September 15, 2022. Most bolt-action rifle shooters use their trigger-pulling hands to operate the bolt. This is because most rifles that are sold to right-handed shooters have right-side bolts. Lefty rifles, however, have left-side bolts. This “standard” configuration requires that the shooter takes his dominant trigger-pulling hand off of the stock to cycle it, then reposition his hand on to the stock and “reclaim” the trigger. The shooter often has to lift or move his head in order to operate the bolt. He also needs to re-establish the cheek weld after every shot. This is not a good idea for precision shooting with foreend support*. There is a better method. You can leave your trigger hand in place and work the bolt (and the feed rounds) with the other hand. This will eliminate the need to shift grip or head position with every shot. This requires a weakside-placed bolt (i.e. A left bolt is for a right-handed shooter and a right bolt is for a left-handed one. This video shows a “Lefty” working a right bolt. This is a very efficient way to use a bolt.
F-TR World Champion Derek Rodgers is the only person to have won BOTH F-Open U.S. National Championships and F-TR U.S. National Championships. He also runs the King of 2 Miles Match with this type of “opposite” bolt setup. Yes, Derek shoots right-handed using a left bolt. Derek shoots right-handed, but he uses a Left Bolt/Left Port action. He pulls the trigger using his right index finger and works the left-side bolt using his left (weakside). This allows him to remain in place and preserve his cheekweld. He places his right hand on his grip and manipulates the bolt (and the feeding rounds) using his non-trigger-pulling, f-TR World Champion hand.
This is the rifle Derek won the 2013 F-TR National Championship.
*For true standing, offhand shooting (whether in competition, on a hunt), a traditional strongside bolt placement makes sense since the non-dominant hand must support the front end of the rifle at all times. It’s different when shooting from a bipod or rest.
