KarateHottie93
Member
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2017
- Messages
- 386
Update: I ended up going with an Escort BTS12. My FFL always has never been shy about his opinion of certain guns with me, regardless of how negative they may be. I asked him if he'd heard anything about the reliability of the rather inexpensive BTS12. He told me they've sold quite a few and have gotten a lot of positive feedback. It felt perfectly natural to me and quick to aim. I was sold. Can't wait to shoot it. I'm not worried about the recoil. I've shot plenty of 12 GA. Just never from anything I can get on target as quickly as this bullpup.
Original Post: This is a really long post, and for that I apologize. I would really appreciate anyone that takes the time to help though. It would be easy for me to simply stick with handguns, but I have just enough functionality to work with much more capable options and I don't want to limit myself well below what's possible.
My left arm is almost completely paralyzed and that actual hand is entirely useless. What I can do though is work the controls pretty quickly on pretty much any gun I've had at least a few minutes to learn. I do this by holding the grip or stock in between that arm and my body and doing everything with my right hand. It's how I rack slides, charge rifle, pump shotguns, etc. I assure you I can do it with nothing against the trigger and the firearm pointed in safe direction. The problem with controls is generally not the controls on their own, but more so the frequency of their operation. A pump shotgun is bad because I would have to swap it from my functional right hand in between every shot to hold it with my left arm, while using my right hand to pump it. Then I'd have to grab it with that right hand again and realign the sights to fire off the next shot.
While it only takes me about five seconds for that process...that's an eternity under pressure. Plus pressure causes errors without practice, and true self defense of life with a firearm is obviously not something you can just practice. It's like combat sports. I know so many guys that are killers in the gym but can't function under pressure when it actually counts. They make minor mistakes and sometimes it results in getting knocked out in front of everyone by a lesser skilled opponent. The luxury of sanctioned fighting though is that you can always try again. The sad thing is that some guys with years of training and many fights never learn to cope with pressure. Sorry to rant but I know the reality of being under intense pressure to some degree and I don't want to make light of how serious it is. Basically I want something that's semi automatic that I don't have to toy with as often (outside of failures).
It doesn't have to be especially light either. The overall weight doesn't necessarily bother me while shooting entirely with one hand. The balance of that weight most definitely does though. You can't defeat the laws of physics and that's what gets me. I've shot a decent number of long guns and it's always the light frames with the front heavy barrels that really wear me out. Especially those salt rifles with pistol grips. I prefer a semi pistol grip that a lot of the less deadly hunting shotguns and rifles use. One with a heavy wood stock to counter the weight up front. Even a straight grip is a better option than a true pistol grip for me. I definitely find that the middle option is by far the fastest and easiest for me to align the sights with though.
Again, sorry for the extremely long post. I just take my life and the lives of those I love very seriously though...like all of you. While I love all long guns at the range, it's hard to find one that I would trust myself using over a handgun I'm super comfortable with. It's not that I don't know what works for me, it's just that I don't know everything available out there. Especially with long guns. Of course there are videos already on the internet but the problem is that most people limit it to what they can do with only one arm, vs a person that's spent their entire life learning how to do everything with one arm and developing strength differently as a result. I greatly appreciate any suggestions.
My preferences are this:
Semi automatic action
Semi pistol grip
Well balanced in weight
Somewhat customizable
Decent capacity without adding much weight up front (if possible)
Shotgun or Rifle
Nothing over $2000
Original Post: This is a really long post, and for that I apologize. I would really appreciate anyone that takes the time to help though. It would be easy for me to simply stick with handguns, but I have just enough functionality to work with much more capable options and I don't want to limit myself well below what's possible.
My left arm is almost completely paralyzed and that actual hand is entirely useless. What I can do though is work the controls pretty quickly on pretty much any gun I've had at least a few minutes to learn. I do this by holding the grip or stock in between that arm and my body and doing everything with my right hand. It's how I rack slides, charge rifle, pump shotguns, etc. I assure you I can do it with nothing against the trigger and the firearm pointed in safe direction. The problem with controls is generally not the controls on their own, but more so the frequency of their operation. A pump shotgun is bad because I would have to swap it from my functional right hand in between every shot to hold it with my left arm, while using my right hand to pump it. Then I'd have to grab it with that right hand again and realign the sights to fire off the next shot.
While it only takes me about five seconds for that process...that's an eternity under pressure. Plus pressure causes errors without practice, and true self defense of life with a firearm is obviously not something you can just practice. It's like combat sports. I know so many guys that are killers in the gym but can't function under pressure when it actually counts. They make minor mistakes and sometimes it results in getting knocked out in front of everyone by a lesser skilled opponent. The luxury of sanctioned fighting though is that you can always try again. The sad thing is that some guys with years of training and many fights never learn to cope with pressure. Sorry to rant but I know the reality of being under intense pressure to some degree and I don't want to make light of how serious it is. Basically I want something that's semi automatic that I don't have to toy with as often (outside of failures).
It doesn't have to be especially light either. The overall weight doesn't necessarily bother me while shooting entirely with one hand. The balance of that weight most definitely does though. You can't defeat the laws of physics and that's what gets me. I've shot a decent number of long guns and it's always the light frames with the front heavy barrels that really wear me out. Especially those salt rifles with pistol grips. I prefer a semi pistol grip that a lot of the less deadly hunting shotguns and rifles use. One with a heavy wood stock to counter the weight up front. Even a straight grip is a better option than a true pistol grip for me. I definitely find that the middle option is by far the fastest and easiest for me to align the sights with though.
Again, sorry for the extremely long post. I just take my life and the lives of those I love very seriously though...like all of you. While I love all long guns at the range, it's hard to find one that I would trust myself using over a handgun I'm super comfortable with. It's not that I don't know what works for me, it's just that I don't know everything available out there. Especially with long guns. Of course there are videos already on the internet but the problem is that most people limit it to what they can do with only one arm, vs a person that's spent their entire life learning how to do everything with one arm and developing strength differently as a result. I greatly appreciate any suggestions.
My preferences are this:
Semi automatic action
Semi pistol grip
Well balanced in weight
Somewhat customizable
Decent capacity without adding much weight up front (if possible)
Shotgun or Rifle
Nothing over $2000
Last edited:
) to see how I could manage them without using one hand. Other than loading mags my Kel-Tec Sub 2000 won hands down, pun intended. My AR rifle was very hard, too heavy. With practice I am sure I could manage but it did not come easy. I have one AR9 pistol with a 7 inch tube and a brace on it. This was far easier than the rifle and using the brace could be easily handled. That one I will have to try at the range firing that way. When I tried my Sub 2000, it was the best due to weight. It is lighter than the AR9 pistol. So light it was easy to shoulder with just one hand. That one I will have to try firing like this too. Never thought to test this before but would be a great thing to practice in case one hand / arm was injured. As for charging it if I sat down or stood up this was super simple for me using my legs or knees to hold the rifle with one hand pulling the charging handle back. Loading the mags was "interesting" to say the least. I found I could load the happy sticks (33 round) using a loader and one hand. Used a table to help me and after a little playing found it can be done. Certainly not fast but doable. Figure if the OP had one loaded happy stick he would be in pretty great shape once he got the rifle charged. 
