Can a right handed shooter effectively use a LH rifle?

[GatorFarmer]

I know that for many a year left handed shooters have worked out ways to operate rifles made for right handed individuals. However, is anyone familiar with someone doing the reverse, with a right handed shooter being able to learn to use a left handed rifle?

I ask because left handed rifles in a given style and caliber can sometimes be had very cheaply owing to the difficulty sometimes experienced in moving one (5 to 10 percent of the market?).

Currently I could get a left handed Ruger rifle in .375 Ruger for only about $500. I believe it would cost me twice that to get the same gun right handed.

 

[gman51]

I am left handed and using a r/h bolt does feel weird. Hold one of your r/h rifles up and pretend it has a l/h bolt. Now go through action of operating the make believe bolt. That will give you an idea as to how well your left hand and arm can handle it. Being l/h is the reason I like lever action rifles over bolt actions. Better yet go to a gun shop that has a l/h rifle and try it out. You might be surprised by the outcome.
I use my right hand for moving my PC mouse and to do it with my left hand feels so weird and I barely move the mouse where I want it. I am laughing now as I am using my lh on the mouse.

 

[Arik]

Im a lefty. My one modern rifle is a left handed one but I shoot mainly surplus rifles and none of them are. ...obviously. i usually just reach up and over.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My brother is left handed and has only owned RH rifles. He does as Arik does.
[ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wgHRj2-vvs8[/ame]

 

[jeffsmith]

Another LH Shooter here
Who has Only used RH Rifles

I don't know why it should be any Different
The other way around

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Speaking as Lefty who has shot a few RH bolts-
You can reach over, or you can move your hands and bolt it with your right hand.
Reaching over works best with no - scope, straight bolt guns.
Nicely bent bolts and big high scopes make it harder to reach over.
Just make sure you don't drop the rifle!

 

[walnutred]

I doubt it. Most right handers I know are simply not that talented and are too used to having things their way to even try and learn.

 

[Jack Flash]

I doubt it. Most right handers I know are simply not that talented and are too used to having things their way to even try and learn.

Well, the unmarried ones.

 

[beardeddog]

My son is right handed but left eye dominant. He then shoots left hand rifles and bows

 

[walkinghorse]

Lefty here, and everything I have is righty except for Hawkenstyle BP, and a western style SA, OU and SXS shotguns. Learnm o make the first shot count and the speed for a possible second shot is unnecessary!
Back in the early 60s an Army Captain who had a lot of different firearms showed me how to work an original 1903A3 left handed. Fire and take it down from your left shoulder, reach under the title and grasp the bolt handle with the first two fingers of your right hand and spin the rifle around operating the bolt. When the rifle right side up slammthe bolt closed and raise to your left shoulder ready to fire. Do not try with a scope installed!!!!!

 

[crsides]

My son is right handed, left eye dominant. When he shoots my model 70 as a left hander, he continues to hold the pistol grip with his left hand and brings his right hand back to work the bolt. He's pretty slick with this move.


Charlie

 

[Ed Fowler]

Right hand rifles vent to the right away from the shooter should a cartridge rupture, a southpaw shooting a right hand rifle is taking a slight chance that I personally would chose to avoid having seen a few wrecks. Naturally left hand rifles vent to the left.

After having a cartridge rupture and throw brass and parts to 30 yards to the right, last summer I will not even stand on the right side of a right hand firearm.

It is a very remote risk until it happens to you.

 

[Big Stick]

I know that for many a year left handed shooters have worked out ways to operate rifles made for right handed individuals. However, is anyone familiar with someone doing the reverse, with a right handed shooter being able to learn to use a left handed rifle?

I ask because left handed rifles in a given style and caliber can sometimes be had very cheaply owing to the difficulty sometimes experienced in moving one (5 to 10 percent of the market?).

Currently I could get a left handed Ruger rifle in .375 Ruger for only about $500. I believe it would cost me twice that to get the same gun right handed.

Sorry for the bad anecdote, but what you are basically asking is: Should I suffer over the lifetime of owning that rifle, trying to make it work, because you saved some $$$$, or just buy the one I needed, and was able to use with ease, and not adapt too...

 

[rwsmith]

I've heard...

Is it a bolt action???

I've heard of people holding a rh gun left handed on a rest and using the right hand to work the bolt for some really fast shots.

I wouldn't get into that if I could help it, but it does make the rifle shootable.

If it doesn't mess up your shooting of other guns I wouldn't mind doing it. I think you can train your muscles as well as your eye to shoot like that, but again, I wouldn't want to pick up a 'normally (for you)' handed gun and use it.

