There was a time when left-handed shooters were treated like residents of a Caribbean leper colony. Back then, the industry didn’t acknowledge lefties, much less design firearms with their needs in mind. After all, isn’t that what custom gun and leathersmiths were for? In short, being a southpaw shooter was quite costly.

The 2TL offers a variety of carry options with a sling, and the Samson Star C quad-rail fore-end makes adding accessories easy Geared for southpaw shooters, both the dustcover and ejection port on the 2TL are located on the left side of the upper receiver.

   No more seeking solace with fruit-infused beverages adorned with pastel umbrellas. Times have changed. Some manufacturers have gone from offering ambidextrous shooting accessories—a temporary stay to the sores festering from decades of avoidance—to marketing firearms completely redesigned to accommodate the needs of left-handed shooters.
   Stag Arms was among the first companies to offer a viable treatment by modifying one of the most popular and versatile semi-automatic rifles of all time for southpaws—the venerable AR-15. The model 2TL is the company’s latest offering dedicated to that effort. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this new AR variant for fear all my years of shooting AR-15/M16s left handed might leave me somewhat desensitized to the 2TL’s therapeutic qualities. However, I’m happy to report that’s not the case.

  The most noticeable departure between this and other AR models is the ejection port location—it’s on the left side of the upper assembly. As a result, the dustcover is mounted upside down and hinges upward during shooting. Not having to rely on the deflector as pieces of brass whizz by my cheek at speeds rivaling Mach 1 is quite comforting. Naturally, the bolt has also been reversed—rotated 180-degrees—in the carrier to eject from the left.
   The 2TL’s M4-style, 16-inch, chrome-lined barrel contains a 1:9-inch
rate-of-twist and should produce decent accuracy with a variety of bullet weights. The muzzle is shielded by an A2-style flash hider, commonly found on most of today’s ARs. A Samson Star C, free-floating quad-rail fore-end is the perfect match for the rifle’s A3-style flat top upper, as it eliminates height variation between the parts, forming a single plane of continuous top rail. This important—albeit, often overlooked—feature offers virtually limitless possibilities for mounting a wide variety of accessories, from dot-sights and variable-power scopes to lasers and lights, making it the shooter’s equivalent of a blank canvas.
   However, I’m not sure the same amount of thought went into selecting the sights. While I completely understand the reason for choosing a versatile rear sight, such as the 40L flip-up model by Atlantic Research Marketing Systems (A.R.M.S.), I can’t understand the advantage of pairing it with a traditional front-sight post. A flip-up front sight used in conjunction with a Weaver gas block would have made much more sense. They’re just as rugged as traditional front-sight posts and offer more versatility when mounting optics, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Both the bolt and extractor were rotated 180 degrees in the carrier to accommodate left-side ejection. In keeping with its versatility, the 2TL contains an ambidextrous safety—a useful feature regardless of dominant hand.

   Besides its ejection port, the 2TL’s forward-assist components have also been relocated to the left side of the upper receiver. To demonstrate that we lefties are magnanimous, the rifle includes an ambidextrous safety. The gun falls just short of being completely left-hand compatible given the absence of an ambidextrous magazine release (Norgon offers an excellent drop-in model, which would have filled the void nicely). But, more importantly, the addition would have resulted in an AR with truly ambidextrous fire controls.
   Despite a crisp pull absent of creep, at 8 pounds, 6 ounces, the trigger was much heavier than I would have preferred. Nonetheless, its single-stage does offer a tactical advantage over two-stage models—especially when you’re striving for figure-eight-shaped groups of dedicated pairs at close-quarters-battle distances. A six-position, telescoping buttstock offers a variety of settings, each allowing length-of-pull variation in 3-inch increments to tailor the rifle for the shooter’s comfort, or needs. The tip of the buttstock also contains an oval-shaped eyelet for
a sling.

  For accuracy testing, I chose a Sightron SIIBSS Big Sky 4.5-14x44 mm variable-power scope with a mil-dot reticle (a particularly versatile setup for a designated marksman or for varmint shooting). However, mounting it to the rifle proved to be quite a challenge.
   Even a set of Weaver Ultra High Tactical rings couldn’t provide enough clearance for a dollar bill to pass between the scope’s objective and the top of the handguard. Luckily, a pair of Yankee Hill Machine 1⁄2-inch Picatinny risers from my stash o’ parts remedied the problem. The only other accessory used during testing was a vertical foregrip to achieve a sufficient firing hold without exposing my hands to the sharp edges of the quad rail.
   Unfortunately, the challenges didn’t end there. Conditions for accuracy testing were less than ideal. If the temperature wasn’t bad enough—a digit-numbing 22 degrees according to my Kestrel portable weather meter—wind gusts averaged between 10 to 20 mph. For ease of shooting the 2TL off a bench, I swapped the 30-round magazine it was shipped with for a 20-rounder. No failures to fire or feeding problems occurred while shooting.
   Each of the two tested loads— Winchester 55-grain FMJ and Hornady 60-grain TAP FPD—shot very well during testing. Groups ranged from 11⁄4 inches to 31⁄4 inches, despite the sporadic wind gusts. Hornady’s TAP performed the best, grouping 11⁄4 inches at 100 yards, suggesting that this particular rifle prefers to digest heavier bullets at slower velocities.
   For southpaw shooters tired of settling for traditional AR-15s, this offering by Stag Arms is definitely worth considering. The 2TL offers of ambidextrous features without the expense associated with extensive modification. If you’re looking for an out-of-the-box rifle with the makings of a jack-of-all-trades carbine, this is it. Best of all, you don’t have to dig deeper in you wallet because the 2TL’s priced on par with most traditional ARs.
   We may have been ignored for years, relegated to long hours of therapy with expensive gunsmiths just to pursue our sport comfortably. But, with companies like Stag Arms paying attention to us now, there’s not much reason for us lefties to be
sore anymore.

Shooting Results

Ammunition	Velocity	Largest Group	Smallest Group	Average Group
Winchester 55-grain USA FMJ	3,240	3.25	1.75	2.60
Hornady 60-grain TAP FPD	3,115	2.25	1.25	1.75
Velocity measured in fps at the muzzle for 5 consecutive shots with an Oehler Model 43 chronograph. Temperature: 22 degrees F. Accuracy measured in inches for five consecutive, five-shot groups from a sandbag rest at 100 yards.

 

Out of Sight Sightron Since this was my first experience with Sightron optics, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, use of the SIIBSS Big Sky 4.5-14x44 mm variable-power scope while evaluating the Stag Arms 2TL proved not only to be a good match, but also made for a fun shooting experience. With a magnification range of 4.5X to 14X, this scope is easily capable of engaging targets at a wide variety of ranges. The Big Sky mil-dot reticle should prove useful at long distances by aiding with range estimation. The power ring was stiff at first, but I chalked it up to the presence of my gloved hands—and frozen fingers. Power settings were clearly indicated with numbers large enough for even this English major’s corrective lenses. Target clarity was easily fine tuned during testing by means of a side focus knob. Target knobs with clearly indicated 1⁄4 MOA adjustments offered a nice touch, especially for shooters, who like myself, don’t wish to rely on using loose pocket change to fine tune point of impact. The clicks could have been more positive, but once attained, the scope maintained its zero just fine. So, if you’re in the market for a versatile scope, consider setting your sights on Sightron: (919) 562-3000; www.sightron.com.