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What's a Lefty to do?

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Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Messages
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Location
Delaware
I have a Lyman .54 GPR in LH that I like very much, but I'd like to add a .58. Short of building my own, I don't know where to turn. Does anyone do custom barrels for the GPR? Would Fox Ridge be able to do a LH Renegade? I could probably get comfy with a RH rifle, but I would still need the cheek piece on the correct side. Any suggestions? I found a guy locally with a T/C Big Bore in .58 LH, with an extra .50 PRB match barrel. My hesitation is the $900 price tag and also I think the Big Boar is getting pretty far away from a traditional rifle. Any lefties out there shooting RH rifles?
 
I had to order a flinter from a gun builder to get what I wanted.Sad that companies dont have more varieties for us lefties.My other flinter is right handed and takes a little getting used to.Even hard to find a used left hand gun.
 
Tried shooting a right-hand flintlock once. While waiting for my eyebrow to grow back, I promised myself "Never Again!" Don't have a lot of problem with a RH caplock, but they do make me a lot more adamant about safety glasses!

JMHO, YMMV, other caveats as needed.

Enjoy today,

Joel
 
I shoot a righty flint a-lot just got used to it but the stock kicks me in the cheek bone every time, looks like i got in a fight. I am building a lefthand flint now. Track of the Wolf has some high end lefty kits. I am look forward to have the flash on the other side.

eelspike
 
MY dad was a lefty and I grew to know the problems
It seemed as if it was a right hand world,,The at
the time teachers would slap with a ruler your left hand when caught using it...Why?? some reason
of the time..military made right handed everything
everybody had to be a southpaw or suffer. Now one can buy the south sides almost anything..[at additional expence...because most everybody was taught to use their north side...I see very few
guns that were acually made for the lefty...be grateful for the change...I made a left sided Hawken for a lefty and it was quite a challenge..
 
I feel your pain. I either have to learn to live with it or make the weapon ambidextrous. :surrender:
 
I thought about the eye vulnerability issues and now I'm really thinking a RH gun is not my solution. I'm thinking I should just be happy with the GPR and look at building my own 58. LH components are relatively easy to come by and I would like to think I have enough patients, time and skill to at least finish such a project. I'll also check with some of the custom builders to see if that might be an option for me.
 
:( I have been looking for left hand black powder flint lock full stock for over a year. I to think the only way to have one is to build it. That is my first project when I retire. Early in 2008. I will be asking for help from the people on this site when I start that project.
 
I'm also a lefty and was disappointed to discover that the only option for a left-handed traditional flintlock rifle is the GPR.

If you're even thinking about spending $900 for a production muzzleloader, you should definitely look at one of the many gunbuilders that haunt this site and elsewhere. For $800, you could get a somewhat plain rifle. For $900, you could begin to embellish it a bit.
 
Hello,

I have a left handed flintlock being built custom for me. Won't shoot a righty. With regards to percussion rifles I have no problem at all shooting right handed percussion rifles. I currently have a left handed T/C Renegade that I purchased over 22 years ago, a right handed T/C Cougar that is just as old and my primary hunting rifle and a .36 Seneca on the way which is right handed.

That Big-Boar's price seems very high even with an extra barrel.
 
Started out with RH caplock, and unfortunately "filled all the holes" caliber-wise with those. No problems at all, but my single venture into RH flint was really unsatisfying, so I swore only LH on those. GPR is the logical place to start, but already have them in 50 and 54 cap, so I've been slow to make the move to LH flint.

That all changed at Christmas in a backhanded sort of way. I was given a Lyman GPR cap kit, and their flint kits are only RH.

But I've had so darn much fun turning out great results with the kit that I'm anxious to build more.

Now that the door's open on building, there are so darn many LH flint options out there, I don't know where to begin. I'll probably opt for "in the white" rather that a parts kit in the beginning, just to get more familiar with flints and their design, tuning and feeding.

