Left handed shooters

Tdsmith517

Tdsmith517

Silver supporter
AH veteran
Joined
Jul 19, 2026
Messages
122
Reaction score
253
Location
Ny
Media
1
To all those here that are lucky enough to shoot left handed do you use a left handed rifle and if so what is it? I am lefty and for most of my life I shot right handed rifle and shotguns because that is what I had or had access too. My dad is actually also left handed and he doesn’t care for left handed firearms. He has always shot right handed rifles and shotguns off his left shoulder and doesn’t see a reason to change. Up until a few years ago I did the same. That was until I came across a left handed Browning A-bolt in .308. Man did my whole world changed, it was like a breath of fresh air and I just couldn’t stop taking it out of the safe and into the field or the to the range. So to my other lucky lefties out there, do you shot left handed rifles?
 
I’m right handed but left eye dominant and shoot lefty. If I’m prone I love a lefty rifle. I’ve got an Sig Cross sawtooth (right handed) but shooting it sitting or standing off a tripod I find it’s crazy fast! I run the bolt super fast and don’t have to adjust my grip of my trigger hand.
 
Paulrhenderson said:
I’m right handed but left eye dominant and shoot lefty. If I’m prone I love a lefty rifle. I’ve got an Sig Cross sawtooth (right handed) but shooting it sitting or standing off a tripod I find it’s crazy fast! I run the bolt super fast and don’t have to adjust my grip of my trigger hand.
Click to expand...
I am actually the same, I am right handed but left eye dominant. I actually shoot a handgun with my right hand too. Makes for an interesting belt arrangement for shooting competitions when I have my rifle magazines behind my pistol on my right hip and my hand gun magazines on my left hip. People stare at me like I’m a soup sandwich.
 
Browning A Bolt II 375 H and H, Browning A Bolt II 7mm Rem Mag, Tikka 6.5 creedmoor, and Christensen 7 Rem Mag, Remington 1100 left hand 12 guage, Benelli SBE 2 12 gauge
all lefties
 
With the exception of a couple of right handers I bought for the kids to shoot, all my bolt hunting rifles are left handed. I started out with right handed rifles but once I tried a leftie I sold off the right handers and replaced them with those with bolts on the port side.
 
Tdsmith517 said:
I am actually the same, I am right handed but left eye dominant. I actually shoot a handgun with my right hand too. Makes for an interesting belt arrangement for shooting competitions when I have my rifle magazines behind my pistol on my right hip and my hand gun magazines on my left hip. People stare at me like I’m a soup sandwich.
Click to expand...
Haha, I’ve done the same thing. It’s always funny watching people who don’t know you pause and stare… it’s like they think you’re a moron or can’t tell if their eyes are playing tricks on them.
 
I am left handed and have several LH rifles. Ruger, Winchester M70, Remington, and CZ
The only RH handed rifle I own are my daughter's rifles and the M70 I inherited from my grandfather.

I still prefer a RH auto or pump shotgun and a RH AR-15.
Though, these days I mostly shoot my O/U shotguns.
I also have and enjoy lever actions and single shot Ruger No.1s
 
Last edited:
I also am a lefty. I have and use both left and right handed rifles.
Single shot rifles and shotguns. And a couple of late 1800's double rifles, these work great for me as a left handed shooter.
 
Right handed in everything but shooting shotguns and rifles. Left eye dominant and it just feels right. For years used right handed actions. Had a mishap on a right handed shotgun and that encouraged me to get left handed rifles and shotguns. Sometimes it’s a curse because you can’t find the right one you looking for but sometimes you find what they can’t get rid of.
 
All LH rifles now: Winchester M70, Ruger Hawkeye, couple of Sakos, several Tikkas, a Blaser with LH bolt and bolt heads.
Am naturally right handed but lost mg righg eye at 12 years old so taught myself to shoot left handed. Started with RH rifles off both right and left shoulders in times before LH rifles were common. At a later, more financial stage, I dedicated myself to LH shooting and sold most RH rifles and replaced them with the RH ones I have now.
Can still shoot RH rifles with LH hold if necessary as that skill remains.
 
Left handed and shoot off my left shoulder but am much more comfortable with right handed actions. I am somewhat ambidextrous so not a big surprise. My 12 year old son presents as right handed but shoots off his left shoulder as well also using right handed actions.
I play baseball left handed but my son plays right handed-
IMG_4277.jpeg
 
Ive been pretty fortunate here lately as I have become quite fond of LH M70s. I have bought 4 in the last 6 months and 3 of them have come from members of this forum.
My battery is 270 (later for a 7x57), 30-06, 300WM (maybe later for 416), and a 375 H&H
 
Im left handed if I’m using a bolt gun I prefer it to be left handed leaver guns it doesn’t matter. I don’t like right handed semis as I find I track the brass with my right eye as it ejects and it slows my response time if a follow up is needed. For shotguns I run doubles or a browning pump which ejects through the bottom.
 
