Lately I’ve been catching a bit of flak from southpaw shooters because they’re essentially having to translate my shooting reviews into the leftinese language, something that seems easier for lefties to do than righties because we live in a right handed world. Did you know more than 2,500 deaths occur in the world each year alone due to left handed folks using equipment intended for right handed humans?
That fact was true about 8 or so years ago the first time I heard it so the numbers may have changed, but I digress. It’s been a discipline I’ve had on my list of to-dos for the past several months to get serious about that. Practicing weak side shooting both one handed and two handed. Why? Well, what if my right arm is out of commission? Maybe you remember a year ago after my right wrist was broken in a bicycle accident I spent a lot of time on the left side while shooting handguns because the recoil sent an excruciating pain from my thumb to my elbow when I used my strong hand.
Shooting left handed for the FNX-40 with fully ambidextrous controls including slide release. My right hand feels utterly useless and totally confused and I’m still shooting with my dominant right eye. Easier with handguns than rifles.
Most of you if you’re anything like the majority of the right handed world feel half retarded when trying to take appropriate mechanical measures while firing a gun left handed. I’ve shot trap and sporting clays with a pump shotgun left handed since middle school. Partly for the challenge and partly because I enjoy showboating, so long guns aren’t as much of an issue for me. Left handed pistol shooting however is a whole different ballgame. My feet get discombobulated, my shoulders are off and shooting with one or both eyes feels like a fully confused rubix cube.
A couple months ago I posted a review of my buddy Steve’s FNX-40 pistol and did so by showing what it felt like while going southpaw for a magazine. You can see my surprise and ill response to the first couple of rounds whose recoil surprised me in a big way. I settled into it but it was evident that my technique needs a lot of work.
Ironically my intention behind this post isn’t even about my technique. It’s about doing my best to make my reviews practical for all types of shooters, this especially applies to our maladroit friends too. If I do a better job of shooting right handed weapons left handed, those oft forgotten members of our community could perhaps see some results that may help them make informed purchases on less ambidextrous friendly firearms.
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4 Responses to Left Handed Shooting Reviews
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Shooting a pistol right or left handed has never really been an issue for me. It’s the long guns that give me fits. I just can not get comfortable with a rifle against my left shoulder.
It makes a whole lot more sense for me to shoot rifles left handed too, being left-eye dominant.
Anyway – if people are seriously giving you flak for reviewing guns in your right hand, they need to get a grip.
You’re REVIEWING something. If it were training, then I could see the need to demonstrate with the same hand they would be using.
Yeah, definitely a little overboard. But honestly I can see where they’re coming from. My wife is right handed and left eye dominant. She refuses to shoot any long gun left handed so I have to mount optics with extra high rings. Handguns it doesn’t matter so much because she can use her cross eye and shoot righty.
It’s cool in a way because it adds an extra challenge for me on something I feel I should be familiarizing myself with anyway. I’ve never had a problem closing my right eye all the way and staying on target with the left eye only. I’m not as good with moving targets with just the one eye. Shooting trap and sporting clays right handed I always do so with both eyes open.
Try shooting a Beretta Cougar 8000/8040/8045 left handed. The particular mechanics of that pistol rotate the barrel in a manner which pushes the pistol into the shooters hand. Try it left handed and the pistol tries to leap out of my hand; and I have large strong hands. (Haven’t tried this with the PX4 or the Stoeger Cougar pistols).
I’m a lefty, with hardly any pistol knowledge, I have a Walther PPK,I bought in 81′with no problems, Never knew there was an issue with shooting right guns, even though I know shotguns matter I own an Ithica pump because of the straight down shell ejection, other than the FNH FNX40 can you recommend other models I might consider, how about a Ruger BSR40 Compact, there’s one at the pawnshop for $450