Lefty Shooter with a RH rifle

[Tim_WNC]

I swear I used the search, but my google-fu must be weak. My apologies if this topic has been done.

I'm a lefty that's getting into the precision game. All of my bolt gun work to date has been from a bench or deer blind where taking time to setup where working the bolt has never been an issue.

In looking at the PRS style matches where position shooting and multiple shots per stage are the norm, I'm struggling. Having to use my support hand to manipulate the bolt instead of staying locked in is problematic. Just for an example, it means letting go of the rear bag and not looping my hand/arm through any straps.

Do most left handed shooters just buy left handed rifles and deal with the more limited options? Just deal with it? Learn to shoot right handed?

 

[rcj]

Love to hear from lefties on this, I'm a righty who is left-eye dominant. It wasn't an issue when I was younger, but as I get older I'm finding it a lot easier to just shoot lefty.

 

[Sheldon N]

I'm a right handed shooter with a right handed bolt rifle, but I do quite a bit of left handed shooting for PRS competition, both barricade and prone. My opinion is that running an opposing handed rifle from the wrong side is slower than running a "native" rifle. You have to surrender your control of the rifle to some degree when running the bolt, since your non-trigger hand is both running the bolt and is the hand that points the rifle (either rear bag control when prone or rifle fore end control on a barricade).

You can get good at anything with enough practice, but long term I'd recommend that you get a left handed rifle if you want to seriously pursue competition. If budget is an issue and you aren't sure that you're "all-in" on competition then I'd say just run what you've got and practice with it. It's a subtle handicap, not a major one.

 

[Hoyt7mm]

I'm a lefty and that is how I began...did some at home work to a right handed Savage Model 10. It shot well and I really didn't feel like I was hindered much. I've seen built a few lefty rifles and do prefer them (obviously). When running a RH bolt, I noticed I lost a couple seconds for target re-acquisition since I was not as in control of the rifle. Good luck!

 

[lte82]

Love to hear from lefties on this, I'm a righty who is left-eye dominant. It wasn't an issue when I was younger, but as I get older I'm finding it a lot easier to just shoot lefty.

I'm in the same boat, right handed but left eye dominant. I sold all of my right hand rifles a few years ago and started building custom lefties and haven't looked back. You're always going to find the guy that says "just shoot right handed it's not that bad", but when I watch these folks try this in club matches, none of them are very smooth and they all struggle whether they want to believe it or not.

OP, initially the lefty rifle may feel odd and you may actually go slower at first, but it won't take long to surpass where you are now.

 

[EJ1001]

Lol... I was this guy >> "just shoot right handed it's not that bad" for too many years (~40years??). I recently bought a true lefty and found the religion, angels wept. Gave my right handed to my kids for them to enjoy.

Tikka makes good stuff in LH (I have a LH Tac A1), or as others have pointed out you can build something semi custom for not much more than a Tac.

Plenty of options/combinations out there.

Just say no to right handed rifles!!

 

[LeftyJason]

This should help.
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/lefty-prone-shooters-rh-lh-bolt.6909805/

A big thing that was brought up is what if you have some sort of catastrophic failure (gun, round, whatever). Do you want that next to your face?

There are options, just fewer. You also get to make it the way you want more (isn't that most of the fun anyway?)

 

[Triggs75]

Not a PRS shooter but a lefty here and have been shooting right handed bolt guns for 20 years and like above I just am now converting over. I do not know why I waited this long, but I guess there are many more options now for us lefties. I am stripping my right handed rifles down to the barreled actions for now and will rebuild them up for my kids when they are older.

Even shooting prone or off a bench with a rear bag, not having to pull your hand away from the rear bag to keep your reticle right on the target not having to realign has been great so far.

 

[Tim_WNC]

Lol... I was this guy >> "just shoot right handed it's not that bad" for too many years (~40years??). I recently bought a true lefty and found the religion, angels wept. Gave my right handed to my kids for them to enjoy.

