Smith and Wesson 5900 series magazine releases

[RustyShackelford]

Hi gang;

Any THR.org members or S&W pistol users know if a gunsmith can switch the mag release on a 5900 series pistol from right hand use to left hand use? I looked at a few used S&W pistols on GunsAmerica.com and was thinking of buying one soon. I'm left handed and like the mag release on the right side of the frame.

TangoMike;

Rusty

 

[fastbolt]

S&W addressed this issue on the current TSW 9mm/.40 S&W pistols which use double column magazines ... although these pistols are only currently being offered for Gov/LE sales (with the exception of the 4013TSW, which is still in the public catalog).

It involved modifying the frame on the right side so a reversible magazine catch assembly could be used, and installed with the button on either side.

The Value Line models lack this frame modification, and use a different magazine catch. The older 3rd gen pistols also lacked this frame modification.

 

[isp2605]

There's probably somebody out there who fashioned some sort of mag release for the 3rd Gen S&Ws but it's not a factory job. If somebody wanted something and willing to pay for it then there's somebody out there building it.
Learn to use your trigger finger to drop the mag. That's the way we taught all our lefties. When you're doing a mag swap your finger shouldn't be on the trigger anyway. We found with practice some of our lefties could actually do a mag swap with the double stack S&Ws a bit quicker than some righties. Some righties had to twist the gun just a bit in their hand so their thumb would reach the mag release. After reloading the righties then had to reacquire their grip. However, lefties never had to shift the gun because the mag release fell right under their trigger finger.

 

[RustyShackelford]

mag release buttons/pistol features/SIGarms P series

When I bought my new Beretta 96D .40cal in 1997 and asked the shop's gunsmith to switch the magazine release, a guy working in the gun shop made the same comments about using the mag release. The other sales clerk was like "Shut the $%*^ up!"

Do the SIGarms pistols(P-220/P-229/P-226) have magazine releases that can switch?

RS

 

[fastbolt]

We found with practice some of our lefties could actually do a mag swap with the double stack S&Ws a bit quicker than some righties.

Ditto experience ...

FWIW, when we started issuing the newer TSW pistols on which the mag catch could be reversed for the left-handed users, we were surprised to find that virtually without exception the left-handed folks decided to keep the mag catch button on the left side. The common reason given was that they had spent so many years becoming accustomed to using the button on the left side, that they didn't want to change.