Prepare Before You Need It

[rhino]

Wednesday I had a little mishap that resulted in a shoulder injury. Right now I cannot draw or shoot with my right hand.

Fortunately, I know I can draw, shoot, reload, and clear malfunctions with just my left hand because I've already done all of those things. I also already have gear for left handed use. When I drove home Wednesday I didn't have to think about how I would work around my injury until I heal because I was already using the workaround.

Prepare for these things before you need it. You have no idea when you might sustain an injury that compromises your dominant hand. Once you're hurt, ordering a left handed holster is a little too late. Learning how to manipulate your firearm with just your left hand after the injury is a little too late.

 

[Coach]

Great point.

 

[lovemachine]

Did your mishap involve a pocket knife?

 

[Vigilant]

I have off hand carry gear, but don’t carry it with me, and I should, but for space. I’m most likely to be injured away from home and my mirror carry gear, what’s worse, manual transmission Jeeps are hard as hell to drive with your left hand, unless you bought a RHD Jeep. Do you carry your mirror gear in your vehicle with you?

 

[snapping turtle]

The mind is a wonderful thing. In times of a fight or flight situation somehow the mind will sense a gun as the danger instead of the person. That fact is behind a statistic where the gun or gun hand is struck often in a shoot out. Better know how to work with non dominant hand.

 

[Vigilant]

The mind is a wonderful thing. In times of a fight or flight situation somehow the mind will sense a gun as the danger instead of the person. That fact is behind a statistic where the gun or gun hand is struck often in a shoot out. Better know how to work with non dominant hand.

Been shot in the “gun” in a number of FoF classes. The worst was with UTMs, cut the **** out of my thumb and bruised the nail bed really good.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Did your mishap involve a pocket knife?

Not Rhino, no way! A fixed blade knife? That's a possibility.

 

[Expat]

I just never get out of my chair and risk such injuries.

good advice though.

 

[307SD]

Spring 2001, I crushed/shattered my right (dominant) wrist/forearm. You would be surprised at how quickly you learn to adapt to using your offside hand/arm.

With that said, practicing and being prepared to be ambidextrous is a good idea.

 

[ATM]

Non-dominant one-stick fire starting discussion coming soon...

 

[churchmouse]

Non-dominant one-stick fire starting discussion coming soon...

Beat me to this.....

 

[1stLast&Always]

Sorry to hear about the mishhap. I have committed this year to doing half my daily tasks with just my non-dom hand where I used to only use dom hand. I'm really not sure why we choose to mainly use one hand our whole lives anyway. Don't monkeys use both equally? Oh yeah, and I'm cross eye dominant too, so every range session has practice for both hands, whether I'm using handgun, rifle or shotgun.

 

[actaeon277]

Always prepare before you need it. Because when you need it it's too late. For most things in life.


Fortunately I decided that to teach left handers and cross eye dominant people I needed to be able to shoot left handed and cross eye dominant.

While it needs improvement, it has been useful after I had a stroke in an eye.

 

[bwframe]

Get better buddy!

Fortunately, I'm pretty set in this area. rhino has instructed me numerous times for years on this particular subject.

I have LH holsters and gear, but also accustomed to placing my RH holster to effectively reach with the left hand. Similarly reloading with one hand, the weak one.

This notice will be a prompt to remember to practice the weak hand manipulations and reloading. Shooting weak hand has always stayed on par from shooting sports being a fair part of my routine practice.

 

[Joniki]

Revolver, the ambidextrous weapon....

 

[eldirector]

Sorry to hear about the mishhap. I have committed this year to doing half my daily tasks with just my non-dom hand where I used to only use dom hand. I'm really not sure why we choose to mainly use one hand our whole lives anyway. Don't monkeys use both equally? Oh yeah, and I'm cross eye dominant too, so every range session has practice for both hands, whether I'm using handgun, rifle or shotgun.

Actually, most primates show "handedness". The lowest primates with these traits are the Lemurs. Also, being a "lefty" is more common in lower primates, and a "righty" in higher primates.

/tangent.

 

[Thor]

Being ambidextrous is a wonderful thing. Heal up Rhino.

 

[rhino]

Thanks for the well wishes, guys.

I thought of something else today after shooting a steel challenge match left handed.

If you have a shoulder issue that prevents you from raising the gun to eye level, but your hand is otherwise capable of manipulating the gun below shoulder level, you could make great use of a laser and shoot with gun in a position that you can manage.

 

[bwframe]

Maybe something not readily thought of rhino. Did fatigue come quicker than normal shooting the match weak handed? Consequently, would you suggest plenty of or even more backup ammo when dedicated week hand carrying to account for misses you might not otherwise have?

 

[obijohn]

I have off hand carry gear, but don’t carry it with me, and I should, but for space. I’m most likely to be injured away from home and my mirror carry gear, what’s worse, manual transmission Jeeps are hard as hell to drive with your left hand, unless you bought a RHD Jeep. Do you carry your mirror gear in your vehicle with you?

Rhino carries his "mirror" gear all the time.