Working a Bolt Action Lefty Style

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Hi Folks,

I was asked on another board about sling positions and how do I work the bolt action on a rifle, anyway, without dismounting from my shoulder? I took pics and figured I'd post them here as well in the hopes it might help someone.

Hasty Hasty sling:

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Hasty sling:

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I hope this was informative. A lefty bolt is nice, but not necessary, and the lefty need not suffer due to a bolt action on the wrong side!

Regards,

Josh
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Re: Working a Bolt Action Lefty Style

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Your technique looks like it works a lot better with a standard Mosin straight bolt handle compared to a bent one.

When you sling up like that it's good to leave your (slung) support arm in place while you work the bolt, load rounds, etc. with your strong hand. So BearLeft's technique wouldn't work as well with a sling on.

Josh, have you tried slinging up, say, prone, and loading rounds with a stripper clip for rapid fire stages? That's not easy with a Garand, and it might be even harder with a Mosin or other bolt rifle.

Ideally, you leave your support arm and elbow in place and use your strong (trigger) hand to pull the butt out of your shoulder and down to the mat to tilt the rifle up a bit. Then you load rounds and snuggle the butt back into your shoulder pocket, all with your strong hand.
"To initiate a war of aggression...is the supreme international crime" - Nuremberg prosecutor Robert Jackson, 1946

Re: Working a Bolt Action Lefty Style

7
Elmo wrote:Your technique looks like it works a lot better with a standard Mosin straight bolt handle compared to a bent one.

When you sling up like that it's good to leave your (slung) support arm in place while you work the bolt, load rounds, etc. with your strong hand. So BearLeft's technique wouldn't work as well with a sling on.

Josh, have you tried slinging up, say, prone, and loading rounds with a stripper clip for rapid fire stages? That's not easy with a Garand, and it might be even harder with a Mosin or other bolt rifle.

Ideally, you leave your support arm and elbow in place and use your strong (trigger) hand to pull the butt out of your shoulder and down to the mat to tilt the rifle up a bit. Then you load rounds and snuggle the butt back into your shoulder pocket, all with your strong hand.
I do have big hands and this might help me, but as well, the Mosin I have has some machined relief for easier stripper clip feeding.

The biggest hindrance, however, is that I got used to loading with stripper clips using my right hand. When use the Mosin, it's hardly ever prone unless testing a load or sighting in.

In the field, if I have to fire it, I'm sitting, kneeling, or standing. Kneeling, for example, finds my left hand holding the forearm with the buttpad against my leg, and my right and operates the stripper clip.

Actually, for excellent control, I put my thumb on the bottom of the stock and put my four fingers of my right hand on the top round for even pressure that can be adjusted as the rounds go in.

Those four fingers to follow all the rounds in, too, so I never have the first round pop out as some do.

I've been working with dummy ammo at doing the same thing, prone, with my left hand without dismounting the rifle. The result is a loading procedure that looks sort of like I'm firing the rifle like a rocket launcher.

I think, however, if I'm going to eventually try shooting an Appleseed with this, I'll need that sort of loading speed and I'll need to do everything possible to keep my right hand from moving from its slung position. The right hand needs to stay put.

All rimlock issues the rifle could have, have been put to rest. Ditto all mechanical errors that might have been overlooked during refurbishment.

Now the trick will be to overcome user error and streamline the process as much as I possibly can.

A while back, I hosted a "Mad Mosin Minute" on YouTube. The idea was to fire a Mosin-Nagant at the speed of a British "mad minute" drill.

If I recall, there was one who made and several who came very close. Accuracy was not a goal, but I believe (again, it's been a while) that all rounds had to be kept on an 8.5x11" sheet of printer paper.

It can be done. It's just not easy to do!

Regards,

Josh
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Re: Working a Bolt Action Lefty Style

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I need some insight from my fellow lefties here, so I'm resurrecting a zombie thread.

Right-handed daughter's deer rifle is a right handed bolt. I'm left handed. When lefty's talk about using righty bolts actions, they seem to use one of two methods.

- Method 1. Use right hand (support hand) to work the bolt without moving left hand.
- Method 2. Reach over action with left hand (trigger hand) and work the right handed bolt.

So, Method 1 seems to work well for a lot of people and I see it promoted as actually superior in some ways for bench shooting. I have two problems when I try. First, the bolt comes straight back into my left hand unless I move it, thereby negating the benefit of keeping the trigger hand in position. Second, it's a hunting rifle, so no bench shooting and removing right hand (support hand) makes rifle unstable. Hopefully stabilized on a tree or something so maybe that part will work. It's hunting so maybe not really a big deal as the first shot is all you're supposed to need. But a follow up shot is still something one wants to have the ability to do. So, anyone use Method 1 and not injure their left hand in the process? Or am I doing something completely wrong?

Method 2 seems more natural to me as a lefty who has spent 50+ years grabbing tools meant for righties and doing whatever needs doing. And as the guy with the Mosin above shows, this can work well. But his Mosin has no scope and the scope gets in my way. Still this seems the best, so maybe I just need to practice more.

Method 3 would be getting a lefty rifle, but they seem hard to find and hard to sell if they don't work out. So that doesn't appeal to me.

What are you lefties doing? Share your struggle please.

Re: Working a Bolt Action Lefty Style

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I just got a mosin and I am working the bolt with my left hand going over top. To me this feelsnatural and makes sense because of the weight of the rifle. I pull the rifle with my right hand into my shoulder then let up with my left hand to go over the top and work the straight bolt. I found this to be very awkward with a bent bolt but fairly simple with a straight bolt.

I am not sure about this part but I wonder if it is different for cock on open or cock on close. I could see cock on close being a bit more challenging but I'd need to experiment with that.

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