Shooting Flintlocks from the oppossing side

[mci5b]

No, I am not talking about a war between the yankees and the rebs. What I need to know is can a right-handed flintlock be shot from the left-handed side. Now keep in mind that I am really right handed, but I still shoot left handed. This really sucks in bolt action rifles. Maybe that is why I enjoy shooting muzzleloaders.

Also, any of you guys shoot Pyrodex?

 

[roundball]

Physically they can of course, but personally I'd be reluctant to have all that flash flame and vent gas going on right in front of my eyes/face, and there may be a chance vent gas could get your right arm / clothing...don't know...if it were me I know I'd just get a left handed flintlock...but that's me

 

[2172]

I shot a right handed flint from the left shoulder for 5 or 6 years...swore it made no difference. Finally admitted to myself that I had an occasional flinch that cost me a miss. I bought a couple of left handed flinters about a year ago (don't ask why I got two) and one of them has become my favorite gun of all...both cured the flinch..Hank

 

[TwoShadows]

I know a few Lefty's that shoot right handed....and they fare pretty well....I imagine it would take some getting used to though. Dont believe you will find pyrodex being used in flint guns....it works kinda like hush-a-boom.....that new silent powder....dont go off!

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Okie,
I used to wonder about that same question, but ever since I started shootin the double flint shotgun that I built, wondering was over. Think about it, cuz I didn't until I built my shotgun. For a couple of centuries men have been shootin double flinters both right and left handed. I have no problem, but I do recommend eye protection.
Double Flinters are Double the Fun
Lar :redthumb:

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Okie,
Forgot about the Pyrodex. Don't want it, don't need it, don't use it. Never even tried it. :haha:

Flintlocks Forever
Lar :thumbsup:

 

If you are right handed and shoot left handed do you do this because you are left eyed?
To tell what eye dominant you are is easy to do.
raise you finger up arms lenght in front of you with both eyes open and cover and object like a nail head or simular.
Now close you right eye , if your finger looks like it moved to the right you are right eyed..... if you close you left eye and it looks like your finger moved to the left then you are right eyed.
My friend is right handed and left eyed and he started to shoot left handed and tells me it is much more comortable for him.....lineing the sights up is easier and faster and he doesn't lay his head on top of the stock trying to look with his left eye to shoot right handed like he use to.
Woody

 

[adkmountainken]

i am right handed but left eye dominate. the asolutly only thing i do lefthanded is shoot a rifle. i shoot a 45. longrifle and a 62. fowler lefthanded and they are a normal righthanded gun. no problem at all. the 62. has a large siler lock that can hold alot of prime if need be, i only use a little prime but i have shot it with heavy prime to see how it is. no problem what so ever. to have a lefthanded gun specia;;y made is usally big $$ and to tell you the truth i'm not woth a manure priming and doing anything with my left hand! would aucatually be much harder for me to load, prime, and shoot a lefthanded smokepole. and by the way i can reload and shoot about as fast as the next man even though i shoot lefthanded. any other questions on this as i have 24 years experiance being righthanded and shooting lefty?
Ken

 

[Birddog6]

Actually if you have someone shoulder the gun, sight it, now look at him. Tthere is not a heck of a difference of what size the lock is on. Basically all that flash, boom whosh, hoopalah is all it is. And again I say......"What flash ?" Concentrate on the target & your trigger pull & forget the lock... don't matter what side it is on. I build them both & shot them both right handed & it don't matter to me. :results:
Only dif I notice is adjusting the flint is easier on a RH rifle as is priming it & etc. All of that is just because I shoot a RH most of the time. :imo:

 

[jgray]

I tried loose pyrodex powder in my flint just to see if it would work. I poured in about 30 grains of the pyrodex pistol powder and pushed a wonder wad in on top of it; because I didn't want to have to pull a ball if it didn't go off. It fired the pyrodex just fine, although I primed it with BP, of course.

Yep, it worked that's all I wanted to know, and I haven't done it again with or without a bullet or ball. I used a traditional flinter for this impromptu experimejnt. I also have a Traditions Pellet Flintlock; it was designed to shoot pyrodex pellets, as was the T/C Firestorm.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Okie I got a left handed Lyman GPR 54 flinter and wish i would have got a right hand gun becouse its backward for me to prime and cock. I have a right hand fowler that is a lot less trouble to shoot. Lefthanded bolt rifles are backward too. Maybe you should fondle a left hander a little befour you buy one. :winking: Rocky

 

[adkmountainken]

as far as flash goes in this picture you can see it is not a problem. i am shooting lefthanded and i am righthanded.

 

[CG6018]

Okie, You probably don't need a whole lot more opinions on this topic, but here's another one anyway. I'm a lefty, and started out back in the 70's with a T/C Hawken I bought at an auction really cheap. I didn't know squat about flintlocks, but Pa. had just started a special season for flintlocks and I wanted to try it. I sold that right-handed rifle and bought another one, a Hatfield, from Cabela's. That gun was about worthless, but I got my money out of it, and decided I'd try to find a left-handed rifle. I bought a used, left-handed Yorktown from Brad Emig of Cabin Creek. I became a much better marksman almost immediately. Was it the flinching at the flash from the right-handed guns or was I simply becoming more comfortable with handling flintlocks? I don't know, but I now have three left-handed rifles, and my son has the original lefty Yorktown, and we both enjoy hunting with and shooting these rifles with their locks on the proper side.

 

[Ron LaClair]

I'm a lefty and have four flinters. a LH.54, a LH .62 a RH .32 and a RH fowler. I've had these guns for 25 years and experienced no problems shooting the right hand locks.

 

[mci5b]

Thanks guys some points.

I am a right handed person that shoots guns, bows, and pool left handed. I came by this naturally. I did not have to think about it. I am left eye dominant.

Now before you guys start feeling sorry for me, I gotta tell you with only a little concentration, I can shoot from BOTH sides of the treestand with a rifle. No getting up just switch hands and point.

Now I have handled some lefty bolt action rifles. Nothing about this rifle worked for me because I AM right handed. I can really appreciate the point that some of you made about left handed rifles actually being awkward.

I believe that my next step is to get my hands on a RIGHT handed flinter to see how she feels. Wow that little .32 caliber flinter may be closer than I thought.