Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Left-handers check in Here

Okay, my ugly little secret is out. I'm left-handed. Of course, I'm not alone, even on this board. Jim in Idho is apparently, so's E4E and I know there must be others. <P>What I'd like to know from all of you is what accomodation you have made for that. Do you seek out left-handed actions? Do you lean toward action types that don't handicap you like I do? Or did you just "force yourself" to learn to shoot like a rightie? <P><BR>My first gun, a .22 rimfire I got when I was about 14, was a right handed bolt action, of course. My next gun HAD to be an autoloader because that first one was so awkward for a leftie. Since then, I've tended to stick to action types that haven't handicapped me such as autos and lever-guns and Remington's 7600 pump. Left-handed bolt actions have not been an area I have gotten into since I never felt the need for a magnum and the pump 30-06 is plenty big enough for whitetail. <P>What have you other wrong-sided types done to accomodate your "handicap?" <P>Talker<BR>

Talker,<P> I am right handed but i shoot lefty rifle and shotgun due to an eye dominancy thing. I have shot right handed rifles ever sense i started shooting and haven't seen any reason to change. I have learned to work the bolt left handed, sure i'm slower than if i was using a lefthanded rifle but the selection of rifles out there leave a little to be desired.<P> Paul<P>------------------<BR>Barbie:)<P>------------------<BR>bwalukewiczgci.net

Talker,<P> that reply from barbie was Mine, My wife is right handed.<P> Ops!<P> Paul<P>------------------<BR> walukie@military.com

Talker,<P>I believe there's quite a few of us here. I'm another right-handed person who shoots left-handed due to my left eye being dominate. It even just feels weird to hold a rifle right-handed.<P>I do search out left-handed rifles. I don't care for the "reach over" routine when using right-handed rifles. The lack of a suitable left-handed magnum length action, Winchester M70, in stainless steel, is why I built a 416 Taylor.<P>In the Army, I hated using the brass deflector on the M-16. It seems to "deflect" brass back into the action, causing it to jam. The M16A2's, with the built in deflectors worked well. I got hit in the face more than once by flying brass! <P>------------------<BR>Brian<BR><A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/bw_99835/" TARGET=_blank>The 416 Taylor WebPage!</A>

Left handed and checking in.<P>I search out cheap left hand Rem 700 actions like a dog in heat. If there's one around...I'll find it!<P>I wish I shot right handed because of the selection, there is no shortage to choose from.

Talker, I am terminaly left handed. i will shoot anything that goes bang. I have been shooting over 40 yearsand have learned to make my shots count as most guns to me are treated as single shots. Recently I got a Savage 110 left handed 06. Man is that thing confusing I am not used to a bolt where it's supposed to be. I did convert the safty on several rifles to left hand. I make a safty for the 10/22 to work lefty and my Ithica 37 has a factory left safty as well as several Remington 870's I have. But in a house full of wrong minded folks I can't change all the guns so I adapt.<P>Shoot safe and shoot often.<P>Bullwnkl.

I'm left-handed, yet I shoot & play most sports right handed/right footed. I think I'm a little wierd in that respect. My wife & older daughter are the same way & younger daughter is right handed (& left eye dominant). badger.<p>[This message has been edited by badger (edited February 02, 2001).]

Yup, as you guessed, another southpaw. I learned to shoot right hand bolt actions by bringing the rifle off the shoulder and working the bolt with the right hand. Just get your left thumb out of the way of the bolt. The first time I shot a LH bolt and experienced what it was like to work them like they're supposed to be worked I was hooked.<P>Just sold the very last right hand bolt action (a very nice 788 Remington) a few months ago. The gun rack now has 11 left hand bolt actions, 2 Kimbers, 2 short action Model 700's, three long action 700's, and 4 Winchester Model 70's. Also a 12 gauge Model 1100 shotgun with a left hand safety and a Browning Citori with the tang safety, one lonely Marlin lever action 30-30 and a couple of others, .22 autos and muzzleloaders. <P>It is a real pain being limited to one model and 4 calibers (lefties recite after me - .270, .30-06, 7mm Mag and .300 Mag) in each gun maker's line. Okay, there are a few other options around but you have to hunt high and low. I whine like a 2 year old about this sometimes. Go into a bigger gun store or any gun show and see hundreds of RH bolts to choose from, all calibers, all models, two or three examples of each model in each caliber, then see maybe, maybe, 2 or 3 left handed bolts total. And dollars to donuts they will be a Model 700's or Ruger 77's. I'd give a significant piece of flesh to have an off the rack left hand Model 70 Featherweight. <P>But maybe it's a blessing in disguise. There's 15 long guns in the collection right now, down from a high of about 25 or so. If I were right handed there would probably be four times that many.

I'm right handed, but shoot left, which is right for me. <BR>It's the left-eye dominant thing. I spent my childhood climbing over the stock to line up the sights with my left-eye.(Try it, I don't know how I hit a thing)<BR>I choose to go with left-handed bolts, and the BPS in my shotgun. It ejects the shell out the bottom, so I don't have it flying across my line of sight. As for rifles, I saved my pennies and had one built in .280.<BR>As far as I'm concerned, the righties are the odd-balls. <P>Two Socks.

Another lefty here. It looks like a very high percentage of those of us who made the big site move are left handed. You don't think there is anything in what the right handers say about us all being flakes? As you might expect of someone who would choose curmudgeon for a handle, I shoot mostly right handed bolt actions. I do have a pump .22 and a Marlin 336, but I've been shooting right handed bolt actions so long they seem normal. After making so many adaptations to a right handed world I can't even use left handed scissors! curmudgeon

Jim,<P>I found a left Win 70 blued/wood in .270 tonight at a local store. Price was $500 (used). It was in perfect condition. It's not the featherweight but close.

