Did the Germans ever make
A left handed Bold action rifle for use in WWII?
While watching a PBS show called The War They showed some German Soldiers firing at Monte Cristo; one was Shooting left handed and it sure looked like it was a left hand bolted rifle (KAR 98?) was I seeing things wrong?
While watching a PBS show called The War They showed some German Soldiers firing at Monte Cristo; one was Shooting left handed and it sure looked like it was a left hand bolted rifle (KAR 98?) was I seeing things wrong?
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I have seen that sort of thing a few times in old combat videos. It is because the film negatives were flipped over during their editing process making a right hand gun look left hand.
One of them was a Garand with the op-rod on the left side.0 -
The famous picture of Billy the kid is reversed making it appear he was left handed.I believe the type of picture of him was called a tinotype.
EvilDr2350 -
Hay Bruce Us Germans can make anything [;)][:I][:0] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
Hay Bruce Us Germans can make anything [;)][:I][:0]
Except"BOLD" action rifles [}:)][:D]0 -
quote:Originally posted by dcs shooters
quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
Hay Bruce Us Germans can make anything [;)][:I][:0]
Except"BOLD" action rifles [}:)][:D]
I really, really need to wear my cheater glasses when I type. [:I]0 -
My father was a career officer in the Bavarian Army (Imperial German Army) pre and during WW I. I remembering asking him "How did left handed soldiers cope with being left handed?" His response was to snort that left-handedness was not tolerated in the Army, They conformed to everyone else- or else! The same held true for the German Army of WW II....It seems toleration of left-handedness is an American thing of the 20th Century. I understand that our Army did not tolerate left handedness with respect to the use of firearms before WW II.
In armies all over the world, except ours, they have ways of making men conform, most of them very unpleasant.0 -
I've never seen nor heard of a purpose-built left handed WWII era bolt action guns, and I strongly doubt such a thing was ever built.
IMO, unless you are dealing with a built-in cheekrest or thumbhole type stock, it really doesn't make that much of a difference anyway.
From a rested position, its probably actually easier to run a right-handed gun left-handed since you don't have to ruin your shooting grip by running the action with your shooting hand.
Offhand, its harder for a lefty to run a right handed gun, though it can be done.0 -
In Force 10 From Navarone you see it quite a bit. When the partizan army is ambushing the German convoy over the high bridge there are frequent scenes showing them shooting down on the Germans with left handed Mausers. I read somewhere that after shooting the scenes with the Partizans shooting from left screen to right screen, the director wanted to balance the action by having them shoot the opposite direction. Rather than pay the expense setting up that whole big scene all over again. They just flipped the negative figuring that only us gun-geeks would notice. [;)][:D]
The same thing happened in the final scenes of The Comancheros with John Wayne. While riding up the hill in the back of the wagon and being chased by the Comancheros, you will notice he is shooting back at them with a left handed Winchester. [:D][:D]0 -
bpost,
The Swedes made bolts with an upswept right hand bolt handles to facilitate bolt operation by left handed folks.
There are multiple variations of left hand stocks made for the right hand Mauser M98 barreled actions.
Unfortunately, Mauser did not make a true left hand action for the war efforts. The best the lefties could achieve was to operate the right hand rifles from the left side by reaching over, a practice still in use today by those unfortunate enough the born wrong handed...[:D]
Best.0 -
If you watch Saving Private Ryan you'll see a Springfield 03 being shot left handed, so it must be a left handedrifle[;)] 0
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