AR options for the Lefty?

[flechero]

I'm a complete newb to the AR platform and until now never had a need or big desire to own one. Finally decided to make the leap...

Looking at 308 in Left hand. I know that the LH requirement knocks out many great options but until I strike out, i'm set on LH. The 2 rifles I'm looking at currently are NLX or Stag. Similar MSRP but the Stag is on sale for $500 less at the moment.

Is one of these much better than the other? (if so, why, since I'm a newb to this style rifle)

NLX:
https://nextlevelarms.com/product/nl...ft-hand-rifle/

Stag:
https://www.stagarms.com/stag-10l-308-pcf/

I'm open to other options but haven't seen many LH options.

Thanks for any input!

[Lynyrd]

I don't know anything about the NLX, but I have owned a Stag lefty in .556 for many years. I've fired probably 4,000 rounds through it and it is still a tack driver. Mine has a chrome lined barrel which makes the rifling last longer. I have a 1 MOA red dot sight on it, and with a steady rest I can shoot 4" groups at 300 yds which is about the size of the dot at that distance. You can't go wrong with a Stag in my opinion.

[Scott B.]

Stag is going to be your answer. Good product for the best value. SLOW to deliver, even inventory that's 'in stock.'

In the internet, on-demand era we've gotten spoiled w/ quick order fulfillment. Stag harkens back to the paper catalog era w/ delivery times. Drives me nuts on the retail end.

[flechero]

Thanks for the replies. Are there any other option I should be looking at? Anything pre set up as ambi that would make a case for not buying lefty?

[warnmar10]

Rock River Arms

[Scott B.]

Thanks for the replies. Are there any other option I should be looking at? Anything pre set up as ambi that would make a case for not buying lefty?

The updated Sig M400 line is good about true ambi controls (even for mag release).

A bargain AR can be quickly retrofitted with ambi safety and charging handles. There is an ambi mag release drop-in but I've not tried it. Bolt hold, there are some options but depends on your opinion of 'b.a.d. levers' and the like. Maybe a $150 ~ $200 in parts? On a > $400 AR you're still under the 'lefty' purpose built rifles.

[rtschl]

Interesting. I'm right handed but left eyed, so I shoot rifles left handed. I added ambidextrous charging handle and safety. I've thought about ambi mag release and may yet do that. But a LH AR is intriguing.

[The Annoyed Man]

Thanks for the replies. Are there any other option I should be looking at? Anything pre set up as ambi that would make a case for not buying lefty?

I’m a lefty and own several ARs - none of them left handed. I have installed ambi safety levers on all of them, as well as ambidextrous charging handles. Only one of the lowers - a Spikes Tactical Gen II Billet lower - came with ambidextrous controls built-in, including a bolt release paddle one the right side of the receiver. The mag release is not ambidextrous and still located on the right side of the receiver. But all of mine still eject brass to the right. I own two left-handed bolt action rifles, and a left-handed semiautomatic shotgun. The fact is, other than having the proper cast for a left handed shooter, that shotgun isn’t any different to shoot for me than a right handed one. The fact that it ejects to the left is not that much of a noticeable benefit for me .....if that’s what you’re thinking about when it comes to a left-handed AR.

Now, before I spent the price ($450) for that Spikes billet lower with the ambi controls, I got by fine with just an ambi safety lever and an ambi charging handle. Before that, an ambi charging handle alone was enough. The fact is, it’s not that hard to manipulate the right-handed controls with your left hand. Of course, you have to take your left index finger off the trigger to do so, but that’s not that big of a deal to me. Today, even with ambi safety levers on my ARs, I still use the right-handed lever about half the time because it feels more natural to me. Of ALL of the ambi features, the charging handle is the one without which I would probably find it hardest to adapt to a right handed rifle.