PS: I think I read this about Lee Harvey Oswald that he either shot left handed or was goofy-eyed looking through the scope. Sorry for the gruesome reference, but it applies to your case.

 

[model70hunter]

Had a long time friend who is LH. He won't own an LH gun. He's shot reaching over the top so long it is habit.

And he said ever try to sell a LH gun? No one wants them.

Knowing the above I almost bought a LH. I was in a gun shop that had a Weatherby LH MK V in 300 WBY. It had the muzzle break and factory fiberglass stock.

It is one of several guns I let slip by but should have bought. And it was scoped....

P.S/ If you are thinking 375 as a defensive round in bear country, better pay extra for a right handed one. You can thank me after the 2nd shot connects.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

My second son (along with my wife and 2 of my best friends) and 3 of my 5 grand kids are left handed. One summer right after the son got out of USMC, I saw a left hand bolt in 223 with scope for $200 OTD! I bought it for his birthday present. I had a bunch of 46 grain ammo that shot very well. So I took this combo to the 200 yard range to sight it in. The cheek piece on the stock made it very difficult to get anything like a good "Weld" on the gun, but after much frustration I got the gun zeroed and started shooting groups. On one target I had a 1/4" group a 3/8" group and two 1/2" groups. I wrote the Zero, Hold and ammo lot on the target. The target, scoped rifle, and 200 rounds of that lot of ammo were his gift. It frustrated him to no end, that he could never shoot that rifle as good as I did. But I do under stand the frustration of a wrong handed gun.

Ivan

 

[walkinghorse]

My second son (along with my wife and 2 of my best friends) and 3 of my 5 grand kids are left handed. One summer right after the son got out of USMC, I saw a left hand bolt in 223 with scope for $200 OTD! I bought it for his birthday present. I had a bunch of 46 grain ammo that shot very well. So I took this combo to the 200 yard range to sight it in. The cheek piece on the stock made it very difficult to get anything like a good "Weld" on the gun, but after much frustration I got the gun zeroed and started shooting groups. On one target I had a 1/4" group a 3/8" group and two 1/2" groups. I wrote the Zero, Hold and ammo lot on the target. The target, scoped rifle, and 200 rounds of that lot of ammo were his gift. It frustrated him to no end, that he could never shoot that rifle as good as I did. But I do under stand the frustration of a wrong handed gun.

Ivan

Gator, good point here about a cheekpiece. None of my rifles or shotguns haveva cheekpiece except for the Hawkenstyle which is a LH. Everything else is classic style with no cheekpiece so same on both sides which works either lefty or right. Of course, especially with shotguns, cast on or cast off can be problematic for a lefty shooting a RH stock. But mine are all factory stocks, no expensive doubles! But cast on/off could throw another wrinkle to shooting opposite handed dependant upon the amount of stock offset.

 

[Tom K]

My son is right handed, left eye dominant. When he shoots my model 70 as a left hander, he continues to hold the pistol grip with his left hand and brings his right hand back to work the bolt. He's pretty slick with this move.

My two brothers and I are all right handed, left eye dominant and shoot long guns left handed as above. The biggest drawback to this method is that some bolt guns don't have much clearance between the stock and the bolt when it's drawn back, so there's a chance of running the bolt into your left thumb.

....
Currently I could get a left handed Ruger rifle in .375 Ruger for only about $500. I believe it would cost me twice that to get the same gun right handed.

That's from CDNN, right? I've gotten left-handed Ruger M-77s from them in .308 and .223 for about $500 each. I don't need the .375 Ruger as I already have a left handed .460 Weatherby for my bear/buffalo/elephant/plinking needs. I just wish Ruger would make the M-77/22 guns left handed as well.

Personally I wouldn't recommend getting a LH gun and trying to make it work. I've shot RH guns left handed all my life so I'm used to it, but trying to learn it new would be difficult.

 

[BAM-BAM]

TomK


Check out the CZ Models 452,453 and 455s...... IIRC they offer a number or left hand rimfire choices..... .22, 22mag and .17hrm.

I've got several in Right hand models.. all shoot great .....moa .....

 

[gregintenn]

It's whatever you get accustomed to. I'm left handed, and would feel just as awkward with a left handed bolt rifle as you, because I've never fired one.

If you buy it and don't like it, you'll have trouble getting rid of it as well.

A Thompson Renegade muzzleloader is the only left handed gun I've ever owned. The hammer is on the wrong side is the only difference with it.

With a bolt, I can either do the reach over, or work the bolt with my right hand efficiently, and alternate between the two depending on the specific rifle and/or shooting position.

I mainly prefer lever rifles. It doesn't really make a difference with them, except the brass is ejected nearer to your face.