Left handed

[crazedmonkey2004]

Hi im hoping to join the Royal Marines im working on my fittness but im slightly concerned that im left handed and understand that you have to shoot right handed. If your a left handed Marine or if you have any advice let me Know.

[Archie]

Having the ability to use weapons with either hand is a huge asset, it makes you much less vulnerable and allows better use of cover particularly in close quarters.

Personally I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

[Doc]

I knew a Bootneck that was left handed, he was a crap shot though but this was down to being blind in the left eye.

[crazedmonkey2004]

Are you allowed to shoot left handed?

[Doc]

my above post was tongue in cheek and I apologise

You cant fire left handed with the SA80 as the ejection port is inline with the left eye if you were to fire left handed. You'd get an eyefull of spent casings that would be hot and sting a tad.

Most guys adapt though, I wouldnt worry about it.

[Archie]

I used to shoot left or right depending on the situation. Some weapons, LMG and Carl Gustav for instance were designed for right handers only but most others weapons could be used left handed, albeit a bit clumsilly.

My experience is somewhat out of date of course, folks would say my personal weapons were a boarding pike and a cutlass, those folks will be dealt with in the grots later.

I shouldn't sweat it, just get in there and get on with it. Using the SA80 Mouse rifle with it's optical sighting system a blind granny can't miss the target. We proved that at ITDU Warminster. We couldn't find any blind grannies but we did get a hold of (in more ways than one) a group of Warm Round and Cuddlies. We gave them a trial version of the SA80 and let them have a go. They had only used a 9mm Browning up until then and they got great results on the range. So did we but that's another story, phnarr phnarr

[Artist]

I am left handed and had no problems whatso ever.

Artist

[Dogwatch]

I am left handed to write with, but for shooting, using a knife and fork, computer mouse I am right handed.
This one is for Archie, when I first drove a raider the throttle arm was on the right side of the console, no probs, then there was a few with the throttle on the left hand side, kept going round in circles till I got the hang of it

[Archie]

Hey doggers, do you remember how they always banged on about never using the friction lock on the steering wheel especially if you don't have the kill switch cord attached to the throttle.

Picture this

Studland bay doing para drops, again, (9 millionth time this year) , a very senior raiding shed Corporal who shall remain nameless performs both of the above sins. As fate would decree a couple of freak goffers (he claims we did it intentionally, as if) caught him unawares just as he applied full throttle (or maximum silly as we called it).

Long story short, Corporal ****** falls overboard, his raider, completely empty of coxswain, throttle full ahead and steering locked amidships was last seen headed for the Isle of Wight.

Archie and cohorts give chase, finally heading it off at the pass a very long time later.

The moral of the story, I'm not sure, but boy did he get rocks for weeks afterwards.

Here did you know Fred Rutledge or old Tug Wilson (The best coxswain in the Corps) and Pete Skipp in the the Sqadron?

How about Merv Redfern and Mick Savage, characters every one, how about Tommy Wicks, the mechanic who could fix the unfixable, a great bunch of guys.

[harry hackedoff]

Studland Splash
SA80 is not like it`s predecessor which could be fired from both sides of cover regardless of right or left handedness. SA80 can be configured for left handers. Doesn’t matter, if you try to use it from the "other" side, you end up with teeth full of cocking handle which is more uncomfortable than eyefuls of hot brass. Despite the ninety-odd millions spent on the upgrade, the Gravs are still getting the rubber dick. SA80 is shite now, was shite when it was introduced and will continue to be shite for the foreseeable. There are no plans to introduce a decent assault rifle, sadly.
The weapon is such a raging success that in the all-important export markets, even the Falkland Island Defence Force have not taken the huge discounts and have bought elsewhere .

[Dogwatch]

If it was the same job, I remember the senior Corporal going over the side well, was watching from a Mk9 at the time

Seem to remember a board of enquiry be convened

Also knew Fred and Tug, at 1RS, Merv at Poole, did he go Oz or Kiwi SF?

[Archie]

Hey Doggers, so you were in the grandstand seats for it. It didn't get the full court inquisition but we were all hauled up to craft control and Larry the Lamb (spits in derision) interrogated us (to no avail of course ) and corporal in question got a job doing seamanship lectures for evermore.

The last I heard of Merv was that he went SD became a Major then his temper got the better of him (yet again, he was a tad punchy if you remember) and he is no longer serving, having decked a fellow officer. I don't know how true that is, but it comes from the Grapevine of former LCs.

How about Pete Frizz later Saggus MAggus of the company, did you ever cross his path, or what about Craig Brian pisshead extraodinaire?

[Dogwatch]

Pete Frizz was a corporal at Poole, he was out in NI on Op Shoveller, Raiders and VP's on the Foyle.