Southpaw/Left-Handed AR Operation Thread

[Coresair]

Hello All!

I am starting this thread because I have found out not so long ago that I am right-handed/left eye dominant or if you like, cross-eye dominant. I will discuss some of the main concerns I have regarding this "problem" since the AR platform/system was designed with right-handers in mind.

Disclaimer : I am in NO WAY a professional shooter nor do I even own an AR at the moment : I am planning on getting an AR platform as my next primary airsoft gun and this is only me preemptively preparing for some of the issues I will/would run into shooting it mainly left-handed. Some videos at the end !

What the heck?

For those of you who don't know what this is or what it implicates, this just means that if you are looking down the sights holding your rifle right-handed, you won't be able to focus on the irons, clearing the front sight for accurate shooting. Most of you will know by now that squinting/closing one of your eye for shooting is not really recommended!

What are the suggestions?

Looking around the Interwebs for info, you will find discussions regarding that matter, some of the most recurring solutions will be :

1. Run optics

A lot of people will suggest to run red dots or other kinds of optics to resolve the situation. Red dots give you the advantage of acquiring targets faster and not having to align those two pieces of iron to aim. This, for me, is the easiest way out of this, however you are not addressing the issue, you are bypassing it. Optics rely on batteries and can fail you during a game. They can also fail because of breakage/other issues and now you are stuck running irons again, which means back to the issue.

2. Getting a complete left-handed AR

Some people will suggest getting a fully left-handed AR platform, since you are a southpaw. This is somehow a viable idea to some extent. The main focus of this solution is to suit your needs with a platform mirroring the "normal" AR and learning to operate this platform in the same manner (mirroring operation). This one is complicated, even in the RS ballpark, these platforms are far less available than the "normal" (read : right-handed) ARs. In airsoft, they are practically inexsistent. For me, this is not a viable option since you are focusing your training on something adapted, which is not the norm. Even if you practise "strong" AND "weak" side, if you ever have to operate somebody elses rifle (AR) you will be lost because everything will not be at the "right place" (Note : this situation did happen to me once in a game, I was out of ammo and the medic in my squad, having to run around and heal people, left me with his AR, I was running an AK but the end result was the same, I was at lost with an unfamilliar platform where all the controls/operation we're not at the right place).

3. training your right eye

this suggestion will pop out every once in a while on various forums/websites. The idea is that you "force" you right eye back into the dominant role so that you don't have to deal with the whole "re-learn your platform" thing. Training muscles in your eye can be a very long and difficult process since training all those small muscles is way more difficult than training any other, larger, muscles in your body. For me, this is not an option since the main reason why my left eye became the dominant one in the first place was because I was born with a defective right eye (they don't even have a real name for the condition since it is so rare, I won't get into details)

So what does that leave us with?

Well, it leaves us southpaws with something rather simple : training with a right-handed AR like you would if it were your weak side. Now you might ask yourself : why all the fuss if you are going to conclude with something that everybody does in the first place!?. If you are right-handed and right eye-dominant, training your left/weak side is just, well, training your weak side. Most of your AR operation, reloads, malfunction-clearing, etc. will be done on your strong/right side. Sure, you might practise those every now and then but they will never take the most part of your training. Southpaws, on the other hand (no pun intended), will do all of those on the other side. So how do we do it and most important, how do we do it fast and efficiently?

Here's a few videos that I've found very helpful on the matter, It does include the use of some gadgets but then again, nothing fancy that a right-hander would not use :

Magpul B.A.D. on a left handed AR15

Grey Group Training Left Handed M4 Reloads

Left Handed AR15 Options


Thank you for reading this and please feel free to input your own experience and correcting me if you don't agree with some the points I've rised. Enjoy!

-Coresair

[faithless]

One of my friend in the CF reserve is cross eye dominant, like your case. He still shoots right hand, and aim with left eye closed. I forgot what exact reason for this, that he did not shoot left.

Personally shooting left will take much training as train your right eye.

Maybe a more ambi friendly rifle other than AR?

[Coresair]

Originally Posted by faithless

One of my friend in the CF reserve is cross eye dominant, like your case. He still shoots right hand, and aim with left eye closed. I forgot what exact reason for this, that he did not shoot left.

Personally shooting left will take much training as train your right eye.

Maybe a more ambi friendly rifle other than AR?

I did not include the point that I have applied as a Vehicule-Tech for the CF. They will not accomodate me in any way, so I will have to shoot from the left. I want to keep my training as consistent as possible.