Disadvantages to a real lefty AR ..... You can find replacement mil-spec parts (or better) for a right-handed AR, at reasonable prices, from almost any of the thousands of outlets that sell AR parts. How many of them sell left-handed bolts with the ejector and extractor on the other side of the bolt? Those parts are considered to be consumables, even though they may last thousands of rounds. I do this as a matter of course anyway, and stock a few replacement bolts and bolt rebuild kits in my shop, just in the event that I break something. Ditto for cam pins, firing pins, etc. But if I didn’t, those parts are still easily obtainable for a right handed rifle. Maybe not so much for a left handed one. It’s cheap to buy and stock replacement parts Heck, with the exception of one of my rifles which is a gas-piston gun, all of my bolt carriers are interchangeable between rifles, so I don’t find it necessary to stock extra bolt carriers. AR part prices, like any other product prices, are largely dependent upon economies of scale. I’m guessing that a left-handed bolt probably uses the same extractor and ejector as a right handed bolt - just on the opposite side of the bolt. But the bolt body is another thing entirely - as would be the bolt carrier. If you have any intention to stock consumable parts, it’s doable, but most likely at a higher price and longer delivery timeline.

Bottom line for me ..... if you’re considering this AR as just another rifle in the safe, for range and maybe hunting use, none of the above matters. Buy a lefty and be done with it. You’ll be happy you did, JUST like I’m really happy that I bought left-handed bolt actions. But if you’re intended uses include social work and the zombie apocalypse, consumable parts are going to be more expensive to procure, and harder to replace.

All of the above applies, whether you’re considering a 5.56 or a .308 AR.

[flechero]

Thanks for the replies. Are there any other option I should be looking at? Anything pre set up as ambi that would make a case for not buying lefty?

I’m a lefty and own several ARs - none of them left handed. I have installed ambi safety levers on all of them, as well as ambidextrous charging handles. Only one of the lowers - a Spikes Tactical Gen II Billet lower - came with ambidextrous controls built-in, including a bolt release paddle one the right side of the receiver. The mag release is not ambidextrous and still located on the right side of the receiver. But all of mine still eject brass to the right. I own two left-handed bolt action rifles, and a left-handed semiautomatic shotgun. The fact is, other than having the proper cast for a left handed shooter, that shotgun isn’t any different to shoot for me than a right handed one. The fact that it ejects to the left is not that much of a noticeable benefit for me .....if that’s what you’re thinking about when it comes to a left-handed AR.

Now, before I spent the price ($450) for that Spikes billet lower with the ambi controls, I got by fine with just an ambi safety lever and an ambi charging handle. Before that, an ambi charging handle alone was enough. The fact is, it’s not that hard to manipulate the right-handed controls with your left hand. Of course, you have to take your left index finger off the trigger to do so, but that’s not that big of a deal to me. Today, even with ambi safety levers on my ARs, I still use the right-handed lever about half the time because it feels more natural to me. Of ALL of the ambi features, the charging handle is the one without which I would probably find it hardest to adapt to a right handed rifle.

Disadvantages to a real lefty AR ..... You can find replacement mil-spec parts (or better) for a right-handed AR, at reasonable prices, from almost any of the thousands of outlets that sell AR parts. How many of them sell left-handed bolts with the ejector and extractor on the other side of the bolt? Those parts are considered to be consumables, even though they may last thousands of rounds. I do this as a matter of course anyway, and stock a few replacement bolts and bolt rebuild kits in my shop, just in the event that I break something. Ditto for cam pins, firing pins, etc. But if I didn’t, those parts are still easily obtainable for a right handed rifle. Maybe not so much for a left handed one. It’s cheap to buy and stock replacement parts Heck, with the exception of one of my rifles which is a gas-piston gun, all of my bolt carriers are interchangeable between rifles, so I don’t find it necessary to stock extra bolt carriers. AR part prices, like any other product prices, are largely dependent upon economies of scale. I’m guessing that a left-handed bolt probably uses the same extractor and ejector as a right handed bolt - just on the opposite side of the bolt. But the bolt body is another thing entirely - as would be the bolt carrier. If you have any intention to stock consumable parts, it’s doable, but most likely at a higher price and longer delivery timeline.

Bottom line for me ..... if you’re considering this AR as just another rifle in the safe, for range and maybe hunting use, none of the above matters. Buy a lefty and be done with it. You’ll be happy you did, JUST like I’m really happy that I bought left-handed bolt actions. But if you’re intended uses include social work and the zombie apocalypse, consumable parts are going to be more expensive to procure, and harder to replace.

