Greetings all:  My son's girlfriend is going into the Navy here at the end of February.
She wants to learn to fire my AR15.  She is left handed and I wonder if that presents any special problems?  I have an Oly, A2 configuration with a 16" barrel.  I don't want her to get a facefull of gas and hot cartridges.  
Thanks very much and a Happy New Year to all:
John in Oregon

I'm a correct handed firer myself.  The cartridge deflector ought to negate the brass problem, but it's never a bad idea to button up her collar.  As for gasses, I never even knew they were supposed to be a problem until I read it on here. Of course, eye pro goes without saying...

im a righty
but ive shot left handed before, just for practice
accidentally placed my right thumb over the ejection port....not a good idea
now i tuck it under the ejection port cover, or use a vertical forward grip

I find the AR to be lefty friendly as long as it's got a brass deflector. I've never been hit with a piece of brass and find the controls very useable.

I use my left thumb to manipulate the safety/selector lever, and leave it on the left side of the weapon throughout firing, it's actually quite comfortable that way.

My support hand handles mag changes - I hit the mag release with my right thumb, retrieve and insert a fresh magazine with the right hand.

Trigger finger manipulates the bolt release.

With a little practice she shouldn't have any problems.

Another benefit I've found is that if the weapon goes empty or jams, I'm already looking straight into the ejection port and can see what's going on. Only found the gas to be an issue on long strings of full-auto fire. (Gets powder in my beard, too )

If she holds the firearm properly and has good form she will have no problems.  I am also left handed and I have never had a problem shooting AR's.  They are pretty much ambi.

Hey, thanks alot.  I didn't think there would be a problem but wanted to make sure.  I will work hard with her on correct holds, dry fire a bit...then load 2-rounds in one of 5 mags that I will insert to see if a flinch is present and then let her go and shoot a bunch.
Happy New Year!
John in Oregon

20 years ago, she would have been one miserable sailor, as the A1 threw a lot of brass down my shirt collar back in my infantry days (still have the hot casing scars to prove it).  Since the advent of the A2, of course, that's all changed: there is very little a left-handed firer need know, save for the basic manual of arms.  

Keep in mind that southpaws (myself included) have been adapting to a right-handed world since childhood, so many times the right-centric design features of a rifle like the AR are going to be almost completely overlooked.  We might ponder why a certain control or switch was placed where it was, but our only real interest lies in learning how to employ it effectively.  I don't think of the AR as a right-handed rifle; I simply think of it as a rifle that put the selector switch in a rather strange place for me to activate it.  :)  Everything else is pretty straightforward.  

Hot gas and spent cartriges?  Nah, not to worry.  Just throw the rifle on her left shoulder, and instruct as usual. She'll change mags and such a bit differently than you, but the end result will be the same: rounds on target and that hard-to-conceal look of satisfaction.

Chief

Unless they've changed things in the past few years, she won't be doing any shooting in basic. They'll run you through a quick simulator course and that's it.

1999 division 206

Not really an issue.  I'vem been in 4 years now and have never fired one.  Oh yeah, did I tell you I'm a GUNNER'S MATE?  Small arms skill is about the last thing the navy emphasizes.  I joined the wrong branch.

Quoted: Not really an issue.  I'vem been in 4 years now and have never fired one.  Oh yeah, did I tell you I'm a GUNNER'S MATE?  Small arms skill is about the last thing the navy emphasizes.  I joined the wrong branch.

Not so,  you just picked the branch with the REALY REALY BIG guns

As far as southpaw it shouldn't be a problem.  I shoot right and left handed and about the only thing that gets me is mag changes going lefty.

Wolf

Quoted: 20 years ago, she would have been one miserable sailor, Chief

Nah 'cause we were using the M-14 20 years ago, and chances are she'll go to a ship with M-14s now.

Quoted: Not really an issue.  I'vem been in 4 years now and have never fired one.  Oh yeah, did I tell you I'm a GUNNER'S MATE?  Small arms skill is about the last thing the navy emphasizes.  I joined the wrong branch.

Are you pre-comming an LPD?

... chances are she'll go to a ship with M-14s now.

Good point.  Funny how that tired, old has-been has moved right back to the front of the battle -- where it rightly deserves to be.  Interestingly enough, the same could be said for Old Slabsides (1911).  In any event, don't get me started about Mod. O EBR lust. :)

Chief

Chances are she will never fire one. In boot, she will only use an air powered shotgun and a M9 with low powered ammunition.

The only time she will have fun with the M16 will be if she's a Seabee or attached to a Seabee command.

There's no problem using a right handed M16 as long that it has the shell deflector, she'll be fine.

Quoted: I find the AR to be lefty friendly as long as it's got a brass deflector. I've never been hit with a piece of brass and find the controls very useable. I use my left thumb to manipulate the safety/selector lever, and leave it on the left side of the weapon throughout firing, it's actually quite comfortable that way. My support hand handles mag changes - I hit the mag release with my right thumb, retrieve and insert a fresh magazine with the right hand. Trigger finger manipulates the bolt release. )

I do the same.  In fact, my FS92 and AR15 remain set up for righties. I once changed the mag release on my M9 and it threw me off as I had gotten so used to doing it with my left thumb. I'll leave my AR15 the way it is for the same reason.

Lefty shooter here no problems with my A2..
Maybe Shooting glasses to be safe.