Left handed rifles

[K. Moyer]

Just a dumb question from a left handed shooter. I never see many left handed guns in old collections or museums; was it more common for left handed shooters to own, and shoot right handed rifles, since many were handed down generation to generation. i.e. My grandfather and father were right handed, I am left handed, and my daughter is right handed. I see more contemporary guns made in left hand configuration but not many old pieces? Like I said just my observation!

[Curt J]

Left handed originals are not common. I think there might be an underlying reason that most people today have probably never thought about. Being born left-handed was considered a birth defect up until modern times. During the 18th and 19th Centuries it was normal to force a left-handed child to become right handed. My own great-grandmother was born in 1868 and was originally left-handed. As a small child, her parents kept her left arm and hand wrapped in a burlap bag so she could not use it.  I also know of a lady who was beaten as a child, every time she used her left hand to write or do other things requiring dexterity. This was in the 1920's. Forcing right-handedness can cause dyslexia, among other things, but was common practice in those times.

[Tanselman]

Another possible contributor to the scarcity of left-handed guns is thought to be the ongoing lack of available left-handed locks with gunsmiths began purchasing their locks. When all they had on the shelf was right handed locks, and they no longer made locks themselves, that's probably what the buyer got.... unless he was willing to wait a long time.  Shelby Gallien

[northmn]

Somewhere, I think it was the Kindig collection, I saw a picture of a lefthanded lock on a righthanded rifle.  Pistols were made in mirror image pairs with lefty locks on one.  Otherwise I think that Willpond is mostly correct.  You not only have a group of lefthanders, but people like myself who are right handed but shoot left handed due to a very dominant left eye.  Economics probably was also a factor as even today a lot bows and guns come in right hand only.  While I can shoot a right gun about as good as a lefthand one, bows don't work that way.

DP

[Levy]

I was fortunate enough to get to work on the fusil fin pictured in TM Hamilton's book,'Colonial Frontier Guns'.  It was recovered from a Tunica site in LA, was left-handed and had a great satyr thumb escutcheon.

James Levy

[JV Puleo]

I think that Curt has hit the nail on the head. There was nothing to prevent left handed guns being made but there was a strong prejudice against left-handedness. I believe that the root reason is that in Medieval iconology the devil is always described as being left-handed. For a very long time thereafter, well into our own times, being left handed was associated with something evil although the reasons for this had long been forgotten.
This continued until pretty recently. In my own case, my mother had to take a morning our of work to complain in person to the principal of my elementary school that my 3rd grade teacher was trying to force me to write with my right hand...that was in the 1950s.
I have seen exactly one completely left handed, single barrel flint gun. An english fowler of perhaps 1790-1815. The odd thing is that there are so many left-handed contemporary guns that people rarely recognize how rare an original is.

[Mike L]

Here is a photo of a left handed rifle I just acquired from an estate sale in Illinois. Signed on barrel A.B. Carpenter. He was from Dolson, Clark county Illinois.

[Arnie Dowd]

You are all correct, certainly to some extant; but I believe it was due mostly to cost and demand, as was pointed out  - left-handed, flintlocks were not "over the counter" items!  Left-handed, American Longrifles are rare but there are a few out there.  I am fortunate to have a true "Kentucky", left-handed, longrifle of what is now called the "Lexington School" in my small collection.  It is usually referred to as the "H. Risingson" rifle as that is the name engraved on the silver plate on the top barrel flat.  However I (and a few other students) believe that this was likely the owner because of my research at the library in Cincinnatti.  I apologize that I do not have photographs to post but this rifle was featured in the Feb, 1994 issue of the Association of Ohio Longrifle Collectors Bulletin.  This rifle has wonderful folk-art inc much engraved symbolism on the full length of the top of the octagon barel.  If one of you have this issue and access to a scanner please feel free to post the photos on this site. The lock of this rifle is an outstanding piece of work and was made specifically for this rifle.   Well that's enough for now, Thanks,  Arnie

[Curt J]

I do have a fullstock rifle in my collection that has a right-handed lock, but has the cheekpiece on the same side as the lock and a patchbox where the cheekpiece ought to be. It was made by L. Karns, who worked in both Pekin, Tazewell County, Illinois; and in Havana, Mason County, Illinois, during the 1860's. This was apparently one gunsmith's way of making a "semi-left handed" rifle without having to obtain a left-handed lock.

[Steve-In]

I have seen one really nice single barrel Fowler.  Can't remember if it was marked or not.  It even had cast off.  Dick Chubb had it a Conner Prairie show.

[Robert Wolfe]

In Kindig's book there are 3-4 longrifles with lefthanded locks. But.....I think all are built as right handed rifles!