Lefties and right hand flintlocks.

[mufb]

Anybody shoot a right hand flintlock left handed? I have a chance to pick up a flintlock rifle at a good price but I shoot lefthanded. No choice as I'm blind in the right eye. Thanks.

 

[BrownBear]

Probably no problem at all in your case. I have to close my right eye to shoot one, simply because the flash and smoke drive me nuts. Others are not bothered at all. It's a bit of a reach with your left thumb to cock some of them, but again not a real problem. There has been at least one other thread about this in the last few months, and as I recall opinions were pretty evenly divided.

If the price was right and I really liked the righty, I'd grab it.

 

[susie s]

My son shoots left-handed and decided to try shooting my "spare" right-handed flint rifle. He's been working with it for a couple of months and says it works fine. He says he doesn't really notice the lock going off because he's concentrating so hard on the target and follow-through. Part of it is that it saves him a lot of money not having to buy a left-handed rifle, and the other is he's been wanting to shoot flint for a long time. I think I've got him hooked! S

 

[arilar]

Anybody shoot a right hand flintlock left handed? I have a chance to pick up a flintlock rifle at a good price but I shoot lefthanded. No choice as I'm blind in the right eye. Thanks.

Two Hearts,
Why dont you grab the second-hand flintlock rifle with a left hand stock at sale from www.hermann-historica.com ::. Made by Joseph Manton, London, ca.1810. You can buy it from on-line catalogue. Catalogue 48, lot nr: 1157. Just 3500 Euro ::. Looks nice. :imo:
ARILAR :: :thumbsup:

 

[2172]

I shot a righthanded flinter from the left shoulder for about 7 years,,swore it didn't bother me. Finally realized that I had a kind of flinch about one shot out of 10 or 20...enough to screw up my scores. Now have a lefthander, no problem. Never had a problem shooting a right handed caplock from the left shoulder..Hank

 

[musketman]

I have a friend who is left handed and I let him shoot my right handed Renegade, he set his beard on fire...

Shame too, he had a long ZZ-Top style beard...

We put him out by hitting him in the face with snowballs, good thing it was winter time...

 

[Bear Rider]

If you are shooting a right handed flinter left handed, make sure that there is nobody on your right.

I was scoring for our club at a target station. After a number of shooters had come through, a lady came up and shouldered her flintlock left handed.

"No problem", I thought, my attention on my line of sight to the target. "I'll just move over to her right side."

FLASH and PAIN!!!! She was shooting a right handed flinter. :curse:

 

[Gary]

I've shot numerous right handed flintlocks and since I concentrate on the front sight blade, don't really notice anything. Then again, wearing safety glasses really help. If you're into re-enacting, do what the militia men or soldiers did: close your eyes and jerk the trigger. :redface:

 

[riarcher]

Being a lefty and left eye dominate, I've shot most everything right handed from habit (had a 12 ga. auto that would pump hot shells right to the tip on my nose ( :curse: Damned,,, I hated that gun!) And I shoot longbows the same, right handed.
Now a musket or a flinter, that's a different story. Them I shoot left handed. :?)
One finding that I feel IS a plus, is the fact that it is off-handed to us. Take that right handed gun and shoulder it to shoot. That dang lock with all it's fireworks, noises, and movement is right there in front of your eye. You can't "not" see all this comotion at the pull.
Now take that right handed gun and shoulder it to your left, Cock your head sideways a bit and sight looking towards your nose a bit. Wow,,, hey where'd the lock go? Minimizes visual distractions don't it? For me that's a really good plus.
Bad part(s)? Well you'll have a tendancy to prime too close to the vent. Not a big deal if you turn the lock under after priming. Thumb reach is a bit more for us, but not a real big deal either. The girl to the left of you will be a lot more friendlier than the brute on your right. Other than that? Not much. They put the ball starter holder on the wrong sides of possible bags. Powder horns curve the wrong way. Knife shieths are backwards. You know, just the ussual "righty" stuff eace:.
When I take folks fishing I ussually out fish them pretty good. They ask me what I was doing different and I'd tell them they were on the wrong side of the rod. :redthumb:

 

[Cruzatte]

Come to think of it, don't right handed folk have the same situation shooting a double flintlock shotgun? :hmm:

Cruzatte

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Anybody shoot a right hand flintlock left handed? I have a chance to pick up a flintlock rifle at a good price but I shoot lefthanded. No choice as I'm blind in the right eye. Thanks.

Did so for years, never felt handicapped in the least from it.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

If anyone wishes to dump their double rocklocks, I would reluctantly pay the shipping on them to protect you from possible beard fires and such. :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:

 

[musketman]

Come to think of it, don't right handed folk have the same situation shooting a double flintlock shotgun? :hmm:

Cruzatte

Yes, it is something to behold when the prime goes off right beside your face...