All of the above applies, whether you’re considering a 5.56 or a .308 AR.

Great advice.

So the brass crossing your sight line isn't a bother? No brass back at your face, etc?

I'm not worried about zombies, or civil war. I've gone my whole life with out an AR style rifle and never really wanted. But I'm 99% sure I'm going to build a 45 Raptor,(imagine 300gr 45 caliber XTP HP's going 2300fps!! ) purely as a toy/backyard gun/hog hunting... and this purchase will be the base. It's such an oddity that I don't think replacement parts are a dire issue. Besides, if it went down during "social work" I'd be toast anyway.

Agree 100% on bolt guns- went LH on them and won't go back. That's part of the reason I thought I needed to go LH now- didn't want to make do another 20 years and then wish I had gone LH from the start.

Thanks again for the input!

[Wag2323]

I'm a lefty and use a right handed spikes tactical rifle. I have never noticed the brass. It hits the deflector and flies off to the side from what it looks like on the ground.

I put in a dual side safety lever, ambi charging handle, and the type of mag release linked below. I am probably 50/50 on usage of the right and left side releases.

Only left handed gun I own is a .308 savage bolt action

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/r ... 14343.aspx

[The Annoyed Man]

Thanks for the replies. Are there any other option I should be looking at? Anything pre set up as ambi that would make a case for not buying lefty?

I’m a lefty and own several ARs - none of them left handed. I have installed ambi safety levers on all of them, as well as ambidextrous charging handles. Only one of the lowers - a Spikes Tactical Gen II Billet lower - came with ambidextrous controls built-in, including a bolt release paddle one the right side of the receiver. The mag release is not ambidextrous and still located on the right side of the receiver. But all of mine still eject brass to the right. I own two left-handed bolt action rifles, and a left-handed semiautomatic shotgun. The fact is, other than having the proper cast for a left handed shooter, that shotgun isn’t any different to shoot for me than a right handed one. The fact that it ejects to the left is not that much of a noticeable benefit for me .....if that’s what you’re thinking about when it comes to a left-handed AR.

Now, before I spent the price ($450) for that Spikes billet lower with the ambi controls, I got by fine with just an ambi safety lever and an ambi charging handle. Before that, an ambi charging handle alone was enough. The fact is, it’s not that hard to manipulate the right-handed controls with your left hand. Of course, you have to take your left index finger off the trigger to do so, but that’s not that big of a deal to me. Today, even with ambi safety levers on my ARs, I still use the right-handed lever about half the time because it feels more natural to me. Of ALL of the ambi features, the charging handle is the one without which I would probably find it hardest to adapt to a right handed rifle.

Disadvantages to a real lefty AR ..... You can find replacement mil-spec parts (or better) for a right-handed AR, at reasonable prices, from almost any of the thousands of outlets that sell AR parts. How many of them sell left-handed bolts with the ejector and extractor on the other side of the bolt? Those parts are considered to be consumables, even though they may last thousands of rounds. I do this as a matter of course anyway, and stock a few replacement bolts and bolt rebuild kits in my shop, just in the event that I break something. Ditto for cam pins, firing pins, etc. But if I didn’t, those parts are still easily obtainable for a right handed rifle. Maybe not so much for a left handed one. It’s cheap to buy and stock replacement parts Heck, with the exception of one of my rifles which is a gas-piston gun, all of my bolt carriers are interchangeable between rifles, so I don’t find it necessary to stock extra bolt carriers. AR part prices, like any other product prices, are largely dependent upon economies of scale. I’m guessing that a left-handed bolt probably uses the same extractor and ejector as a right handed bolt - just on the opposite side of the bolt. But the bolt body is another thing entirely - as would be the bolt carrier. If you have any intention to stock consumable parts, it’s doable, but most likely at a higher price and longer delivery timeline.

Bottom line for me ..... if you’re considering this AR as just another rifle in the safe, for range and maybe hunting use, none of the above matters. Buy a lefty and be done with it. You’ll be happy you did, JUST like I’m really happy that I bought left-handed bolt actions. But if you’re intended uses include social work and the zombie apocalypse, consumable parts are going to be more expensive to procure, and harder to replace.

