Want it and can't find it

[zachskids]

Hey guys,


I'm a lefty and I'd like to get into percussion rifle shooting. Years ago my father (also left-handed) had a Thompson Center 54 cal left handed cap lock. What I'd like to know is if anyone could direct me to a sight or person in general that could aquire one of these rifle. I have tried Thompson Center themselves and could not find them on there sight anywhere. Any help would be greatly appriciated.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I write with my left hand, however this key board is not a left hand version. My cell phone is the same as anybody else's, I never demand a left handed piano. My guns are no different than anyones. I shoot my revolvers with both hands or either hand. My muzzle loaders all have the hammers on the right side. I shoot them using my talented left hand supporting the forearm and my highly trained right hand squeezing the trigger, allowing the primers to scatter their pieces away from me.

Everyone is ambidextrous to a degree, a greater degree than most are willing to try.

Shooting requires both hands to be trained and used, just like playing a piano. It doesn't matter which you think is your "dominant" hand, it requires training both.

I strongly urge you to give up your leftist quest and embark on a fruitful journey of two handedness.

[mooman76]

Have you tried auctionarm?

[Underclocked]

How about a left handed GPR or GPH? Link to Lymans at Midsouth (http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/department.asp?dept=%4D%55%5A%5A%4C%45%4C%4F%41%44 %49%4E%47&dept2=%4D%55%5A%5A%4C%45%4C%4F%41%44%49%4E%47%20%5 2%49%46%4C%45%53&dept3=%35%34%20%43%41%4C&dept4=%4C%59%4D%41%4E%20%47%52%45%41%54%20%50%4C%4 1%49%4E%53)

[BruceB]

I'm a lefty, too. I well remember the days when there were virtually NO left-hand guns at all, barring the rare and expensive custom jobs. These days are far better for port-siders.

I'm at work, with a bit of time to while away, so I went surfing and found the following, ALL in .50 caliber (sorry) but ALL left-handed.

www.dixiegunworks.com: Lyman Great Plains percussion rifle, $512

Nothing on Auction Arms.

www.gunbroker.com:

119818449: Lyman .50 flintlock, $395

119981732: Lyman percussion deerstalker, short barrel w/aperture sight, $375 with no bids, no reserve, and about 4 days left

120006370: used percussion T/C Renegade, double set trigger, at $250 with 5 days remaining (no bids)

120084014: I'd jump on this one! CVA Hawken .50, unfired percussion, BEAUTIFUL wood, and BUY IT NOW for $275.

It's worth noting that I've bought guns from several internet sources with satisfaction. The left-hand rifles are out there, and you'll just have to keep an eye out.

Shooting on a shoestring, your attitude is remarkably unsympathetic. It boils down to "Quit your beefing and adapt!" To blazes with that!!! Yes, we left-handers can adapt (and HAVE adapted) to right-hand methods for many, many years. I have many more right-handed firearms than the other type. These right-hand guns are fired from my LEFT shoulder.

There is NO such thing as an ambidextrous master eye! Gunsmiths for centuries have struggled with the extreme modifications needed to allow a shooter with the "wrong" master eye to use a long-arm from his "normal" shooting side. It rarely works very well.

So, here we have a gent who makes a simple request for help in finding a left-handed smokepole, and you tell him to cowboy-up and quit ********? It's nice that your hands are so talented and educated, but I do notice that you didn't mention eyes. Good shooting takes more than just hands, and those of us who shoot from the "other" side can surely put guns built for our needs to good use.....JUST AS RIGHT-HANDERS HAVE ENJOYED, from the dawn of civilization to the present day.

[Underclocked]

https://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/992593363.htm or that CVA Hawken BruceB pointed you to at http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=120084014#PIC

both look good to me.

[mikeyd499]

I totally agree with the part about not mentioning master eyes. I for one am right handed. However, I hold my gun with my strong and trained right hand holding the forend steady. Then I use my strong and trained left hand to pull the trigger. I have shot right handed rifles all my life, from the left side. I finally had aquired a couple of left handed guns, only to have them stolen last year. I just get tired of all the people who act as if being a "lefty" is something we just need to overcome. I can shoot a rifle from the right side, but not if I want to hit anything. It isn't a matter of being left handed, it about being left eyed.

[PatMarlin]

Lefty's are generally much more talented and creative people as a whole.

I'm a right handed person except for using a baseball bat. Always been a lefty. Don't know how that happened?

[Buckshot]

............I don'tknow how common it was, but when my grandfather was in gradeschool he was FORCED to write right handed. He did write with his right hand but he said it was very irksome for a long time.

