How bothersome is it for a lefty to shoot a right hand bolt gun?

[Starslinger]

Since target shooting and hunting usually involve shooting with a slow rate of fire, do left-hand shooters find it terribly bothersome to have to shoot a right-hand bolt gun? Or is it no big deal? Thanks for sharing any experience you have with this.

[XDJYo]

[Garv]

I’ve only shot a small amount with a friend at the range but I found it very annoying trying to move my hands around and get comfortable with the mechanism on the wrong side.

It may be one shot at a time, but if you’re target shooting you’re readjusting a bit too much.

I would never buy one unless it was for a lefty.

[musketjon]

I shoot lefty and ALL of my rifles are righty-configured. They're all milsurps. In a CMP/NRA XTC course match, shooting lefty with a righty rifle is somewhat slow and cumbersome because you have to come out of position each shot to cycle the action. In slow-fire, it's not a problem--there's plenty of time to get back into position for each shot. Shooting from the bench is no problem at all. In fact, reaching over the receiver with the left hand seems quite natural and if you have a hard or sticky bolt to open, it actually adds to the leverage to open the bolt.
Jon

[deckhandmike]

It’s annoying. I’d avoid it if possible. For plinking go for it if you really want to but for maximum accuracy I like to get my body position set and relaxed. Running a opposite hand bolt gun doesn’t lend to this relaxed smooth feel.

[Rukus]

It’s never bothered me enough to matter. Coming over the top is easy enough for field positions, although it is slower since you lose your whole sight picture. Bench shooting is no problem with a good bipod you can load it and use your right hand to cycle while staying on target. Depending on the rifle you may have to move your thumb to allow the bolt to travel but still not a huge issue.

I’ve only owned one left handed rifle and I ended up selling it anyway. Resale value is one thing to consider as well, much easier to sell a
right handed gun.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

I come from the school of thought that one should have a certain amount of skill shooting with both hands. We'll all have a dominant side and we'll all have a side we shoot 'better' from or, at least, more naturally. Some of that can be mitigated with practice, though "off-hand" might continue to require a certain amount of conscious thought.

Likewise, it can also depend on the firearm. I've seen Lefties who can work a right-hand bolt as fast, sometimes faster, than skilled, right-handed individuals. I've seen Righties operating a right-hand bolt action as a Leftie and doing it better than some skilled right-handers doing it right-handed. Other times, I've seen skilled Lefties 'struggle' to operate a right-hand semi-auto. Once again, practice is the crucial element.

Thus, 'annoying' or 'bothersome' is often a term relative, in part, to the amount of practice one puts in.

[LindenBruce]

[QUOTE=XDJYo;26372568]

[LindenBruce]

It's all on the individual. I worked with a guy who was left handed. He shot handguns left handed, but long guns right handed. And was adapt with both. B.

[Foothills]

There’s also eye dominance. Left-eye dominant makes shooting long guns left-handed more accurate. The added bonus of a right-hander shooting left-handed is they are loading with their strong hand. It matters less with a magazine. But putting .308 rounds down from the top is easier with more precise hand control.

Follow-up shots probably aren’t as fast depending on shooting position.

It’s probably faster to reload a shotgun with strong hand sliding in shells.

The other thing is the safety. If it’s ambidextrous great! But if not, it can be a challenge to keep everything on target when your process is to remove safety first then hair trigger second. You need to move your hand off the trigger to disengage the safety, then move back.

Of course, on a bolt gun you would be moving your hand off the trigger to work the bolt anyway.

It depends on what you are doing whether it’s a significant hinderance. Probably not for plinking, more likely a problem in competition. For hunting it won’t matter if your first. Shot is good.

[MFortie]

[tanks]

Since target shooting and hunting usually involve shooting with a slow rate of fire, do left-hand shooters find it terribly bothersome to have to shoot a right-hand bolt gun? Or is it no big deal? Thanks for sharing any experience you have with this.

Hunting can be a slow rate of fire, but in a lot of cases you do want a fast follow up shot.

Target shooting is slow UNLESS you are in a competition.

A lefty can learn to reach over and manipulate the bolt on the right hand side fairly speedily (I did). However, there are so many left handed bolt action rifles it is not worth it to buy a right handed bolt rifle. Also, it is not just the bolt but fit of the rifle.

[Fjold]

If you are shooting off of a bench with a rest it's easier to use a right handed bolt rifle as a lefty. You can use your forward hand (right) to work the bolt and can see in the ejection port when loading and unloading.

I don't recommend it though especially for MilSurp rifles, if you experience a case rupture most bolt guns and just about all MilSurp are designed to vent the hot gases and case material out the right side of the bolt directly into a lefties eyes.

[IronsightsRifleman]

I've noticed there are no left handed Garands. And in all the military instruction videos and manuals I've never even seen the topic come up. Apparently all Americans were right handed back then.

[Imageview]

Righty, left eye dominant here. On the bench I find right handed bolts easier. Doing anything with my left hand feels clumsy, so I end up giving my rifle a reach around. Right hand are no problem, especially if the rifle is on a bipod. I work the bolt with my right hand, can do it without breaking a cheek weld. If I were a lefty I would definitely prefer a left handed bolt gun.

I ended up mostly just going to single shots, they feel better. I wish I had a double rifle barrel for my combo gun, but I don't and they don't make them anymore so I'm sorta screwed on that front unless I want to break down and spend real money. Levers and semis are fine, ejecting in front of my face has never been an issue.