I have never set my beard on fire,'course it isn't a long one. But I have had some powder particles in my fore arm when not paying attention to arm position. The m/lers I shoot the most now are left handed ones, gradually phasing out most of my right hand ones.Musketman said:
Flintlock Southpaw
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paulvallandigham
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Its a royal PITA to load and prime a RHEd flintlock when you are left handed. There are Safety concerns, as your face is to the right of the cock, and flashpan, and if sparks, or chips of flint are blown back, you can take them in the right side of your face. Wear GLASSES whenever you are shooting any rifle, but Particularly when shooting flintlocks.
This is not a fanciful concern. I have experienced it personally.
Also, be sure to keep your right arm Under the stock. If its out to the side, you are likely to get burns from the flash pan shooting a RH flintlock. Been there, and done that too. After it happened to me, I was admonished with this advice by another LH flintlock shooter at our club. I decided that any flintlock I owned would be a LH action.
This is not a fanciful concern. I have experienced it personally.
Also, be sure to keep your right arm Under the stock. If its out to the side, you are likely to get burns from the flash pan shooting a RH flintlock. Been there, and done that too. After it happened to me, I was admonished with this advice by another LH flintlock shooter at our club. I decided that any flintlock I owned would be a LH action.
I went the more expensive route, with a left handed TRS Baker rifle. Yes, they were made at the time! Note the lock markings, cast from an original.
The pics below were taken before I had fired the rifle for the first time, so it's looking nice and new.
The pics below were taken before I had fired the rifle for the first time, so it's looking nice and new.
Heck I have been shooting both righty and lefty guns for a good while now..how do you think I sight in a lefty build?? All this concern and horror stories are the normal crap you hear about most firearms.. They have been making double flinters for some time, and if they were more reasonably priced for the average joe more people would own them. Shoot a faulty gun and you are going to get hurt. The left handed lock is not any closer to my face than a righty is. :v
paulvallandigham
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Roy, I don't want to get in an argument about this. If you believe shooting a LH action poses no problems for RH shooters, why don't all RH shooters just order LH flintlocks? Then, we LHers will be happy, and your RH shooters will apparently be happy, too, NO?
That is a rhetorical Question, Roy- something for readers to ponder, and Not for you to answer. I really don't care what other shooters decided about LH vs. RH flintlocks. Thank God, we finally have a choice as LHers.
Along the same lines, Lets make everything work for LHers in our lives. Put door handles on the Right side of doors, and hinges on the Left side. Put computer mouses on the Left side, and reverse those r-l clickers. How about putting zippers on Men's pants so they are opened on the left side, rather than the right? Or the buttons on shirts?
The only right handed people I have ever known that truly understand how Right Handed our world is, are those who broke a hand, wrist or Rt. arm, and were unable to use their right hand for weeks while recovering. They were forced to do everything with their left hand. THEN, they began to learn how LHed people have to cope every day.
I too have shot double barrel shotguns and rifles, but you aren't going to tell me my right side of my face is NOT closer to the lock on a RH gun, mounted to my Left Shoulder, than if I were shooting a LHed gun off my Left Shoulder. That LH lock is on the other side of the stock from my face. NO?
I have met a lot of Left handed people- you would be surprised at how many lawyers and law students are Left handed--who never considered learning to shoot because left hand guns were not available. Today, they are delighted to learn that LH guns are available, and tell me that makes a difference to them. By not offering LH models of their guns the gun companies were keeping out a substantial market segment, and the percentage still lags behind the national data on the number and percentage of LH people in the population.
That is a rhetorical Question, Roy- something for readers to ponder, and Not for you to answer. I really don't care what other shooters decided about LH vs. RH flintlocks. Thank God, we finally have a choice as LHers.
Along the same lines, Lets make everything work for LHers in our lives. Put door handles on the Right side of doors, and hinges on the Left side. Put computer mouses on the Left side, and reverse those r-l clickers. How about putting zippers on Men's pants so they are opened on the left side, rather than the right? Or the buttons on shirts?
The only right handed people I have ever known that truly understand how Right Handed our world is, are those who broke a hand, wrist or Rt. arm, and were unable to use their right hand for weeks while recovering. They were forced to do everything with their left hand. THEN, they began to learn how LHed people have to cope every day.
I too have shot double barrel shotguns and rifles, but you aren't going to tell me my right side of my face is NOT closer to the lock on a RH gun, mounted to my Left Shoulder, than if I were shooting a LHed gun off my Left Shoulder. That LH lock is on the other side of the stock from my face. NO?
I have met a lot of Left handed people- you would be surprised at how many lawyers and law students are Left handed--who never considered learning to shoot because left hand guns were not available. Today, they are delighted to learn that LH guns are available, and tell me that makes a difference to them. By not offering LH models of their guns the gun companies were keeping out a substantial market segment, and the percentage still lags behind the national data on the number and percentage of LH people in the population.
