# strong hand



## mccoy (Dec 31, 2007)

Are you right-handed or left-handed in shooting an handgun (or ambidextrous)?

Right-handed means you grab the gun's butt and actuate the trigger by your right hand, eventually supporting and stabilizing right hand and gun with your left hand.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Uhhh...not sure I understand. I am right-handed, so I hold the gun in my right hand and use my right index finger to press the trigger. My left hand supports and stabilizes the pistol, and assists in managing recoil.

If I were left-handed, I'd do it exactly the opposite.

Is this a trick question?


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

I am primarily left-handed. That is, I shoot shoulder arms from the left shoulder, and my left eye is my master eye. I write with the pen or pencil in my left hand. (Use both on the keyboard) I throw and bat (Used to, that is.) right handed. Also shoot the handgun right handed.

At one time I shot the revolver right-handed and sighted with my left eye. But, since having cataract surgery a couple of years back, I now use my right eye.

Some years back, a friend took a photo as I was sighting in on a groundhog, some 100 yards out. "Jeez, Bob, you're sighting with the wrong eye!" he exclaimed. After I dropped the groundhog, he added, "Buddy, that was one h*** of a shot!"

Bob Wright

And, yes, when I was a little kid, I used both fingers to pull the trigger.


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## mccoy (Dec 31, 2007)

Mike Barham said:


> Uhhh...not sure I understand. I am right-handed, so I hold the gun in my right hand and use my right index finger to press the trigger. My left hand supports and stabilizes the pistol, and assists in managing recoil.
> 
> If I were left-handed, I'd do it exactly the opposite.
> 
> Is this a trick question?


Nope, buI knew it might have caused some misunderstanding since both hands are actually involved in shooting.

And I did'n want to call it right-handed or left-handed since that may not always correspond with other common activities like writing, eating, et-cetera.

That has been explained in some detail by Bob. Also, I'm right handed but I started to shoot with either hand and I'm all right with it, although in all other activities I'm right handed.

In other words, by 'strong' hand I mean the hand which grabs the gun's butt or grips and actuates the trigger. The 'weak' hand just supports and stabilizes the 'strong' hand together with the gun.

OK, I'll re-formulate the question more clearly


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

Your question was clear to me as written mccoy.

I am right handed and eyed but can shoot with either hand.

:smt1099


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## neophyte (Aug 13, 2007)

*two handed*

mccoy: Sir; I didn't read your question until after I voted
Thought I knew the question before hand.

Four left shoulders later; 
only right hand; strong.
Left; nothing good is going to happen:mrgreen:


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Thanks for the edit. The comments about the trigger finger threw me off.

I train for weak hand (left hand for me) shooting, but I am very far from ambidextrous. Left handed shooting is work for me.


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## akr (Mar 8, 2007)

mccoy said:


> Are you right-handed or left-handed in shooting an handgun (or ambidextrous)?
> 
> Right-handed means you grab the gun's butt and actuate the trigger by your right hand, eventually supporting and stabilizing right hand and gun with your left hand.


Does it have to be the gun's butt? :anim_lol:


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## mccoy (Dec 31, 2007)

akr said:


> Does it have to be the gun's butt? :anim_lol:


akr,
in this board, *rigorously so *!!!!!!


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## Ram Rod (Jan 16, 2008)

What can I say----right is right!


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## mccoy (Dec 31, 2007)

I wonder,
since the number of answers to the poll starts being representative enough, what about the circa 20% of guys who shoot left-handedly a revolver?

Do revolvers come in left-handed version, so that the cylinder is ejected on the right hand side of the frame? Or do you have to juggle some to eject the spent rounds and reload?


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Actually, a lefty with the correct technique can reload a revolver faster than a righty.


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## stormbringerr (May 22, 2007)

i shoot right handed but, i use a spoon or fork w/my left hand.


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## mccoy (Dec 31, 2007)

Mike Barham said:


> Actually, a lefty with the correct technique can reload a revolver faster than a righty.


Mike, I'm not using moonclips nor speedloaders now, when I'll get started with them I'll be back to you for advise...


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

Well, I can shoot with either hand, also.

But, if I want to hit what I'm aiming at, I shoot right handed!


Bob Wright


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

stormbringerr said:


> i shoot right handed but, i use a spoon or fork w/my left hand.


Ha! Good combination-you don't have to put down one to use the other!

Bob Wright


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## mccoy (Dec 31, 2007)

Bob Wright said:


> Ha! Good combination-you don't have to put down one to use the other!
> 
> Bob Wright


:lol::lol::smt082


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## Dave James (May 15, 2007)

I am mostly left handed in day to day things but when it comes to fire arms was taught to be ambidextrous as a child.


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## unpecador (May 9, 2008)

I'm right handed but I practice a little with the left when shooting.


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## Deltaboy1984 (Jun 1, 2008)

mccoy said:


> Are you right-handed or left-handed in shooting an handgun (or ambidextrous)?
> 
> Right-handed means you grab the gun's butt and actuate the trigger by your right hand, eventually supporting and stabilizing right hand and gun with your left hand.


I am a natural southpaw but my dad forced me to learn to do things with both hands So I can shoot a rifle or handgun righthanded if the need arises.

Thanks DAD!:smt1099


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## IntegraGSR (Nov 6, 2007)

I shoot and write left handed, but I throw/bat right handed. Although I usually shoot a mag or two right handed whenever I go to the range to try to train it.


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## Mosquito (Mar 11, 2008)

I am a lefty, and I shoot revolvers with my left hand being my strong hand. When I shoot semiautomatics, I use my right hand as my strong hand. Weird.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

My right hand is my strong hand, but I shoot pretty well with my left, too.
I favor my right hand mostly because I'm right-eyed.

