In reality how dangerous is a right handed rifle to shoot left handed..

[Heym SR20]

I am cross dominant, left eyed, right handed to write with but I don’t have an issue using left hand to use tools.

I much prefer left handed rifles as they just much more intuitive to use. Yes I can a right handed bolt with either hand, and I do have a right handed Rigby rifle.

My father is naturally left handed but was made to use his right hand at School. He draws with his left and writes with his write. And he shoots with his left.

Going back military firearms and weapons. They have always been right handed. With a matchlock and then flintlocks, the pan was on the side away from your face, for the simple reason is that it spurts out sideways. And troops were drilled to use the rifles as right handed troops. Fundamentally the military didn’t really care. If you were a soldier you used the weapons provided right handed. If you were left handed, you just learned the other way round. If you were a poor shot or poor with a sword, your days on the battlefield weren’t that long. Soldiers were expected to die.

This continues to this day. Most armies issue right handed weapons. If you don’t pass marksmanship at basic training you are either not taken forward or you are streamed to other jobs - gun crew, porter, drivers or any one of the many other roles that are there in the military.

As for failures of cartridges. Go to a shooting range or gun club. In my experience there will be stoppages due to ammo on most days. Thankfully catastrophic failures are rare, but they do happen. They are not reported widely, which I think is not helpful, but they happen. A friend is a ballistics expert and has investigated a number of incidents of cartridge failure of one sort or another.

 

[Rafter]

@urban I've shot thousands of .223 rounds and never punctured a primer - with all due respect I'd suggest you and your rifle/load/firing pin protrusion combo have a problem.

 

[Morkai]

I wonder if any squaddie did shoot LH'd, or did the instructor beat it out of them and force them to shoot RH'd. Didn't a similar thing happen in schools with kids who tried to write with their left hands?

This thread - right in the emotive sweet spot of the forum faithful it has already, even in its inevitable infancy, produced some cracking statements, which we (for entertainments sake) will come to.

To answer the OP: If you read between the lines, modern rifles with factory ammunition are inherently no less safe no matter which the hand - it is a matter of preference and attitude to risk. Personally, I would choose an action that suited the eye from which I was shooting, although remember it is possible to have actions configured to port the casing either way to prevent it coming across your face. You should consider the stock configuration carefully as this can impact the ability to get ones head in the correct place comfortably. This thread should if nothing else convince you that the massive won't come up with a compelling reason to change the way your mind is already settling - to your personal preference.

"It's like kicking a football with the wrong foot" - Morkai (how are you bud?) - I expect more from you..... while I understand the sentiment, football is not as far as I am aware a sided game - I'd hope most use both feet (although there are some teams who do make you wonder....)

"Why are all 303's RH" - chuff - I mean apart from the obvious churning them out by thousands for the majority to use - could you not have come up with a more current example? I mean I appreciate it's VE80 and all that..... you could have gone for the early SA80 and it's right eject making it harder to fire around RH corners in urban environments...... and continued to ignore the fact that servicemen are trained to fire from both shoulders to minimise body exposure......

"Left-handed people should shoot right-handed rifles as it makes it easier for them to cycle the bolt" - FFS really. If this is true, why is the market not flooded with LH rifles for all those RH people who practice what they preach. This is one bit of BS spouted at LH shooters when they ask whether they should compromise that should absolutely be confined to the same annals of history as those relating to no need for LH 303's....

"Left-handed or eyed all ways seems a bit sinister to me!!" - subtle... ha ha - Sinister Times – The shady world of being a left-handed shooter- Gunstar was written in a similar vein

Im good thanks.

I meant that I cant do it, kicking a ball with my left foot doesnt feel natural, nor is it dexterous for me as its not my dominant foot.

 

[co’den]

how dangerous do you think it is to have the bolt pointing towards your face…ie shoot a right handed rifle left handed.

More dangerous than shooting a right handed rifle, right handed, but not significantly so.

In terms of safety, it’s more important that you shoot a gun you’re comfortable with.

I’m the same as you, left eyed, right handed. I eat left handed, play pool left handed, write right handed but use most tools equally in either hand.

However, when it comes to shooting, I’m most comfortable shooting right handed but need to close my left eye apart from iron sighted pistols which I shoot right handed with both eyes open, favouring the left eye.

I haven’t shot shotguns much but, for me, I think a crossover stock might be the thing. I’m not that keen to spend the money so right handed shooting with the left eye shut does me for the odd shotgun day.

