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Left handed rifle

M

mike-g

Guest
One of my fathers brothers was in a Scottish Regiment between the wars and was in barracks at Edinborough Castle. Among the stories he told me was that he was issued with one of the 6 LEFT HANDED Lee Enfield rifles ever made.
Knowing some of the stories he did tell I often wonder if this could be true? Can any of you army buffs comfirm that they were in fact made and issued.
 
I am left handed , and I was issued with the same 303 rifle as any one else. Think somebodies having a joke Eric
 
Mike. Just been on to Wyre Forest Guns and Barry said there are definitely left handed guns. He runs the clay pigeon centre. He did explain the guns he keeps for left handed people but was far too technical for myself. Jean. .
 
As a left handed person, I cannot see what possible difference a leftie would need from a right handed person ???? On a bolt action rifle the bolt may have to be operated from the "wrong" side but you adapt to that easily. I encountered no problem, and my marksmanship was above average Eric
 
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G G Jean said:
Mike. Just been on to Wyre Forest Guns and Barry said there are definitely left handed guns. He runs the clay pigeon centre. He did explain the guns he keeps for left handed people but was far too technical for myself. Jean. .
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JEAN We are talking Lee Enfield Rifles Army RAF Etc:)
 
G G Jean said:
I thought a gun was a gun Alf. Only trying to be helpful:cry::cry:.
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Mike G was asking about a certain Rifle
Well they can all kill us Jean but its no good going to War with a Air Pistol unless your enemy has the same:(
 
They are clay pigeon rifles and I have paid for two sessions in advance then I broke me b....y arm. I phoned for that to re book then just asked off the cuff. Oh well I am a woman you know and what do we know about guns?. Jean.
 
When I done my Basic Training in the RAF in 1948 at Cardington apart from the 303 we also were trained in the Sten and Bren gun and as a left handed person again I had no problem. Eric
 
cookie273uk said:
As a left handed person, I cannot see what possible difference a leftie would need from a right handed person ???? On a bolt action rifle the bolt may have to be operated from the "wrong" side but you adapt to that easily. I encountered no problem, and my marksmanship was above average Eric
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It's a bit of a bugger when the cartridge-case ejects into your face though! :)
 
I worked at BSA Guns, Blossomfield Rd, they made Martini International small bore competion fifles and the marksmen & markswomen had their rifles made to measure with left handed butts if required, i have never seen l/handed rifle made for British military forces, and GG Jean my friend & Artist, Guns are artillery, Anti-Aircraft, Howitzers, Field Guns etc, you do not call your Rifle a gun!. Len.
 
I used to own a Martini Inr breach load .22 match rifle, lovely competition tool, It followed me through Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Monmouthshire. When I joinec B.C.P. they were not happy that I was not in a club since moving to Birmingham and asked??? that I sell it. ( threatened to withdraw my Pt 1 firearms cert if I did not.)
 
When i was a sniper on our bomb-peck i used to have a left hand rifle that shot round corners i,ve killed thousands of indians. Dek:rolleyes::cool::D
 
dek carr said:
When i was a sniper on our bomb-peck i used to have a left hand rifle that shot round corners i,ve killed thousands of indians. Dek:rolleyes::cool::D
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Dek I had a Flash Gordon Ray Gun you couldn't see and had to tell you when you had been hit on our Bomb Peck when and didn't feel a thing.:cooleyes: It belonged to Ming:dft005:
 
Alf them clay men gave me the creeps the way that they came out of the wall real scarey.Dek:):)
 
G G Jean said:
They are clay pigeon rifles and I have paid for two sessions in advance then I broke me b....y arm. I phoned for that to re book then just asked off the cuff. Oh well I am a woman you know and what do we know about guns?. Jean.
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Hi Jean,

The main difference is that with a shotgun which you would have been
using for clay pigeon shooting, the butt may have had a cheek piece to
rest your face on whilst shooting, - this would have been provided on
the left or right hand of the butt to suit right or left handed people.

The Enfield No1 and 4 rifles did not have any cheek pieces but the bolt
handle was fitted to the right of the gun and was obviously designed
with right handed people in mind!

Kind regards

Dave
 
Even worse were back in the muzzle loading days with flintlock rifles, holding the gun left handed means that as you look down the sights the gun lock is right in front of your face so when the primer flashes in the pan you can get sparks & powder burns on your nose. I know this from personal experience ! There are plenty of muzzle loading double barrel guns around with a lock each side often fired at birds in flight & therefore not sighted down the barrel.
There are examples of left handed antique firearms which were obviously made to order. Regardless of your handedness the same thing would apply if you were right handed but sighted in only the left eye.
 
I was an armourer in the R.E.M.E. for two years and serviced 24 different types of weapons and I never saw a left handed weapon. Some lefties fired right handed but dropped the rifle and operated the bolt left handed. Many a lad I had to train to fire right handed because it was the quickest way to reload in action. I have seen lads fire left handed and use the left hand over the top of the breach to operate the bolt, also slow in action!
Dave Edwards
 
There was a rifle which shot around corners with a mirror mounted at 45 degrees on the bend, there were two types one for left and one for right.
Dave Edwards
 
The present rifles have a gas ajuster which you can set to eject long or short,you do not burn your elbow then.
 
I remember the first time I saw someone firing a rifle from the left shoulder. He was a Yorkshireman and had trained himself while in the cadets.

It looked awkward but he could reload the .303 as quickly as the rest of us.
 
I don't know much about Lea Enfield rifles at all but if the spent cartridge ejects from the top of the rifle then why not have had a universal bolt mechanism; right or left by reversing a screw in lever. Maybe there were more handed parts.
 
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