Police / Military Handedness

[Snip]

This might not be in the right forum, but I was watching Bosch last night for the 3rd time. In the series, he's a dead left-hander. But he shoots right-handed and has his holster on the right side. In real life, are lefties trained to shoot only right handed so that there can be a common setup of the belt or uniformity between officers? I don't recall seeing police with left handed holsters, but I haven't paid that much attention.

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[TTSX]

I don't know specifically about mil/LEO, however lefties are about 1/10 the population. I'm a lefty and do everything left handed but the only time it's mentioned is when I'm writing. Nobody comments about my shooting lefty, handling guns lefty... It's the kind of thing you'll generally only notice if you look for it

 

[Ura-Ki]

I had 2 lefties on my team, and both could shoot ether handed damn near equally. Both carried left hand holsters and there was no push to get them to do any right hand stuff. M-4's were standard right handed, but it wasn't an issue for them! My Brother is a lefty and shoots left handed, even with right handed rifles, which sucks, but he ain't going to spend the extra cash for a left handed rifle ether!!

 

[titsonritz]

I had 2 lefties on my team, and both could shoot ether handed damn near equally.

That's me, I made a point it.

 

[titsonritz]

Oh and Safariland wouldn't be making/selling left-handed holsters if LE/Mil weren't buying them.

 

[WillametteWill]

May relate to eye dominance. Archers are checked for eye dominance before they are given a bow in many places and this determines which had they shoot with. This can also be a factor with firearms, especially shotguns. Some do it with handguns as well. I'm cross dominant, right handed, left eye dominant. I was at a class last month where we had to shoot a mirror image qualification with our weak hand, weak side holster and all. Felt comfortable left handed but surprised when I shot a perfect score.

And Bosch...what an awesome series! How they act is about as realistic as I have seen.

 

[Snip]

I had 2 lefties on my team, and both could shoot ether handed damn near equally. Both carried left hand holsters and there was no push to get them to do any right hand stuff. M-4's were standard right handed, but it wasn't an issue for them! My Brother is a lefty and shoots left handed, even with right handed rifles, which sucks, but he ain't going to spend the extra cash for a left handed rifle ether!!

I'm left handed also and wouldn't have a clue how to use a left handed rifle.

 

[po18guy]

Write and throw left handed. Swing a bat and shoot right-handed. Right eye was dominant. Lefties must grow up in a right-handed world, so there is more ambidextrousness in lefties, I would guess. The advantage was that I could use the portable or go for cuffs with gun drawn with no clumsiness. Spare mags on the left side, so reloads with my strong hand were easy.

With revolvers, I elevated the muzzle, pushed the cylinder release with right thumb, swung the cylinder out and emptied the cases with my left, then went to the speedloaders with the left, dropped the muzzle and popped the rounds in, then snapped the cylinder closed with the left hand. No changing of hands with the gun, even if Jerry Miculek doesn't like it. It became second nature and got to be pretty quick.

 

[Stomper]

Larry Vickers shoots all long guns left-handed, but shoots handguns right-handed…. Go figure.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Old M12/UM84 holsters can be flipped around to lefthand shooting/draw.
In High School, I did shotput on my right, and discus on my left, just better technique on that side; but generally am right hand dominant with right eye dominant.

 

[rfmjchp]

Write left handed, but paper I'm writing on is in the right handed position. Made it a little bit harder writing citations. Everythng else was right-handed..
om duty belt buckle heading to my left; ammo/mag pouch, mace/OC, baton ring, portable radio, hand cuffs. Then from the buckle heading right holster, another set of hand cuffs. Pretty much same positrons when carrying a revolver. Dept I retired from allowed carrying magazine pouch vertical or horizontal. Carried vertical. Back in the old days, carried 6 speed loaders, 2 on the belt and 2 in each front pocket. with the pistol, carried a 3rd mag in left front pocket.

 

[Flopsweat]

Larry Vickers shoots all long guns left-handed, but shoots handguns right-handed…. Go figure.

It's easier to shoot a handgun cross-dominant than a long gun. I don't know which of his eyes is dominant, but it might explain it.

 

[tac]

I'm amphibious.

Or, as Yogi Berra would have it, 'I'm ambidextrous with both hands'.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Left handed...but right eye dominant.
I learned to shoot right handed.....Just makes things easier.

When I was in the Army...most things there , just as in real life , are set up for right handers.
So learning to do things with my right hand was not unusual.
Andy

 

[tac]

Yup, if you are in the Army or Marines - try THESE drill left-handed -

ANY crew-served machine-gun.

Mortar man - ANY crew number.

Carl Gustaf crew.

and that's only a start...

If you are Infantry, LEO or SWAT, try the 'hard-entry shuffle' left-handed and see how far you get..............................

 

[Jonnyuma]

I don't recall seeing police with left handed holsters,

I see it pretty regularly, or about the same amount as occurs in the rest of the population. I'm not sure why l take note of it, either... but when l see a left side holster, l always think, "oooo... a lefty" like they have special powers or something.

I was a left handed baseballer until l was about 7 or 8 (my Dad still has a couple of my lefty mitts) and then switched to a righty for some reason. I still bat and golf left, but throw, write, shoot and, uh... everything else... right handed.

I dont remember even the kings of uniformity, the USMC, trying to beat the leftiness out of any recruits, which is when that would have taken place.

My son is left handed. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any special powers beyond the ability to adapt to a right handed world.

 

[Snip]

I'm amphibious.

Or, as Yogi Berra would have it, 'I'm ambidextrous with both hands'.

 

[tac]

As an ab initio leftie, my grandfather not only taught me to read at around 4 y/o, but to write using both hands, just in case something happened to one or the other. So I grew up using both hands equally without giving it much thought. It helps, too, that I have no master eye [probably too poor], so keeping both eyes open when shooting anything that goes bang or twang is not a problem either. Throwing is the same deal, of course.

Nothing to be smug about, just visible proof of being slightly more useful than a committed dextral.

However, I remain utterly amazed at the large number of people I encounter who can do NOTHING at all with the non-use hand.

Don't get me wrong, but watching Ian McCullom [sp] of 'Forgotten Weapons' can often leave me chuckling out loud. He has to be one of THE most left-handed people I've ever see in action in the dedicated light-hand world of guns. Watching him 'operating' the Colt 'Bulldog' Gatling replica a few years back is painful to watch as he cranks the operating handle backwards with his elbow in the air...way ta' go, Ian!!

 

[Stomper]

So learning to do things with my right hand was not unusual.
Andy

Uummmmm…… know there's a SWEET joke to be made here, but I'll take the high-road and abstain from the temptation…. THIS time!

 

[tac]

Uummmmm, know there's a SWEET joke to be made here, but I'll take the high-road and abstain from the temptation…. THIS time!

Hey, excavating your nose with either pickin' digit is okay to talk about here, we're all growed up, y'know!