Left handed rifles

[sf180a]

Are left handed flintlock rifles historically correct. I have seen no period examples of left handed rifles. Prefer to be as historically correct as possible

 

[Eterry]

I am a lefty. Started shooting black powder in 1980, but I'd never handled a LH muzzleloader until I built an early Lancaster in 2017.

LH guns weren't common, with few surviving specimens, but they were made. Most of the ones I've seen were built for upper class folks.

I caught a lot of grief from the old crusty guys here when I announced I wanted a LH gun. Most have gone to their reward.

I've shot MANY right hand guns, the musket caps burn my right forearm, the flash in my face doesn't help. So i built a lefty. Since then I've bought a LH percussion smoothbore.

It's So nice not having a forearm burn after a few shots. Yes, I know a sock with the toe cut off will help stop the burn.

The days of being beaten or called a warlock for using your left hand are over!

It's your time, effort and money, so do what pleases you.

 

[Eterry]

Don't get me wrong. I have plenty of right hand muzzleloaders I hunt and shoot with, as well as unmentionables. BUT, I prefer to own, shoot and use left hand guns.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I have seen a few old left handed rifles, not many.

 

[Rancocas]

Years ago I asked the same question to Mark Baker. Although he hasn't been heard from in muzzleloading circles lately, many of you know Mark for his stories in Muzzleloader Magazine as well as his book "Sons of A Trackless Forest".
He told me the answer is YES, although left-handed guns certainly were not common.

I'm a lefty also. I, also, have shot right-handed muzzleloaders, however, I now have several lefties and I much, much prefer them.

 

[longcruise]

The days of being beaten or called a warlock for using your left hand are over!

And that may speak to the reason the lefties are uncommon. It wasn't unusual for lefties to be forced into using the right hand right into the 20th century.

 

[Eterry]

And that may speak to the reason the lefties are uncommon. It wasn't unusual for lefties to be forced into using the right hand right into the 20th century.

My first week as a 1st Grader my teacher told me to not use my left hand, to put it in my pocket and use my right hand to write.
Dad was working nights shift, and was awake when I got home. After hearing about my day he snatched me up, tossed me in the truck, and raced to the school.
I was certain I was in trouble. But when dad got through shouting at the teacher, and threatening to beat the principle senseless for defending her, I was never asked to use my right hand again. This was in the early 70s

 

[appalichian hunter]

God only made a few of us perfect the rest are right-handed. In my younger years when money was really tight, I bought right-handed weapons both muzzle loaders and unmentionable. Now I am old, and money is still tight but every once in a while, I splurge for a lefty. I am comfortable using either type but definitely prefer left-handed weapons. Perhaps not common in the old days but were there.

 

[morehops52]

I was born a lefty and had the same school experience except it was Mom who set the nun straight. When I got into ML'ing in the 70's there were no LH guns at any shop and the internet was decades away. Most of my ML friends had flintlocks and after trying their RH guns i went caplock. No problem. Was away from ML for quite awhile. When I got back into it lo and behold lefty guns! I bought both cap and flint Lymans. I liked having lefty rifles so much I had a custom curly maple Lancaster made in southpaw caliber.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

The earliest extant flintlock I believe to be a Type C French fusil, where it is stated in Hamilton’s Colonial Frontier Guns book, IIRC.

From days earlier than flintlocks, we have seen LH’d matchlocks as well as LH’d swords even before that.

I quite forget whom that Nobleman was, but it was said that no one could beat him in a sword dual as he knew how RH’d swordsman fought, but they had no clue how to attack, nor defend against a lefty.

 

[DixieTexian]

They aren't really historically correct, but being left handed isn't either. Unless you are lining up with a musket, I'd tell anybody who gives you grief about all the stuff in their kit that isn't PC either. If you are doing a living history event, it is a good chance to point out how they used to force lefties to use an enferior hand in all things and turn it into a mini history lesson.

 

[DixieTexian]

The earliest extant flintlock I believe to be a Type C French fusil, where it is stated in Hamilton’s Colonial Frontier Guns book, IIRC.

From days earlier than flintlocks, we have seen LH’d matchlocks as well as LH’d swords even before that.

I quite forget whom that Nobleman was, but it was said that no one could beat him in a sword dual as he knew how RH’d swordsman fought, but they had no clue how to attack, nor defend against a lefty.

I don't have a source, but I've always heard that left handed swordsmen were actually prized because of their abilities to fight in spiral staircases.

