Savages for Southpaws — Why Savage Caters to Lefties
Left-Hand version of Savage Arms Law Enforcement 10 FCP SR Rifle
Savage likes lefties. In fact, Savage Arms now makes left-handed versions of 18 of its most popular rifles. On the Ammoland.com website, Savage Arms Marketing Director Bill Dermody talks about Savage’s commitment to left-handed shooters. Dermody says: “Whether it’s a bigger gun, faster gun or one that fulfills a specific customer need, we strive be the leader in specialty guns”. Here are highlights from the interview:
Why Southpaws Should Shoot Left-Handed Guns
Dermody: Research reports more than 10 percent of Americans are left-handed. For lefties, having a left-handed bolt gun is extremely important because it allows a fast follow-up shot. A shooter’s support hand never has to leave the forend, or their cheek leave the stock, while their trigger hand operates the bolt. Also, having the action open on the left side makes for easier loading with your left hand, and hot spent cases never fly across your face.
Savage’s Left-Handed Product Line
Dermody: [We offer] 18 left-handed rifle models. We have left-handed options available throughout our product line including big game, law enforcement, target competition and predator hunting. We also offer left-handed slug shotguns and bolt-action and semi-auto rimfire rifles. To quickly see all our left-handed options, open the Gun Finder tool on our website (savagearms.com) and select “left” in the search function.
Product Release Policy — Left-hand Versions follow Right-hand Releases
Dermody: When we release a new firearm it’s usually only in a right-handed model, but oftentimes we introduce the left-handed version in the years that follow.
Left-Hand version of Savage Arms Mark II BTVLSS rimfire rifle.
Products for Left-Eye Dominant Shooters
Dermody: The right-handed, left-eye-dominant customer is interesting. When a right-handed person switches the gun to their left shoulder and uses their dominant eye to aim, they are often more accurate. Most brand new shooters test their eyes to see which shoulder they should learn to shoot from, which is great. However, it’s not uncommon for us to hear about shooters and hunters, those with years of shooting experience, deciding to sell their right-handed guns and buy a left-handed one, especially bolt-action firearms. These folks are shooting more accurately and getting more satisfaction at the range and on their hunts when using a left-handed gun.
This video shows how to determine eye dominance (left or right):
Savage Factory Can Easily Switch to Left-Hand Products
Dermody: We are set up to changeover our machines to efficiently build left-handed parts for our rifles. This allows us to manufacture small batches of left-handed guns whenever we need them, without labor-intensive and time-consuming expenses, and without messing up our planned production schedule. It’s just one of those things we are better equipped to do than most of our competitors.
To read the complete interview, visit Ammoland.com. Statements by Bill Dermody reproduced under Creative Commons License: Attribution.
As a left handed shooter, I recall the days when left handed production rifles were few and far between. We really were “left out” so to speak. We’ve come a long way!
There smart. Other companies are missing the boat. Sometime we have over 1/3 left handed shooters on the line. The F class righties should like them as well.
Editor: Do what Demody says. Go to the Gunfinder:
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/finder/
Select left/right hand, then tick the check box for left. 18 rifles DO display, but you have to advance through three pages (there are only 8 guns shown per page). We went through all three pages and counted 18 guns. Just do the search… See: http://accurateshooter.net/pix/gunleft01.png (page 3).
Bigguy: I have a Savage because it is left handed. However on their website this year there are fewer left handed models available than last year, by far. I don’t buy this story.
I’m surprised they don’t offer a blued/synthetic 93 lefty with a bull barrel (they do in righty). I was looking for one to build from, didn’t want the stainless/thumbhole one, so I bought a CZ instead.
Also surprised they no longer offer the VLP or BVSS in left hand.
They don’t offer ANY centerfire lefties with anything but synthetic stocks anymore. No birch, no walnut, no laminate, just plastic. Nothing target or varmint oriented, just field/big game and tactical.
>> For lefties, having a left-handed bolt gun is extremely important because it allows a fast follow-up shot.
Yeah, but for slow-fire from the bench or prone, using a right-handed bolt is actually better! (All you righties should be buying left-handed guns for these applications. LOL)
Nonetheless, kudos to Savage for being lefty friendly.
Im afraid the 18 number is misleading as they include semi automatics in the list that are right eject. Other rifle in the list say “Available only outside of the United States market.” There is not 18 true left handed rifles there but at least they have a few. No left bolt palma or decent targets rifles.
Savage is still very limited on heavy barreled LH rifles. The tactical only comes in 308.The VLP and predator 10 max 1 were both discontinued.