Left Handers
Some pistols were made with the lock on the left side of the gun instead of the
right. These were known as left handed pistols. The design was not to make it
safer or easier to fire the pistol left handed. Virtually any pistol could be
fired safely with either hand. The left handed lock had more to do with drawing
the pistol with the left hand. Most people tended to wield their sword or cutlass
in the right hand which meant that often the left hand became the pistol hand
by default. When you tuck a flintlock pistol into a belt it is safer and more
comfortable to have the lock facing out. This helps prevents the lock from snagging
on clothing as the pistol is drawn. (It also prevents the jagged lock from pressing
into your belly.) If you tuck a right handed lock into a belt in a manner suitable
for drawing with the left hand, the lock is pressed against the body and this
could lead to an accidental firing. Putting the lock on the opposite side solved
this problem.
