Which used quality 1911 does a left handed shooter get for fun at the range.
Any 1911 you want. I've been shooting 1911s left handed for over 40 years and the only concession to my "lefthandedness" has been ambi safeties. I've never bought a 1911 that came with an ambi safety, but rather I've installed them in most of my 1911s. It's not hard, but if you don't understand the function and relationship to the sear, you're better off buying a ambi 1911, or paying a smith to install one in a non-ambi gun.
You don't need an ambi safety for a range gun... nice, but certainly not absolutely necessary.
Years ago, there was a company, Randall, that made an actual left handed 1911... everything including the ejection port was reversed. I bought one, owned it for a year and sold it because using a standard 1911 was already deeply ingrained into my muscle memory.
I can honestly say, that the only thing that I still find difficult to operate, and I take great pains in insuring that it is as smooth in function as possible, is the slide stop (release). You have to distort your trigger finger quite a bit, and slightly alter your grip, to operate it. Not a concern with a range gun... more so with a defensive weapon.
Lately, I've been doing research on alternative and modified slide stops. The Kongsburg 1911 pattern slide stop in particular, as this may... I say may, be workable with the middle joint of the left handed,
straight trigger finger... meaning that I would no longer need to change my grip to drop the slide one handed.
What is the 1911 that people get when they want a high quality American made shooter that will not break the bank?
That is a question that is asked nearly every week, even every day, in practically every firearm and 1911 specialty forum on the interweb. If you find the clear answer to that with a definition of what you think is "high quality"... with broken down price ranges to suit your budget as well as the above and below budgets of others who's "break the bank" concept is different from yours... and a guaranteed all US manufactured status, I'm sure plenty of people would like to hear about it.
Every gun listed above, and in posts to follow, by other members will have it's lovers and haters. Some (most?) may be made by a US company with "international" parts. Why? Because apparently, people want $600 1911s, that's why.
1911 gun buyers guide.
Cheers,
C