There is a Stainless Mod 70 wood stock in 30-06 here for 659.99, I believe that that's the right price. Might be 699.99 but I don't think so.<P> Paul<P><BR> Forgot to tell ya It's new! Sory.<p>[This message has been edited by Paul Walukewicz (edited February 02, 2001).]

Hey Lefties, -- come on down to the Dallas gun shows or the Tulsa, Oklahoma,(worlds largest gun show, two times a year,11 acres under one roof), plenty of left hand shovels. Talker, you don't give up anything with the auto, pumps, or lever guns, except some rare reloading situations and shorter br*** life. As for the left handed bolt guys, how about turning the rifle around, that would put the bolt on the other side and eliminate the problem soon as you push the trigger. -- no

NO.<BR> I like your Idea but only if I get to rest the barrel on my sholder and you stand behind me(grin)<P>Rember support the second amendment, tell a friend about it.<P>Bullwnkl.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Arial" size="2">Originally posted by BW:<BR><B>Talker,<P>I believe there's quite a few of us here. I'm another right-handed person who shoots left-handed due to my left eye being dominate. It even just feels weird to hold a rifle right-handed.<P>I do search out left-handed rifles. I don't care for the "reach over" routine when using right-handed rifles. The lack of a suitable left-handed magnum length action, Winchester M70, in stainless steel, is why I built a 416 Taylor.<P>In the Army, I hated using the brass deflector on the M-16. It seems to "deflect" brass back into the action, causing it to jam. The M16A2's, with the built in deflectors worked well. I got hit in the face more than once by flying brass! <P></B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Amen to that about M-16's without brass deflectors!!! When I fired for qualification at Fort Knox in 1971 I had hot brass going down the front of my fatigue shirt about every thid shot. Man, was that stuff HOT!<P>I finished the course with my shirt buttoned to the top button and my helmet turned around backwards. It was about 102 degrees that day and my glasses kept fogging up in the warm damp air trapped under the brim of the thing. Talk about shooting with a handicap. It wasn't until later I learned the trick of bending a stripper clip into a makeshift brass deflector...and you are right, they don't always work as advertised. <P>Talker<P>

Need One's right. Some of the actions that suit us lefties are chambered in completely adequate cartridges. Let me put in a good word for the Remington 7600 (or the older 760 if you can find one used) I have found it to be accurate and well suited to left handed operaiton. I still need to do something about that cross bolt safety, though. <P>Mine's in 30-06 because that's all they chamber the 18-1/2 inch carbine for. (Oh yeah, besides being left-handed, my other perversion is a fondness for short barrels.) But I know they do 'em up in .243,.270,.280, and .308 too. Sad to say, the 35 Whelan seems to have been dropped. In the past, the 760 was done in a very fine deer load...300 Savage. But I guess nobody loads that any more. <P>Anybody of the leftie persuasion tried one out or use one? <P>Talker

Gentlemen, chalk in another LH shooting, left eye dominant, natural rightie. My sentiments are the same as Jim in Idaho's: life is too short to fumble around with rightie rifles. But I reserve the right to bitch and moan about the selection. The fact is that lefties are 80% out of the used rifle game.<P>Compounding my difficulties at present is a crazy, hormonal desire for a LH short action in stainless with which to make a .222 Remington. The only one I have seen is Savage's. Why a .222? I'm hung on the notion that I'll get a quieter rifle, and that I have a chance to add a slightly heavier tube and retain sight picture after shooting. 300 yards is plenty of range for me.<P>I have noticed quite a few LHers from other sites. I don't know if we post more (to whine about our predicament) or if there're more of us than I thought.<P>Good shooting to everyone!

Hi there <BR>I am also LH I use RH and LH rifles.<BR>Started out target shooting with a RH bolt,but when I got into hunting I started looking for something else.<BR>I went through the lever and single shot actions ad ended up with a few Weatherby's and a A bolt.<BR>The A bolt is the usual LH cal. 7mm and the Weatherby's was the only way to get into the more powerful rifle's<P>I don't care to much the push feed but there is not much choice.<BR>My 416Rigby is a RH ad I shoot it by turning the rifle 90 deg on the shoulder.<BR>If only Winchester would get going and build me my 375 Express rifle (Been on order for 2 years)then all would be well.<P>Regards Martin

Talker, -- fast becoming one of my favorite hunting rifles is a 7400 30-06 carbine with the 18" barrel. Since you mentioned it my fathers rifle is a Rem 760 chambered in 300 Savage, bet it didn't shoot three boxes of shells. I let my uncle take it until he passed away and he added a sling and barrel band,(split), never had a scope on it, don't think it was drilled for one from the factory. It can be yours for $350 plus shipping and paperwork. It just sits in the safe and I am the last of the line. -- no

No - hey darlin' when are the gun shows in Big D and in Tulsa? I need to go and spend Marks hard earned money on my shotgun and whatever else I find of interest!!! Toons<P><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Arial" size="2">Originally posted by need one:<BR><B>Hey Lefties, -- come on down to the Dallas gun shows or the Tulsa, Oklahoma,(worlds largest gun show, two times a year,11 acres under one roof), plenty of left hand shovels. Talker, you don't give up anything with the auto, pumps, or lever guns, except some rare reloading situations and shorter br*** life. As for the left handed bolt guys, how about turning the rifle around, that would put the bolt on the other side and eliminate the problem soon as you push the trigger. -- no</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><P>------------------<BR>Don't be ashamed to say what you are not ashamed to think.