There are some dandy looking LH flint kits or part sets out there, including not only 58 cal, but on up to 62 if you're inclined. Right now my scales are balanced between a 58 plains rifle and a 62 fowler. Tough choice, and sooner or later I'm gonna earn both.

If you are the least bity handy an in-the-white kit won't save you much over finished, but will convince you in one great big hurry that the "problem" of being LH is fine excuse for putting on a shop apron.
 
I'm a righty, but left eye dominate. I built a right hand flintlock for my son in Florida, I keep it here. I shoot it without any problems. But having a lefty is alot more comfortable, I have one in the works, but I'm waiting for some insiration to finish it.
 
Odd, so many lefty people complain they can't shoot a righty, yet, I see lefties and righties both blazing away with doubles and never a word of complaint. I am a lefty, own and shoot more righties than lefties, no bother to me.
 
Have shot both perc. and flint RH for years, do prefer a LH...yesterday at the range, was shooting my LH Lyman Deerhunter and realized that the 3 guys standing to my right all had LH flinters...nice looking guns...turned out, one was employed by Rice Barrels, and the guns were Jim Chambers Isaac Haines guns, from kits...got me thinking that maybe it's time to upgrade from a Lyman...Hank
 
I shoot percussion doubles without any problem. That is a lot different than shooting a flintlock. Lefties need LH flintlocks, for both comfort, personal safety, and shooting skills. There is a learning curve for all shooters when they begin to shoot flintlocks, and it often takes a year of shooting before they stop looking at, worrying about, and being distracted by the flask in the pan.

The only good thing about that time is that this is also about the same length of time it taks a new flintlock shooter to become proficient at loading and priming a flintlock consistently, so that he knows the gun is going to fire every time, and just shoots the gun, concentrating on all the other things that are needed to put a bullet where he aims.

I went through that process more than 25 years ago; my twin brother just went through it in 2004. He was concerned, dismayed, and frustrated at the problems he was having flinching because of the flash, and other problems he was having making his gun go off every time. He consulted me by cell phone from the range, almost every time he went out. He relied on my advice to get him over the hump. After one year, he found he was shooting his flintlock well, the flash no longer was a distraction, and he was not having to use a checklist when loading and priming his gun to get it to go off every time. He is now an enthusiastic " Rocklocker ".
 
Got to say I am a southpaw & shot right handed flinters for years without much of a problem. If the lock flash is cuasing you to flinch you arn't looking at the sights!
 
ol vern said:
Got to say I am a southpaw & shot right handed flinters for years without much of a problem. If the lock flash is cuasing you to flinch you arn't looking at the sights!

Ditto. For me personally as a lefty, so much balderdash and ballyhoo when it is said lefties cannot adequately shoot a RH rocklock.

This is the first (RH) flinter I built back in 1974, it is also the first one I ever shot, I had no other instruction as to making it work than from reading of the rudimentary basics. Methinks people whom over complicate things, create the majority of their own problems.

1TWO.jpg
 
Also a lefty that shot right hand guns for years. Flash never bothered me as much as the cheekpiece and comb. I still shoot righty cap guns, but all my flinters are now custom lefties! After 25 years, I'll never shoot right handed flintlocks again.!!!
 
Bobby Hoyt of Freischutz Arms in Pennsylvania will make a barrel for you. You may have to supply a barrel for him to rebore. Specify whether you want a round ball barrel (or if you're a cheater, a minie gun .58).
 
Now there's an angle that never occured to me (boring out a .54)! I want to thank everone for all the great ideas. I've got several good leads for custom gun makers. Since I've never shot a right-hander, I don't see any reason to start now. I like my GPR so much I have already started to customize it by refinishing the stock and browning the hardware. In the meantime, I'm going to check with the custom builders. I already know I'm going to add a flintlock to my collection, whether it's another GPR with a .58 barrel or a custom from one of the highly recommended builders, only time will tell. Thanks again for all your help. :hatsoff:
 
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