Left handed soldiers?

[John Thorne]

In 1905, shortly after the SMLE was introduced (in 1903), the War Office sent out a 14-point questionnaire to army commanders regarding the special features of the new rifle. Lord Kitchener, then Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in India, returned a very detailed reply. In addition to replying directly to the W.O. points, he also attached a number of other items raised by his staff. One of these was a suggestion from the C.O. of the 3rd Hussars, that a number of rifles should be made with left-handed action to suit men who shoot from the left shoulder. Lord Kitchener attached a recommendation that this suggestion was worth consideration. The Technical Committee took Kitchener's report seriously and adopted a number of his suggestions, most notably the reinstatement of the magazine cut-off and the butt trap for the oiler and pull-through, but decided against making any left handed rifles.

[Devils Own]

Like Adrian, I am also amphibious. I shoot my SMLE both left and right handed.

OT and out of interest - The sniper 'Bumpkin' in Saving Private Ryan was firing his Springfield 1903 left handed, reaching over the action to cock the rifle. Its easy to do.

Steve

[squirrel]

Interesting thread and instructive posts. Guilty of being right handed but a left handed shooter with a rifle due to a dominant left eye. No problem once you had some practice as has been said and I had my marksman's badge.

[mikebriggs]

I am left handed and have shot competitively for the last 20 years or so - not so much recently

For a good few years I had a right-handed Parker-Hale that I managed quite well with, but a bit uncomfortable at times reaching over to work the bolt!

More recently I have had a left-hand Swing which is very nice - but I don't shoot any better with it

The SMLE was never a problem firing from the left shoulder (and neither was an M16) - the problem arose when I fired an SA80 and realised that I had to fire it from the right shoulder (because of the ejector), needless to say I didn't even hit the target, never mind the bull!

I would have been absolutely useless if I had ever joined the Army.

Mike

[James Blonde]

. . . . . .the problem arose when I fired an SA80 and realised that I had to fire it from the right shoulder (because of the ejector), needless to say I didn't even hit the target, never mind the bull!

I would have been absolutely useless if I had ever joined the Army. Mike

Reminds me of the time the Irish Defence Forces in their wisdom decided to change from the Belgian 7.62mm F.N. / S.L.R. rifle, to the bull-pup Austrian Styer 5.56mm A.U.G.

All the new weapons were for right-hand users and "lefties" or "kitouge" like my twin brother, had to learn how to shoot right handed, attempting to use it from the left shoulder meant getting a face full of brass as the ejection port was well to the rear.

I never could figure out why the Irish did not take x amount of weapons configured for the left handers, they were certainly available, at the same price!!

Speaking about price, the weapon did acquire the nickname the "butter gun" as it was strongly roumered the Irish swapped a load of Irish butter for the weapons!!!

Connaught Stranger

[philsr]

Gents,

I noticed the reference to Marini's not being handed.

Well that is only applicable to the early ones.

Martini International match rifles are definately handed.

There is a roll over cheek piece and the loading gate is cut away more on one side than the other and the sights are on the left of the rifle.

At least the lever is in the middle.

However, if you can find one, they did a oppposite hand version, as did Anschutz, which had the bolt and sights reversed, i.e the bolt sticking on the left side and the sight windage screws on the left.

Regards

Philsr

[deadin]

I know this is off-topic, but I could't resist.

Paris trip

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An on duty Gendarme spots a hire car approaching the Champs Elysées with a rear light out. He beckons the driver to pull over, which he does and winds his window down. The Officer has a good look inside the car and notices that the driver and passenger are conjoined twins, Bobby & Davy. Instead of making an issue over the light out situation he begins to engage in some friendly chat.

Gendarme: Ah, you are on holiday my friends?

Davy: Aye, that's right big yin. We've been coming every September weekend for the last 9 years.

Gendarme: So I guess you come to France to get away from ze rainy weather you have in Ecosse?

