Left/Right Bolt/Port Question

[jeguia]

What are your thoughts (advantages / disadvantages) regarding a right handed shooter using a right bolt - left port or a left bolt - left port setup?

Please advise.

Thanks!

 

[BoydAllen]

If you are talking about bench or bipod use, both are very good. I say this from my experience with the equivalent configurations shooting left handed, left right, and right right. The difference comes in when you are shooting groups for competition, with all the bells and whistles including wind flags. In that situation right left (for you) has a speed advantage, because you can open the bolt with one hand and unload and load with the other, at the same time. If you are shooting more informally, without flags to tell you the exact wind condition between shooter and target, you would not really know about a condition holding, or their timing, in as fine a detail, so the likelihood of running groups while a condition is holding would not be an issue. Even so, shooting left left, you can come very close if you hustle. All of my varmint rifles are right right, and I really like not having to take my trigger hand off of the stock, or break position to load. Two of my three bench rifles are left right, and the third, based on a Remington is right right. I enjoy all, and do not have problems switching, perhaps because I am fairly good with both hands. I know fellows who are not. For them it might be different, but I think that it would just take a little more time to get comfortable.

 

[jeguia]

Thanks for the detail Boyd. It’s appreciated.

 

[Warren Dean]

I've run right bolt/left for port for years shooting FTR. It allows me to load without taking the rifle out of my shoulder. Very slick and consistent.

 

[Rope2horns]

For Fopen I run a RBLP...it was what I started with and didn't know any better. In the past year I have been in the process of trying to learn to shoot off a spotting scope. With a RBLP there really isn't a good place to sit the spotter,,,it's either in the way on the load port side or in the way on bolt/trigger side...So far I have managed to sorta work it out with a Ray Vin stand with the outrigger. If I had it to do all over again I would do a right/right or left/left and be done with it.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

When youre not under time pressure such as in f-class i always recommend bolt handle side loading ports with no ejector. The less time you have such as group shooting then you can speed it up with faster configurations. Its called limiting your exposure- why have a port in front of your face if you dont need to? You have plenty of time in fclass and like norm said above the opposite port will eventually get in your way

 

[gme]

if you're shooting a rifle that's being supported for you (as opposed to sling shooting were it has no place at all) the RBLP configuration is probably more convenient and faster once you become accustom to it, if you should decide to sell the action in the future it will appeal to a smaller market and may be harder to sell, I suppose one could make the argument that should you have a case head separation, blown extractor (or something worse) the loading port on the "face" side of the rifle could increase the likelihood of injury

 

[Jennb]

I shoot F class with a LBLP configuration and I shoot right hand. I do not use a spotting scope but if I did the situation would be same as Norm. Something is always in the way but it can be worked out.

 

[tmwinds]

For 600 and 1000 yard bench rest a dual port with a ejector is almost mandatory if your objective is to get the condition you want and crank off you shots as fast as possible before the condition changes. At the 600 matches I shoot we have several shooters that can fire their 5 record rounds in 10-12 seconds and they do very well. This past weekend one of the better speed shooters shot a .8 group in windy conditions because he ran the shots very fast.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

if you're shooting a rifle that's being supported for you (as opposed to sling shooting were it has no place at all) the RBLP configuration is probably more convenient and faster once you become accustom to it, if you should decide to sell the action in the future it will appeal to a smaller market and may be harder to sell, I suppose one could make the argument that should you have a case head separation, blown extractor (or something worse) the loading port on the "face" side of the rifle could increase the likelihood of injury

Heed the above comment.

A while back, one of the guys at the club running a RBLP rifle received some instantaneous, much-needed improvement to his face when a case ruptured in his rifle. If it had been a RBRP rifle, it would have been a total non-event.

 

[Warren Dean]

Heed the above comment.

A while back, one of the guys at the club running a RBLP rifle received some instantaneous, much-needed improvement to his face when a case ruptured in his rifle. If it had been a RBRP rifle, it would have been a total non-event.

 

[dcali]

I’m another one who won’t do left port simply because I’m not interested in putting my face in front of the port. It’s not an issue until it’s an issue.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Denys, your point is well taken. We both know that the gunsmith had cut a bad chamber in that Dasher. Here's the case that ruptured and fixed the guy's face.

Joe

View attachment 1110655

That chamber was so far off thats not even considered chambering

 

[jeguia]

This is all tremendous feedback. Thank you all.

 

[TrxR]

I shoot left handed and like my rbrp configuration .