AR for a southpaw?

[ol' poke]

A left-handed shooter looking for an AR rifle. See the lefty Stag model, are there any other worthwhile manufacturers that offer a lefty? I know there must be left-handed shooters shooting right-handed ARs. What have been your experiences? Does the right-hand ejection cause any issues for a left-handed shooter?

ol' poke

 

[shibumiseeker]

Other than getting blowback in your face and the occasional shell if your ar doesn't have a shell deflector... Oh, and the possibility that if you do have a kaboom you have less protection than a RH shooter.

Those are the major downsides.

I've not yet shot a LH AR, but it's on the list. I prefer shooting RH smaller bolt guns LH because I can work the bolt without taking my hand off the grip, but I had to go with a LH .50bmg because the bolt throw was so long I had to roll out of the way with the RH models.

My RH 10mm AR upper is no fun to shoot because it is a straight blowback design and a lot of crap gets thrown in my face. My RH .458 socom is better behaved in that respect, and all my RH .223 ARs are pretty mild.

 

[Westside]

"just shoot RH it works for the Marines." I have heard that somewhere before, thought it applied here.

 

[Txlur]

As far as I know, Stag is the only one that makes a full LH upper, and Knights Armament has a full ambi lower.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

My first AR had an A1 upper with no deflector. The first shot I fired, offhand, left a perfect little circular burn on my neck. Reloads are a touch slower, having to fumble with the mag and the release with the same hand, but the slide release is in range of my trigger finger (YMMV), and I bring my thumb around for the selector. I'd rather be familiar with something I might "find" in shtf conditions.

 

[Jtgarner]

"just shoot RH it works for the Marines." I have heard that somewhere before, thought it applied here.

I am a Marine, and that is what I was going to post... but I'm pretty sure that we both heard that on Sons of Guns haha

And in all seriousness, I am right handed, but I shoot my AR left handed sometimes and have never had any problems with it. I do have a shell deflector on mine, so no brass in the face, but I have no problems shooting it that way.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I am a Marine, and that is what I was going to post... but I'm pretty sure that we both heard that on Sons of Guns haha

And in all seriousness, I am right handed, but I shoot my AR left handed sometimes and have never had any problems with it. I do have a shell deflector on mine, so no brass in the face, but I have no problems shooting it that way.

I CAN shoot rifles right handed, but I'm not nearly as good at it given that puts me at cross-eye dominance. I've got a lifetime of training shooting rifles LH, I have no real desire to change that body-memory. I do practice RH occasionally so I maintain some proficiency with it, but the reflex is to pick it up and shoot LH. Luckily I'm not in the military or an English Boarding school so I can shoot my rifles any way I please

 

[Kutnupe14]

I'm wrong handed like the OP. If your up for the build go with an ambi-selector. If not a dedicated "right" hand AR, w/deflector is the way to go. Quite obviously you will find very very few ARs geared to leftys. If you train with a lefty firearm, then you'll only be up to snuff with a lefty firearm. Lose that weapon, you lose you advantage. My humble suggestion is that you go with right handed.

 

[Westside]

I am a Marine, and that is what I was going to post... but I'm pretty sure that we both heard that on Sons of Guns haha

And in all seriousness, I am right handed, but I shoot my AR left handed sometimes and have never had any problems with it. I do have a shell deflector on mine, so no brass in the face, but I have no problems shooting it that way.

you would be correct sir.

And thanks for your service if I have not thanked you earlier.

 

[.452browning]

I am left-handed and have almost always shot an AR left handed. I shoot a standard AR (not a LH upper) and have never had a problem with it. I do have the shell deflector on it but have never had a problem with gas getting in my eyes or anything.

the only weapon to ever guess me grief shooting LH was a MP5SD. that thing put gas in my eyes through my safety glasses making them dry then water like crazy

 

[doglb]

When I was in there was no such thing as a left handed AR, now that there is...it just seems odd to me. Im a South Paw and never had an issue shooting a standard AR.

 

[Jtgarner]

The left eye dominance while shooting a regular ar right handed can be eliminated by using a good red dot sight. Your eyes will never even need to look at a sight so eye dominance doesn't matter.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Then your battery dies, and you're back to the irons I'm actually slightly more right handed than left, but extremely left eye dominant. Without the same view for each, my right eye wanders off so far I have to go find it. When I'm tired I can hardly use it at all. I actually find I can operate a RH bolt action far more efficiently left handed than right.

 

[Specialized]

And now, back to the original question: Stag does make several models of left-handed AR's, and they are the most true to a mirror-image of the original design, but not exactly (for good reason, from a controls point of view). I have one and am extremely happy with its quality and what I've been able to do with it. I've also had a DPMS Southpaw, and didn't find that to be as satisfactory -- it seemed like a left-ejecting RH gun, and was missing some of the features. If there's another company that makes LH uppers, I haven't run into them yet.

From a standpoint of acquiring, setting up, and maintaining a LH fighting carbine, I think your best bet is a Stag upper. Mine is the flattop configuration. There are some accessories that won't work the way you think they might using this setup; quick-attach mounts are one class (they don't usually let the dust cover door open fully because of their levers or buttons). That little bolt-release arm attachment thingie doesn't work right either, because it covers the original button, and the resulting oversized button won't clear the dust cover door either unless you round out a little half-moon shape from the door. Wouldn't want to rely on that in a fighting gun; there must be a better way for someone to invent. You'll also find that rail-mounted lighting options, while having ambi controls on many, don't seem to work as well from the lefty point of view. Some have buttons that work much better from the RH perspective, others work fine. And I can't figure out how to use the Arredondo magwell attachment as a lefty. While it helps immensely with getting a new mag into the well, it's big enough that it keeps me from reaching around it with my right thumb to release it in the first place. That can be solved with the ambi release on the other side, but if you're in the habit of thumbing the release with the right hand while pulling down on the mag like i am, it's not workable.

I've found that the ergonomics for a fighting gun are unique from that of a competion or barbeque or mall-ninja gun, and have come to the conclusion that simpler and lighter is better. I can still hit a small circle from 300+ yards with a red dot on it, and for up-close (inside 50 yards) stuff, with the right training it just becomes part of you. What didn't work for me was the Snoopy's Doghouse approach, where I had a bunch of thoughtful-but-tactically-useless stuff hanging off the rifle. It just got in the way, because the truth is there's only a few things you'll have the time and inclination to do with a rifle while you're fighting -- and a swiss army knife approach is too confusing when you're puckered to diamond-producing pressures. Same thing with optics -- I've yet to see a scope with the side-focus knob on the right. Us lefties will always have to adapt to a rightward-thinking world. Simple will work the best.

Hope this helps -- good luck!

Specialized

 

[farmboy365]

I have a left-handed stag and love it sure you can shoot a righty with a brass deflector but y the stag is a excellent product.