Left handed firing poses (1 Viewer)

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forlornhoper

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Whilst viewing my collection today,i observed for the first time,that all the figures i had in fighting /firing /shooting poses were all right handed,not one figure had a left handed pose.Has anyone else observed this phenomena ? I have had a quick look at the naps and as far as i can see all the firing/ at the ready/defending etc poses are all right handed, therefore a firing line or square would have no left handers in their number,seems a little unusual to have no left handers,the closest i have in my collection is the Bonham Figure from the Alamo Range holding his weapon in the left hand and the flag with his right,are there others ? ken
 
forlornhoper said:
Whilst viewing my collection today,i observed for the first time,that all the figures i had in fighting /firing /shooting poses were all right handed,not one figure had a left handed pose.Has anyone else observed this phenomena ? I have had a quick look at the naps and as far as i can see all the firing/ at the ready/defending etc poses are all right handed, therefore a firing line or square would have no left handers in their number,seems a little unusual to have no left handers,the closest i have in my collection is the Bonham Figure from the Alamo Range holding his weapon in the left hand and the flag with his right,are there others ? ken
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The muskets and everything else including the firing drill manuals were set up for right handed drill. They even say things like "take the cartridge in the right hand...."

What's funny is that Napoleon was left-handed.

Terry
 
Terry does that mean there was no left handers in the 19th century firing muskets ? All my WW2 figures are right handed too,there must have been a few left handers fighting on the Eastern Front surely,there must have been a few left handers in the Italian ranks or is that left footers ( thats a british phrase) LOL. Ken
 
Do you think that's why there are so fre eople left handed?,because of the millions of soldiers in armies who had to fire and use their right hands for their weapons, so when they had children their genes caused their kids to be right handed?

It's crazy to think about!:)
 
Take a raw kid from home that probably never touched a firearm, drill him incessantly , he'll learn right hand shooting skills . People already right handed and unfamiliar with longarms are just as awkward , at first.Drill and more drill followed by drill.
fub
 
The Napoleonic era firing line was a crowded place with even foot positions taught for each rank. There was no place for an infantryman firing left-handed

Terry
 
Having fired flintlocks I can say I wouldn't want to fire it left handed. The pan and flash-hole are on the right side. Shooting it left handed would place the flash from the burning powder in the pan right in front of the shooters face. Also, any gases coming back through the flash-hole would cross in front of the shooters face rather than away to the right.
 
At the time of the First World War the British army, using the SMLE, were drilled to fire AT LEAST 15 rounds a minute for "rapid fire". Some experienced shots could get off 20. On experiencing this barrage for the first time the German army was convinced that the number of machine guns per battalion was far higher than the established two per battalion. This rate of fire would be impossible for a left hander using a bolt action.
 
The currant issue SA80 can't be fired left handed, were as the previously issue L1A1 SLR could be. I always found that to be an advantage when looking round a right hand corner.

Martin
 
forlornhoper said:
Terry does that mean there was no left handers in the 19th century firing muskets ? All my WW2 figures are right handed too,there must have been a few left handers fighting on the Eastern Front surely,there must have been a few left handers in the Italian ranks or is that left footers ( thats a british phrase) LOL. Ken
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Howay the lads.

Martin
 
Fields of Battle there was aleft hander. The laying firing tommy was a lefty.

not sure of the number but he only went discontinued a short while ago

Tony
 
My father was right handed but shot left-handed in WW II as an infantryman. It was something with his eyes. When the History Channel did some show on period weapons, a couple of the modern marksmen were left handed shooters with weapons that had the locks on the right.

As far as men firing in ranks, it's dangerous for the men beside him and the soldier himself as it places his face too near the flint or cap lock. It's awkward with bolt action weapons as well but a modern era marksman figure could show a left-handed man.
 
Well, they say left handed people are in their right mind:):)

Bill W
 
Almost all military drill and two handed weapons up through the beginning of the 20th Century were designed for right handed shooting. While I am sure custom weapons were made for left handers, they were not commonly in service and doubtless could not have been replaced easily if destroyed or lost on campaign. As Frank and others note, left handers have little place firing right handed muskets or in the firing line.

It is not that hard for a left hander to learn to fire right handed and visa versa. I changed from left to right for golf when I was a kid and there were so few left handed clubs available and never went back. I also learned to shoot right handed. The eye thing is a bit different since we all have a dominate eye which may be different than other dominant hand. That is easier to deal with since you just line up that eye with the sights rather than the other one. I had to do that to but I can shoot either way.

The dominant foot is yet another matter and also can be different. Actually I was naturally left footed which predisposed me to left handed stances for two handed activities like golf, shooting and batting but right handed for writing. Perhaps my parents and teachers made me change that as well.:rolleyes: I managed to stay left footed for soccer however.:)
 
Many thanks Tony and Terry for the left handed example you both provided and he looks perfectly good to me ,a right hander who naturally kicks with his left foot ,can play pool/snooker with right and left and throws darts right handed and naturally holds a firearm with his left but on the hole is mentally imbalanced LOL ,ken
 
i always like the spiral stair case reasoning...........ie in the tower etc if you try and attack up stairs you cannot draw sword as the stairs spiral to the right and the space to the right is to small. Yet as the defender you can slash down using the space on your right.

in Durham catherdral there is a left hand spiral said to be built for a lefty who was concerned that he would struggle to defend the riches of the cathedral.

Also in England a lefty was often seen as the sign of a witch and up until not so long ago children would have their left hand tied to force right hand righting!!

my son is a lefty and gets a smack every now and then when he draws his amazing pictures and his beautiful writing for his school work. :D

Tony
 
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