All of the above applies, whether you’re considering a 5.56 or a .308 AR.

Great advice.

So the brass crossing your sight line isn't a bother? No brass back at your face, etc?

I'm not worried about zombies, or civil war. I've gone my whole life with out an AR style rifle and never really wanted. But I'm 99% sure I'm going to build a 45 Raptor,(imagine 300gr 45 caliber XTP HP's going 2300fps!! ) purely as a toy/backyard gun/hog hunting... and this purchase will be the base. It's such an oddity that I don't think replacement parts are a dire issue. Besides, if it went down during "social work" I'd be toast anyway.

Agree 100% on bolt guns- went LH on them and won't go back. That's part of the reason I thought I needed to go LH now- didn't want to make do another 20 years and then wish I had gone LH from the start.

Thanks again for the input!

You’re more than welcome. Honestly, no, I’ve had zero problems with brass in my face. All of those that travel rearwards hit the deflector and head off in another direction. It’s never been an issue at all. The ONLY time I’ve noticed any issues at all is when shooting suppressed. Quite a bit more gas comes back in to the receiver, and toward the shooter upon ejection. That seems to be true with both my gas and piston guns, but less so with the piston gun. I suppose that if the ejection port were on the side opposite my face, I’d get a tad less of that. But it’s not enough of a big deal to want to change receiver setup. It’s not high speed gas.....it’s just the extra dirty smokey gas that comes back into the receiver, some of which blows down into the magazine, and some of which goes out the ejection port. Eye-pro and timing my inhaling work fine to avoid breathing the smoke or getting it in my eyes. But unsuppressed, it’s a complete non-issue.

flechero, where are you located? If you’re near me, I’d be happy to let you shoot a couple of my ARs, plus let you take a stab at my FN SCAR 17S, in case you’re not poor enough! The ergos on the SCAR are very “AR-like” - which was a stipulation for the military contract - and it ejects out the left too. So that would give you some idea of what firing an AR10 might be like. Then you can decide if it’s worth the extra cost of ownership to have a left-handed one or not. For me - a confirmed lefty - it wasn’t worth it.

That left handed shotgun I have is a Benelli Super Black Eagle II. It was an expensive piece of kit; a pretty nice hunting shotgun, but in the end, not enough more worth it just for having left-handed ejection. Had I known that going in, I would have bought the right handed Stoeger version of the same gun ..... for about $1100 less (Benelli being owned by Stoeger, with very similar models, both using inertial actions), and purchased a wedge to adjust the cast for left-handed shooting. I also own a left-handed Over and Under Stoeger Condor Competition shotgun in 12 gauge. All of its controls are the same as for the right-handed version. The only difference is that the cast and palm swell are for lefties. I found that one used in a local gun store, and bought it for only $450.00. It fits me great, and that’s what matters more than the controls - which on a double-barreled shotgun are pretty rudimentary anyway and easy to master regardless of handedness.

I’m sort of a militant left-hander, in the sense that I resent the fact that I have to pay more for a left-handed anything, when I’m left-handed and left-eye dominant by birth, and it’s not something I chose. My left-handed guitars cost me more too, not just my guns. But I am more than willing to pay a bit extra for a good left-handed bolt action (or guitar), because the impact of its configuration is much greater if it is NOT left-handed. The impact is greater for a bolt action rifle, because they are designed so that the strong side is employed making the larger movements of cycling the bolt, ejecting spent brass, and loading new rounds. For an old military bolt action like a ‘03-A3 or a SMLE, the action is designed so that the dominant hand will be used for the action of reloading the magazine - whether by stripper clip or single rounds. The safety is positioned for the strong-side’s thumb’s access - on the receiver. With a left-handed bolt action, I don’t have to reach over the top of the rifle to access the bolt with my left hand; I don’t have to find the safety lever on a spot that is not intuitive. I don’t have to use my weak hand to load the rounds, etc. Conversely, with a semiautomatic rifle/shotgun, the weapon is making all those power moves for you. The pump or semiauto shotgun magazine is typically loaded from the bottom of the receiver, so handedness is irrelevant. It’s only important that the gun fit you properly, and that the sighting arrangement fits you.