Davy: Naw, it nearly always pishes doon when we come here. Your weather's nae better than oors, in't that right Bobby?

Bobby: Aye.

Gendarme: Zen I take it you are here to enjoy our delicious French food, very healthy.

Davy: Naw, yer food's rotten big man, everything reeks of garlic. We've brought a box full of pieces to avoid eating your crap.

Gendarme: Zen you must be here to drink our famous wines and cognac, surely.

Davy: Yer swally's boggin, we've hid tae bring a kerry oot. In't that right Bobby?

Bobby: Aye.

Gendarme (by now ever so slightly bemused): Well in that case you must be here to see the Parisienne madamoiselles, ze most beautiful women in Europe.

Davy: Yer kiddin in't ye! The burds here are dogs

Gendarme (by now rather irate): Zen why do you people come to our country if everysing ees so bad?

Bobby: It's the only chance oor Davy gets tae drive!

[mcderms]

As far as I know, the FN2000 and XM80 assualt rifles are the only military rifles intended for both mass and ambidextrous use. The XM has an ambi cocking handle but retains right-sided selector switches and ejects to the right. The 2000 is similar but ejects the spents shells ahead and in front of the action. Both can be seen if you've got five mins to spend on youtube. All current US M-series rifles have an ambi cocking handle.

Prior to this, for bolt actions is was as per the post above re: Ryan sniper or shoot right handed from what I know.

[ExREME]

Inn 1958 I joined the North Staffords and as I was "left eyed" was taught to fire the No 4 Lee Enfield .303 left handede which posed no problems and i actually qualified as a first class shot. During my basic training the regiment changed over to the SLR and I was given the option of being discharged or transferring as it was reckoned to be unsafe firing the SLR left handed because of the ejection being in front of your eyes. I opted to transfer to REME where for the next 5 years as a Craftsman and L/Cpl I was issued the SLR as my personal weapon after which I had a Sterling SMG which also ejects across yuor face. Military logic is not logical.

[philsr]

The only problem that I had firing the SLR left handed was that on the odd occasion you got a hot case down your right sleeve.

PhilSR

[deadin]

Here's a modern bull-pup (bottom) that can be changed from right handed to left handed in about 5 minutes. The safety and mag release are already ambidextrous.

The ejector, port and cocking handle can be easily reversed.

[philsr]

I have a left handed Original 66, Original 75 and Fienwerkbau 301.

Thay are however right handed rifles with left handed stocks.

Regards

Phil;sr

[Chris Boonzaier]

Are rifles manufactured these days specifically for left handed people?

Tim

The French FAMAS.

It takes a minute or two to change it from a left to right hander weapon and vice versa. All you need to do is change the extractor from the right to tleft side and change a clip on plastic cover to the ejection port and you are good to go.

[joanne.rees1]

As a teenager in the Army Cadets in the 1970s I regularly fired (with some success in competitions) SMLEs right handed, while being left handed myself. We were given no option.

Clive

[Taiha]

The question is what do the training regulations say? My memory seems to indicate soldiers were allowed to use their preferred hand. Is this true? If so can some one quite the regs to me?

[grantsmil]

Here is proof positive that left handed rifles were issued to the fighting men of the Great War.

Look at the detail of the rifle in the statues right hand, it's a left handed SMLE! Proof positive !!!

Artists wouldn't get something like this wrong would they?

This image has not been reversed

[deadin]

That may be the only one in existence!

[truthergw]

If that statue is in Australia, it doesn't count. Upside down, back to front, water gurgling the wrong way. That rifle is probably inside out.

[philsr]

Likewise I seem to remember being told told to fire the Sterling sub-machine-gun in single-shot mode and right handed only, because of a theoretical danger that the wretched thing would go onto automatic and spit a stream of flame into one's face via the cartridge exit !??! As it was supposed to be my personal weapon, this didn't endear it to me much - sort of a glorified pistol with limited stopping-power, which I could only fire awkwardly and with blurry vision, and at such close range that I'd have been better off throwing the thing at any enemy.

