Hey guys - After 50 years of shooting right-handed, I'm forced to switch sides and start shooting left-handed. Unfortunately, I've suffered some damage to the optic nerve in my right eye, due to the inherited disease, glaucoma. I've tried to figure a way around it, but have come to accept the fact that I need to begin the difficult task of replacing most of my long guns. I've been searching the web for what's offered by the major manufacturers, and have certainly learned one thing - left-hand shooters get screwed when it comes to available off-the-shelf options!

Now I turn to you, the mistreated and forgotten left-handers, for guidance. My needs are pretty basic. I'm a shooter/hunter that treats guns as tools, and don't really need any custom or collector pieces. As a farmer, I carry and use guns on a regular basis. My current long guns are from Howa, Ruger, and Remington, just to give you an idea of what I'm used to shooting. I think it would be best to dip my toe in the lefty water and start with a rimfire (.22 LR, .17 HMR, or .22 Magnum) and possibly a smaller caliber centerfire for varmints and pigs, maybe up to .260 Remington. For currently offered rimfires, I'm looking at the CZ 452 as a possible option. Centerfire - maybe a Ruger American?

Also, I should mention that I know I could shoot my right-handed guns from my left shoulder. However, for maximum protection of my good (left) eye, I really want the loading port facing away from me in case a primer or cartridge fails. When the reality is that you only have one good eye, you want to do everything possible to protect it from damage. That includes wearing eye protection whenever I'm shooting any type of firearm, or doing something as simple as pruning a tree!

Please PM me if you have any words of advice, have anything for sale, or know of somewhere I should be looking.

Thanks for reading my sob story, and for any help you can provide as I undertake this difficult exercise.

Rich

I understand your problem. I needed to switch due to an eye injury in my right eye. I wear glasses so i did not consider that my left eye was in danger by shooting right handed bolt actions

left handed. I switched 30 years ago and have never had a mishap. It could happen. Sure. Lots of things could happen. But I am not going to fear what may happen. Try to be safe

and rock on.

Welcome to the dark side.

I’m lefty.

Guess the only 2 RH guns I’ve shot are an 870 and a 742.

Something to try? I’d recommend a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 creedmoor.

Not to much money to try if LH works for you.

Also try it for recoil. If too much, the predator is threaded. Add a brake.

Sir, Sorry to hear about glaucoma.

For rimfires, the two leaders in my mind are CZ452 (new), and Remington 581 (used). Personally, the Rem 581 is the only .22LR rimfire rifle that I own at the moment. The only downside for your situation is that the Rem 581 is Left Bolt, Right Port. I "beleive" that the CZ is Left Bolt, Left Port. I have not personally ever had any safety issues with the 581 Right Port to cause me concern. But YMMV...

For a bread and butter centerfire, it is hard to beat a LH Remington 700. Even in the left hand versions, you can still find enough parts and pieces to modify them to suit your particular needs. No flies on the Ruger Americans. I just prefer Remington.

Good luck with your search for south paw gear...

I converted after 30 years of shooting. The switch for rifle shooting was easy. Shotgunning has proven more difficult. There are a number of off the shelf lefthanded rifles out there by semi custom makers. Personally I'd look at it as an opportunity to reduce your rifle headcount and buy better quality but fewer lefties. I'd be thinking lefthanded 22LR, lefthanded 223, lefthanded 6.5 Creedmoor and scoping them all with quality optics. If you are hunting something bigger than elk, then you'll have to figure that one out lol.

Good luck, it isn't as tough as it seems to do this.

Oh, forgot about the Tikka T3 rifles. Those seem quite nice and don't require much tweaking. They make a 6.5 Creedmoor as well. Shot a 22-250 a bit in a Tikka and have been favorably impressed.

I know your problem very well. Lost the vision in my right eye 7 years ago and at that time I was 75 and all my rifles were custom as I am now a retired gunsmith. After moping around for while I kicked myself in the ass and went to LH rifles as all my rifles were custom and wouldn['t fit a leftie. I now have a Tikka leftie 7mm mag which is a very good shooter, a Savage 308 with a boyds stock and accu trigger thast is a good shooter but I hate the accu trigger and a new Christensen Mesa 7-08 in LH also that is also a good shooter. Gave up wing shooting but still hunt Turkeys but they are all right hand with Burris red dot sights except for a Beretta with regular sights for rainey days. It was hard at first as I had a tendency to try to mount the rifles like right handed. A friend that I hunted with would yell at me and after a couple of years I got pretty use to bring them up the right way. I had no trouble with the shotguns Turkey hunting as in the past I have had to take many left handed as they came in that direction where I couldn't take a right hand shot. The main thing is to remind yourself it is not the end of the world especially if you love hunting and shooting. Also time on the range helps a lot. Just hand in there.

