[Partisan Ranger]

As a lefty still mulling over my first handgun purchase to carry concealed, which autoloaders would you recommend and which would you avoid?

I know that some are ergonomically better than others for lefties, and I'm also wondering if there are some autoloaders that will eject a spent casing down my shirt. A guy I work with said his .45 would do that to a lefty. Thanks.

PR

[Skunkabilly]

Depends on your budget, but P7s--slide release, mag release, etc everything except for the takedown button are ambidextrous.

Not sure if the brass will go down your shirt though?

[Handy]

A day late and a dollar short.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19330

[George Hill]

BEST? HK USP is totally switchable.

[Handy]

One of the worst is the P9S. In the M9 trials of the late '70s that was one of it's biggest problems.

Of more common guns, the Sigs don't do lefties any favors with the location of the slide release and decocker. Pistols with left side only controls in the more typical places are easier for a lefty to work with.

[Graystar]

Worst? Any gun with the mag release on the left side and ejection port on the right side.

[10-Ring]

From the factory, the P7M8 is the most "lefty" friendly. On the other end o the scale, I'd rate the classis SIG pistol as a not so friendly lefty handgun.

[mainmech48]

I'm a southpaw and none of my 1911s have put any hot brass down my shirt in many thousands of rounds. I've had some bounce off of my cap, but it's never been that much of an issue. The same thing happens to starboard-types regularly.

Ambi thumb safeties come "standard" on many 1911s today, and the rest of the controls are just as handy to either hand with practice.

Given that the extractor and ejector aren't severely worn or damaged, and the proper balance of recoil spring strength and ammo it's been a non-issue for me with any self-loading centerfire handgun.

With some notable exceptions like some models of the otherwise excellent SIGs, almost any make, style, or caliber of self-loader is available with a control format that a lefty can use easily. Go to a well-stocked dealer or gunshow and try a few on.

[Handy]

Why should the location of the ejection port matter? Do you have a bullpup pistol?:D

The Walther P5, despite being a righty gun, has left ejection.

[Graystar]

Some guns like to toss the shells nearly straight back....right into the body or face of a lefty.

Ask me how I know. :(

[Handy]

I'm just wondering how the gun knows which hand is holding it? If you can see the sights, then your head is lined up with the gun, no matter which hand pulls the trigger.

In other words, why would the brass miss you if you were right handed?

[TheMariner]

P99...... slide release is alittle interesting to manage but my brother says he's got it down pat to operate it with his left hand...

[ChuckB]

I've been totally pleased with my Beretta 92FS. The shell ejection has never been an issue and, unlike many 1911's, I don't have to worry about a thumb safety only on a righty's side of the pistol.

Chuck

[WonderNine]

Check out a Walther P-38 they eject the shells to the left instead of to the right.

[Graystar]

Handy wrote:
I'm just wondering how the gun knows which hand is holding it? If you can see the sights, then your head is lined up with the gun, no matter which hand pulls the trigger.

In other words, why would the brass miss you if you were right handed?

When you shoot left handed the majority of your body is to the right side of the gun, just as when you shoot right handed the majority of your body is to the left of the gun. This is especially true for bullseye shooters, cause we hold the gun with one hand. In that case, nearly the entire body is to one side or the other.

When sighting, your head isn't centered, but is shifted a couple inches to one side or the other. When sighting with the left eye your head is shift to the right.

The result of all this is that ejected cases that would have missed a right handed shooter by a few inches end up hitting a left handed shooter.

Of course, this is only a problem if your gun is spitting cases straight back. Only my Glock is doing that to me now. My other guns don't.

[ahadams]

IMI Desert Eagle is the worst, without doubt. I really really wanted one of those and finally a couple of years ago I had a buddy who was going to sell his .357 to get something else he decided he needed more. The price was right but thankfully I asked to try it out first. Well it seems the DE (or at least that one) was designed to kick the spent brass over the shoulder of a right handed shooter - there's nothing like getting hit square in the forehead with hot brass to mess up your concentration, let me tell you!:rolleyes:

I ended up taking a pass on the offer and haven't wanted one since.

[Nightcrawler]

Worst? Any gun with the mag release on the left side and ejection port on the right side.

I must disagree. I find it easier to hit the mag release of my CZ-97 with my trigger finger than to use my left thumb to hit the ambidextrious mag release on the Ruger.

The Rugers do have ambi safety levers and ambi mag releases, however.

The HKs are swapable, but I'm not sure if you can do it yourself, if it requires an HK Armorer, or where you can get the parts from.

IT's a misconception amongst many righties that we lefties would prefer left-ejecting weapons. I LIKE having the eject port (and on many semiauto rifles, the charging handle) rigth there where I can see/reach them. The only rifle to ever spit brass in my face was the M16A1. Apparently unable to change the eject angle, AR-15 makers (as well as M16A2 and later models) chose to put a protrusion on the right side of the receiver to deflect the brass.

[incursion]

The best for lefties is definitely a P7. The slidelock is actually much easier to manipulate if you're left handed.

[stevelyn]

From my own experience with the guns I've shot.

Worst for LH friendliness: SIG
Best: Glock.

The slide lock should never be used to release the slide. So this should not be an issue for LH'ers

[agony]

I disagree that SIGs are lefty-unfriendly.

I'm a lefty and believed this misconception for years.

However, I've learned over the years to drop the mag with my trigger finger, hence keeping the mag release on the left side of the pistol.

The SIG decocker can be swiftly manipulated with a swipe of the trigger finger as well.

Then again, I'm a SIGaholic.



Also consider the HK USP series, as they have ambi mag releases which I feel are still the best in the business. My USPs are set up with the ambidextrous safety.

[incursion]

Stevelyn,

The slide lock and the slide release are 2 different things on the P7. The squeeze cocker doubles as the slide release.

[Handy]

Agony,

How do you get at the slide release with your left hand?

[agony]

Handy,
With most semiautos I don't like to use the slide stop lever as a slide release. I tend to 'slingshot' the slide after inserting a fresh mag. That way I never have to fumble with a release.

[Handy]

Agony,

I understand that many prefer to not utilize the slide release, citing wear and less chambering force.

However, if you are ever truly one handed, you lack an easy method for slide release. Also, you're in a poor position to manually lock the slide back to clear a jam.

Neither should be a PRIME consideration, especially with a weapon as trouble free as a Sig, but that lever is there for a reason and it is poorly located when the gun is in the left hand.


I really don't understand what that lever is doing there at all. Several other frame decocker designs successfully combine the slide release and decocker into a single lever. Check out the Walther P5 and HK P9S and P7, among others.

[Handy]

In all fairness to Sig, I was just playing around with ny 225 and was able to release the slide with the left trigger finger. It wasn't comfy, but doable.

[.45Ruger]

Checkout the Springfield XD. Standerd ambi mag release, no external safety to worry about and I've never had brass hit me bofore. The Ruger P95 is bad though.