AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: A Scanlan on August 07, 2025, 02:56:02 AM
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Cannot recall ever seeing an original with either a flint or cap lock on the left side. Are "left handed" rifles a modern invention? I'm right handed but I have shot a left side flintlock from the "right" position. Cannot say it was any problem.
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Left handed antique rifle are quite rare, but they do exist. The major reason few southpaw rifles exist is that left handedness was considered the mark of the devil for most of the muzzleloader period.
Hungry Horse
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As late as 1952, some schools (Ontario, Canada) made left handed children learn to write, right handed.
Whether this changed them from left to right handed, I don't know.
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As late as 1952, some schools (Ontario, Canada) made left handed children learn to write, right handed.
Whether this changed them from left to right handed, I don't know.
When my Father went to school, they made him learn to write right handed. It mostly jut made him ambidextrous.
I think the comment by Hungry Horse has a lot to do with the lack of left handed anything in the old days.
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Seems to me I seen pictures of a J P Beck left handed rifle somewhere.
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My dad started school during WW1 in Berkeley California and was reoriented to right handedness. It worked out alright though because he wound up being ambidextrous which helped him do things most people can’t do his whole life.
Hungry Horse
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It's usually the master eye that determines if you shoot left or right. I'm left handed but shoot righty.
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As a youngster, at school [ Sisters of Little or No Mercy ] the nuns would smack your left hand with a ruler if they caught you using it to write [ or draw ] As a result, my sister can now use either hand
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Locks on the left side are of course very common on flint and percussion double barrel guns, with either side-by-side barrels or superposed. But on old, original single barrel guns, I've seen only a couple with left hand locks over many years... to me they sure look strange. More common is an arrangement with the lock on the right side and a cheekpiece on both sides of the stock to better accommodate a "lefty"
With regard to "helpful teachers", for several years in our Philadelphia public school they tried to force my classmate into being right-handed. Not only did they fail, but my buddy developed a terrible stutter. He was denied enlistment into the marines in the late 1950's because of this stutter (It broke his heart as his father was a combat marine in WWII)
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Back in the 80's, I worked on a number of guns that were sent to us (The Florida Dept. of State's Research and Conservation Lab) by the State Archaeologist of Alabama (Alan Toth, I believe). I believe they were found by prisoners while moving shrubbery at Angola Prison Farm. They were associated with burials. Several Type C French guns and one fusil fin that was a left-handed flintlock. You can see it in T. M. Hamiltons' book, probably with one off our yellow oval tags with it. That's the only left-handed flintlock that I've seen that was excavated. James Levy
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Reading this again reminded me of a "teacher"who thought our first born son should be taught to write with his right hand and I told her any attempt to force him into an awkward situation would be explained to our lawyer.No more attempts to remake him.I know nothing about todays schools but I doubt if they would try to force a child into a mould.I can not write left handed and our son was a military police officer for 20 years and is still left handed. ;D. How many schools teach how to read a yard stick ir a tape measure or which end of the hammer is used on the nail?
Bob Roller
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Back in the 80's, I worked on a number of guns that were sent to us (The Florida Dept. of State's Research and Conservation Lab) by the State Archaeologist of Alabama (Alan Toth, I believe). I believe they were found by prisoners while moving shrubbery at Angola Prison Farm. They were associated with burials. Several Type C French guns and one fusil fin that was a left-handed flintlock. You can see it in T. M. Hamiltons' book, probably with one off our yellow oval tags with it. That's the only left-handed flintlock that I've seen that was excavated. James Levy
Thanks for the that helpful info.
It's on p. 60-61.
Hamilton, T.M. 1980. Colonial Frontier Guns. The Fur Press.
Text says, "So far as I know, this is the only left-handed 18th Century gun to be recovered archaeologically".
Text also says that the tumbler on this 18th c lock was bridled, but no bridle on the frizzen.