lefty flinter kit

Well first of all, thanks to everybody here for all of their help and advice. I've been shooting black powder for a couple years, and I want to start building my own rifles. I am a lefty, and would like to build a flinter, but it looks like my options are pretty limited. Do you guys think I could comfortably shoot a right handed flintlock? In that case, I would be inclined to buy a right handed lyman great plains flinter kit. Also, because this will be my first attempt at a build, I don't want to spend a whole heck of a lot until I get some practice in. Thanks in advance.

I to am a lefty. I have been working with Track Of the Wolf. They can work with you to build left handed black powder guns. I want to build a 54 cal full stock hawken that can be both percussion and flint lock. They said thay can do it.

Give them a call.

I don't think Lyman makes lefty kits. They do make a left handed GPR flintlock but I think it's only available as a complete rifle.

I could be wrong. It happened once before.

ike's idea about contacting TOTW may be the best route. I don't think you would like shooting a right handed flintlock left handed.

Of course I could be wrong. :grin:

Check out Jim Chambers. He has a lefty Isaac Hayes and a lefty fowler. If your tastes run more to Hawkens, Don Stith has one or two models that will suit.

Both of these guys have top of the line stuff.

There are one or two guys in my club that shoot righthanded flintlocks left handed with absoulutly no problems. One of them is one of the top shooters in the club.

They did have double barreled flintlock shotguns back then... And I'm fairly sure the left barrels were fired from the right shoulder.

I'm a left-handed shooter also. Sure you can shoot a righty without too much trouble, look at all those double barrel rifles and fowlers out there. though i would advise wearing safety glasses if you don't already. The thing is, if you're gonna go through the time and trouble (not to mention money) to build a kit gun, get something you're gonna want to shoot, not something you have to make due with. LH kits are out there, take your time and look around. This forum is a good start. I asked the same question not too long ago and got some good leads: sitting fox muzzleloaders looks cool.[url] http://www.sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com[/url] Also, TOTW and Pecatonica are worth checking out.

I'm a lefty too, but swore off all righty flinters, whether single or double barrel. A pretty good chard of flint flew off one an imbedded itself real deep between the eyebrow and eyelid of my right eye. Went so deep we could barely get hold of it with tweezers. Any lower and I'd have an even better reason to be left handed.

Before getting a righty for lefty shooting, I'd put on a pair of safety goggles and wear them on a hunt. If that proves to be a PITA, bypass on the righty and get a lefty. I don't care how much you promise yourself you'll wear safety glasses in the field, it aint gonna happen a second time once you have tried it in the rain.

North Star West has some mighty fine guns that are available in left hand.

Give Matt --Laffin Dog--a call and visit with him.

That's my next one.

You are the only one that can answer the question of shooting a right handed gun left handed. Personally shooting a right handed gun off the left shoulder does not bother me. As far as flint shards and powder bits ect, a left locked gun could pepper you also.
When I ordered a semi custom smoothbore I opted for a left locked gun. I do not regret it. I thought it would look, well, odd. Even right handed folks do not notice it has the lock on the wrong side.
My latest flinter a 1810 era North Carolina Gillespie longrifle is a right hander. I found that little rifle here on the forum. I guess you would call it a custom since the stock was carved from a blank. It has a Rice swamped barrel, Chambers Classic Ketland lock and fits my time period of interest 1810-1820 Alabama, the time of the Creek War. The maker of this rifle told me " I rushed it but it should make a nice hunting gun.". Its not perfect but are any? When it arrived and I opened the box, Wow !! I just bought a custom long rifle complete for the price of parts.
The left smoothbore is more natural for me to use as far as priming and handling. It took a fine 190lb wild hog @ 45 yards. Its in .54 or 28GA.
The rifle in .45 has yet to make it in the hunting woods. That will be remedied next week. On sighting in it is a little awkward to get the system down as far as loading and priming smoothly as I am working off the left side of the gun and priming over the barrel or behind the cock into the pan. Shoots like a dream after finding out what it likes.
Being mostly left handed I do have the ability to swap sides and aiming eyes and shoot right handed but my natural side is from the left. This is a skill that has served me well in hunting situations. Funny, thing the point of impact will be very close but not exactly the same as the left side.
In closing, I really enjoy my left handed fowler. If I were spending a lot of money in a custom gun or kit I would probably opt for a left handed gun.
I wouldn't rule out a right handed gun if the price was right and it had all the features I wanted and if historical accuracy was my MAIN concern. Left handed guns were made but we're talking about an era when left handed people were considered sinister.
BTW the GPR kit would be very enjoyable as it almost falls together.Final fit and finish is all thats required.
The other kits, TOTW Chambers ect. are parts kits requiring a good deal more work and special tools. You will not save money by building a custom kit like that. Rifle building from a custom kit like that is one of those; It's the journey not the destination things. If you want the finished product save your money and contact a reputable maker. It may take a year and $1500 for a nice plain longrifle or Hawken or if you want to enjoy the "journey" $700 in parts $500 or more in tools, finishing products and about a zillion man hours in labor. A completed semi custom from TVM,ERA, Tip Curtis, North Star West,ect is a good option for around 700-$1200. You can get in the white guns cheaper from these makers. You could also find a nice completed gun like I did.
I in no way meant to discourage you from gun building but some may think you save money by building a rifle,that is not the case IMHO. Its like and old car say a 56 Ford, You will 9 times out of 10 come out better buying a restored car instead of restoring one yourself if the goal is driving a nice old car not working on one.

