Looking for a lefty-friendly pistol

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charles.emond

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So far I've handled and shot a Glock 17, Sig P226, Browning Hipower and none of them seem to be reload friendly for a lefty like me :D I've got no problem shooting em, but when I have to reload or lock the slide back, I gotta do it all like a righthander would, it's not a major deal but I'm just looking for some names of more ambitext pistols

EDIT:

So far these were suggested:
1911
CZ 82/83/85
FNP 9/40/45
HK 45/P2000/P2000sk/P30/P30L/P7/P7M8/P7M13
Ruger P89/95
SA XD
SW MP
Walther P99/88
 
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P89/95 Ruger is completely ambidextrous as to mag release and decocker, or as Yogi says, "Amphibious". :D The P90, however, has a mag catch that can be flipped for lefties, but is not ambidextrous. Not sure about other models. I really like the P85/95 mag catch, though, but prefer my P90 as a gun. Like I say, it can be made left handed by swapping the mag catch spring. Only thing, the slide release is only on the left side on the Rugers. You'll have to grab the slide which some folks prefer anyway.

All you have to do to reload a right hand gun is push the mag release with your index finger. Not that big a deal, really. Grab the slide and retract it fully to drop it.
 
Ditto on the Walther guns. I think alot of HK pistols have ambidextrous features too. I'm a lefty too, and shot with my left hand for years, but since I'm right eye dominant, I decided to try right handed. After several nights handling, aiming, dry-firing with snap caps or used brass, the change-over was working well. Just some food for thought if you're right eye dominant. I'm not recommending it if you're left eye dominant. Hope this helps.
 
I use the left bird finger to release the magazine on the Sig P220.
 
The Walther P88 was designed to be truly ambidexterous, which is exactly what it is. It's also a tad bit on the pricey side, although you can't easily match the quality that went into the P88.
 
Being left handed myself, Im learning the hard way too. Ive had an XD for a couple years. Just doing some shooting in the backyard its no prob handling the weapon. But when taking a tactical class the first thing they tell you is not to switch hands, as it increases chances of dropping the gun. The XD has an ambi mag release, but thats no prob to do with trigger finger or middle finger as I do with my other pistols.
The trouble I run into being left handed is locking the slide to the rear using the slide release. This isnt really a big deal until you have a double feed malfunction and have to lock the slide back so you can drop the mag. Sometimes I can use my trigger finger to "bump" up the slide release, but often times I cant get it to lock. When trying to do it for speed, it gets even harder. My instructor could do it that way, but most of the time I dont get it locked the first attempt. I guess I dont have the right finger strength/control or something.
Ive been practicing a different method. Training teaches to keep the gun at chin level for reloads, but I have to drop down. Keeping the muzzle pointed down range, I hold the gun flat, grab the slide with my right hand, pull it back and flick the slide release with my right thumb as I pull the slide. I havent used this method in a stressful training session yet, but at home it seems easier.

As has been suggested the SW MPs have ambi mag and slide release. I think some HKs do also, but Ive never handled one. Another thing is the safety or decocker, if it has one it should be ambi. My CZ has an ambi decocker, which is nice. My other guns have no safety, even nicer. lol

Good luck on your search, this is a right handed world for the most part, us lefties have to learn to adapt sometimes.
 
Why not just use your index finger to drop the slide or hit the mag release?

To easy.
Iam left handed and find the 1911 very easy for L/Hand. Im 50 yrs of shooting hand guns never saw being a L handed person a problem . You adapt
 
I bought my HK P2000 .40S&W because it has an ambi mag release and ambi slide stop along with a conveniently placed decocker. 100% lefty friend. I don't really use too many of the features though because shooting guns made for rightys so long has forced me to adapt. I use the slingshot method but having a slide stop on the right side of the gun is nice for if you want to lock the slide back. I have some issues doing that on my XD.
 
hk p30 is fully ambi, though I can make most pistols work ok lefty.
if you've gout a couple grand there was this outfit that was making mirror image 1911's that were lefty only.
 
I shoot lefty, and this problem is continuous for me. I was wondering about the PX4, anyone have experience with this model?
 
I'm a Lefty. Always have been. ;)

Glocks and Sigs are not really lefty-hostile at all, even if you don't take advantage of Sig's ability to reverse the mag release.

I would humbly and respectfully suggest that if you're having problems with those guns, that you're not using the correct reloading technique to begin with, and learning to effectively reload guns as neutral as those will serve you better than getting a different gun. (Of course, if you simply *want* a different gun, that's fine, but should be motivated by other reasons.)

Teaching this technique is difficult in text, and honestly beyond the scope of what can be properly transmitted online. For reference though, here are the factors:

Mag release: This is effected with the 2nd knuckle of the trigger finger of the left hand. Essentially, you curl it up and press it against the mag release. If you need additional pressure, you supply it by pressing the frame of the gun towards your trigger finger with your support hand. With practice, you will not need your support hand to drop the mag.

Mag insertion: Very hard to describe in text. The fresh mag should be grasped such that the index finger of the support hand is touching the nose of the topmost cartridge. The hands are brought together with a "pointing at the pinky of your gun hand" motion, which gets the head of the mag into the well of the gun. As the motion is continued, slamming the mag home (hard!) the fingers splay out, such that the heel of the palm drives the mag home.

Slide release: I belong to the school that says that no one should use it. To be more precise, I belong to the school that says that the only people who should use the slide release are those who a) happen to have correctly sized and positioned hands and fingers to easily reach the control (which eliminates all Lefties and more than half of Righties) and who can reliably, 100% of the time engage in acts of fine motor control fully equal to their gross motor control when under life threatening pressure. (Which eliminates anyone who meets the previous criteria.)

The technique in this light is, the heel of your palm still being in contact with the mag you've slammed home, you pivot your hand around such that your fingers can wrap over the top rear of the slide, which you then grasp firmly via wrap over. Your gun, still being pointed generally at the target all throughout the reload, remains so. You then pull you slide grasping hand towards your gun holding hand's shoulder, releasing the slide at the end of it's travel. Your slide hand continues its journey to the shoulder, lightly touching it.

This technique provides right and left handed shooters with a reliable technique that works on all guns, even under pressure. Using it, the left handed shooter can reload as fast (or faster) as any right handed shooter using any other technique.
 
The (Ruger) P90, however, has a mag catch that can be flipped for lefties, but is not ambidextrous.

No it can't. There's a hole for one end of the magazine release spring to fit into, that's on one side but not the other.

So it is on mine, which is a fairly early P90.
 
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