If I was bashing left handed guns or people I wouldn't build them. I was complaining about the complaining :haha:
My father is and my Grandfather was lefthanded. I grew up shooting either hand guns. So yes it is nicer to shoot what ever handed gun that you are. But all of the dreaded over done danger BS about someone shooting the other handed gun is just that :bull: . I don't care what side the lock is on... give it to me and I will shoot it. Unless it is a POS... :v
too much false info out there
My father is and my Grandfather was lefthanded. I grew up shooting either hand guns. So yes it is nicer to shoot what ever handed gun that you are. But all of the dreaded over done danger BS about someone shooting the other handed gun is just that :bull: . I don't care what side the lock is on... give it to me and I will shoot it. Unless it is a POS... :v
too much false info out there
paulvallandigham
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Roy, I removed a small chip of flint from my right cheek, about an inch below my glasses, that got there shooting a RH flintlock off my left shoulder.
I didn't make that up. It was not a major injury, to be sure, but it was a bit unnerving. I was not expecting it, having shared your belief about such safety issues. I am ugly enough that I don't need the help of any flint shards!
It was not very deep into my cheek, but when I removed it, I did bleed. I clot fairly easily, so the bleeding stopped within a minute or two. But, none-the-less, I had to rethink my idea of just buying and shooting a RH flintlock.
I have no problem shooting RH percussion guns, and my first MLer was such a rifle. I still shoot my DB shotgun that is percussion. No problems- ever.
But, I can't say the same thing for flintlocks. They are another breed. :hatsoff:
I didn't make that up. It was not a major injury, to be sure, but it was a bit unnerving. I was not expecting it, having shared your belief about such safety issues. I am ugly enough that I don't need the help of any flint shards!
It was not very deep into my cheek, but when I removed it, I did bleed. I clot fairly easily, so the bleeding stopped within a minute or two. But, none-the-less, I had to rethink my idea of just buying and shooting a RH flintlock.
I have no problem shooting RH percussion guns, and my first MLer was such a rifle. I still shoot my DB shotgun that is percussion. No problems- ever.
But, I can't say the same thing for flintlocks. They are another breed. :hatsoff:
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Roy said:
It's always nice to be called a liar.
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Walk through the door, turn around, and you have your wish :hmm: :grin:
I do everything left-handed but shoot - I guess because befoe I started wearing glasses I had 20/200 vision in my left eye, while my right was 20/25 or so...
not calling anyone a liar. Bad things do happen. First time I shot a cap gun the just out of the box nipple came apart and hit me over the right eye (right handed gun) and I have had all sorts of crap hit me off a right handed flinters too.. way more so than left handed guns. To come to think of it I haven't got hit by anything off of a left handed gun yet. :v It may still happen, just the odds are higher because I shoot a right handed gun more of the time.
Now I did watch a left handed person once set his crotch on fire once with a right handed gun :rotf: Yes it was funny. But he had a bad habbit of keeping the gun down when he put it in full cock and keeping his finger on the trigger.. :surrender:
Now I did watch a left handed person once set his crotch on fire once with a right handed gun :rotf: Yes it was funny. But he had a bad habbit of keeping the gun down when he put it in full cock and keeping his finger on the trigger.. :surrender:
:grin: I am a south paw and used RH flintlocks for years. It's no big deal as far as shooting is concernd but priming the pan changing out the flint ect was and is a pain in the drain. :cursing:
Once I built my first LH flintlock I sold off all my RH stuff and never looked back.
Once I built my first LH flintlock I sold off all my RH stuff and never looked back.
My experience with my one GPR left-handed flintlock .50-caliber rifle was not good. During my make-ready I discovered:
1. Lock plate was warped in two planes. Ignition would have been problematic.
2. Lock work was cheap -- not inexpensive, CHEAP -- coil springs, flimsy stamped parts.
3. Double set trigger set nothing.
That's the bad news.
I called Lyman. They allowed me to send the rifle to them at their expense for exchange. I asked that the exchange rifle be cap lock .54-caliber.
What I received had significantly better quality control. And the cap lock was much less likely to be affected by cheap lock work.
Were you to acquire a flintlock GPR, if L&R's RPL lock for GPR is available in left-hand, this mitigates most of the problems I experienced. The downside is that were you to do this, by the time you have completed the rifle's makeover, you could have acquire a limited production flintlock that will yield higher pride of ownership.
Just some thoughts.
1. Lock plate was warped in two planes. Ignition would have been problematic.
2. Lock work was cheap -- not inexpensive, CHEAP -- coil springs, flimsy stamped parts.
3. Double set trigger set nothing.
That's the bad news.
I called Lyman. They allowed me to send the rifle to them at their expense for exchange. I asked that the exchange rifle be cap lock .54-caliber.
What I received had significantly better quality control. And the cap lock was much less likely to be affected by cheap lock work.
Were you to acquire a flintlock GPR, if L&R's RPL lock for GPR is available in left-hand, this mitigates most of the problems I experienced. The downside is that were you to do this, by the time you have completed the rifle's makeover, you could have acquire a limited production flintlock that will yield higher pride of ownership.
Just some thoughts.
