Newly left-handed shooter: Buy LH rifles, or learn to use normal ones?

[BK14]

Depends on what you’re doing, platform, goals, etc. If you’re required to use a department or other “pool” rifle, then sure, train around whatever configuration that is. If for some make believe scenario, you think you’ll be doing field pick-ups on rifles, then I guess training on a non-ambi platform makes sense.

Disclaimer, I’m right handed, and right eye dominant, but I’m relatively ambidextrous on shooting rifles, and considered switching to shooting left-handed.

I personally want to maximize the performance on my ARs, whether that’s shooting matches, drills, classes, or work applications, so anything that will improve that with no real downsides, I’d take. I don’t want to leave capabilities on the table. I don’t buy into the likelihood of a battle-field pickup, and if that were to happen, I’ve trained enough on stock platforms that I’d be functional.

For ARs, if I was left handed, I would use a standard quality gun, BCM, SOLGW, etc and get a reversed safety or at least an ambi one with a lo-profile lever on the off side (I don’t like ambi’s…), a left handed mag release from FCD, the FCD rear-biased bolt catch, a good ambi-charging handle (BCM, Radian, Geisselle, etc) and the FCD low-drag forward assist. Another aspect I’m told is important, is good gassing on the rifle, and if you’re running a can, a flow-through design would probably be nice so you don’t eat as much gas.

The rest of things, like furniture, slings, etc just swap from your right handed setup.

Anything rifle outside of ARs, isn’t my forte, so I’d defer to what others said. Gear setup shouldn’t be too bad, lots of dudes shoot rifle and pistol opposite. Blowers runs his rifle mag in front of his pistol, most guys I work with put their rifle mag behind their pistol though.

[idahojess]

On my AR's I like the Norgon Ambi catch or something similar.

(like these, since the Norgon's seem to be hard to find: https://armsunlimited.com/au-amr-amb...azine-release/)

I can run the AR safety pretty well without it being ambidextrous, similar to how Larry Vickers runs his.



I think it makes sense to shoot left-handed bolt guns, but there is not a great selection of them. Tikkas are an easy button, I think.

I've been shooting right-handed shotguns left-handed for years, and the one left-handed Remington 870 I got confused me (plus, it had a sticky chamber). But I also prefer the top tang safeties.

I keep my handgun magazine releases on the left side of the gun and hit them with my trigger finger.

[Erick Gelhaus]

I shot long guns right-handed for almost two decades. However, once I decided to switch to left-hand long guns, I went hard that way - except for having to qualify with belt feds for a desert trip.

My bolt guns are lefthanded; I hunt Bambi and pigs with a left-hand 6.8SPC. My ARs and shotguns have lefthand trigger groups or safeties. And my carry handguns are set up for left-hand use. I can still run traditional guns & do it often in classes.

Regardless for myself, I'm not fighting a right-hand design. I buy, use & carry what works for me.

[Bucky]

I was a right handed shooter well into my 30s. I am strongly left eye dominant.

I was mostly a pistol shooter. Early on before I realized my dominant eye, I was closing my left eye. Once I discovered that, I moved to shooting 100% both eyes open. The pistol would naturally align to my left eye.

When I got more in to long guns, there was no way to shoot both eyes open. Finally, I was convinced to switch, and once I adapted, I was much better off.

As for controls, the only adaptation I’ve made is an ambi safety on my ARs. I even left the shotgun alone, and learned the old reach around on the cross bolt safety. The reason I did this is I was shooting team matches a bit, and wanted controls to be the same when swapping guns, for me as well as other team members.

Funny thing I learned with going to an ambi safety on an AR platform. I have short thumbs, so applying the safety was awkward. I now safe the gun with my trigger finger using the opposite side levers. If I were to go back / still was a right handed rifle shooter, I’d still run an ambi for the same reason.

Just thought I’d share as someone who made the transition.

[DDTSGM]

Funny thing I learned with going to an ambi safety on an AR platform. I have short thumbs, so applying the safety was awkward. I now safe the gun with my trigger finger using the opposite side levers. If I were to go back / still was a right handed rifle shooter, I’d still run an ambi for the same reason.

Just thought I’d share as someone who made the transition.

I'm a lefty and I do the same thing =it seems more natural to kick the safety on with the top of my trigger finger when I come off the trigger. My thumbs and fingers are kind of long so I wasn't having particular trouble running with the thumb only - I just found engaging the safety with my trigger finger semi-unconsciously. Once I found myself doing it, I switched the longer lever to the left side, shorter to the right - I have no problem thumbing the right down and the extra length on the left lever makes manipulation on that side easier.

[Duelist]

I would probably shoot my ARs that I currently have left handed, and would get ambi safeties for them. All else about them would run just fine as they are.

Bolt rifles, I would probably get a mirror image Winchester Mod 70 to my current rifle and carry on.

Pistols, I would probably try shooting cross dominant to start with. It works for many I know. The transition to lefty for pistols would be awkward for me as I am strongly right handed and right-eyed, so switching one of them rather than both at the same time would probably be easier to manage.

I could be wrong, though.