I’ll oftentimes joke about “leftie shooter problems,” and I’m always on the hunt for quality ambidextrous components that make shooting as a leftie in a rightie’s world more functional and ergonomic. All joking aside, there are definitely some advantages to being a left-handed shooter that most folks don’t think about until they are forced to train or fight with their non-dominant “Devil Hand.” Yes. I’ve been called “Devil-handed” in a carbine class before…and I THINK Frank Proctor was joking. One can only guess.
As schools of thought evolved in the shooting sports, many right-hand dominant shooters saw the value of tricking out their weapon platforms for left-handed use; obvious reasons being the shooter’s dominant hand is out of commission in a firefight, support side barricade work, or situationally-dependent scenarios. This was a boon for us lefties for the AR platform; ambidextrous mag releases enabled us to finally perform tac reloads and mag-drop speed reloads. Ambidextrous charging handles allowed us to blade-hand the charging handle instead of having to rotate the AR inboard and hook-grip the charging handle. Ambidextrous safety levers allowed us to maintain a strong grip on the weapon platform while going from “safe” to “fire.”
Efficiency, speed, and economy of movement improved for us. The only advantage that we had that DIDN’T change, was our ability to lock the bolt catch/release back with our trigger finger – which is why all you righties got BAD levers and accessories to hang off of your mag catch/release to enjoy the benefit of being able to lock the bolt back and keep your shooting hand on the pistol grip.
As far as handguns are concerned, with the notable exception of the 1911 platform, where a right-face external safety is a must for left-handed shooters, we pretty much just adapt and overcome. Due to our forced adaptability is why initially, when the folks at Rainier Arms wanted me to look at their Magazine Advanced Release System prototype (Patent Pending), I was less than impressed.
Read more – Guns and Tactics
(featured image courtesy of gunsandtactics.com)
