Left to Right

[northmn]

While I am a little slow I like to build and shoot ML's.  I have mostly built left handed ones as I shoot lefty.  Lately I have been really considering going to right handed builds.

1. Better assortment of locks made by makers that do not make left handed locks.
2. I have become disillusioned by the need for castoff and can make a right handed gun fit.
3. Right handed guns are more sellable.
4. I have shot a right handed Brown Bess replica and a fowler.  If I could shoot those I should be able to shoot a rifle
5. Don't shoot as much competition any more any way.
6. I need to start wearing glasses anyway getting where I do not see the branches come and get hit in the eye.
7. Collectors state that left handed guns were very rare. 

Curious about any others that may have decided it was just easier to go right handed.  Do you pro makers get any orders to speak of for Lefty's?  And so forth.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

I am right handed but grew up shooting left handed... that eye seemed to work better>>>>>>>   The Army trained me to shoot right handed and I never went back... it makes building ML guns much easier.....

[rdillon]

I am also left handed.  I've been shooting lefty since I was 8 when my father made me a lefty boys rifle for xmas in 79.  I get quite a few requests for left handed flinters.  A local customer of mine has 3 of them.  I prob build 1 out of 5 in lefty.  I recently also pondered the "resale" question so since I am kind ambidextrous I decided to shoot our woods walk on Sunday right handed with a right handed Tennessee 40 cal.  I cleaned the first 10 targets and missed 4 of the remaining 8.  Guess I got tired from shooting backwards. 

I think I may just build right handed ones from now on so they are more saleable.  But then again everytime I build one for myself lefthanded I never get to keep it.

Alot of builders won't even consider building one backwards.

So to answer your question........................I don't really know.

Rich

[northmn]

Due to my left eye dominance I am hopelessly left handed.  The only way for me to shoot right handed is to cover the left eye or lean over the stock, neither of which is desirable.  I have enough left handed guns so I really would not want to make a switch either.  I think my biggest issue is the availablility of right hand locks as compared to left hand.

DP

[P.W.Berkuta]

My brother is a "southpaw" and he shoots lefty. Great shot with a pistol and rifle - lousy smoothbore shoother . I build him what he wants and they are all left hand guns. Yes, your selection of locks are limited but you build the type of rifle that you have parts for or you make a left hand lock of the style you want and charge accordingly. I can't see just "making due" and adapting to a gun just because it is easy to get one style of lock instead of what you really want. If you are building for the money then you build what the customer wants or build a gun and put it up for sale -- someone will buy it if the workmanship is first class and the price is right  . My 2 cents.

[Rolf]

I'm left-handed. I couldn't hit a barn door shooting right-handed. I have to shoot south paw.

I have shot right-handed pistols left-handed. That seems to work okay, except it's a bit awkvard priming the pan. But a rifle or a shotgun, no way.

I wish people would make more south paw locks.

Best regards

Rolfkt

[sz]

It's said that 11% of the population is Left handed, but it's a fact that about 1/3 of all my builds are for left hand guns.
I have no explanation for it, but that's how it is

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

It's said that 11% of the population is Left handed, but it's a fact that about 1/3 of all my builds are for left hand guns.
I have no explanation for it, but that's how it is

You have got a Rep!!!   

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

BTW TOF (Dave Kanger) has posted some pictures of a gun he built for left eyed person to shoot right handed... Looks strange but it apparently worked very well.

[northmn]

They have a cast off or bend that is quite distinctive.  I used to shoot right handed until I switched.  Had an acorn on my cheek during duck season from the recoil on my right cheek.  I switched to left hand shooting at an early age.  I saw an "instructor" at a trap range put a shader over a young person's  left eye so that he could shoot trap right handed.  Since he was the resident "expert" I could not say much.  Thought it was equivalent to the old days when they bound someones hands to get them to write right handed.  The kid is supposed to go out hunting with a eye patch?  I buy double shotguns now and use them as they have a tang safety.  Actually double trigger shotguns are made backwards for right handed people, I can slip triggers very easily.  I have a left handed 270 bolt action but mostly have used right handed ones.  The lever Marlin suits me fine.  While I do build rifles to suit me after a while its nice to clean house and maybe put some on the block.  I used to hear quite a bit of "if it were right handed I would buy it".  How much was pure wind I don't know.

DP   

[Curtis]

Born and bred a lefty... If I build it for for myself left handed it will be!

[Cody Tetachuk]

I am right handed but grew up shooting left handed... that eye seemed to work better>>>>>>>  

Me too, but I also shoot pool left handed. When I got into ML's, I taught myself to shoot right because I thought left handed flintlocks look goofy. What I did was I used a pellet gun (cheap to shoot) and set up cans at 30-40 yards and would shoot at them. Start left handed and when I hit one, I;'ld switch to right handed and continue to shoot right until I hit a can, then went back to left and so on. I would also sit with my heaviest rifle while watching TV and point at the TV right handed and hold for as long as I could. Didn't take long and I was shooting right handed comfortably.

[B Shipman]

If you get a reputation for building left handed rifles you will get orders for them. I've built two in my life.

[Ray-Vigo]

I wish more guns were available for lefty shooters. I looked for years for an affordable production flintlock Kentucky rifle in a lefty flint. I never found it. I eventually got a used lefty percussion rifle that needed some stock work done.

I've shot righty percussion and will admit it actually is a do-able thing. The biggest issue I could find with the righty percussion was the spit of the cap onto my arm. I haven't bothered with a righty flinter-- didn't want to put down the money on something like that without knowing it would be a shootable gun for me.

I will also say I've seen Hershel House shoot a righty flinter left handed. So I guess some people do it, especially people who learned to shoot flinters back when just about everything was righty. There's been a lot of progress over the years for lefty guns: there was a time when you didn't shoot, write, eat, etc lefty handed. Everyone had to be righty. But there's still a long way to go-- I want to see a decent production flinter Kentucky type gun in a lefty. I've been disappointed over the years.

[northmn]

There are a few that would like to see any decent production gun.  While some of them work OK I guess most do not have the quality of the ones we make.

DP

[Cody Tetachuk]

Bear in mind that shooting a right handed flint or percussion left handed is no different than shooting  the right barrel on a SXS unless the rifle has cast off. I've shot SXS flints for years and don't see any difference regarding which side the lock is on.

[Benedict]

I agree.  I have shot my right handed flinter left handed many times and have no problems.  Except my left trigger finger is not as well trained as my right one.

Bruce

[northmn]

When I shot my Brown Bess replica left handed the problem was in the belt to the cheek, not in the flash on the wrong side.  When I built the 12 bore fowler I replaced it with it was right handed and no problem.  Biggest thing was that I was more conderned about wearing shooting glasses whcih is a good thing regardless.

DP