I grew up and learned how to shoot on a right handed bolt action rifle but once I was able to afford my own left handed rifle, I have only bought left handed rifles for myself.

Currently, all of my hunting rifles are left handed. I have 13 left handed Winchester Model 70s, 3 left handed Ruger M77 Mark IIs, 1 CZ 457 and a left handed Browning A-Bolt. Haven’t killed anything with a couple of them but hope to change that in the future.

My pump shotgun is right handed and I’ve got a couple of single
shot shotguns. I keep my daughter’s right handed rifle in my safe as well.
 
Left-eye dominant, right handed for most other things and sports (golf, etc.) - started as a true ambidextrous and preferential left/left but a primary school teacher fixed that. Dad is also a leftie, but had RH rifles that we cross-loaded. I can shoot right handed but only do so in a pinch where I don't need to see far. For pistols I prefer a right side draw similar to those above, but draw off either.

I actually prefer a 12 gauge semi auto shotgun in RH, run an A400 Unico as my main hunter (LH models are hell to get as we all know), and I can quick load it faster that way (grip hand outwards). But for rifles, all are LH (and my wife is also a left-eye dominant leftie). I am comfortable enough to cross load and have practiced it (as most places don't have LH guns to use), but am much more natural and efficient with a rifle in LH - its a seamless ritual to reload, whereas with the cross-load its just slower.

Have a set of bench 22s in LH (one a beautiful custom Marlin), Tikka LHs in 223/6.5x55SE/270 (my 223 is a rare breed LH in the threaded barrel stainless), and my 'special gun', a custom built of a LH Rem 700 action with a nice barrel in 280AI that is a joy to shoot. One day I'll find a LH 375 H&H to round out my collection, though part of me is tempted to have a beater 30-06.
 
And I thought I was the only one:) Another Right Hand Left eye dominate shooter! Im a bit ambidextrous when it comes to shooting. I shoot Left or Right equally well but I have always been more natural and comfortable shooting LH. I never had a problem shooting Right hand bolt rifles Left handed until I got to the big bores, mostly the weight of a heaver rifle made it more difficult. Now I have a LH 300 MKV Weatherby and a 404 Jeffery that I bought here on the forum. Still feels a little un-natural bolting and loading with the LH. I have a 375 Weatherby Remington 798 RH and a Zavasta 470 Capstick in RH both of which I shoot LH or RH. Still figuring it out. The take home lesson I have learned is that there aren't nearly as many options for LH shooters unless you have a custom rifle built.
 
One of our PHs mr Rudi Nel is a lefty and shoots right hand rifles
I had this convo a few years back. I think he will cycle and shoot a bolt action faster than most righty’s shooting a right handed rifle
I guess we just adapt to what’s available and hopefully get good at it
 
I shoot all left hand rifles and shot guns Anschutz .22 ,H&S 204, Browning BOLT .270 WSM , M70s .264WM .338WM, SAVAGES 2/ 22-250s, 7mm08 & 6.5mn-284 , Rem 700s .17 Fireball 7mm08,8 Weatherbys .240 257 6.5x300 270 7mm 300 340 378 . Shotguns left hand Benelli BE2 12ga, Left-hand Browning 725, Blaser F3 with. 410 28ga 20ga and 12ga barrels. I have been on 2 RSA safaris and I have taken my own rifles with hand loads . I'm planning a 3rd RSA safaris in 27 and I will be taking my own rifles with me. I'm way safer and faster loading, unloading and working the safety with my left hand.
 
I don’t know any of the rest of you gentleman’s experiences but I’ve found raised cheek pieces to be one of the greatest sources of frustration when dealing with right handed rifles. I’ve bought and sold a large an amount of rifles over the last number of years as I was involved with several gunshows. I try to fire everything I take in to prove function , the BSA safari for example is one right handed rifle which I find extremely uncomfortable to shoot left handed due to the design of the cheek piece.
IMG_3510.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

... and 1142 more.
Total: 209,277 (members: 1,192, guests: 208,085)

Forum statistics

Threads
70,008
Messages
1,561,589
Members
166,348
Latest member
JessHellye
 

 

 

Proudly sponsored by

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

J
Jemii0413
testing
•••
A
Alex Sniper wrote on Bynotic's profile.
Good morning. I see that you had a Sauer 202 for sale for $3,000. Did you sell it at that price?
I have one for sale as well. I listed it (on here ) at $3,000 as well. Is the price high, low or right where it should be?

Thanks. Alex. [redacted] in case you want to call me to discuss further. I appreciate your time help and support.
•••
The Don
The Don
I broke my cherry, August 2026, 41" Cape, hooked for life.
•••
S
Schaapen
Member of the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association
•••
S
supergrizzly wrote on AZDAVE's profile.
Dave, I could use both of them if still available. I just picked up a new .22 mag and a .22 pump that they would be perfect on.
•••

Share this page

 
Top