That's a whole lot of information and not much i can find fault with. Very well said! I will say that depending on how handy you are, and patient, an in the white gun can save you some money. You really don't need any more tools than a decent home shop would have. It really depends on how valuable your time is to you, and if finishing the gun is a joy or a job. For example, I finished a Tip Curtis, in the white rifle and it took me 15 hours. Lets say i saved $200 on the purchase. That means my time was worth $13/hr. At that rate, even if it were a chore, i would have done it myself and saved the money. But it wasn't a chore. In fact, it was one of the funnest and most rewarding things i've done in a while. It gave me the confidence to move to the kit gun next, but i don't think i'm ready to build one from scratch (baby steps).

Wow. Thanks a lot for all of the help. I guess my next move will be trying to hook up with someone with a right hander and see how I like it. At this point, I just want to get started building, and take my time and do it right. I have my grandpa's old hawken to play with in the meantime, so I really just want to try to turn out a nice rifle that I'll be proud of. I'll keep you guys posted. Thanks again.

You don't haft to build a rifle to learn rifle building skills. A nice fun way to practice your skills would be building a nice carved powder horn. In building a powder horn say, a late 18th century carved and dyed horn, the skills you use in shaping and fitting the plug, carving the spout, carving the transition border and dying the lower spout will help you in rifle building. Even carving simple powder measures out of river cane will help build confidence and skill.
Go to the lumber yard and get small pieces of maple or walnut heck even a pine 2x4 would do. Get some very large washers or nuts and pratice inletting these odd shaped objects into these scrap peices of wood. This helps build skill.
One thing that hasn't been touched on is pistols. IMHO there is no finer looking firearm than a nice Kentucky Pistol. Jim Chambers offers the best Kentucky pistol kit I've ever seen. It has a swamped barrel which means its wide at the breech narrow 3/4 of the way down the barrel and flares out at the muzzle. Being a pistol the swamp is very sutle but it makes all the difference in the world. It just has the look. Check the pistol kit out at[url] Flintlocks.com[/url]. Its a fine pistol kit almost as pricey as a rifle but well worth it IMHO. If space is a factor a pistol kit may be a good idea.
BTW left or right does not matter for a pistol.

Dixie Gun Works sells a .50 left hand flint lock rifle kit. Looks just like the Lyman Trade Rifle and is made by Investarms the same company that makes the Lyman rifles. They call it a Hawken but as you will hear on the forum it's nothing like a Hawken.
Price the last time I checked was $350.
I'm also a left hander and currenty shoot a Lyman Deerstalker .50 LH flint rifle.

Dixons has left handed lymans in stock and not priced to bad neither...

I just remembered..Cabelas had left hand hawkins kits last week in the cave I think there was a 50 and a couple 54s,,,I think they were $169... :thumbsup: