Sniping lefty or righty?

[FlatLandFed]

Gents,
Just wondering how common it was on picket duty or as a marksman to use your left hand to fire? Common sense tells me a soldier would fire from whatever position was working best for him at the moment, given the terrain, urgency to reload, possibly injured right hand, &c.

I bring this up after viewing the excellent photos that Eric Tipton posted of the recent Vicksburg event. The NCO in his photo appears to be firing in a manner comfortable to him and is not a danger to his chums left and right.

Share your thoughts, thanks. (Or perhaps the soldiers in the scenario might shed some illumination, too?)

Obliged,
Paul Hadley
Woulda Coulda Shoulda Been Dere Too

[AndrewMartin]

Re: Sniping lefty or righty?

Well I know that firing in line of battle still feels awkward since I'm left handed! But I've noticed that when I'm deployed as a skirmisher or picket that I fire my musket from my left side with out even thinking about it!:confused_

It's just like school...those evil people would force us to write using right handed desk's and laugh at the way we would hold our pen! "You try writing with your left hand and not dragging your hand through the ink and see how you look!:tounge_sm

[Tom Ezell]

Re: Sniping lefty or righty?

My master eye is my left eye, so when I shoot with the intention of hitting anything, I shoot left-handed. In ranks as well as skirmishing in the hobby I shift to the right hand like most everybody else, posing little danger to the targets down range save by random error and just bad luck.


From Calhoun Benham's Confederate musketry handbook:

"The rifle is placed in the soldier’s hands for the destruction of his enemy; his own safety depends upon his efficient use of it; it cannot, therefore, be too strongly indicated, that every man, who has no defect in his eyes, may make himself a good shot; and that no degree of perfection he may have attained in other parts of his drill, can upon service remedy any want of proficiency in this: in fact, all his other instructions, in marching and maneuvering, can do no more than place him in the best possible situation for using his weapon with effect. A soldier who cannot shoot is useless, and an incumbrance to the battalion."

Benham favors the right-handed stance:

"The instructor is to see that every man holds his rifle firmly with his left hand, at the place where it is to be held at the aim, but in every case behind and at the lower band; that the fingers of the right hand are behind the trigger-guard; that the body is erect, the left side being perpendicular, with the left breast over the left foot: that the shoulders are at the half face, and the feet are at right angles: and that the eyes are fixed on the mark in front, with the head in the same direction, and erect. When kneeling, the right foot and knee are to be in the proper position, and the body is to rest firmly on the right heel.

Aim. — Without moving the body, head, eye or hand in the slightest degree, throw the rifle
smartly to the front of the right shoulder to the full extent of the left arm, (the arms moving close to the body,) raising the rifle in so doing, with the muzzle a little low and keeping the sight upright: the top part of the heel-plate to be in a line with the top part of the shoulder, the muzzle to be a few inches below the mark the eyes are fixed upon; the fore-finger to be extended along the outside of the trigger-guard, and both elbows to be inclined downwards.

Two. — Bring the rifle smartly in to the hollow of the right shoulder, pressing it thereto with the left hand, and at the same instant bring the left elbow nearly square with the right shoulder and to the front of it, so as to form a bed for the butt, but without moving the body, head, hand or eye, still keeping the finger outside the trigger-guard. When kneeling place the left elbow over the left knee."

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Sniping lefty or righty?

Hallo!

To resurrect an old addage: There are no left-handers in the Army. ;) :)

The drill is right-handed.

However as a skirmisher, being left-handed, I shoot left-handed. Everything else, "in line," I do right-handed.

As far back as at least the Romans, in their tactical system, left-handers were not wanted as it messed up the shield -to-sword system of right-handers in line. Instead, left-handers were made archers or slingers. ;) :)

Curt
Who is thinking the Army's first concession to left-handers was the adoption of a spent shell deflector on the M16A2 to keep hot brass from plinking off of one's helmet or down one's open shirt collar and neck... ;)

- a Freak of Nature being Cross Dominant anyways...

[rebel7398]

Re: Sniping lefty or righty?

I am with you guys....I am a natural lefty but was told there are none in the Army so had to teach myself to do everything the opposite...of course if I were really trying to hit anything, I would have to revert to the left side.

Donald Hawkins
rebel7398
46th TN

[Gary of CA]

Re: Sniping lefty or righty?

No where have I ever read of a southpaw shooter in the war. Diarists, memorialist and letter writers probably didn't think it was important enough to write about.

[vamick]

Re: Sniping lefty or righty?

The only way I can hit anything with a long arm is left handed!, in fact, the only long arm Ive ever felt comfortable shooting right handed is a Ruger mini 14 on a folding stock...guess that aint 'period'!;) but with a pistol I can use either hand...on the post about lefthanders and shields/swords..the leftys have an advantage there especially in attacking defensive postions! Most all castles ect have their stairways rising curved to the right, this gives defenders ( most folks are right handed) an advantage in how much they have to expose themselves to attackers comming up those steps... an attacking lefty nulifies this advantage...and folks who can use either hand have the best of both worlds:wink_smil