Left-handed shooters

[Nathanael_Greene]

Being left-handed myself, I've had to learn to use right-handed bolt-action rifles (try finding a left-handed 98k or SMLE). Shooting from a rest, I can work the action pretty quick.

I'm not a hunter myself, but I've always wondered how many left-handed shooters use a right-handed bolt-action rifle for hunting.

What are the compensations you make? Have you discovered any advantages? Have you ever thought about switching to a lever action?

Thanks....

 

[cdbeaver]

When I got my first centerfire rifle (Remington 721 in .30-06) I immediately sent it off and had it converted to left-hand action. That was more than 50 years ago and I still have it today.

Other rifles I just learned to work the action by tilting the gun to the left to put the bolt on top and working it with the left hand. Probably not as fast as a right-hander might do it, and of course I had to bring the rifle down to about waist level. Still, I learned to use it that way and never thought of it as any great handicap.

 

[critter]

I have always thought that ole Paul Mauser himself thought out the layout of every bit and piece of the M98 so thouroughly that he probably left the bolt straight JUST FOR LEFTIES. As stated above, by rolling the rifle left a little, the left hand can reach over to work the bolt RELATIVELY easily-especially a straight bolt.

 

[Ian]

I don't hunt, but I'm left-handed and I do a fair amount of rapid-fire shooting with my Enfield. I find it really awkward to reach over the gun and operated the bolt with my left hand, so I use my right (support) hand to do it instead. I use my grip hand to hold the weight of the gun, bring my forward hand back and catch the bolt knob between the heel and cup of the hand, and open the bolt. Then reverse, and push the bolt forward with the knob in more-or-less the same place. I don't actually ever hold on to the knob.

Having practiced it a lot, I can run that bolt really fast this way, and it works just as well on the Mosins, Mausers, and other bolt guns I've tried. The trickiest bit is keeping the gun up and in your shoulder with just the trigger hand, but that just takes a bit of practice and exercise.

 

[Sunray]

"...I've had to learn to use right-handed bolt-action rifles..." What for? Just shoot the thing left. Been doing that for eons. Works just fine. The only time speed matters is when in a match. For hunting it doesn't matter a lick. You only get one shot anyway.

 

[clown714]

i'm the same way as Ian.

as i,use my right hand to operate the bolt.

it's not a problem w\standard size actions,

but w\mag length actions i do need to

reacquire(sp) my cheek weld

and yes,i have 3 lever rifles(waiting on 4th)

YMMV

clown

 

[Chipperman]

I do the same, support rifle with Left (Grip) hand and cycle with right. The only problem, is that some bolts will hit the knuckle of your left thumb on the way back, necessitating a grip shift which cycling. Depends on the bolt and stock design.

 

[Onslaught]

Bolt action is the only firearm type that I bother purchasing "left handed". I have noticed that, if I had one of those "ubertactical" pistol grip stocks on a bolt gun, I'd probably prefer a right handed bolt.

It ain't about speed, I just feel more comfortable with it that way. And since I'm not in the market for a Surplus M44 etc. I go ahead and take advantage of the left handed offerings.

Heck, if we lefties don't buy 'em, then nobody will, and companies won't offer them anymore. As yet though, I don't think that's an issue, since my FFL was only able to find one Savage 10FLP from any of his suppliers, and they all told him they couldn't keep enough of the left handed ones in stock... Of course I understand that Savage makes less of them too.

 

[bullfrog99]

I shoot from the left and work the bolt with my trigger hand. I find I have no problems unless the rifle has a scope. A scope over the reciever gets in the way for rapid operation. For non scoped rifles, I find the No4 enfields to be the fastest. In fact, if you hunt in ranges under 300 yards, just pick up a jungle carbine, switch the buttstock out to a conventional brass plated one and go hunting. The big ghost ring is set for 300 already ( aim low) and you can set the smaller peep for 100 yards for precision shots.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

Well, I've grown up with right handed bolt guns my whole life, so i wouldn't say i change anything to use them,as they're the only bolt guns i have any experience with.

I find that straight bolt handles are NOT easier to work than bent ones, and that the easiest and fastest rifles for me seem to be bent handle guns, or the butterknife bolt handle ones.


loading rifles with stripper clips is a bit of a chore left handed, but loading single rounds is easier than right handed. being able to see the ejection port is nice.

 

[Starpower]

Left handed bolt action

If you saw my post under Painful. My son in law is a lefty, but I like him ok anyway. We were at the range and he wanted to shoot my Ruger Mini 14 ranch in a Bullpup stock. That moves all the action up under your right arm. If you hold it against your left shoulder and lay your left cheek against the butt stock, you should be able to see the large sign on the back side of the tumb-bolt lever that says "Caution, objects may travel further than the point of your chin!" Lefties, beware!

