Left Handed Newbie

[Donarsman]

I am just starting in the world of BP and Would like to buy my first ML soon. Unfortunately I am a south paw, and I can't find many rifles. I think I am going to have to go with a GPR. Are there any other suggestions for a good left handed starter/Hunting rifle?

 

[Rebel]

As far as i know Cabelas still offers their Traditional Hawken in left handed. Not a lot less than the GPR though.

 

[cowpoke1955]

A left handed GPR goes for $356 at DNR Sports. Cabela's left handed Hawkens goes for $339. Both are made by Investarms of Italy. For $17, I'd go with the GPR. A much better looking rifle. I have two GPRs, a .54 percussion and a .54 flint. Love them both.

 

[Wes/Tex]

There are a number of Dixie's "Mountain Rifles" out there that are good shooters. They come in .50 & .32 and the left handed versions still have parts available too.

 

[Joel Boyles]

The left-handed Dixie Tennessee Mtn rifles were only in .50 caliber. Nice rifles if you can find one!

Joel

 

[paulvallandigham]

Contact TVA about left handed guns. for a little more money you can have a semi-custom made gun in whatever caliber you want. Check the list of suppliers and manufacturers under member resources on the index page of this forum.

 

[twotoescharlie]

I am right handed,but I have always shot left handed due to vision problems, never had any problems,just seems natural to myself.

TTC

 

[Le Grand]

Make that TVM with Matt and Toni Avance. They make some fine lefthanded guns. Le Grand

 

[walruskid1]

buy an underhammer, left or right doesn't matter. and they have an unfair advantage of being the best kind of rifles! :winking: i know its not a flinter, just stirring the pot! :surrender:

 

[akbrownbear]

As a fellow left-hander, I feel your pain. I have both a left-hand Cabelas Hawken in .54, and a Thompson Center Arms Hawken .50, but both are percussion. If you are just getting started in muzzleloading, I recommend you start with a percussion. Then, once you "master" the caplocks, move to a flinter. Your frustration level will be much less. I started my flinter life with a right hand T.C. .50, and quickly got rid of it. I loved the rifle, but hated having a mini-explosion right in my face and getting showered with hot sparks every time I touched it off.

 

[REX]

I have a LYMAN Deerstalker LH flint and a Dixie gun Works Hawken LH flint, both in 50 cal. They both are excellent shooters The DGW was a kit.

 

[markinstettler]

Jon, three months ago, I was in the same predicament. Since I wasn't sure that I would like flinters, or even muzzle loaders, I ended up getting the cheapest (and only) production model flintlock offered in a left handed version: a .54 GPR.

As a tinkerer, I've enjoyed the problem solving that came with the rifle. After five afternoons of shooting, I still have a couple of issues to figure out. If you're not at least that stubborn, then a percussion might make more sense.

I'm now in the market for a smaller caliber rifle and my experiences with the GPR have made me confident that I'll continue to shoot flinters. So I'm going to spend about twice as much on a semi-custom as I did on the GPR. If the semi-custom is as good as I expect, I'll get a semi-custom replacement for the GPR in a year or two.

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun no matter what you do.

 

[Bullmoose]

Well I've been shooting off and on with BP for 15 years. I finally got rid of all my pistols and right handed rifles. I picked up a nice left handed LymanGP for $200 in very good condition. Then this week I got a heck of a deal on 2 new Cabela's 50&54 Hawkens for $400 with over $350 worth of new accessories. All leftys now but still looking for a good flinter. You can find good deals out there, just hang in there.
I may just go with a Lymans GP flinter, love the gun. But I do like customs, but just got to keep saving money. :hatsoff:

 

[AeroncaTAL]

The GPR is a good rifle, I love mine. I just picked up a left hand CVA hawken in .50 off of ebay for my daughter. You can also find some left handed rifles on[url] gunbrokers.com[/url]
Scott

 

[Pittsburghunter]

I just shoot right handed rifles and buy ones without a patchbox so it does not tear up my cheek.

I have shot and have been a lefty my whole life and have no problem with right handed guns as long as they do not have a cast-off stock.

 

[paulvallandigham]

That may work fine with Percussion guns, but its nice to have a stock and lock between your eyes and that flintlock when it goes off. I recommend that LH shooters find a LH flintlock if they are going to shoot flint. After they get used to the KlatchBoom of the action, they can shoot either right or left hand flints without much difference. But its pretty hard on the learning curve to have that distraction so close to your face. For most percussion shooters, making the transistion to Flint is hard and long enough to do, without the added complication of shooting a gun with the action on the wrong side. Hand a LH flintlock to a RH shooter and get their impressions when they have shot it a few times, if you don't want to believe me. All those RH folk who tell us LH people " Just to use a RH action " sing a different tune when they have tried out their own music.

For what its worth, I am a lifetime LH shooters, but have had to shoot RH guns most of my life because they either didn't make them in LH, or I could not afford a LH gun. I was trained on the piano for years, so I have quite a lot of dexterity with both hands. Its no that I can't shoot a right handed gun; I just am more comfortable shooting a LH gun.