Left handed shooting a right handed bolt gun

It's not purely about speed, it's just the way I do it.
I'm unclear about your criticism. How does one keep the gun shouldered and eyes on target with the sights aligned (meaning cheek on the stock when reaching over the rifle with the left hand to work the right-handed bolt?
And if a scope is mounted this becomes increasingly difficult, specially if the bolt/scope clearance is close. In fact it is nearly impossible to use the tip and reach technique on my deer rifle.

On my vintage M1896 Swede, it is easier and quicker to use the left-handed reach over technique because of the straight bolt handle.
 
I'm unclear about your criticism. How does one keep the gun shouldered and eyes on target with the sights aligned (meaning cheek on the stock when reaching over the rifle with the left hand to work the right-handed bolt?
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That's just it, Joe: you don't reach over. You use the hand that's right there next to the bolt. If you shoot lefty, get a lefty gun .... if you shoot lefty and have a Swede or some other milsurp that did not accomodate left handed troops .... I imagine you do what they did back then, which was probably learn to shoot right handed.

If you are not interested in speed ..... do it however you want to. On a range, or just plinking, it won't matter......
 
Yes, obviously the best gun for a lefty is a left-handed gun.
But the intent of the thread is speaking about lefties using right handed guns.
 
But the intent of the thread is speaking about lefties using right handed guns.
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....

....and the answer is, if speed is important, to learn to shoot right handed.

My Dad is left handed-left eyed .... and shoots right handed. Why? Because there were not any left handed bolt guns available to him in the 1950's.

It's a software issue..... often simpler to buy new hardware, but if that's not an option ..... there it is: work at it.
 
Some snipers prefer a left handed bolt gun for the same reason. Their dominant hand remains on the grip and the sight picture isn't changed since the non-dominant hand is used to manipulate the bolt.
 
Some snipers prefer a left handed bolt gun for the same reason. Their dominant hand remains on the grip and the sight picture isn't changed since the non-dominant hand is used to manipulate the bolt.
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In this case, speed is not the the imperative. Thes guys will have a bi-pod or other rest, and need not hold the gun in the non-dominant hand.
 
It's a software issue
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Not always as in my case, the hardwiring is jacked. My right eye is a lazy eye and will turn in when I try to focus on a sight / target. Not a Jack Elam type of lazy but just enough that everything will start to black out where I can't see one or the other. The first time my dad took me shooting when I was 8, he was getting rather frustrated with me as I couldn't hit the can with the .22 rifle (which was known to be accurate) all the while exclaiming "What do you mean you can't see it?". About ready to give up on me, he finally told me to try it with my left hand and from that point forward, no can stood a chance. When my kids started shooting, the first thing I did was to determine which eye was dominant before they even picked up a gun in order to start them off right. My son was lucky with no cross dominance but my daughter was like her old man with being right handed / left eyed dominant.

I firmly believe that a shooter is better off always using their dominant eye as opposed to trying to force or rewire your non-dominant eye to take over. Much like your dominant hand, your ocular dominance strengthens as well over time. The fact is, you're focusing on things from the time you wake up until you go to sleep with your dominant eye being...well, dominant. You don't realize it since it's just not as noticeable. For the majority of shooters who might be lucky to see the range a dozen times a year who are cross-dominant, I don't think they will ever truly realize their accuracy potential especially if they are disillusioned into thinking they can undo in an hour or two at time what's being done constantly. If this was something you could permanently undo, there wouldn't be a need for those circle patches or other gizmos they sell for shooting glasses to distort or eliminate the view of the dominant eye.

We are lucky that so many companies offer LH rifles these days and for southpaw or cross-dominant shooters; it truly is the way to go. I will say, I am quicker with my LH rifles then my RH ones but the difference is not that discernible and I've been fortunate enough to take two deer at a time on multiple occasions with both styles. I believe there is an advantage to using the dominant hand to manipulate the bolt on a RH rifle as opposed to reaching over the top with your left hand regardless of the bolt design and in the long run, it will be quicker as there will be less repositioning of the rifle against the shoulder. If the speed of a follow-up shot is the shooter's top priority though, they're better off getting a semi-auto and just be done with it.
 
^^good points Freakdaddy.

I write left handed and do most fine work with my left hand. Luckily, I am ambidextrous to a large extent and can shoot either way. I tend to shoot mostly right handed because I am right eye dominant and that is the way most rifles (regardless of action type) are set up. There are times in the field that I hold the rifle left handed and intend to shoot lefty. Such as if I am walking the far right end of a drive, certain stands I sit in are more likely to see action coming from my right which makes shooting lefty more useful.

Besides, some of us southpaws like to find ways to overcome the wrong-handed world. We've been doing it most of our lives:D
 
Spot on 6Pak!! and I have the nun-enlarged knuckles on my left hand to show that even as first graders we southpaws can be a touch hard headed.

Wonder if anyone still makes those two pound hickory rulers?

M
 
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