mart
.300 member
Reged: 20/01/04
Posts: 107
Loc: Alaska
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Guys,
I'm sure this has been addressed before but let me pose the question. What does a lefty do about the triggers on a double rifle?
Since double triggers are set up for right handed shooter how does a lefty handle the double rifle? Do the makers have triggers set up in reverse for lefties or do we opt for single triggers? These may all be silly questions but I am curious.
While I don't own a double rifle, I am lusting for one. I see one in the not to distant future. Perhaps a Searcy 500NE. Thanks in advance for any input.
Mart
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500Nitro
.450 member
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
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mart,
Welcome.
If you buy an Old English Double Rifle where the triggers are set up for a RH Shooter,
tale the gun to a competent gun smith who knows what he is doing and get him to bend the
triggers so they are set up for you. They don't have to be that bent / slanted or curved to the
left to feel comfortable.
In a worse case scenario a gusmith would have to remake the trigger and weld it on but this is
not that big an issue if done well.
If you get a New Searcy made, ask him to make the triggers for a left handed person, not right handed.
I had to get a Double Rifle's trigger modified as it had been owned by a LH shooter and he
had had the triggers set up for him.
Hope this helps
500 Nitro
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foxfire
.375 member
Reged: 25/11/04
Posts: 511
Loc: Long Island N.Y.,
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I'm a lefty and had no idea there was such a thing as lefty triggers. I bought a double rifle and had it restocked left handed and the triggers were never questioned at all.
What would you do anyway? The front trigger is to the right side of the trigger guard and the rear trigger to the left side of the trigger guard. So either shooter has a disadvantage on one of the triggers. The front trigger or right barrel though it might feel a little awkward (not to me) the rear trigger or the left barrel feels fine.
I don't know but I didn't view this as an item I had to deal with.
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No good deed goes unpunished
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CptCurl
.450 member
Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 5314
Loc: Fincastle, Botetourt County, V...
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Foxfire,
A true left handed double is a "mirror image" of the norm.
The lever will work to the left, not the right.
The front trigger will fire the left barrel instead of the right.
The stock will cast to the left instead of the righr, and any cheekpiece will be on the right.
Triggers on doubles are canted to favor the hand that is to use them. Sometimes this is quite pronounced. The typical right-handed double has the triggers turned so that their faces angle to the right. That gives better contact across the faces of the triggers for the right index finger. A lefty will notice that his finger contacts the left edge of the triggers instead of comfortably engaging the trigger faces. On a true left handed gun this is set up opposite - for the left index finger.
A south-paw who orders a bespoke gun will get all this from the gunmaker.
I am told that triggers on a RH double can be switched and re-shaped for the LH shooter. The triggers are not particularly hardened, and often can be artfully re-shaped under heat.
Again, that is just what I have read or have been told. Fortunately, I am right-handed.
As an aside, several years ago I bought a best quality 12 gauge shotgun. When it arrived, I found the stock had been bent for a LH shooter. It was a RH gun, plain as day, and the triggers are markedly canted for the RH shooter. I had the stock bent to my dimensions, and that solved the problem.
Best,
CptCurl
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RoscoeStephenson.com
YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.
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500Nitro
.450 member
Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia
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CptCrl,
That's a very good explanation.
You could always get a Single Trigger double rifle !!!
(which of course defeats the purpose of having a DG Double Rifle !!!)
500 Nitro
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foxfire
.375 member
Reged: 25/11/04
Posts: 511
Loc: Long Island N.Y.,
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CptCurl,
The top opening lever I never even thought about. I have break open shotguns and single shot rifles. Some of them open either way and some open I guess to the left. I believe as a lefty you are always settling for what was available and dealing with what was not, was the norm.
The stocks bend and cheek piece were paramount. So the factories dealt with them before a lefty really had to.
I'm in the office now and can't even recollect any difference in the triggers. At the end of the day when I go home I'll take a much closer look at the trigger assembly to see how they are handled.
Everyday we live and learn. 
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No good deed goes unpunished
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bonanza
.400 member
Reged: 17/05/04
Posts: 2335
Loc: South Carolina
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Both of my DRs are RH and I am LH. I'm loath to monkey with the guns, as it will detract from the resale. The human body has an incredible ability to adapt - therefore, I've just learnt to shot mine bass-ackwards.
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"Speak Precisely" G. Gordon Liddy.
"Life is absurd, chaotic and we must define its purpose with our actions" Abert Camus
"I''m the dude playing a dude disguised as another dude."
"Yo! Mr. White"
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Rusty
.333 member
Reged: 08/02/03
Posts: 464
Loc: Missouri City, Texas
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At the Dallas Safari Club Convention I the pleasure of seeing a pair of double rifles, both made for a LH shooter. They were beautiful. One was a 470 I can't remember what the other one was chambered for. the guns were at the Bass Pro Shops fine gun room in Dallas.
Break open lever, and triggers, & stocks were Left Hand.
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Rusty
We band of brothers!
DRSS
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foxfire
.375 member
Reged: 25/11/04
Posts: 511
Loc: Long Island N.Y.,
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Rusty,
Here's the link to the guns you are talking about. They are beautiful. Consecutively numbered and made 470 & 375 lefty doubles. They give no specs on the stocks particulars.
The blow up that does show the triggers doesn't appear to have them switched. ie The front trigger on the left side and the rear trigger on the right side. They appear to be in the normal place. Granted the pictures don't do justice, but at first blush they appear normal.
Left Handed Pair of Double Rifles
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No good deed goes unpunished
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CptCurl
.450 member
Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 5314
Loc: Fincastle, Botetourt County, V...
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Gents,
Here is a link to the shotgun I referred to in my earlier post. You will note that the trigger faces are markedly angled to the right in this photo of the right side of the action.
Belgian 12 right action.
Likewise, here is a shot of the left side of the action. Again, you can plainly see how the faces of the triggers are canted.
Belgian 12 left action.
A picture is worth a thousand words!
Best,
CptCurl
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RoscoeStephenson.com
YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.
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foxfire
.375 member
Reged: 25/11/04
Posts: 511
Loc: Long Island N.Y.,
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Not to beat a dead horse. I realize the triggers can be turned to the right or left to accommodate the shooter.
But if the gun is being built for a lefty shooter would the trigger assembly be made differently. Would the front trigger be on the left side and the rear trigger on the right side within the trigger guard.
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No good deed goes unpunished
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CptCurl
.450 member
Reged: 01/05/04
Posts: 5314
Loc: Fincastle, Botetourt County, V...
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Foxfire,
Yes to your question. That way the front trigger would fire the left barrel, and the rear trigger fire the right barrel. Just the opposite of RH configuration.
Regards,
CptCurl
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RoscoeStephenson.com
YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.
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mart
.300 member
Reged: 20/01/04
Posts: 107
Loc: Alaska
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Thanks for the great replies. I will be a little more knowledgeable when the time finally comes that I can get a double. Thanks. Mart
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