 

[TobJohn]

I know of one example of a left hand wheellock:
Hjullåsbössa, vänstersidig, 1600-talets första hälft.

It’s a smoothbore long arm.

I also found a left hand Snaphance pistol:
Skotsk snapplåspistol, vänsterpistol, år 1614, med troligen tysk stock.

Unfortunately, the museum they both belong to publishes very few photos of their guns.

Not exactly a flintlock rifle, but proof that left handed people were allowed to exist, and at least two of them had some money to spend.

 

[Eterry]

I know of one example of a left hand wheellock:
Hjullåsbössa, vänstersidig, 1600-talets första hälft.
View attachment 213867
It’s a smoothbore long arm.

I also found a left hand Snaphance pistol:
Skotsk snapplåspistol, vänsterpistol, år 1614, med troligen tysk stock.
View attachment 213868
Unfortunately, the museum they both belong to publishes very few photos of their guns.

Not exactly a flintlock rifle, but proof that left handed people were allowed to exist, and at least two of them had some money to spend.

If you have THAT kind of money, the odds of being branded a Heretic were pretty low. Maybe a couple exorcisms and you'd be declared normal.

 

[Rancocas]

Okay, since we're telling some stories about being left-handed; here are a few more.
My Dad was born in Czechoslovakia at the end of WWI. Naturally left-handed, he was forced to use his right as was the normal procedure in those days. As a result he became ambidextrous and could do most things equally well with either hand.
I think most lefties can do at least a few things with either hand since this is "a right-handed world", with tools, household appliances, and such, generally being made for right-handed people.
Myself, being a natural lefty, but thankfully born here in the USA; I also had trouble with a teacher in elementary school. It was my Mother who confronted that teacher and set her straight. While playing baseball as a kid, I caught and threw left-handed, but when up to bat I did it right-handed. I could bat left-handed, but not as well as right-handed. Go figure?! lefties are often first basemen because they can easily throw the ball to any other spot of the in-field. Coaches were always trying to put me on first. I didn't like first! I liked 2nd base, shortstop, or in the outfield.
Like the swordsman mentioned above, I have heard that a left-handed boxer often has an advantage over a right-handed one due to the different and unusual angle of attack.
A higher percentage of lefties seem to be artistic or otherwise creative when compared to right-handed people in general. Me - I have had some magazine articles published, plus I like to do landscape paintings.

But, again, Yes there were some rare original left-handed firearms,

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Are left handed flintlock rifles historically correct. I have seen no period examples of left handed rifles. Prefer to be as historically correct as possible

There are probably 100X more left handed rifles today than there were in the flint era. Not that a "left" lock for a flintlock was odd, since they were present on SxS guns and rifles, but because left-handed-ness was often "corrected" when folks were young. It was considered undesirable, and the Latin word for left is "sinister", which had and still has a negative connotation stemming from the emotional response to left-hand stuff back in the day.

Here are some adaptations to guns for folks using the left eye..., but I think these were made for folks who had lost sight in the right eye....,

LD

 

[TobJohn]

I found an original left hand Jager rifle, that was converted to percussion:
Slagexflintlåsstudsare med lås på vänster sida, pipa P. Siöblad, lås Georg Metzger, Stockholm c 1700.

Sorry for the Swedish website. This one has more photos though.

 

[Gordoncourtney]

I got a lefty

 

[Okie Hog]

My first week as a 1st Grader my teacher told me to not use my left hand, to put it in my pocket and use my right hand to write.

Yep, for six years i attended a one room school in WV. The first teacher i had thought left handers were demons or something.

The old witch jumped on my brother and i for not helping decorate the school for Halloween. Next morning on the walk to school we cut down a huge hornets nest, took it to school and hung it up. The hornets warmed up and all hell broke loose. Only one to get stung was teacher School was closed for three days while exterminators dealt with the hornets.

 

[earlwb]

I remember being forced to write right handed in the first grade too. But my mother had to work and couldn’t defend me in school. After that I was ambidextrous up into early adulthood. But maybe the teacher saw something way back then and was correct. My right eye is the dominant one. So when I was old enough I started shooting right handed.

But I do have a left hand flintlock rifle that I can shoot left handed OK too. About a year ago I had surgery next to my right shoulder and now if I shoot a shoulder weapon it is left handed not not at all. I could probably shoot something light in recoil right handed but that is about it.