But when it comes to AR platform rifles - or rifles with similar egos, like the SCAR, it matters much less whether it is right or left handed than with other kinds of guns.

[Lynyrd]

So the brass crossing your sight line isn't a bother? No brass back at your face, etc?

The only time I've had trouble with hot brass from a right handed rifle while shooting left handed is when I am standing near to something on my right side. The open vee of your shirt is going to point to the opposite side from which ever shoulder you hold the weapon to. If brass bounces off of something, like a tree, you can get hot brass down the front of your shirt on RARE occasions. Don't ask me how I know.

[flechero]

flechero, where are you located? If you’re near me, I’d be happy to let you shoot a couple of my ARs, plus let you take a stab at my FN SCAR 17S, in case you’re not poor enough! The ergos on the SCAR are very “AR-like” - which was a stipulation for the military contract - and it ejects out the left too. So that would give you some idea of what firing an AR10 might be like. Then you can decide if it’s worth the extra cost of ownership to have a left-handed one or not. For me - a confirmed lefty - it wasn’t worth it.

I’m sort of a militant left-hander, in the sense that I resent the fact that I have to pay more for a left-handed anything, when I’m left-handed and left-eye dominant by birth, and it’s not something I chose.


But when it comes to AR platform rifles - or rifles with similar egos, like the SCAR, it matters much less whether it is right or left handed than with other kinds of guns.

Super generous offer and I'm grateful for it, but I'm down in the Ft. hood area. Besides, my wife really would prefer I don't get to shoot your SCAR... my son also has a gun crush on the SCAR!

Also resent the left handed product costs but understand them.

I do have a buddy with a 308 AR, maybe I'll drive out and shoot his this weekend just to see if the brass bothers me.

The only time I've had trouble with hot brass from a right handed rifle while shooting left handed is when I am standing near to something on my right side.

Did my wife post here last night then delete it this morning?? You guys are making it tough to justify a lefty rifle!

In truth, I appreciate the feedback!!

[The Annoyed Man]

Super generous offer and I'm grateful for it, but I'm down in the Ft. hood area. Besides, my wife really would prefer I don't get to shoot your SCAR... my son also has a gun crush on the SCAR!

Also resent the left handed product costs but understand them.

I do have a buddy with a 308 AR, maybe I'll drive out and shoot his this weekend just to see if the brass bothers me.

LOL, I understand! MY wife would rather I didn’t own/shoot a SCAR.

I promise you that you won’t even notice the brass. The ONLY time brass has bothered me with an AR, I was using a net-bag type of brass-catcher that has a zipper at the bottom to dump out the collected brass. I had forgotten to zip it closed. When the rifle spit out a sizzling hot piece of brass, it went into the bag and rolled out the bottom, whereupon I immediately laid my tender inner forearm upon it ....leaving a burn mark in the shape of a bottleneck cartridge. The really STUPID thing is, I’ve done this to myself more than once. Live and learn? Not so much, some times.



But other than that, I promise you that your brass won’t bother you. Heck, when I shoot at Elm Fork, I often have one of those deflectors set up between my table and the one to the right, so that my brass doesn’t pelt the other guy on the noggin. It never bounces back and hits me. You’ll figure out pretty quickly that this is a non issue. ........unless you’re this guy: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/f ... -1.2673201

The recoil bruised my shoulder, which can happen if you don't know what you're doing. The brass shell casings disoriented me as they flew past my face. The smell of sulfur and destruction made me sick. The explosions — loud like a bomb — gave me a temporary form of PTSD. For at least an hour after firing the gun just a few times, I was anxious and irritable.

You’ll note that in the picture, the guy is shooting right handed. The ejection port is on the opposite side from his face. THERE.IS.NO.WAY that the cases could have “flown past his face”. Ever since that article, Gersch Kuntzman has been known as the guy who had a million curiously-shaped pink knitted hats named after him.

[flechero]

Went and visited my buddies ranch this am and he confirmed what you guys are saying. His 308 wasn't there but we did shoot the bolt guns and the kids got to shoot 22's. A super hot day but the morning was nice- we caught about 20 fish before we shot.

I will probably hit you guys up for some specific advice when I start to narrow the specifics down on this next purchase.

Thanks!