True left-handed shotguns from Browning

The scientific name for the phenomenon of right or left-handedness is ‘laterality’ and most humans, indeed, many animals, demonstrate some preference (though clearly when we’re talking about animals it would be more accurate to write of right-pawedness). The vast majority of us are right-handed and right-footed, but around 12% of the population favour their left hand. 

Fun fact, language fans! The English word ‘sinister’, meaning malevolent or evil, is literally the same word as the Latin for ‘on the left-hand side’, and is derived from the fact that in Roman culture the left-hand side was associated with bad luck.

The association of left-handedness with evil and deviancy was passed down through the centuries, in part due to the simple fact that various religions depict the left-hand side - even going so far as to take it as a sign of demonic possession or witchcraft. ​​Well into the 20th century young children who seemed inclined to write with their left hand were ‘trained’ out of it, using methods as questionable as restraining the left hand to physical punishment for using it. 

These days, of course, left-handed people are treated with less suspicion, but they are still lefties in a world built for righties. It isn’t always readily apparent to we right-handed people how challenging this can make things - from smudging or blotting your handwriting and not being able to use scissors the right way around, to making it hard to find a shotgun that suits you, southpaws have a tough time, even in today’s world.

Gunfit for left-handed shots

When it comes to shooting, being a left-hander can make life tricky. The principal challenge comes when we look at gunfit. Guns built for right-handers are generally built with stocks designed for right-handed shooters - with cast-off. This brings the shooter’s eye in line with the rib, allowing for more accurate shooting (assuming that the shooter is right-eye-dominant).

Given that at least 50% of left-handed people are also left-eye-dominant, this means that finding an ‘off-the-peg’ gun can be challenging. Speaking of eye dominance, there are a significant number of people who, despite favouring their right hand for most things, opt to shoot off their left shoulder due to ‘cross dominance’.

Cast-on/Cast-off

Of course, most gunstocks can be adjusted from ‘cast-off’ to ‘cast-on’, but there is a cost associated with this, and even if this has been done, there are other challenges to overcome. For example, where a stock has been made with a palmswell or a cheekpiece, these will be on the wrong side.  What’s more, and perhaps less obviously for those not faced with this problem themselves, on most guns the top-lever (the one that opens the gun), pushes to the right. This is ideal if you are a right-hander, but makes it incredibly awkward for left-handed users to open their gun. 

As with many everyday objects designed for right-handers, lots of left-handers have developed a way around the problem, but in this day and age, it seems somewhat mad that they should have to do so with something so expensive as a shotgun.

Browning 525 Game 1 

True left-handed

Evidently, Browning felt similarly since this year they have released ‘true left hand’ versions of a number of different models in their range of sporting and game shotguns. In terms of game guns, these include entry-level guns like the B525 Game 1, which retails for around £2,000, to the rather more flashy B525 Exquisite, with its Grade 4 oil-finished stock and deep engraving, and the Liberty Light, a gun designed for those of smaller stature.

Browning Liberty Light

These guns are built with left-handed stocks, so there’s no need to spend yet more money getting the cast adjusted once you’ve made your choice, and the ergonomics of the grip will suit a left-hander as opposed to a right-hander.

In addition to the left-handed stock, and what makes these guns ‘true’ left-hand guns, is the fact that to open the gun, the top lever pushes to the left, instead of the right, making for a far more comfortable and instinctive way to reload, permitting southpaws to focus on the birds in front of them, rather than trying to dislocate their own thumb to get the gun open.

Browning 525 Exquisite

In reality, this isn’t all that complicated to do from a mechanical perspective, it is simply the mirroring of the mechanism, but it does represent a mindset change in this era of mass-produced guns. Where until quite recently there was very much a one-size-will-be-made-to-fit-all approach, Browning continue on the path towards producing a gun for all body-types, itself an important step in continuing to make shooting an inclusive space.