 

[LeftHandGuy]

Why are all .303s RH with a % of service men/women who used them LH
As usul you are talking bollix

All training on 303 rifles was exclusively right handed. Of course some probably did use them left handed in combat, but it was never officially sanctioned. I shoot mine left handed without worrying!

The manual of arms for the SLR does include instructions for left-handed shooting, I don't know if any other British issued weapons had official instructions for left-handed operation.

Mauser style bolt-action rifles are "designed to fail" to the side opposite the bolt handle, and to that extent are slightly "safer" on the right rather than the left shoulder, but that really doesn't bother me as much as ergonomics. Some rifles are just horrible or impossible to shoot from the "wrong" shoulder.

 

[Tim.243]

All training on 303 rifles was exclusively right handed. Of course some probably did use them left handed in combat, but it was never officially sanctioned. I shoot mine left handed without worrying!

The manual of arms for the SLR does include instructions for left-handed shooting, I don't know if any other British issued weapons had official instructions for left-handed operation.

Mauser style bolt-action rifles are "designed to fail" to the side opposite the bolt handle, and to that extent are slightly "safer" on the right rather than the left shoulder, but that really doesn't bother me as much as ergonomics. Some rifles are just horrible or impossible to shoot from the "wrong" shoulder.

A friend and chap I used to export car parts with us both left handed so he ordered a left handed set of cheque books which I never knew existed lol
This chap is given assorts of rifles to promote guess what lol, quite sure his main rifle is LH bolt but seems to do ok without the RH SD drill Sargent's lol

 

[Navarone]

Thank you for everyone’s replies, very helpful and has essentially confirmed what I was thinking.

It is done quite a lot but essentially comes down to appetite for risk…

 

[Kersnow]

Am left handed and had a Mauser M18 243 until recently when l packed up.

Never had any issues on the range or out stalking.

Used to shoot a rh Browning Maxus off my left shoulder with no issues.

 

[Siggy]

the main risk occurs when you cycle the bolt with one hand while you have your other hand on the on pistol grip- ie with your trigger finger near the trigger.
Obviously you should be disciplined and keep your finger away from the trigger but if you are not, or you are unaware that your glove is applying some pressure, as the bolt closes the rifle might fire causing an ND

You can reach over the stock and reload with your trigger hand, but this requires you breaking your position and hold, not ideal for a rapid follow up shot.

I always recommend shooters have a rifle that fits their hand and eye dominance but at the end of the day stalkers need to make their own choice.

 

[Yorkie]

This thread - right in the emotive sweet spot of the forum faithful it has already, even in its inevitable infancy, produced some cracking statements, which we (for entertainments sake) will come to.

To answer the OP: If you read between the lines, modern rifles with factory ammunition are inherently no less safe no matter which the hand - it is a matter of preference and attitude to risk. Personally, I would choose an action that suited the eye from which I was shooting, although remember it is possible to have actions configured to port the casing either way to prevent it coming across your face. You should consider the stock configuration carefully as this can impact the ability to get ones head in the correct place comfortably. This thread should if nothing else convince you that the massive won't come up with a compelling reason to change the way your mind is already settling - to your personal preference.

"It's like kicking a football with the wrong foot" - Morkai (how are you bud?) - I expect more from you..... while I understand the sentiment, football is not as far as I am aware a sided game - I'd hope most use both feet (although there are some teams who do make you wonder....)

"Why are all 303's RH" - chuff - I mean apart from the obvious churning them out by thousands for the majority to use - could you not have come up with a more current example? I mean I appreciate it's VE80 and all that..... you could have gone for the early SA80 and it's right eject making it harder to fire around RH corners in urban environments...... and continued to ignore the fact that servicemen are trained to fire from both shoulders to minimise body exposure......

"Left-handed people should shoot right-handed rifles as it makes it easier for them to cycle the bolt" - FFS really. If this is true, why is the market not flooded with LH rifles for all those RH people who practice what they preach. This is one bit of BS spouted at LH shooters when they ask whether they should compromise that should absolutely be confined to the same annals of history as those relating to no need for LH 303's....

"Left-handed or eyed all ways seems a bit sinister to me!!" - subtle... ha ha - Sinister Times – The shady world of being a left-handed shooter- Gunstar was written in a similar vein

Hi Eric.
Is it even possible to shoot the SA80 left handed without getting a cheek full of reciprocating bolt?

 

[Heym SR20]

Hi Eric.
Is it even possible to shoot the SA80 left handed without getting a cheek full of reciprocating bolt?

