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Using A Palm Swell
rljones
Member Posts: 34 ✭✭
Can a left-handed shooter use a rifle that has a right-handed palm swell and not have it affect the ability to shoot the gun properly? Would the hand position be to awkward? Thanks
Comments
Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
Former NSSA All American
Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
MO, CT, VA.
Can a left-handed shooter use a rifle that has a right-handed palm swell and not have it affect the ability to shoot the gun properly? Would the hand position be to awkward? Thanks
Use. . .yes.
How uncomfortable it will be depends on both the shape of the grip and the shape of the shooters hand, but yes, this has the potential to be awkward.
If the gun ONLY has a palm swell on the right side without other shape issues, for example, you wouldn't get much (if any) interference shooting it lefty (see image below). Obviously, shooting it with the correct hand would probably be more comfortable, but its potentially NOT a "deal breaker".
There are guns with ambidextrous palm swells, for example. What happens is that the hand simply doesn't come into contact with the swell on the other side.
In general, the more anatomically correct the grip, the worse it is firing it with the "wrong" hand.
The really nice orthopedic "match" type grips effectively can't be gripped properly with the wrong hand. You're just not going to be able to shoot a right handed gun like that comfortably left-handed.
Thumbhole stocks often (but not always), CAN'T be shot opposite handed.
It might be possible to rework the wood to address a poorly fitting grip area, but that's a separate matter.
The bottom line is you'll have to actually try it and see.
Here are a few examples where a palm swell probably won't matter (top two) and one where it might (bottom):
"Can a left-handed shooter use a rifle that has a right-handed palm swell"
Sure. The palm swell is on the opposite side of the stock for a left-handed person. The finger tips of your grip hand will be pushed slightly away from their normal grip because of the shape of the swell.
"...and not have it affect the ability to shoot the gun properly?"
Maybe, maybe not. There are quite a few other variables in the shape of the stock and how it fits your particular body shape that will enter into the shooter's ability to accommodate when using a stock that's not specific to their particular hand.
Some stocks with palm swells are made ambidextrous so that the maker can take advantage of both sectors of the market. You can look up the maker and the description of the product to see if it's mentioned.
Best.