Tikka makes good stuff in LH (I have a LH Tac A1), or as others have pointed out you can build something semi custom for not much more than a Tac.

Plenty of options/combinations out there.

Just say no to right handed rifles!!

Your post cost me $2,000! Just found what appears to be the only Tikka T3x Tac A1 Left Hand in country and bought it.

 

[EJ1001]

Your post cost me $2,000! Just found what appears to be the only Tikka T3x Tac A1 Left Hand in country and bought it.

Lol! sorry, man. You will love it though - well worth the money. BTW, what chambering did you get?

 

[Tim_WNC]

Lol! sorry, man. You will love it though - well worth the money. BTW, what chambering did you get?

6.5CM

Should be here by end of week

 

[benson821]

Lefty here and I get left handed rifles. I find it more beneficial to have the bolt on the same side as your trigger hand, in some cases yes you could run a right handed gun but in my experience in almost every match there's some stage that doing that would make it more difficult.

There are lefty accessories out there, you just have to look around a bit.

 

[WVC1119]

Lefty here. Get a left handed rifle. Other shooting disciplines maybe not a big deal, but PRS is almost entirely positional shooting. Yes, you can train to minimize your disadvantage, but why would you want to start with one in the first place?

 

[adamjma]

Left eye dominant, right handed. Used right handed guns for years. Just switched over to left and HOLY COW it is so much better. In positional stuff there can be situations where a right handed gun is better, but overall I think you are better served with the correct setup for the side you are shooting on.

And I like keeping my face intact in the event of a boom.

 

[usmc45]

Right handed, Left eye dominate. Have always shot right handed, as the years go by its gets better and better. Wife is a lefty and shoots lefty rifles so i use both quite a bit and am almost 100% interchangeable at this point but still always feels more natural to shoulder that rifle on the right side. As others have said, over the years i have found it much easier to work on the eye dominance than trying to force all of that muscle memory. I finally turned the corner when i quite trying to squint and started shooting with both eyes open.

 

[Dogsniper]

I swear I used the search, but my google-fu must be weak. My apologies if this topic has been done.

I'm a lefty that's getting into the precision game. All of my bolt gun work to date has been from a bench or deer blind where taking time to setup where working the bolt has never been an issue.

In looking at the PRS style matches where position shooting and multiple shots per stage are the norm, I'm struggling. Having to use my support hand to manipulate the bolt instead of staying locked in is problematic. Just for an example, it means letting go of the rear bag and not looping my hand/arm through any straps.

Do most left handed shooters just buy left handed rifles and deal with the more limited options? Just deal with it? Learn to shoot right handed?

Build a left hand gun. I had the same problems and it was costing me valuable time. Built a lefty gun and wish I would have done it Long time ago. I'll never go back to shooting a right hand gun left handed.

 

[Tim_WNC]

Thanks for all the feedback y'all.

I have a LH Tik T3x Tac A1 on the way!

 

[LongRangeLefty]

Lefty eye dominant ambidextrous. As a kid I started out shooting open sight .22 lr. Since I got used to shooting that way, I tend to use my left more. Especially since I mostly shoot bench (short range) or prone (long range). However if I’m shooting with a scoped rifle I can use right or left

 

[onthex]

Thanks for all the feedback y'all.

I have a LH Tik T3x Tac A1 on the way!

@WNC Seabee You are going to love it once you get used to it. I am a professional hunter, I am right handed, and I was right eye dominant. Then at 50 years old an accident left me totally blind in my right eye. I had two choices, give up shooting or learn to do it lefty. Obviously, I chose the latter and committed totally. I sold all of my RH bolt guns and replace with LH actions. It was a little difficult at first, but two years in I am so glad I did it. It seems natural now, I am more protected from the action, and I can cycle my gun on the fly. If an old RH guy like me can learn to use a LH action it should be a cinch for someone who is a natural Southpaw!