks...Bill.

My oldest daughter is a righty with a very weak right eye, so I taught her to shoot left handed. She used a spare right hand 30-06 for her first kill, and then I bought her a left handed Model 70 Winchester in 30-06. Had the stock shortened to fit her. She shot it real well until she recently married an Irish national and moved to Dublin where she can't have the rifle.

Nice rifle for a man who is smaller or for his left handed wife.