I know a few of the old timers here, but after an absence of six years I will be a puzzle to many or most on the forum.
You notice that on my avatar, I'm wearing an eyepatch . . . . I had a series of three strokes about 15 years ago, and lost almost all the vision in my right eye. Into archery, big bore, gun collecting . . . ouch. I had to learn all over again from the left side. Sold and gave away multiple dozens of bows, rifles and had to learn to shoot and hunt all over again.
It was the humble air rifle I owned, an old Condor (Diana) that rescued me, because it was only a month from my last stroke that hunting season was looming, and I was determined to take a bellweather deer (something ridiculous like the 40th - lost track in my old age of the precise number of deer and bear that I'd taken, and as they are both eminently pot-worthy, and the number was huge . . . probably 10 or 15 more bear than deer). Nothing noteworthy . . . I'm a meat hunter and couldn't care less about racks and size.
So I practiced hard learning to shoot left-handed, and not only did I get that buck, left-handed, but I developed a taste for airguns that I never suspected I'd get. It became my main shooting genre.
Also making a long story short, I shoot WAY better left-handed than I ever did from the right side.
I never even placed in right handed competition, and have done so quite regularly from the left side. Why? Easy. I dropped the instinct and learned correct form. Did things properly. Makes a difference. Never won a title though . . . was knocking on the door when the plandemic ruined all of our lives.
My profession helped a lot - I'm a (now retired) professional violinist, conductor and composer. I took the job of Concertmaster in Prince George BC in 1995 I think, because I hunt and fish, and the thought of living the rest of my life in Toronto was a burden I couldn't bear (pun intended). The other option was either Boston or Europe (both of where I had contacts), which had even less appeal to me than Toronto, if that's possible. And it was a very good orchestra, # 3 in the Province behind Vancouver and very close to Victoria in quality in those days. And in PG I met one of the best friends I've ever had, CAF forum guru Daryl. The guy is a font of firearms knowledge, and one of the kindest and most generous souls I've ever met. About as musical as a grackle, however. There it is in a nutshell.
The discipline of a well trained left-hand as a professional violinist made the transition to feeling comfortable from the "wrong" side of a gunstock very easy, to be quite honest.
So I look forward to contributing where I can, and making new friends on the forum. Thanks for reading this drivel, eh?
And always remember, when you are given a lemon, make lemonade.
See y'all forumside. And have yourselves a Merry and Blessed Christmas.
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