Lefty's and Revolvers

edgy

edgy

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so I went to a Memorial Revolver match yesterday, semi auto's were allowed to compete, but obviously couldn't be ranked. I shot my semi, and as a relatively new guy to the shooting sports, I gotta admit I've never had much interest in revolvers. However, I have been exposed to revolvers over the last month or so, and I gotta admit, the attraction is growing, there were some truly beautiful rigs out there yesterday!
It wasn't until last night that I realized I cannot recall seeing one lefty shooting a revolver yesterday, there may have been one or two, but I sure didn't notice if there were.
So my question is, how many lefty's out there shoot revolvers in competition, and if so, are we at a disadvantage because of our leftness lol. It just seems to me that reloading would be awkward as I would have to reach across the gun to load with my right hand?
Is this just another instance of us having to adapt to a right handed world, and like anything else, practice makes it easier,lol
 
edgy said:
so I went to a Memorial Revolver match yesterday, semi auto's were allowed to compete, but obviously couldn't be ranked. I shot my semi, and as a relatively new guy to the shooting sports, I gotta admit I've never had much interest in revolvers. However, I have been exposed to revolvers over the last month or so, and I gotta admit, the attraction is growing, there were some truly beautiful rigs out there yesterday! It wasn't until last night that I realized I cannot recall seeing one lefty shooting a revolver yesterday, there may have been one or two, but I sure didn't notice if there were. So my question is, how many lefty's out there shoot revolvers in competition, and if so, are we at a disadvantage because of our leftness lol. It just seems to me that reloading would be awkward as I would have to reach across the gun to load with my right hand? Is this just another instance of us having to adapt to a right handed world, and like anything else, practice makes it easier,lol
Click to expand...

I am a lefty who shoots a S&W 66 in IDPA REV division. Practice is everything, more so in revolver.
 
You do make a good point. Never thought about it before!
You can get neutral grips or even custom left handed grips for revolvers. The key is to be sure the grips allow quick access to the cylinder release. However, quick reloads for a lefty will require a lot of practice.
The good thing about revolvers is they are simple to shoot, you never have to look for your brass and most have really nice SA trigger pulls.
I, however, still prefer semi autos!
 
Still alive said:
You do make a good point. Never thought about it before!
You can get neutral grips or even custom left handed grips for revolvers. The key is to be sure the grips allow quick access to the cylinder release. However, quick reloads for a lefty will require a lot of practice.
The good thing about revolvers is they are simple to shoot, you never have to look for your brass and most have really nice SA trigger pulls.
I, however, still prefer semi autos!
Click to expand...
Lol, I still prefer semi's also SA! Having shot a couple of revolvers now, I find I really like them, they are very accurate!! I don't think I would switch to a revolver, but it might be nice to shoot one a few times a year in competition!
Look at me,,,,trying to justify a new gun :)
 
I'm a lefty here I shoot a 686 but not in comp. Yes loading is awkward some days I switch hands to load others I turn my wrist and invert the gun. I seem to recall charter arms making a leaft handed left revolver at one time
 
I'm left handed, and my loading systems for revolvers, while continuously pointing the revolver down-range, are:-

Double action.
Use (left) trigger finger to release cylinder latch (S&W push forward, Ruger push in, Colt pull back).
While holding latch open, transfer revolver over to right hand, using right thumb to push cylinder open, and retain revolver in right hand, with trigger guard in palm of hand and with thumb holding cylinder open.
Push ejector rod with right index finger.
Use left hand to reload cylinder - speed loaders are quick.
Transfer revolver back into left hand while still keeping trigger guard in palm of right hand.
Pull right thumb out while closing cylinder with right hand finger tips.
Continue shooting and repeat as necessary.

Single action:-
Open loading gate with right thumb.
Rotate cylinder with (left) trigger finger.
Push ejector rod with tip of right thumb.
Repeat 5 more times.
Transfer revolver to right hand, with trigger guard in palm, and rotate cylinder with right thumb, while inserting fresh cartridge with left hand.
Repeat 5 more times.
Transfer revolver to left hand.
Close loading gate with left thumb, continue moving thumb up to hammer spur and #### hammer.
Continue shooting and repeat as necessary.

Both take considerably longer to explain than to do, and become quicker with practice.
 
DaveF said:
I'm left handed, and my loading systems for revolvers, while continuously pointing the revolver down-range, are:-

Double action.
Use (left) trigger finger to release cylinder latch (S&W push forward, Ruger push in, Colt pull back).
While holding latch open, transfer revolver over to right hand, using right thumb to push cylinder open, and retain revolver in right hand, with trigger guard in palm of hand and with thumb holding cylinder open.
Push ejector rod with right index finger.
Use left hand to reload cylinder - speed loaders are quick.
Transfer revolver back into left hand while still keeping trigger guard in palm of right hand.
Pull right thumb out while closing cylinder with right hand finger tips.
Continue shooting and repeat as necessary.
Click to expand...

My method is essentially the same.
 
Unless your autos are bilateral, superior left hand shooters must add safeties to the right side or find a more suitable auto.

Revolvers for left hand users is no problem at all. Practice & training smooth out all issues. Obtaining left hand holsters can be a little difficult but workable. Revolvers use cylinders to contain the cartridge, so a 4" or a 4.2" barrelled revolver has a true barrel length. Unlike autos whereby an inch is lost to the chamber, so, for example, a G17 has a4.49 " barrel. The useable barrel length is really 3.49".
 
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I'm a lefty! I was at the Elwin Fehr match as well. DaveF's breakdown pretty much covers how I reload a D/A wheelgun. It's a tad bit slower than a right-hander approach, since there's the transfer of the gun to your support hand and back, but it seems to work just fine.
 
snootworks said:
I'm a lefty! I was at the Elwin Fehr match as well. DaveF's breakdown pretty much covers how I reload a D/A wheelgun. It's a tad bit slower than a right-hander approach, since there's the transfer of the gun to your support hand and back, but it seems to work just fine.
Click to expand...

Us righties transfer the gun as well so we can handle the speed loader with our "strong" hands which are better at the finer motor skills.

DaveF's description sounds really close to ideal. It addresses all the issues and should be just as fast as the usual methods used by righties.

The only thing I tend to do differently is that I don't use my support hand index finger to eject the empties. Instead I take a split second to use my then free strong hand to hit the ejector.

With a revolver it's also best to tip it up then down fairly strongly. If the barrel isn't pointed well towards the sky the empties can sometimes hang up or even in special cases slip under the ejector star. And that's a whole lot of bother in a match. So the only advice I'd add to DaveF's post is to tip the gun to muzzle up fairly strongly as the cylinder is swung open and hit the ejector while it's pointed up quite close to vertical. Then flip it down so the barrel is pointed at the ground not all that far in front of your feet for loading. Then as the speed loader falls away and you begin swinging the cylinder shut you also tip the gun up so it closes and latches at some point before it's back to level. You want to close it a trifle early so the new rounds can't slip part way back out and stop the cylinder from closing.
 
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