(I learned, a long time ago, that if you are cross-dominant, follow the master eye, not the strong hand.)


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## Willy D (Jun 5, 2008)

I write, throw, catch, kick, shoot, eat, play drums and just about everything else right handed..I consider myself right handed....I try to shoot with one hand only with right and left and I also try to shoot left handed with two hand grip when I go to the range (left hand holding and pulling trigger, right supporting, left eye on sights)...

What is weird is whenever I do any excersizes or weight lifting, my left hand is actually stronger by nature than my right...I have been using a hand excersizer lately to improve my grip strength and I can tell my grip is stronger in the left, but my left hand and foot is less coordinated than my right...When I ride my bicycle or my motorcycle I am more comfortable turning tight turns to my left side versus my right side..

Willy


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Being left handed I learned early on that I was going to rather do everything bas akward as us leftys are resigns to doing or I was going to learn to use both. So shooting firearms, playing my drums, shooting pool..well..about everything but writing I do with both. I write left handed and I bowl left handed (Neither I do really well..heh:anim_lol. I guess that would make me pretty good two handed shooting :smt082 I really don't know being ammo is just too expensive to be shooting "two fisted" Plus it scares people if you're shooting on a public range..heh


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## BigMatt (Sep 4, 2008)

I am completely ambidextrous. I am more comfortable shooting left handed but actually a little more accurate right handed.


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## Fred40 (Jan 7, 2008)

I am left hand dominant. Eat, write, golf, bowl, bat....all left handed. 

However....I'm very right eye dominant and have always found it natural to shoot right handed.....that includes bows.


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## xjclassic (May 15, 2008)

I fought this when I first got into shooting hand guns. I'm Left handed and right eye dominant. Felt just as comfortable shooting with both hand and when I realized it made no difference about eye dominance I mostly use left hand because it just feel more natural. I shoot long guns and archery right handed. I have noticed depending on how I set the gun down depends on which hand I pick it up with and shoot.


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## oak1971 (Apr 28, 2008)

I am pretty good with either one. Slightly better with the right. I learned to shoot one handed from the oldtimers in our league. Most of them were in korea and always used just one hand. they said they were trained like that in the Army. The arm you don't use goes behind your back, legs at a right angle to the target.


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

I like most lefty's am pretty good with either. Out of all my handguns only one is set up to be left handed. A Ruger 10-22 that I'm building. I got a stock that is made for left hand people. I shoot either hand depending what I feel like doing.


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## clanger (Jan 27, 2009)

Mike Barham said:


> Actually, a lefty with the correct technique can reload a revolver faster than a righty.


Yep.

Even shooting strong-right...

Cradle gun with left hand (middle and ring finger through cylinder window) and eject with left thumb, then, reload w/ SL from the right.


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## Tuefelhunden (Nov 20, 2006)

With handguns my LH is most comfortable and natural but learned to shoot RH as well thanks to USMC draw, rack and fire speed drills with RH only holsters. Wrong handed I shoot better at speed than slow and deliberate. Less time to mess it up by starting to think about it I guess. Rifles I shoot lefty and honestly have never tried RH but with practice I imagine it is doable.

Outside of shooting I do different things with either my left or my right as the dominant or instinctive choice. Pen with my Left and fork with my Right kind of thing. I don't know what you call that other than strange.


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## Blanco720 (Dec 22, 2008)

I am definitely right handed/eyed. I think ill try lefty this next range trip though. should be interesting...


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## BigSkiff (Mar 6, 2009)

Lefty, but right eye dominate. (Used to be left eye dominate). I can shoot with either hand but in a push it's always going to be left hand first.


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## Chesty21 (Mar 14, 2009)

Ambidextrous, I can fire a handgun with either and I just as good with either as well.


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## Razorback58 (Mar 20, 2009)

I'm right handed, and the only time that I ever fired a weapon left handed was in the military. Actually, it's not a bad idea to work on being ambidextrous with a pistol as you never know when the need will arise.


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## ECHOONE (Dec 10, 2008)

The C.A.R. Technique is if your dominate hand is your right hand you draw with right hand supporting with the left holding weapon at a slight angle and aiming with your left eye both eyes open vice versa for left hand dominace


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## TheReaper (Nov 14, 2008)

Right Handed but shoot pretty well with the Left.


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## tateb24 (Oct 22, 2009)

I tried to shoot lefty one time, I dropped it in the dirt. Never again


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## VasSigmeister (Jan 3, 2010)

I'm right handed, so I shoot with the right hand.


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## Frank45 (Feb 21, 2010)

*Right or left hand?*

I'm left handed I can shoot with both, living in a right handed world I bacame ambi.:smt071


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## parisite (Feb 23, 2010)

Right-handed!

These polls are great at getting my post count up so I can look at the classifieds.:anim_lol::mrgreen:


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## fudo (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm as left-handed as can be.


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## mr.pink (Jan 18, 2011)

I shoot handguns with my right hand, but rifles with my left hand. I am right handed, but left eye dominant-- this seems to have been the easiest way to compensate.


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## dondavis3 (Aug 2, 2009)

I'm a lefty all the way.

:smt1099


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## Glock Doctor (Mar 14, 2011)

I am predominantly right-handed; however, I have no trouble at all switching to my left-hand with all: power tools, knives, and handguns. When I worked on a framing crew while I was in college, the old Swedish foreman remarked several times that in 40, some odd, years of building houses he'd never before met anyone who could (skillfully) swing a hammer with either hand. 

Back in those days a good man with a hammer could sink 6 and 8 penny nails with just one clean shot and a, 'hammer bounce'. When nailing a deck, you had to do this over and over again, sometimes, for hours. 

(Guess old Mr. Larsson never had his right-hand mangled when he was a young boy - Huh!)


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