Lefties.

A

Arnold Grove

Proactive member
Joined
Jan 31, 2025
Messages
1,433
Reaction score
3,174
Location
North East
What is it with manufacturers designing dedicated handed stocks and actions yet not catering for left handed people ?

Around 10% of the population is left handed so what sense is there in reducing your market to 90% of its full potential ?

I can’t believe it’s that difficult for Minnelli to cut a mirror image stock, or for the gun makers to reverse the few bits of the action needed.

Most pissed off because I had decided on an Air Arms Pro Sport .177 only to find out today they discontinued the LH Walnut stock about 6 months ago. Well that’s £900 which Air Arms will not be getting but Weihrauch now will, at least the HW97 is ambidextrous.

Shame, I really wanted the Pro Sport and had saved my pennies for one. It looks a fabulous gun with a ‘proper’ underlever i.e. Airsporter style.

Guitar makers produce Lefties to cater for the market so why not gun makers - but then they reckon a greater proportion of artistic people are left handed.

Just seems so lazy and stupid for gun manufacturers not to cater for all. Sort of puts you off those who don’t bother themselves.
 
Last edited:
A well documented pet peeve.....perhaps needed this in get it off your chest :)

left handed pro sports do come up second hand occasionally - you may want to put a wanted ad out for one (when you reach the required number of posts).

I personally don't mind ambi stocks :-)
 
The Pro Sport has a gold plated Rekord equalling trigger for God’s sake !

Why the hell would Air Arms think only 90% of the market would be interested ? Muppets.
 
So how many of us shoot rifle left handed AND have a heart pacemaker? I got close to ditching rifles completely (my love is target pistol so no biggie) until I got it right with a third party butt hook.

IMG_9785.webp
 
I,m a leftie with a pacemaker so what,s the makers problems with ALL STOCKS being made ambi like my "97?
 
As I have said before, many years ago, I was talking to a guy from BSA about this issue and he said to me;
"Remember, we're not in the business to make airguns, we're in the business to make money."
That extra 10% of the market will take 20-30% of the cost to cater for, it's not economical to re tool for such a small market. With wooden stocks though, it ought to be easy. A lot of them are going to be turned out on CNC mills. I've never worked on one of those, but I can't imagine it would be difficult to switch it to "mirror image" for a day or two to churn out a few cack handed stocks. As for the Pro Sport, I wanted one for years, then I discovered you could get a left handed walnut stock. I had the money so I jumped at the chance;
2 AIR ARMS PRO SPORT .22.webp

Have to say I have never regretted it! Best springer I have ever shot.

Why they can't do more ambidextrous stocks is another issue though. It seems to be the obvious answer to the problem...
 
i am a leftie but i do everything else righthanded i have the same problem. had a custom made rifle grip for my pcp has the one on the gun just did'nt fee right.... and true lefthanded rifles are few and far between
 
crissdee said:
As I have said before, many years ago, I was talking to a guy from BSA about this issue and he said to me;
"Remember, we're not in the business to make airguns, we're in the business to make money."
That extra 10% of the market will take 20-30% of the cost to cater for, it's not economical to re tool for such a small market. With wooden stocks though, it ought to be easy. A lot of them are going to be turned out on CNC mills. I've never worked on one of those, but I can't imagine it would be difficult to switch it to "mirror image" for a day or two to churn out a few cack handed stocks. As for the Pro Sport, I wanted one for years, then I discovered you could get a left handed walnut stock. I had the money so I jumped at the chance;View attachment 672019
Have to say I have never regretted it! Best springer I have ever shot.

Why they can't do more ambidextrous stocks is another issue though. It seems to be the obvious answer to the problem...
Click to expand...
Well I’m well jel of that !!!

I get the point of re-tooling for the few handed bits needed to make a dedicated left-handed model but given that Air Arms had already done this having produced the LH Walnut stock why stop ? The LH market doesn’t just suddenly dry up for no good reason.

Even if they charge a bit more (e.g 10%) I don’t think we’d complain too much.

Anyway, enjoy your Pro Sport with its gold plated trigger. Looks amazing.

When you get bored with it….
 
Mattb said:
I’m a lefty and always prefer a left handed stock to an ambi but I love right handed actions. Just feels right to cock the rifle with my right hand,keeping my left hand on the pistol grip.
Click to expand...
Isn’t that the full mirror symmetry for Left Handed ? Left eye, Left hand on the pistol grip whilst cocking the rifle with the Right hand and loading with the Left ? It’s certainly how I’ve done it since a kid.

I’m not a full-on Lefty, just with some things:-

Lefty: Cricket bat, rifle.

Ambidextrous: Fly casting (you just need to learn it), guitar (feels easy either way).

