did Germany have left handed shooters?

[bond]

I know this is silly but i'm curious, are there any accounts of german soldiers shooting left handed? i know back then most were trained to shoot right handed but am curious in the field did they go back to which ever hand they felt they were more comfortable with?

[click]

Well, probly like you said, they were trained to shoot right handed. The ejecting shell would kindof burn the face and the cocking action would be kind of tricky for a lefty. But i am sure there were exceptiions in the field.

[twotypes]

I read somewhere that the chin strap of the M35 helmet was allowed to be installed so that the buckle would on the side of the face away from the rifle stock when shooting, depending on the individual's preference, so evidently there were lefties and they were not all forced to shoot right handed. The same allowance was made in the British military as well.

Cheers!

[Jager.Drü]

Yes, there were left handed shooters. All the gear you wore would be backwards, example breadbag on the left side and spade on the right. Also the soldat would have to switch the helmet chin strap over to the right, where it wouldn't mess with his aiming.

[bond]

i was just curious and thank you all for the quick reply.

[lollipops hunter33]

German guns (MP40 is the one that comes to mind) are some of the only guns I have seen that have actuallly been made FOR righties. If you notice modern day guns, the M16/M4 series, the AKs, even the old thompson, thy all have the cocking handle and mag release on the right side of the gun. It actually makes them easier to use for lefties then it does righties. Not that I am complaining, since I am a leftie, I just find it amusing.

[CharleyNovember]

If you notice modern day guns, the M16/M4 series, the AKs, even the old thompson, thy all have the cocking handle and mag release on the right side of the gun. It actually makes them easier to use for lefties then it does righties.

I don't follow...M16/M4 have the charging handle centered in the rear. And it seems easier to hold a weapon by the foregrip with your off hand and pull back the bolt with your good hand.... Not to mention ejecting brass away from you is a good thing ;)Probally like you it just seems easier to me because I am a rightie. You get used to and comfortable with doing things the natural way.

[Jager.Drü]

The natural way huh, those be fight'n words! I'm left handed as well, it dose suck to have hot brass fly across your face, I've had a shell go down my shirt.

[CharleyNovember]

The natural way to a leftie is leftie bro It's subjective to your point of view.

[Ungar]

Figure this out.

I write with left and shoot with right.

Im speshul ;D

[YankeeDiv26]

i have a scar on my hand when i shot a 30.06 lefty. that alone was enough to get me shooting righty.In s.p.r. doesnt the sniper character work the bolt left handed? how would someone trained to effeciently shoot a bolt action get by shooting left handed? why do i lose sleep over these things?

[Ungar]

Some people just have finer movements/action with left.

While most use their right.

ALl this right-left is from ancient times.

Since human knows his self we used left for shield and right for sword.
Over time it becomes sort of "genetic" and right becomes the superior over left.

This BTW was my OWN superuberhyperskillful hypothetical analysis

[lollipops hunter33]

Unless you are a leftie. and sorry, but say, holding the pistol grip on an M16, and pulling the mag out with your right hand, is alot easier, shooting left-handed. Same with the AK, and most bolt-action guns are easier to use shooting leftie as well, not that I am complaining.
Just look at the side the bolt handle and magazine eject button is on, its easier for a leftie I am telling you.

[Jager.Drü]

The brass in your face factor kinda sucks.

[5thrangerinfantry]

hansklempner said:

Some people just have finer movements/action with left.

While most use their right.

ALl this right-left is from ancient times.

Since human knows his self we used left for shield and right for sword.
Over time it becomes sort of "genetic" and right becomes the superior over left.

This BTW was my OWN superuberhyperskillful hypothetical analysis

actually, even up into colonial america, lefty's were thought to be insane and were either committed to institutions or their parents forced them to learn to use their right hands for everything at a very young age....

[Obergefreiter Raimund]

I say we all should be taught to use both our right and left. Then we can end the feud over what is better… wait no… then we can argue over what hand is more preferred. *sigh*

Anyway… how is it easier to operate a bolt left handed? I fail to see how!!! I’ll try it when I get home though with my Kar-98. I’m special too… can write with both left and right, among other things. However my right is more dominant.

[Jager.Drü]

You can shoot the gun faster, You can still have the hand on the trigger and use the right to work the bolt.

[5thrangerinfantry]

drewb said:

You can shoot the gun faster, You can still have the hand on the trigger and use the right to work the bolt.

but then you have to move the right hand off of the handguard to use the bolt then resteady it and take aim.....I dont see how thats better at all....