LST_164

Reading the remark above about throwing the thing at an enemy.

In the days when arming women was still a hot subject, my then girlfriend who was a TA signaller was issued a Browning Hi-Power pistol on an exercise which she promptly put in her handbag.

When the bad guys broke into the communication centre, which was part of the plan, to see how the girls re-acted.

Said young lady stood behind the door and brained the first one through to door with her handbag swung using the full length of the strap still containing the Browning.

The squadie got concussion and it was decided that the girls would be given Sterlings because they were too big to go in handbags.

Regards

Philsr

[Smith64]

Sorry for interfering with something that it's not really about war and maybe it's already known, but as several people mentioned being left-handed and having problems with using scissors, I wanted to signal that scissors for left-handed people do exist!

There is also a web-based shop selling just things for left-handed people...I'm not sure I can post the link here, though of course I have no affiliation; anyway if you google "left handed" you will surely find it.

Elena (who has a left handed son)

[philsr]

Elana,

Any input is good!!!

I have a left handed daughter, the special scissors were a godsend to her.

She also shot left handed and still got amougst the medals.

philsr

[MikB]

Playing with my 'new' Lee Enfield today, I realised that it cannot be used by a left-handed person.

That's very far from being so. In fact, to someone like me whose left eye is nearly useless, it's about the only rifle I know that can be shot from the left in 'weak shoulder' competition stages. This is because the comb of the butt allows you to stuff your face down low enough to line your right eye up with the sights - try that with a target rifle!

You can get quite quick with the bolt, but I don't think you'd do 20 aimed rounds a minute!

Regards,

MikB

[Gilgamesh of Uruk]

20 rounds/minute might be hard - but I fired classification several times (5 rounds grouping, 10 rounds application, 5 rounds "snap" - 5 secs up, 5 down - with one of the Lee Enfields that were converted to single shot .22 rimfire with no obvious problem - as has been said, working the bolt isn't a problem you just reach across and work it, but you do lose your point of aim rather more than a right hander. Also fired .303 MkIV Lee-Enfield, SLR, and Sterling left handed with no worse results than any other average shot. Couldn't get on with the 9mm Browning left handed, though - the ejected cartridge doesn't (often) hit you, but it catches your eye & puts you off.

[bruce]

I have read this thread with interest, but am still firmly of the conviction that all dally-whiffs should be put down at birth. You might think this a little extreme, so let me explain.

I love cricket, but soon came to realise that I was no good at it. I am better suited as a sight screen, being built more for comfort than speed. As a result, I took up umpiring.

I well remember, some years ago, standing on a swealtering hot afternoon. The two openers were left and right handed, there had been a shower and the outfield was very lush. Few boundaries were scored but many singles run. Of the partneship of over 100, the huge majority were singles. At square leg, six singles in an over saw me scampering miles.

It was with relief, to at least one unpire, when both the openers were dismissed....only to be replaced with...yes..a right and left hander, who proceeded to double the score, mostly in more sinles. Had I waned to run marathons I wouldn't have taken up umpiring. From that day onwards, I have been convinced that everyone should follow the example of polo...a spot in which playing left-handed s banned!

Bruce

(Ok....can I take my tongue out of my cheek now?)

[Danny4554]

I am totally left handed, infact I cannot do anything with the right side of my body at all. If I throw a ball with my right hand I look like a girl, and kicking a ball with my right foot is like watching a 2 year old learning to play football.

When I enlisted as a tank driver my personal weapon was the SMG and could only be fired from the right shoulder, an absolute nightmare for me as it seems the most unnatural position in the world. However, when it came to a respirator shoot, I quickly put it into my left shoulder and fired away quite happily knowing that the spent rounds would just bounce off the respirator. When the SA80 was introduced it again can only be fired from the right, I spent I don't know how many attempts to try and pass my APWT, in the end people laying in the lanes next to me would fire at my target just so we could get off the range before it got dark!