Through-bolt safety - switching from RH to LH ?

Steve Sanford

Steve Sanford

Well-known member
All~


As I commence my effort to learn to shoot with one eye and all the wrong hands in all the wrong places, I am wondering what is involved in switching through-bolt safeties for left-handed shooters.


My Plan A is to learn to wing shoot left-handed with my beloved (circa 1925) Winchester Model 12. If my 67-yeat-old muscles cannot learn to work a "slide action" smoothbore, my Plan B will be to use my Dad's venerable (circa 1954) Winchester Model 50, a semi-auto. Both are 12 gauges and both have through-bolt safeties. I tried the Model 50 during Turkey Season and did not feel safe reaching around to push the safe off. Of course, safety is way more important to me than shooting more birds in this, my 56th season.


Anyone switched one to lefty? Is a different part required - or is it a matter of reversing the stock (RH) bolt? I am guessing there is a secret leaf spring concealed somewhere within the trigger guard. Does this require the services of a gunsmith - or just a careful workman with better close-up vision than mine?


All the best,


SJS

 
Hey Steve,

I'm a lefty and shoot a 1950 model Remington 870 (right hand). It has the cross bolt safety behind the trigger guard. I wrap my middle finger around the trigger guard and take the safety off with it. It works great, and I think is faster than a right hander can using the safety conventionally.

I don't remember whether the safeties on the guns you mentioned are fore or aft of the trigger guard, but if it's aft, give it a try. It's worked well for me for the 47 years I've used it as my primary waterfowl gun.

Joel
 
Don,t recall of anyone switching safety direction on model guns your planning to use. For Remington 870,1100,s 11-87,s it painless and part available from factory and aftermarket..
 
When I shot right handed remingtons I would send the trigger housing back to remington and they would switch out the safety.
My Berreta I need to send to a gunsmith and he machined a new push button.
 
Oops, Wright's has closed years ago. There are some on ebay, nu line parts and a fe others on google. Most of the lefties my age just roll the gun on the side for the safety. They never made lefties in the 60's.
The clay shooters took the safeties out, but not good for hunting.
 
Tom Whitehurst said:
Steve- maybe a new to you Browning BPS is in order. They have a tang safety and bottom ejection.
Click to expand...

Now here is a guy who knows how to solve a problem,,,,,,,, buy a new gun. [cool]
 
Although I am right-handed in many activities I shoot longarms and archery left-handed due to eye injury at age 13--although on archery I didn't switch to shooting lefty until I was around 35-40 years old.

I have been shooting lefthanded using my righthanded Rem 1100 for decades and agree with those members who indicate it is just as fast if not slightly faster than shooting it righthanded. I keep my trigger finger safely positioned forward of the trigger guard and use my middle finger (normally kept safely on pistol grip) to activate the (rear of trigger guard) crossbolt safety. I also use this method on my Ithaca and High Standard pump guns--all have rear-of trigger crossbolt safety, although they lack the tactile "Click" which I really like on the Rem 1100. Righthanded tang-safety pump guns (and of course double barrels) work great for me too.

But I agree that on Winchesters (either Mod 12 or Mod 50) with forward-of-triggerguard safety this two-finger method is not possible. So if you can't find a gunsmith/kit to convert your Winchester(s), then maybe try them as-is practicing with a couple rounds of sporting clays or skeet or even a hand trap to see if you can deal with forward of trigger guard factory safety setup. If you just can't get the hang of it then you probably have to bite the bullet and buy a different (tang safety or Lefty model) shotgun. A Mossberg (either pump or Semi-auto) would be a relatively inexpensive "trial gun" for a season or two. If it doesn't work out with the Mossberg you could resell it for maybe $50-100 less than you paid (depending on whether you buy New vs. Used). Not long ago I tried to sell an "excess" Mossberg 935 "Frankengun" (one I camo-painted DIY) and couldn't even get $150 for it!

I hope this helps. If I lived closer to you I would be happy to loan you a trial gun (but not my Mossberg 930--it is my current GoTo waterfowl gun!).
 
Huntindave McCann said:
Tom Whitehurst said:
Steve- maybe a new to you Browning BPS is in order. They have a tang safety and bottom ejection.
Click to expand...

Now here is a guy who knows how to solve a problem,,,,,,,, buy a new gun. [cool]
Click to expand...

I'm thinking Steve needs a LH Benelli.
 
Steve,

I am right handed, but shoot left handed. I used a Model 12 waterfowling for years and always reached forward and clicked the safety off as the birds were tolling, and I was preparing to shoulder the gun. It would never have worked for upland hunting, but for ducks (or turkeys) it worked fine.

I have a left handed Benelli M1 90 that I use now, but am very careful about letting right handers handle the gun due to the "backwards" safety.

Matt
 
I had my 870 switched from right hand to left hand with no issues- done by a gunsmith
Steve Sanford said:
All~


As I commence my effort to learn to shoot with one eye and all the wrong hands in all the wrong places, I am wondering what is involved in switching through-bolt safeties for left-handed shooters.


My Plan A is to learn to wing shoot left-handed with my beloved (circa 1925) Winchester Model 12. If my 67-yeat-old muscles cannot learn to work a "slide action" smoothbore, my Plan B will be to use my Dad's venerable (circa 1954) Winchester Model 50, a semi-auto. Both are 12 gauges and both have through-bolt safeties. I tried the Model 50 during Turkey Season and did not feel safe reaching around to push the safe off. Of course, safety is way more important to me than shooting more birds in this, my 56th season.


Anyone switched one to lefty? Is a different part required - or is it a matter of reversing the stock (RH) bolt? I am guessing there is a secret leaf spring concealed somewhere within the trigger guard. Does this require the services of a gunsmith - or just a careful workman with better close-up vision than mine?


All the best,


SJS
Click to expand...
 

Steve,

Have you considered "hunting" for a LH model 12, 12 ga., or a Remington LH Model 31, 12 ga.?

In the last 4-5 years I've seen them on gun racks, in some good gun shops at fair prices. Never used to see them before.


VP
 
Matt, good point on being cautious about letting others handle that gun. You might even go so far as to tag the gun with a Caution tag when storing.

Some years back I had a .22 with a safety that didn't work properly, it could fire with the safety ON. I had a bit of trouble finding a gunsmith who was confident he could fix it (a good gunsmith did eventually fix it). In the interim time though that gun remained in my gun cabinet with a Tag attached describing the problem. In the unlikely chance that I would meet my demise before Old Age, I had zero desire to kill an innocent family member or friend from my grave! That Tag made me sleep much better.
 
Steve get that new BPS with safety on top. They,ve even made some good improvements to the 2020 models. Not often in a mans life that you actually can need a different gun other than just wanting one. Better take advantage of your situation!
 
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