Wow, sorry about the eye.

Things really aren't too bad for lefties these days as long as you don't want an unusual caliber. But you won't see many in local stores, the internet is your friend. Whittakers, Bud's, CDNN and of course Gunbroker are your friends.

Ruger American in the caliber of your choice is certainly a good place to test the water cheap.

My CZ 527 is my favorite in the safe at this time, only available in .223 but there are a few .204's around from years gone by. Well it and my Ruger No.1's which are ambidextrous.

700's and 77's aren't too hard to come by, neither are Tikka's, maybe a few dollars more than RH guns, but not that far off. Heck, you can even find LH AR's if you wish.

You can get each of those from CZ. Browning and Savage are other companies which offer models for each of those three classes. There are other companies which offer centerfire, but not rimfire.

Ruger doesn't make a LH American series 22lr, for example, but you can get a Savage of the same type. Remington and Tikka make centerfires, but you'd have to buy an older used 22lr by Remington or another company. A couple LH Ruger American centerfires and a LH Savage B22 is a decent budget collection.

You can get anything you want LH, you just won't find it on the shelf. Depending on what you use the 22lr for, you might do well with ARs in 22lr and 223, built on LH upper receivers, and a bolt gun for the centerfire 6.5mm.

The main thing is knowing what you like or figuring it out from handling RH versions and then ordering the LH to be sent to your FFL holder.

Just shoot your right handed guns left handed. I'm a lefty and only own 2 left handed rifles.

I think you missed the part where folks who have lost their vision in their right eyes are hesitant to shoot righthanded firearms as that can result in injuries to their remaining good eye.

I really like my LH CZ 527 American in 223. It is one of the most accurate rifles I own, and factory ammo or reloading components couldn't be more abundant.

I made the switch a few years ago because my vision is stronger in my left eye. It was an easier transition than I imagined. I now have a Savage .260, a T3 .260, a 700 .280, and a T3x .300 win mag. They all shoot very well. The Savage and Remington are not factory barrels. I'm sticking with RH AR's. I carry my No. 1A 35 Whelen as much as anything. I think I only have four right hand CF bolt guns left.

There may be a reasonable selection of LH rifles available but when you're used to shopping righty, it's a shock to the system. As a Model 70 devotee, things are pretty bad. I came close to ordering an MRC several times but there just seem to be too many potential headaches.

The CZ's are great rifles. It would be hard to argue against one. I would watch for a used T3. They can be had near enough RAR prices and you get a better feeling stock even if it doesn't shoot any better.

My bad on that, wasn't paying attention very well. As far as centerfire rifles, I can recommend savage and browning for
left handed rifles. I would go 243, or maybe 6.5 creedmoor. The lh xbolt hunter rifles are nice no frills guns.

As far as rim fire, I won't be much help as all of mine are righties.

Thanks for all of the comments guys. I've been searching the manufacturers websites to see if there's anything new for lefties in 2019. I was disappointed to see that CZ has dropped all of their left-handed rimfires and only has four centerfire offerings catalogued. I sent them an inquiry to see if they had plans to add anything in the near future and was told "No". Too bad - we need more options, not fewer! Oh well - I'll keep looking for other options, both new and used.

Thanks again,

Rich

I'm not sure what price point you want to stay in but if you are looking for lots of LH options, look at the Blaser R8. 40 caliber choices, all in LH configurations. Further, the R8 is a switch barrel gun so you only need to buy one stock/receiver which will allow you to add multiple calibers through barrels and bolt heads.

The Blaser rifles are nice for sure - a little too nice for me! I can't convince myself to spend that kind of money on a firearm that will get bounced around in a toolbox all day, every day. For me, I need a decent fit, functionality, reliability, varmint shootin' accuracy, and for it not to be as ugly as Hillary Clinton.

Rich

I'm a lefty and shoot nothing but right handed rifles. I'm at the point in my life where LH guns really don't trip my trigger outside of a new shotgun. If I was 18 again, I would have jumped on a LH Tikka in 6.5 Creedmore though

I did not realize CZ wasn't making the 457 with the bolt handle on the correct side. It'd be confusing to have an older CZ 22lr with a safety that goes one way and a newer CZ centerfire with the safety going the other way.

There is at least one LH CZ .22 LR on Gunbroker.

457? Link?

I assumed he was telling me there were some LH 452's still for sale on Gunbroker since the 455 & 457 are not available in LH versions.

New LH CZ 452 .22LR on GB

Ah, thanks. Maybe they will make a 457 eventually.