Left-handed AR shooters?

[clandestine]

Technically a LH Barrel Extension is not needed, the Bolt Head Lugs just should be chamfered on the other side to help locking/unlocking, but even without chamfering it wont cause damage.

Heres how I build LH AR's:
Stag LH Upper Receiver
Stag LH Bolt Group
Noveske Mid Length Barrel/Extension
Spikes M4 Lower, COmplete with ST-2 Buffer
Magpul ASAP Rear Sling Plate
Armamament Dynamics Ambi Charging Handle
Norgon Ambi Magazine Release
DPMS Ambi Safety
Magpul BAD (Still helps LH Shooters)
YHM FF Lightweight Handguard
Magpul MBUS 2 BUIS



I have a LH AR with a Std Barrel Extension and it has almost 6 thousand rounds through it with no accelerated wear or Bolt Head or Barrel Extension Lug issues. Im a true ambidextrious person. Even though Im right handed Im left eye dominant, so left hand guns work better for me with iron sights, but ill often shoot right hand with optics.

 

[Chaunsey]

ya as far as ive seen no one makes an actual left hand lower, its only the upper and BCG that need to be left handed.

the controls on the lower are all available ambi, and the barrel and rails should be standard.

my brother is left hand too, and im also getting him a lower on the group buy.

while you certainly dont "need" a left hand rifle to shoot left hand, if you're building it, you might aswell build it the way he'll enjoy it the most.

 

[Hol3shot]

Technically a LH Barrel Extension is not needed, the Bolt Head Lugs just should be chamfered on the other side to help locking/unlocking, but even without chamfering it wont cause damage.

Heres how I build LH AR's:
Stag LH Upper Receiver
Stag LH Bolt Group
Noveske Mid Length Barrel/Extension
Spikes M4 Lower, COmplete with ST-2 Buffer
Magpul ASAP Rear Sling Plate
Armamament Dynamics Ambi Charging Handle
Norgon Ambi Magazine Release
DPMS Ambi Safety
Magpul BAD (Still helps LH Shooters)
YHM FF Lightweight Handguard
Magpul MBUS 2 BUIS



I have a LH AR with a Std Barrel Extension and it has almost 6 thousand rounds through it with no accelerated wear or Bolt Head or Barrel Extension Lug issues. Im a true ambidextrious person. Even though Im right handed Im left eye dominant, so left hand guns work better for me with iron sights, but ill often shoot right hand with optics.

Wow - that Norgon is expensive!
I'm going to pick up the Magpul BAD, DPMS safety and a few other things once I figure out what I plan on doing to my M&P 15.
Thanks for the list

 

[Biggfoot44]

Have him shoot a RH AR . "Most" shooters can deal with the brass issue, a minority are driven batty. Ambi saftey is a 50/50 tossup. Otherwise start him out with conventional mag release and bolt release , and only think about changing if he has signifigant issues.

 

[hole punch]

Have him shoot a RH AR . "Most" shooters can deal with the brass issue, a minority are driven batty. Ambi saftey is a 50/50 tossup. Otherwise start him out with conventional mag release and bolt release , and only think about changing if he has signifigant issues.

I'm trying to but things keep coming up! lol. His is going to be primarily a bench rest gun, so I think I'll steer him towards getting right-handed parts for the time being, and if he has problems with anything we know there's upgrades available.

 

[Hyper-W]

Brass isn't the issue for hardly anyone. It's the gas that comes out of the ejection port. That is annoying and why I use a left eject for target practice.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

 

[JMintzer]

Another lefty here. I don't notice the gas or residue from shooting. On a bench rifle, it doesn't matter. But once you've taken a carbine class with Tom Peronni, you'll see the advantages of an ambi safety, charging handle and mag release. Doing a tactical mag change with your right hand is damn near impossible w/o an ambi mag release. Tom and I worked on it for a few minutes and we came to the conclusion that you either have to take your left hand off the handgrip and do it like a righty, or get an ambi mag release.