[Ripper]

Working the bolt with your offhand while keeping your finger on the trigger is an accident waiting to happen. Many bolt actions cocked on opening and you would be in battery as soon as you run the bolt home. Without any support from your offhand on the front of the weapon, you have no idea where it is pointed. If the trigger is even partly engaged it could fire before you were back on target. Never mind that you cannot maintain a proper cheek weld while doing any of this.
As for M16's. Until the M16A2 modifications on the mid 80's, that was a decidedly left handed unfriendly weapon. All of the controls were designed to be operated with the action hand while your off hand remained firmly attached to the front handguard. Your right hand never had to come off the pistol grip to do anything but charge the weapon.
Before the adoption of the M16, U.S. troops were trained to use the weapon from the right shoulder. Even drilling with the rifle was very much right hand oriented. Most European countries follwed a similar training regime. You will find the bolt handle on most European AUTO weapons is on the left side of the reciever for a reason. The bolt was charged with the left hand while the right maintained control of the pistol grip and firing controls. (edited for clarity)
I'm not saying that guys did not ever shoot left handed, but it was not taught in drill that way.

[Cpl. Hicks]

I have heard with some weapons, namely the L85A1 it's almost impossible to shoot left handed.

[Ripper]

The standard L85a1's ejection port would be directly in line with your nose if shouldered on the left side. They eject upward and to the right so that the brass falls behind your right shoulder. That would truly suck for a lefty. You get to eat hot brass right between the eyes.
My real steel M1 Garrand has been known to drop it's brass on top of my right shoulder if the ammo is the least bit underpowered. You haven't lived until you've have a hot casing roll down the back of your neck and come to rest on top of your butt crack!!! Talk about jumping to attention! It is also not a lefty friendly weapon. That brass would have been welded to your forehead.

[Obergefreiter Raimund]

drewb said:

You can shoot the gun faster, You can still have the hand on the trigger and use the right to work the bolt.

What would be the point of firing a bolt action fast? I rather take good aimed shots ;D

I'll try it anyway when i get home though! this should be a fun test!

[CharleyNovember]

What would be the point of firing a bolt action fast? I rather take good aimed shots

When being charged and/or under fire, fireing quickly does have its benefits.

[twotypes]

ripper said:

You will find the bolt handle on most European weapons is on the left side of the reciever for a reason. The bolt was charged with the left hand while the right maintained control of the pistol grip and firing controls.
I'm not saying that guys did not ever shoot left handed, but it was not taught in drill that way.

Say what?

Which "left" are you referring to? Every bolt action rifle I own -- British, Australian, and Indian Lee Enfields with dates of manufacture ranging from 1917 to 1968 -- are all right handed actions with the bolt handles on the right. The Left hand held the rifle by the forearm with the butt firmly planted in the shoulder while the right hand worked the bolt. The rifleman never lifted his head from the butt stock so that he wouldn't have to reacquire his sight picture.

In the British army, whenever required, a trained rifleman could fire over thirty aimed shots per minute in what what referred to as the "mad minute."

Cheers!

[twotypes]

ripper said:

The standard L85a1's ejection port would be directly in line with your nose if shouldered on the left side. They eject upward and to the right so that the brass falls behind your right shoulder. That would truly suck for a lefty. You get to eat hot brass right between the eyes.

I thought the L85A1 could be switched by the unit armourer to eject brass out the left side, or was that a feature of the original SA80 eliminated in later versions?

Cheers!

[Ungar]

The FA-MAS has that option

[twotypes]

hansklempner said:

The FA-MAS has that option

Yes, I knew that, but I'm trying to recall if the British bullpup had that capability as well.

However, considering that the SA80 turned out to be a pig under actual service conditions, I wouldn't have been surprised if deletion of that feature had been part of the "upgrade" performed on it years ago.

Cheers!

[Ripper]

Sorry twotypes. I meant to say European AUTO weapons. I have a substantial collection of real steel weapons myself, including 3 Enfields, 6 FALs of various flavors and a few HK designs.
All of the bolt actions are of course, right handed actions.

[2nd Bat]

Bolt action rifles were decidedly right handed. You'll note jackson is left handed in SPR and frankly that struck me as quite bizarre. I doubt very srtongly that a left handed shooter would have been trained or positioned in a Ranger squad as a marksman. My father was left handed and fired the bolt action rifle just like Jackson. You'll note his right hand is on the foregrip and he cocks with the left and (as would be done) fires with his left hand (No finger on the trigger while cocking!) Definitely an awkward and more difficult process then would have been experienced with a right handed shooter.

My father ate with his right hand as he was forced to do so as a kid (common back in the 30s) He could write with both but preferred his left hand. He batted in baseball right handed.
Social pressure forced him to be somewhat ambidextrous. As he used to say "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous."

[airsoftblitzkrieg]

want a weapon that is totally universal? get a FN P90 (Tokyo Marui)

the weapon is not meant for left over right, or right over left, just which ever you want. hell i've had to use my left hand for it