Righty: Writing, darts, drinking pints, politics and the annexation of the Sudetenland.

Given how much I desire a Pro Sport I’m wondering if it’s worth me getting a RH model and just adapting for when I use it. My dominant (and optically good) eye is the left but with correction by glasses and scope diopters I presume I could find a work around. Lot of money to take the gamble though. Hmmmm.

..or Air Arms could just get their fingers out and start making the LH Walnut stock again.
 
Last edited:
Arnold Grove said:
Isn’t that the full mirror symmetry for Left Handed ? Left eye, Left hand on the pistol grip whilst cocking the rifle with the Right hand and loading with the Left ? It’s certainly how I’ve done it since a kid.

I’m not a full-on Lefty, just with some things:-

Lefty: Cricket bat, rifle.

Ambidextrous: Fly casting (you just need to learn it), guitar (feels easy either way).

Righty: Writing, darts, drinking pints, politics and the annexation of the Sudetenland.

Given how much I desire a Pro Sport I’m wondering if it’s worth me getting a RH model and just adapting for when I use it. My dominant (and optically good) eye is the left but with correction by glasses and scope diopters I presume I could find a work around. Lot of money to take the gamble though. Hmmmm.

..or Air Arms could just get their fingers out and start making the LH Walnut stock again.
Click to expand...
No left handed loading with multi shot PCPs…..
 
Ambidexterous in many things but shooting, it's totally Southpaw. I'm a Lefty and left eye dominant due to an accident in my childhood which left me with only "light vision" in my right eye.
I can't calculate the sum of money I've spent on acquiring left hand air rifles, Rimfies and Centrefire rifles in my shooting life and at the age of 72 I am, to be honest not too concerned to fret about it anymore. It's not just the stocks, it's the actions too which are almost non existent in a true left handed foremat.
Like the OP, years back, I too lusted for a true left handed AA Prosport and to cut a long storey short as they say, I eventually bought a .177 Cal. version eighteen months ago with a particularly attractive walnut stock through my local FRD.
Not long after I decided that I wanted the same in .22 Cal but as the OP points out, upon contacting AA, I was duely informed they were no longer obtainable.....SHOCK HORROR ! 😱
Further more to that, the TX200's are only available left handed to order.
I may still order a standard (long) barrelled left hand walnut TX200 .177 in future but to be honest, I now grow weary of the fuss and the bother !
 
Last edited:
I’m a lefty too, right handed for everything else just left eye dominant, all my guns are ambidextrous
Fenman
Rapid 7 mk1
Bsa ultra se walnut
Eclipse mk1 not ambi but no problem at all shooting left
I have always wanted a AA pro sport but I’m not paying that premium price tag for a left hand walnut stock
So many rifles I have had to let slide because either no ambi stock or right hand dedicated only
🫣😞
 
Mickyp said:
I’m a lefty too, right handed for everything else just left eye dominant, all my guns are ambidextrous
Fenman
Rapid 7 mk1
Bsa ultra se walnut
Eclipse mk1 not ambi but no problem at all shooting left
I have always wanted a AA pro sport but I’m not paying that premium price tag for a left hand walnut stock
So many rifles I have had to let slide because either no ambi stock or right hand dedicated only
🫣😞
Click to expand...
Absolutly, I share your pain !
 
Mickyp said:
I’m a lefty too, right handed for everything else just left eye dominant, all my guns are ambidextrous
Fenman
Rapid 7 mk1
Bsa ultra se walnut
Eclipse mk1 not ambi but no problem at all shooting left
I have always wanted a AA pro sport but I’m not paying that premium price tag for a left hand walnut stock
So many rifles I have had to let slide because either no ambi stock or right hand dedicated only
🫣😞
Click to expand...
Even if you’re willing to pay a premium Micky it matters not a jot given Air Arms no longer do a LH Prosport. Total barstools 🤬

Left Handers Matter too !

#LHM.
 
Arnold Grove said:
Even if you’re willing to pay a premium Micky it matters not a jot given Air Arms no longer do a LH Prosport. Total barstools 🤬

Left Handers Matter too !

#LHM.
Click to expand...
Left hand stocks still available on the air arms site last time I looked, I have always been tempted to get a very good condition beech stock and have a CS stock made still works out cheaper 😊
 
Mattb said:
No left handed loading with multi shot PCPs…..
Click to expand...
My red wolf is left hand loading. and all my rifles are ambidextrous apart from my TX which is a lefty.
Being a lefty in any part of life is a minor disability for pricing and availability, was just looking at a CS stock for my 98 a couple of weeks ago and the 16 quid surcharge was a deal breaker as not expensive it is discriminatory to a certain degree
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top