For my 2nd class, I had swapped out the parts and it was like night and day. Your left hand never has to leave it's correct shooting position to drop a mag, and you right hand can easily pull back the charging handle. Your left index finger can also reach the bolt release.

The only issue is the bras flying across your face. But, if you're on target, you won't even notice it...

Of course, ymmv...


Jamie

 

[Daily Llama]

Stag Arms.

There are only 3 specific parts (upper reciever, BCG, and ambi barrel extension) to build a lefty-specific upper (stag's lefty lower is just a regular lower with an ambi safety.) If you email Stag, they can sell you those 3 parts. Ambi Safety is a must.

The Stag Arms "ambi" barrel extension - alone - won't be of any use in a "build" ....... without a barrel attached to it. Have never, EVER heard of even the most skilled gunsmith in the Milky Way removing one B.E. and re-attaching another one - and having the locating pin align back in place *perfectly*! And it MUST .... if one wishes the front sight / gas block port to be in linear agreement with the axis of the bore of the barrel / alignment pin / fitment notch on the upper receiver ..... (An as far as considering simply re-drilling this little pin hole, don't forget that the alingment pin must be 180.00 degrees *opposite* the center of the two B.E. feed ramps - to be in the proper position to receive new rounds picked up by the loading "pawl" pin on the bolt ... )

 

[jonnyl]

The Stag Arms "ambi" barrel extension - alone - won't be of any use in a "build" ....... without a barrel attached to it. Have never, EVER heard of even the most skilled gunsmith in the Milky Way removing one B.E. and re-attaching another one - and having the locating pin align back in place *perfectly*! And it MUST .... if one wishes the front sight / gas block port to be in linear agreement with the axis of the bore of the barrel / alignment pin / fitment notch on the upper receiver ..... (An as far as considering simply re-drilling this little pin hole, don't forget that the alingment pin must be 180.00 degrees *opposite* the center of the two B.E. feed ramps - to be in the proper position to receive new rounds picked up by the loading "pawl" pin on the bolt ... )

He's probably done with the build by now

 

[SSDD]

He's probably done with the build by now

Aaaand I just noticed this was necro'd. My bad. I believe my post below still applies though

ya as far as ive seen no one makes an actual left hand lower, its only the upper and BCG that need to be left handed.

the controls on the lower are all available ambi, and the barrel and rails should be standard.

my brother is left hand too, and im also getting him a lower on the group buy.

while you certainly dont "need" a left hand rifle to shoot left hand, if you're building it, you might aswell build it the way he'll enjoy it the most.

I understand the OP said a dedicated lower is out of the question, but here is a Fully ambi lower I built for those that are interested. It is a AX556 by AXTS (link)
-Safety selector on both sides
-Bolt catch release on both sides
-Mag release in the normal place on both sides

Not ambi related, but when you press the mag release it also raises the bolt catch. It's a great feature for clearing jambs without changing your grip.
Edit: Now that I think about it, that is ambi related because it allows you to Engage the bolt catch from both sides.

 

[Daily Llama]

I'm trying to but things keep coming up! lol. His is going to be primarily a bench rest gun, so I think I'll steer him towards getting right-handed parts for the time being, and if he has problems with anything we know there's upgrades available.

I think we need to be pretty clear - and FAIR! - about the issue(s) of a person going "sinister lefty"! As far as a high-cyclic semi-automatic rifle anyway!!!

From birth, I've been sight-impaired in my right eye - and other than kicking a soccer ball (or pointy football) left-footed, I'm otherwise as "righty" as can be. (Or so I thought .... )

From the end of high school until shorty before retirement, I basically shunned much in the way of a "sophisticated" semi-auto sporting arm because .... I simply couldn't operate one - comfortably (read that "safely") - as a "righty". Definitely couldn't - and WOULDN'T - dare shoot one "all humped-over"!!!