..............Buckshot

[ARKANSAS PACKRAT]

Buckshot; My grandfather told of having his left hand tied down at school (1905 or so) to force him to learn write with his right. The result was he was a poor writer with both hands!

I TRIED to learn to shoot a bow lefthanded due to a shoulder injury, I understand and respect anyone who can switch sides!!!!

Nick

[Underclocked]

I write (very poorly nowadays) and shoot a bow left-handed. Almost everything else I do right-handed. Beats me! :)

[MT Gianni]

My son enjoyed baseball and I made him learn to throw with both hands. we would put our mitts on the wrong hand and toss 10 moving back each time. You can learn to do a lot with your hands but as Bruce said not with your master eye. Optomotrist say your master eye can change if you neglect getting glasses for an extended period of time.

[Geraldo]

zachskids,

I'd grab that left handed .50 TC on gunsamerica.com to use for now, then see what you can find later. Left handed TCs are out there, but they didn't make a ton of them.

My dad was injured in a car wreck as a young man, and had to shoot left handed afterward due to a right eye injury. He has used a right handed TC Hawken, but I bought him a used custom rifle he was admiring years ago. The stock is made for a left handed person, but the lock is right handed. I'm not sure how much difference there is, be he seems to like it.

My eyes are pretty much equal, so I can shoot right or left, and have done both in training and competition. Rifle and pistol have been no problem either way, but if I had to shoot clays lefty, it would take a long time for the motion to feel right.

[Jim]

I'm "wrong handed" and I shoot a left handed Lyman Great Plains rifle in .54 caliber caplock.

[Gunfixer]

I am glad to know I am in good company. I shoot long guns primarily lefty and handguns primarily right but can swap. Bow right . I throw right but write and eat left. Now Zachskids, pick one of the guns posted by others as I am going to get one of the others. I have a LH T/C New Englader 54 and I see that 2 of the ones posted are T/C 50s Renegades I have been looking for.

[mooman76]

Does it have to be a T/C? There are others out ther you could order.

[northmn]

I learned to build guns partly due to being dominant left eyed. I shoot rifles and shotguns left handed and pistols right handed. Considering that I had won my share of events when I shot competition I never saw it as a handicap. I used to shoot a Brown Bess left handed. If you can shoot one of those that way you can shoot anything. Still make my guns lefty. Buy double shotguns with tang safety, shoot a Mossberg Pump, tang safety, lever guns and singleshots.

Northmn

[hpdrifter]

Lefthanded, right eyed. Shoot guns lefty.
Bow ambidextrious.
Kick right footed.
Write lefty.

Never had problem shooting normal caplocks lefty. In fact, building a Lehmans rifle righthanded with all normal parts.

It seemed to me that single action pistols and bait casting reels were made for lefthanders.

[PatMarlin]

Boy- I thought I was mixed up... :mrgreen:

[carpetman]

I am left eye dominant,but shoot and do everything else right handed. I do slalom water ski with my right foot forward which I understand is the way lefties do it.

[northmn]

Left eye dominance is its own problem. When I started shooting I would lay my cheek over the stock to see with my left eye. Used to get the heck beat out of my face with shotguns. I saw a person teaching kids to shoot trap put a patch over the kids eye. I resisted the urge to kick that instructer in his butt and even kept my mouth shut. It was far easier for me to switch to left. I cannot even close my left eye and leave the right eye open and I do not hunt with a patch over one eye. It is really wise to wear shooting glasses with any firearm and very wise with ML's as wind and other elements can blow crap in your face and into your eyes regardless of the guns orientation. It is just more pleasant to shoot a left handed gun if you shoot lefthanded. The cheek piece is on the correct side for one. I have a Spartan 16 gauge with a cast off stock that I have to straighten this winter due to the fact that it is cast off for RH.

Northmn

[Underclocked]

:) OK, more than a little off-topic but...

I've enjoyed a talent at pool/snooker in my life. I play right-handed. Navy "A" school at Great Lakes found me enjoying E-2 pay back in 69. There was a pretty large recreation hall that had a lot of pool tables on base. I started augmenting my income there, never playing against anyone less than E-4, and always playing left-handed. I didn't intend to always play left-handed, but I started out that way and then was scared to switch. Hope you understand. ;)

[PatMarlin]

You just reminded me I'm lefty slolam too Ray.

It's the snakes on the water that's the problem ...:mrgreen:

[Doug Bowser]

I am left eye dominant,but shoot and do everything else right handed. I do slalom water ski with my right foot forward which I understand is the way lefties do it.

