Left hand shooter question

[Sheepdog1968]

I have a good solution.

Get a lever action rifle. It's ambidexterous so he can use it either way. Also, they are just plain cool and he will appreciate it and keep it till the day he dies. If you don't want to go the Marlin or Winchester route becauase of a precieved lack of range (which I would totally disagree with 30-30 w LeverEvolution is a 200+ yard rifle), you could get one of the Browning lever actions that use a magazine so you could get your favorite bolt action cartridge in that lever action.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Seems that I have a lot in common with both BikerRN and thunder173... I am reight handed and left eye dominant as well...

I never owned or shot a left handed gun until about a year ago when I came across a really sweet 700 lefty in .308 heavy.. I like it!

Let him decide, based upon his dominate eye and preferences.. he can adapt.. I would just about lay out a paycheck that it won't make that much difference to him....

I agree. I am right handed and left eye dominate and it wasn't untill 10 years of shooting before I discovered it (keep in mind this was all pre internet days). I just close my left dominate eye when I shoot rifles right handed. For pistols, I just close my right eye when I shoot right handed. In fact, I had been doing this subconciously for those 10 years without even thinking of it. IMO, shooting with both eyes open is way over blown.

 

[ny32182]

As a lefty I've never owned a purpose built left handed gun.

Being a lefty has its ups and downs. On the upside, the list of rifles that come from the factory, or can be easily converted to be more efficient for a lefty than a righty is not a short one. This really never ceases to amaze me: AK, M14, AR w/ambi selector and Norgon mag catch are all better for left handers than right handers in my opinion. In fact I've never come across a single autoloading firearm of any type that I simply could not use due to the ejection pattern. They are out there of course: AUG, etc. But honestly I would probably not buy a gun that could not be fired from both shoulders, even if I was a right hander.

The biggest downside for lefties to me is that most pistols do not come with ambi slide catches. I'm not a big bolt gun shooter, but I can see how they might be difficult to use efficently for a left hander depending on the exact platform; this could possibly be the one action type on which I would consider a purpose built left hand gun.

So my vote is just let him shoot right handed guns from whatever shoulder is comfortable for him.

 

[galena]

I am left handed and left eye dominant. I started shooting when I was about 10 years old (about 57 years ago). I started on a single shot Wards Westernfield bolt action .22RF. About five years later I got a Remington 512, 22RF, right handed bolt. My first deer rifle was a Springfield 1903, I traded it for a 1917 Eddyfield. I shot everything left handed, just reached over the top to work the bolt and I could work it as fast as most of my friends who shot right handed. Acqured several left hand bolt guns in later life, Remington 700BDL/LH in .30-06, .338 Win Mag, and .243. Savage 110/LH in .223. I also shoot levers, semi-autos and pumps. I started handguns with revolvers and now carry mostly 1911s. None of the above ever gave me any problems, I spent 22 years active duty Air Force. Always shot lefthanded with any issue weapon never had any problems and no one ever tried to convert me.

Buy your son what he wants. Left handed people learn how to adapt to any situation and any weapon system. My major gripe is manufacturers who don't offer ambi-safeties as an option, let alone as standard. Just MHO. Keep shootin'

 

[JustACowgirl]

Another right handed, left eye dominant shooter here (glad I'm not alone in my weirdness!). I can't shoot a long gun on my right side to save my life, but I don't seem to have much trouble with hand guns, either way. I'd say get him a rifle that isn't side specific (I started with a single shot .22), and let him decide when he's a better shot what he wants to do about the left hand thing. It's really frustrating to start out and just not be able to hit anything. That said I fully intend to get to the point where I can shoot any gun, left or right.

 

[cottswald]

you should train him to shoot based on his eye dominance not hand preference

beyond that, whether you get a right or left handed gun depends largely on the make/model as some are very ergonomic for either and others are just barely usable as intended, much less with the other hand.

Determine which eye is dominant and have him shoulder long guns on that side.

Handedness is easier to adapt than eye dominance. If you try to force him to shoot with his non-dominant eye (by shooting from the opposite shoulder) he'll most likely never be as accomplished a shooter as he would be otherwise.

+1 on these! Give the boy every advantage possible.

 

[WardenWolf]

As an "aside", he'll discover, when he gets older, that AK's must have been designed by a "closet" southpaw.

Agreed. They're great left-handed guns. They eject at a 45-degree angle forwards, too. I'd just caution you with larger actions like the PSL. They have a longer receiver lead in front of the magazine, and if you're not careful you can get your thumb behind the bolt handle. "OUCH" only lightly describes it. With a normal AK, though, you can't do this.

 

[desidog]

Perhaps the Lefties who have posted that they've never owned a LH gun could clarify for me:
Was it a lack of opportunity to buy one, or you've shot LH bolts and prefer RH bolts?

..cause there's a big difference.

/I just didn't know what i was missing for a long time. Now i have 3.

 

[xfyrfiter]

Wife is a righty but blind in her right eye, It has been a most difficult journey teaching her to shoot southpaw, but now she is doing many times better than when we started. She shoots 10-22 and handgun and ejection is not a problem.

 

[armedwalleye]

L vs R

As a young guy, longed for a left handed rifle, but the availability was minimal and the cost was huge (read: Remington Custom Shop). Vowed I'd own one someday. Finally had enough money and the market seemed to be leaning "left" and bought a 7mm in a Browning A bolt stainless, and never looked back. Shot a 99 Savage in a lever action for years, killed a lot of deer with it, still have it and won't give it up, but also have a left hand a-bolt 7mm-08, and a left hand Benelli SBE. If the young man s left handed and left eye dominant, it may be a price issue, so don't be afraid to look at the "semi-adaptive" guns like levers, but if the ability ever comes for him to shoot a left handed gun, watch for the smile and the sparkle in his eye when he realizes the true joy in shooting a gun made for lefties. It's almost a religious experience the first time.....

 

[bubba in ca]

Don`t forget pumps, levers, and single shots. Most are very friendly for lefties.

 

[alsaqr]

Buy the young man a proper left hand rifle. The Savage model 93L is a good starter gun.

As a lefty i put up with wrong sided guns for decades. Then i traded for a Mathieu and found out how much easier a left handed rifle is. Now own 11 left hand guns including a couple AR-15s. The right hand guns sit in the back of the safes gathering dust.

 

[LKB3rd]

I shoot lefty, and regular right handed rifles, and it works fine. Some rifles don't work, but its very few.

 

[Txhillbilly]

The easiest thing to do is just let your son figure out the best way for him to be comfortable with a rifle.Whether left or right handed/eye dominant.

I'm RH/L eyed.I have always shouldered a rifle or shotgun to the left.It just felt natural.
I also always had right handed guns when I was young,they were cheaper and easier to find.
I started trying to shoot right handed in my teens,at first it felt awkward,but after a while I got the hang of it.

I'm in my late 40's,and can shoot either hand almost equally,mainly because I was never forced to shoot a particular way by my peers.I still choose LH over RH,and now have several LH bolt action rifles,but everything else is RH.

Teach him gun safety and knowledge,then let him figure out whats best for him.

Let him pick out which rifle fits him best.