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Its noted in various places that Boltguns have "multi-directional" ejection ports, implying that they can eject appropriate for either hand. Also if you look at most of the fancy heroic Marine artwork there will be lefties and righties in there.

Interestingly there is a lefty on the IG codex cover, on the far right of the picture.

Regardless of whether a soldier is left or right handed, though, you'll find that the firing hand will change depending on what cover is available. You can't always find a handy left hand corner every time contact arrives. Sure you might get hot brass in the face, but thats infinitely better than hot lead

Flinty wrote:Its noted in various places that Boltguns have "multi-directional" ejection ports, implying that they can eject appropriate for either hand. Also if you look at most of the fancy heroic Marine artwork there will be lefties and righties in there.

Interestingly there is a lefty on the IG codex cover, on the far right of the picture.

Regardless of whether a soldier is left or right handed, though, you'll find that the firing hand will change depending on what cover is available. You can't always find a handy left hand corner every time contact arrives. Sure you might get hot brass in the face, but thats infinitely better than hot lead

The ejection port thing just clears everything up. Am I right in thinking that was the main argument for all people using guns with their right hands?

Like Lunahound, I'm dominant left-handed.

Unlike Lunahound, the direction from my teacher and the "inducements" used, failed to convince me to write using my right hand.

I don't have the fine motor control on it so that probably didn't help. I can't paint with that hand, but I can cut, file or bat with it (baseball) and also shoot right handed (was in the army, and issued with a rifle intended for use by a rightie. - so I learned.

SM are ambidextrous. IG are recruited in enough numbers that there will be SOME (not enough for a regiment, though) scattered throughout.

I quite like the idea of a whole regiment of left handers with left-hand appropriate kit. The Sinsistrus 42nd (The Southpaws) are well known for being issued with scissors and corkscrews that no-one else can work and lasgun magazines that only fit their rifles

ork shoota boyz are 4:1 right : left handed

chromedog wrote:

Unlike Lunahound, the direction from my teacher and the "inducements" used, failed to convince me to write using my right hand.

I don't recall teachers ever trying to get me to use my right hand. I didn't even know such a thing still existed. I thought they stopped doing that in like the '40s.

EmilCrane wrote:

chromedog wrote:

Unlike Lunahound, the direction from my teacher and the "inducements" used, failed to convince me to write using my right hand.

I don't recall teachers ever trying to get me to use my right hand. I didn't even know such a thing still existed. I thought they stopped doing that in like the '40s.

It depend which country you are from.
Most countries out of asia cant even comprehend such brutality xD

Im a righty, beeing practioner of ancient weapons, i find my left arm is always my shield arm, so generally was always stronger in brute strength. However i can use a weapon in either hand if i needed to.

I found when i first started collecting Warhhamer that there were definately more lefty SM's then righty's, however ive noticed, that later models are right handed.

Having never collected guard, but having read the latest codex, i think it's as previously mentioned, a military drill thing, not discrimination.

Alsoooo.. The current SA-80 variant, the L85a2, not the L98a2 cadet rifle, itself isnt a bad weapon..A1 maybey.. But not the A2.

There are left handed people in 40K.
This, unfortunately, is not reflected in the miniature range as much as it should be.
/thread.

As much as it "should be"? I didn't realize lefties were now a discriminated-against minority group that needed protection.
/eyeroll

Omegus wrote:As much as it "should be"? I didn't realize lefties were now a discriminated-against minority group that needed protection.
/eyeroll

Rejoice, for they aren't.
Statistically, however, there would be a few left-handed squadmates.

Hmm i wonder, does been left or right handed effect which eye you use to look at a gun scope?

You have a primary/preferred eye in the same way you have a preferred hand (and a preferred foot for that matter). For most people they are all on the same side, which conveniently means that your sighting eye is on the correct side to use a rifle (or a bow etc etc). When you are using a scope/aiming you are kinda forced to use your right eye if using it right handed or left if left handed anyway. For people like me who have their primary as their left eye and are right handed (or the other way around) it makes aiming tricky though. The easiest way to get around it is to shut or partially shut the other eye so you can sight down the barrel properly, but thats far from ideal if you are talking about a military situation. Otherwise you just have to practice like crazy and force your body to relearn how to sight and aim. Alternatively you can just learn to fire with your non preferred hand, which is obviously going to be quite a bit of work as well but ends up being more effective in the long run (I had an great uncle who was a competitive shooter who did this).

from looking at my pile of gaurd i can say that all of them shoot with their right hands, how ever looking at the front of my "The Founding" book i can say that gaunt shoots with his left hand.... this post has achieved nothing

I kind of assumed all of my assault troops were left handed. Granted, I'm not a Space Marine, but in a close quarters fight, I think I would want my melee weapon in my good hand and my pistol in the off-hand. Also, one of my Sternguard vets is using his weapon in the left hand (which is the way it came).

The Acolyte wrote:

The ejection port thing just clears everything up. Am I right in thinking that was the main argument for all people using guns with their right hands?

As most people are right handed then firearms have always been designed with that in mind; naturally you are going to design something like that with the majority in mind.

Of course, if you stick to the original fluff bolters fired caseless ammunition and so an ejection port wasn't necessary...

My games store has a big old promo poster for 40k that has been there for years. I checked it out in detail today after reading this thread. Apparently the Crimson Fists are sympathetic to the plight of the leftie, since the Marines on the poster have ejection ports on BOTH sides. Some are on the left, some on the right.

I didn't think that bolters have ever been referred to as firing caseless rounds. Auto-weapons have, but not bolters.

Also as stated elsewhere in this thread even weapons firing caseless ammo need an ejection port to clear dud rounds.