I am a Level 2 International Pistol Coach for USA Shooting (Olympic shooting sports) I have taught pistol classes at the Olympic Traing Center in Birmingham.

The Olympic Shooting Committee has determined that weak hand eye dominant shooters should not change to the weak hand. This is determined to be counter productive as long as the eyes are of similar visual acuity. This is procedure recommended for still target shooting only, not for moving targets.

An occluder (patch) over the eye protection is used on the dominant eye. The occluder should be opaque. Light should pass through it. If a black patch is used, the non-shooting eye will dilate and the shooting eye will try to dilate as well. This is detrimental to sharp focus in the shooting eye. We use scotch Magic Tape on the shooting glasses but only enough to block vision. The greater amount of light allowed to enter the non-shooting eye, the better. The recommendations are for rifle and pistol with iron sights.

I had brain surgery and I have double vision when looking down a shotgun barrel. I have to use the tape over my non-shooting eye so I don't see 2 clay birds. I can still hit the target with one eye occluded.

[WildmanJack]

Back wehn I was a medic I had a woman that was complaining of right sided chest pain. I took a listen to her heart and couldn't hear it very well. So I did an ekg.. NOTHNG readable. come to find out she had Situs Inversus. Where all the organs are reversed. Her heart was on the right side of her chest and the rest of her organs were reversed as well. I never did find out if she was right eye dominant!! Just one of the wierd things walkin around out there...
Jack

[corvette8n]

I'm left hand, left eye dominent. I bought an inline muzzleloader after using a sidelock and getting little burn marks on my right arm, looked like a rash but it was from the #11 caps.
I gave the sidelock to my right handed son.

I uses mostly lever guns but do own two Savage LH 110's in .308 and .338.
They are a lot easier to use.
The toughest rifle I tried to shoot left handed was a Swiss straight pull, couldn't seem to get enough power using left hand to reach over and close the bolt.

[defib]

Try trackofthewolf.com they have a new lyman great plains rifle in 54 cal for 509.95 in left hand lock

[cross-sticks]

My right eye can only be corrected to 20/50 which means I shoot long guns left handed. I have shot a right handed percussion TC Hawken in competition and hunting for over 35 years. If you have your heart set on a left handed model keep looking and keep some cash handy, they do turn up, but not often. I have tried to shoot right handed flintlocks but that just does not work.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Shooting on a shoestring, your attitude is remarkably unsympathetic. It boils down to "Quit your beefing and adapt!"

BruceB...Yep that was my point. But upon further cogitation, I realize the I made two errors in my sermon. The first was preaching. You're right, the Gent asked for a source for left handed rifles, and I launched into preaching against my pet peeve. The second error was thinking that was a good idea. This is a great board for exchanging information about cast boolits. I enjoy it and have reaped some good benefits. So I'll mend my wicked ways, park my peeves, and strive to be a more sympathetic citizen. My apologies.

[Old Ironsights]

Back ON Topic (ish):

Not a Caplock, but conversions aren't too hard:

Not mine...

54 cal Lyman Great Plains LEFT HANDED FLINTLOCK

SN#A558028 1 in 60"twist, 32" barrel, original sights, bore is excellent, no rust or pitting anywhere on gun. I filed on rear sight to make the notch bigger. I shot this gun about 20 times. I have some balls and patches. If you pick up gun I'll throw in a full can of Goex 4F powder. $300 plus $20 shipping.

http://huntingindiana.proboards52.com/index.cgi?board=swap&action=display&thread=23835

[piwo]

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=534728

This oughta do ya.....

[renegade]

I remember reading an article a few years back about a custom single action revolversmith that thought that Sam Colt was left handed cause of where he put the loading gate and ejecter rod.Seems logical since Right handers have to switch hands to load a single-action revolver.

[shdwlkr]

Buckshot and others
When I was in school in the 50's and 60's left handed people where made to write like right handed people can still see that left hand twisted around so it worked like a right hand. Then we got a substitute teacher one day that was left handed and used it correctly and she taught all the left handed kids how to write the right way for them. When the teacher came back she was very mad but the rest of us put up such a stink she soon changed her ideas.
yes they have been down right mean to left handed people over the years. Can even remember in the Army the left handed guys shooting the M16 left handed and getting that hot empty case along the side of the head. Army some years later added a deflector for the left handed shooters. We even had and Instructor show us how to shoot a bolt action left handed and the M14 left handed. I don't know if the Army ever got smart and made a few left handed M16's as I never saw one but would make sense to me and I would love to see a righty shoot it right handed.