 

[JJohnston015]

Except for surplus rifles, I buy left-hand bolt actions (sometimes I hoard. Got 3 lefty Winchester .375 H&H safari expresses ). Lever action and semiauto rifles and right-hand pump shotguns work fine, and in some cases, seem better suited to a lefty than to a righty. As far as resale value of the lefty guns goes, we don't sell guns, do we?

 

[CaesarI]

cdbeaver

You can convert a bolt gun to left handed? How? How much would it cost? If I could convert the Kimber 84M to left handed I'd buy one today.

-Morgan

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

I'm also in the; 'hold the backward-bolt gun with the left hand & work the bolt with the right hand' group. I sorta had to perfect this as I was shooting NRA indoor small bore at the time. The strap from the forend to your left bicep kinda demands that you do it that way ya know.

I decided though that if I was going to buy a new ( either new to me or factory new ) bolt gun in the future, it was going to be LHB or nothing. I now have a few & hope to have another before the end of the year.

Speaking of Savages, the company makes a nice little LHB .22lr that doesn't cost an arm & a leg either. Mine isn't my most accurate .22, but it's my favorite plinker.

While on the subject of .22 LHB's, I've often wondered why Ruger won't bring out the 77/22 in a left version. After all, doing a mirror image CNC can't be THAT hard, now can it? The company seems to be trying to float our boat with centerfires, why not the .22 also?

Most of my shotguns are either single shot or Browning BPS's. For those who are not familiar with the BPS, it's a bottom ejector.

Now then, anybody know where there's a Coonan Portsider at a reasonable price, NIB? (As he rolled on the floor)

900F

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

that's truly a strange way to do it.

I just reach over the top.

 

[cdbeaver]

CaesarI:

I have no idea what it would cost to have a rifle converted to left-hand action today. If you'll notice in my post, I said I had mine done 50 years ago (1953) just before I got out of the army.

If I recall correctly, the cost at that time was around $65, about what my new Remington 721 cost. The job was done by a fellow named Erwin (or Ervin) Barber in Oregon. It was a beautiful job and the bolt worked--and still does--silently and like a well-oiled machine. If I had a digital camera I'd put a pic of the bolt on the screen.

I don't know whether Barber is still in business, or even still alive for that matter. I'm sure the cost would be substantially higher today. The bolt required some modification, with a long steel piece at the top of the bolt when it was closed. Probably added a little weight to the rifle, but not enough to make much difference. Certainly didn't affect the ease of operation, or the accuracy.

I had a Remington 722 converted to left-hand, also, in the 1960's, but I didn't care for that mod because it wasn't lined up perfectly with the chamber and fired cartridges had a definite bulge near the base. Got rid of that one as fast as possible. It was chambered for .244 Rem. The mod was done by a local person, not by Berber whose work was exemplary.

 

[Starpower]

Left handed bolt

If you know what you're doing with computers, (I don't) you take a regular picture and have walmart put it on a CD and then bring it to your computer and attach it. It didn't work too well for me, because I didn't know how to convert it to a smaller sized file to attach, but a lot of the guys here took my pictures and did all sorts of goofy things with it, put them all in a separate file to access, blew em up (in size, not Engineer type of blew up) reduced em down. I'm lucky if I can look at em right.

 

[twoblink]

Things I've learned as a leftie..

First, due to resale value, I'd probably never convert the rifle to a left handed one.

Second, most rifles I pick up will be right handed, and so it's to my advantage to know how to use a right handed bolt action smoothly.

Third, being able to shoot right handed bolts gives me a lot of gun choices.

Forth, I've learned (after giving myself a bloody nose more than once) to turn my head when I rack the bolt, so I don't get a bloody nose from my own left hand.

Fifth, using the right hand was a great idea... UNTIL my left hand on my Mauser was a bit high, and racking the bolt with my right hand, I sliced my left thumb open on top.

So now, I rack with my left, and swing my face as I do. It looks funny, and I get funny looks at the range, but when I do it, it's smooth and fluid and very fast.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Some modern snipers like the left handed action as it allows them to keep their right hand on the grip & finger near the trigger. The left hand cycles the bolt.

 

[TooTech]

I'm a lefty and used to try and contort myself into shooting right-handed rifles. Finally got sick of it and now have only left-handed guns.

Bench shooting aside, when was the last time you saw a righty shooting a lefty gun? They wouldn't put up with it.

There are plenty of good lefty guns out there: Tikka, Sako, Weatherby, Remington, etc. Why compromise?

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

because they cost more than a milsurp does.