I can barely hold a pencil in my left hand ... but have realized over time that my right index finger - as far as operating a trigger - is useless. Your body adapts ... and never "forgets". Once one is forced - in my case, due to a dead right eye - to shoot "lefty", that's it. Sight with your left eye, pull the trigger with the left index finger. I have no "feel" for a trigger pull with my right index finger ....

So "sinister lefty" isn't so sinister after all. In the case of many of us, it's a necessity; it's that way or the *wrong* way .... (Like being a Demon-crat, you see that "right is all wrong!")

 

[lawrencewendall]

These have the brass deflectors built in.

DPMS 16" Oracle Rifle Kit (Less Stripped Receiver)

jsesurplus.com

 

[jonnyl]

Aaaand I just noticed this was necro'd. My bad. I believe my post below still applies though

Zombie threads can still have useful info!

 

[Daily Llama]

Aaaand I just noticed this was necro'd. My bad. I believe my post below still applies though



I understand the OP said a dedicated lower is out of the question, but here is a Fully ambi lower I built for those that are interested. It is a AX556 by AXTS (link)
-Safety selector on both sides
-Bolt catch release on both sides
-Mag release in the normal place on both sides

Not ambi related, but when you press the mag release it also raises the bolt catch. It's a great feature for clearing jambs without changing your grip.

This Lower Receiver looks mighty impressive! It's machined from a solid billet - or "chunk" - of aluminum, rather than starting out from a "forging" ... the typical, mass-produced "raw" forgings usec for *genuine* Department of Defense, MIL-spec hardware wouldn't have the right physical configurations to allow a TRUE ambidextrous design.

However, start from scratch with a "clean sheet of paper" - a true ambi design, a multi-axis CNC machine programmed to the Nth degree - and a chunk of aluminum ...... and almost anything is possible!!!

At 450 bucks each, that's more than 2X what I'm willing to pay. For those who choose to, rock on!!!

 

[bkuether]

Sinister lefty?

You have NO idea what kind of crap we have had to put up with.

Walk a day in our shoes. Oh and BTW....

Left handed.... RIGHT brained.

Sorry I get testy about these things. Brings back really BAD memories.

OK I am better now.

 

[Leeann]

I'm lefty and left-eye dominant. No trouble with a standard AR. I do have an ambi safety and charging handle.

No trouble at all with gas or brass.

And no, righties have no idea what lefties have to go through. Spiral-bound notebooks, scissors....need I say more?

 

[bkuether]

I'm lefty and left-eye dominant. No trouble with a standard AR. I do have an ambi safety and charging handle.

No trouble at all with gas or brass.

And no, righties have no idea what lefties have to go through. Spiral-bound notebooks, scissors....need I say more?

Every paper marked "sloppy". Yeah I know. Lived it, breathed it every day.

 

[BradMacc82]

Lefty on long guns, ambi on pistols.

AR is pretty lefty friendly, moreso with an ambi-safety/ambi mag release.

Had 2 dedicated lefties (Stag), after shooting a properly setup righty and having no issues, now all I have are righties (finding parts is much easier).

 

[Leeann]

Every paper marked "sloppy". Yeah I know. Lived it, breathed it every day.

Mine weren't marked sloppy. My teachers complained I wrote too small

Mine were marked WRITE LARGER

 

[bkuether]

So for anyone jumping on this zombie thread.

I am dominant left handed. (I only hold my beer with my right hand...not sure why) I have been burned by powder and gas my entire life shooting right hand ejecting guns. So I wanted a left handed AR. So I bought a Stag.

I love it. But..... Everyone on this list said you don't need it. I scoffed at them.

Then Newtown happened. I bought a right handed AR. Guess what? Never had brass or blow back issues on my right handed AR.

Soooo...... Shoot one before you buy.

I will say that I have an ambi safety on all of my ARs. I can't stand the right handed ambi, that is one change I recommend.