[Funker-Tactical]

if you are right eye dominent learn to shoot right handed!!! trust me on this the C7A2 platform is ambidextrous but you should learn your weapons handling drills right handed it will be very awkward for a while but youll get used to it

[Coresair]

Originally Posted by Doc_kristy

if you are right eye dominent learn to shoot right handed!!! trust me on this the C7A2 platform is ambidextrous but you should learn your weapons handling drills right handed

Like I mentionned, I am left eye dominant!

I was born with a "congenital cataract" in my right eye, I have a small white dot showing right in the middle of my retina, which lead me to develop presbyopia. The left eye tried to compensate this and lead to develop myopia. I can play sports and actually read without glasses. (just for shit and giggles I am typing this without them) but long periods of time without glasses my eyes will get tired because both of them have a hard time working together since the right one can focus on far things but not close ones and the left eye can focus on close things but not far ones.

Irons being very close to you, my right eye can not focus on them and I end up having a double sight picture, I will not squint to correct this since it is not a propper way to operate firearms.

[Funker-Tactical]

Well then shoot left handed I was just making a general statement before implying you should shoot on the side of your dominant eye I went through this when I was younger competing in biathlonnot because I'm right hande and left eye dominant but ecause biathlon rifles are cheaper and easier to find right hande. If your left eye dominant it's not wrong to squint your eye, it aids in shooting at longer distance because you probably aren't shooting with a blinder over your right eye like a biathlon rifle. But as I sai the c7a2 is Abu dexterous so weapons handling won't be a problem

[Coresair]

Originally Posted by Doc_kristy

Well then shoot left handed I was just making a general statement before implying you should shoot on the side of your dominant eye I went through this when I was younger competing in biathlonnot because I'm right hande and left eye dominant but ecause biathlon rifles are cheaper and easier to find right hande. If your left eye dominant it's not wrong to squint your eye, it aids in shooting at longer distance because you probably aren't shooting with a blinder over your right eye like a biathlon rifle. But as I sai the c7a2 is Abu dexterous so weapons handling won't be a problem

I actually didn't know the A2 was ambidextrous! thank you for the heads up! And I see what you mean, I actually started handling every rifle left handed, I think that not having a lot of experience in shooting (I have actually no experience in RS) is a good thing since it does not feel awkward for me to shoot from the left.

[tygr701]

Thanks for the info. I don't have that problem with the eyes but its good to read up on things that will help me shoot more effectively as a lefty.

One thing to be aware of, some people who shoot civilian side then go into the Military have devolped bad habits, and whatever they know on weapons handaling, drills, etc will have to be forgotten and go with the CF way.

[BloodSport]

I have the same condition, I just practiced enough shooting right that it became a non issue, took some time to get past the focusing issue, but can now shoot better right then left.

[Funker-Tactical]

Any bad habits if you have any will get beat out o you fast they just teach you the basics in basic....duh so something you have learned may not necessarily be a bad habit So just do what they expect pretend you know no better and you'll be fine

[Danke]

I'm the same. I've always shot a rifle or SMG with my right hand on the trigger and my right eye on the sights. Pretty well always irons. Precision shooting with the left eye closed and snap shooting with both eyes open.

Pistol has always been 2 eyes open and left eye across the sights as in the Quell stance.

This was back when rocks had not become dirt. The only choice of red dot optic was this http://shootery.blogspot.com/2010/07...int-sight.html and even if you had one showing up with it on a rifle made folks treat you like you were a two headed alien.

Now I run all platforms both eyes open/red dot type sites on all most all of the time. The odd time I have magnifying optic on I will close my left eye to concentrate on the target.

Shooting a pistol this way was not considered a habit to beaten out of you. By the time you got to take a pistol onto the range you were granted the leeway of personal preference.

I will take a go with my left side as the situation requires but I"m mostly right handed.

[Andres]

I'm a lefty and don't have any issues with the AR platform during games. However, there are drawbacks.

One being the mag release cannot be done very quickly unless you get an ambidextrous mag release. You need to use your right hand to press the magazine release (righties can use their trigger finger), and that makes a speed load difficult as it adds about a second to your reload time which needs to be as quick as possible. Get a ambdi-mag release and you shouldn't have issue, though.

The only other drawback I can think of is burning 5.56/223 shells flying at you.

[Funker-Tactical]

That's what the spent casing deflected is for

[talon]

when you're sighting the rifle, you get two sets of iron sights when both your eyes are open. if you're shooting right handed at that point in time, use the left set of ironsights that you can see. if you're shooting left handed at another point in time, use the right set of sights. just get used to using both, and learn to switch sides and operate them both with ease.