No its not.

 

[Mr. Gain]

You swerve more questions than K Starmer lol

Why are all .303s RH with a % of service men/women who used them LH

Because MoD never gave a "hoot" about left-handers.
A percentage of lefties potentially maimed or killed simply didn't move the needle in any calculations about peacetime production or logistics, let alone amid the urgency and casualties of wartime.
The only modern service rifles to break this habit are the FAMAS and AUG, and only because bullpups don't let users -at least not those who prefer to aim their rifles- switch hands.
In this context, of course, the MoD gave even fewer hoots, and issued a rifle that -unlike the SLR, No4, or their predecessors-, couldn't be shot at all from the left shoulder. (Presumably someone in procurement had never encountered both kinds of corner.)
Did RH rifles ever injure or kill LH users? We'll never know, because no one cared.

 

[Mr. Gain]

It [...] essentially comes down to appetite for risk…

I'm not sure it does.
In my view, it comes down to how much compromise you can stomach.
Risk is a thing, but choosing to use a tool that works the opposite way you need it to speaks of low self-worth.
Is the small extra cost or effort of sourcing a LH rifle really worth the personal subordination incurred?
I will only defer to guns that offer unique functionality or pleasure of use, otherwise they need to fit me, not me them.

 

[Mr. Gain]

Also, as someone who recently had an out of battery detonation with a R/H semi-auto rifle, I will happily second any and all recommendations to wear ear and eye protection, and propose the use of a brass catcher for good measure. (I'll leave you to guess which of those I had overlooked.)

 

[Tim.243]

Because MoD never gave a "hoot" about left-handers.
A percentage of lefties potentially maimed or killed simply didn't move the needle in any calculations about peacetime production or logistics, let alone amid the urgency and casualties of wartime.
The only modern service rifles to break this habit are the FAMAS and AUG, and only because bullpups don't let users -at least not those who prefer to aim their rifles- switch hands.
In this context, of course, the MoD gave even fewer hoots, and issued a rifle that -unlike the SLR, No4, or their predecessors-, couldn't be shot at all from the left shoulder. (Presumably someone in procurement had never encountered both kinds of corner.)
Did RH rifles ever injure or kill LH users? We'll never know, because no one cared.

All the .303 and club .22lr's I shot 50 years ago were right hand bolt with me LH, I still have Dads RH .22 which is on my ticket.
Too many clip board carrying types surface in these threads lol like a moth to a flame.

 

[Mr. Gain]

All the .303 and club .22lr's I shot 50 years ago were right hand bolt with me LH, I still have Dads RH .22 which is on my ticket.
Too many clip board carrying types surface in these threads lol like a moth to a flame.

Yes. And we shot them LH because we loved shooting and free ammo and didn't have a choice other than not shooting at all.
I now have more choices and I choose - wherever I can - to use guns that were actually designed to meet my requirements.
But give me a Sterling, SLR, GPMG, No4, SMLE, etc. and a few boxes of rounds and I'll get stuck in happily enough.
What I won't do is buy a RH gun just to save a few quid.
Also, what's a clipboard?

 

[Tim.243]

Yes. And we shot them LH because we loved shooting and free ammo and didn't have a choice other than not shooting at all.
I now have more choices and I choose - wherever I can - to use guns that were actually designed to meet my requirements.
But give me a Sterling, SLR, GPMG, No4, SMLE, etc. and a few boxes of rounds and I'll get stuck in happily enough.
What I won't do is buy a RH gun just to save a few quid.
Also, what's a clipboard?

The thing the range officers like to carry making sure the geek with his Sterling, SLR, GPMG, No4, SMLE, knows what way to point it.

 

[Morkai]

Hi Eric.
Is it even possible to shoot the SA80 left handed without getting a cheek full of reciprocating bolt?

No its not.

 

[Navarone]

Yes. And we shot them LH because we loved shooting and free ammo and didn't have a choice other than not shooting at all.
I now have more choices and I choose - wherever I can - to use guns that were actually designed to meet my requirements.
But give me a Sterling, SLR, GPMG, No4, SMLE, etc. and a few boxes of rounds and I'll get stuck in happily enough.
What I won't do is buy a RH gun just to save a few quid.
Also, what's a clipboard?

where’s your self worth! Shocking!

 

[Mr. Gain]

where’s your self worth! Shocking!

I know. I can barely look myself in the mirror. Unless I'm wearing sunglasses. Otherwise the grin is just too dazzling.