I'm a Lefty (shooting hand, that is!)

R

Rome

New member
I've only been actively shooting for about a year now, and have been trained using the right hand like everyone else. I do write with my left hand but was raised doing just about everything right handed. The last two times I went to the range, I tried my left hand just to make sure I could operate a gun with both hands. IMMEDIATE SCORING IMPROVMENT! :) As a matter of fact, a lot of my "groupings" were left of center and I'd been compensating with my sights. I though they needed to be adjusted. When I tried my left hand, however, my groupings all fell within the black! ( I know, I was amazed too!) It turns out that my dominant eye is my left eye, not my right eye. I've been working against myself all this time. Last night, my scores were terrific at 25 yds, all in the black with three different calibers. So, if you are a lefty, and haven't tried shooting left handed, give it a try. It might just be what you need to improve your scores!

Rome
 
If you are left handed, why were you trained to shoot right handed? Why weren't you taught to shoot with your left hand?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cawdor:
If you are left handed, why were you trained to shoot right handed? Why weren't you taught to shoot with your left hand?[/quote]
What are you shooting with ? Im lefty and was torn between a S&W .357 revolver and a 1911 A1. I went with the 1911 because it can be somewhat modified lefty, whereas a revolver is dificult to load/unload lefty.
 
I have a USP9 with ambidextrous control levers and a Glock 30.

I have never considered being left handed a problem as long as a semi-auto does not have its safety on the left side of the gun only. I can operate the magazine release and the slide release with my trigger finger. The USP is an excellent pistol for a left handed person because it has an ambidextrous magazine release, a long slide release, and the control lever can be moved to the right side or be made ambidextrous. The Glock is also very good, though I would prefer a magazine release similar to the USP. Best of all is probably the HK P7.

Here is a link for an article on training the left handed shooter to use a Sig - http://www.sigarms.com/v4smp8.htm
 
LIke virtually everything else I've learned to do in my 48 years on this planet, I've had to first learn with my right hand. However, I was one of the fortunate few kids who survived being a left handed writer in elementary school. Many of my friends are "closet lefties" who were "converted" by their teachers. I learned to play every sport as a right hander, too. Today, I'm much more ambidextrous in almost everything I do. It is futrating, however, because many tools(I'm a cabinetmaker) are designed for righties, excecpt some saws. Even my $3000 drafting table machine is a right hand unit: left hand is not available. So, when I went to the range for the first time, I simply picked up the pistol in my right hand with and followed my instructors instructions. Now, let me clarify that I really anticipated shooting with both hands but what I didn't anticipate is the HUGE difference in accuracy from one hand to the other. It is, I believe, due to the dominant eye properly aligning the sites. So, I knew I'd shoot left handed sometime, but thought that I be equally proficient in either hand. Frankly, I was pretty dissapointed with my scores over the past year. I tried everything and spend many hours trying to improve but I was consistantly "inconsistant". When I first tried the .45 in my left hand at 25 yards, I slowly fired off three rounds and then checked the tartget. I couldn't see any holes so I brought the target home (I need a scope) and as it came forward, there where 2 in the 9 ring and one 10! I couldnt' believe it.

Fortunately, the pistols I'm shooting easily accomodate me. The .45 is a Para Ordnance 13-45 with an ambidextrous grip. The .45 can have a ambidextrous safety. I won't change anything else, however. It has had a trigger/slide job and is very neat. It also has adj. sites which are very nice.

I appreciate everyones input here. Thanks, Cawdor,for the link!

PS:I don't shoot two hands: I shoot single handed.

[This message has been edited by Rome (edited March 04, 2000).]
 
The self defense logistics in my home suggest that a left hand, left eye stance affords better cover while picking off the Bad Guys. I am right handed, right eye dominant, but after a relatively small amount of extra practice, found I can shoot almost as well with the left/left.

The only problem is that target acquisition with the non-dominant left eye--both eyes open--requires a very noticible increase in time. Yowch!
 
Guy,

I can only imagine what a home defense situation would be like. It must be almost surreal. I don't think target aquisition would be a problem for someone who has become proficient with their weapons. Hopefully, with the proper time at the range and correct training, things happen automatically. At 7 yards, the "average encounter, aiming is not that difficult. After a while, you could hit a target, either hand, with your eyes closed. I've seen it at my range. There are distinct advantages for those who shoot with either hand, however, and even more for those of us who shoot single handed.

Rome
 
I'm a left who fires a pistol lefty. Bill Ruger is a lefty, so most of the Ruger pistols are ambi-dexterous (meaning of the word: having two right hands). The later ones have ambi mag releases safeties, and decockers. Slide release and ejection are right-handed. No problem. By the way, I fire a rifle righty but site by crossing my left eye over. Yuk.


Guy,

Using the Chapman pistol hold would allow you to be cross dominant, using your left hand and right eye. Take a look here:
http://www.io.com/~cortese/resources/guns2.html

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