Leftie new to handguns

[gomez]

Hello all, I'm new to handguns and would like to purchase one.

I am a natural leftie. While looking through the various manufacturers, it seems that most handguns are geared towards rigth handed people, It seems that the saftey on most guns would be difficult for a left handed person to operate. Is this a big deal or am I putting too much thought into it?

I see that the Stoeger cougar has an ambidextrous saftey. Is this a quality handgun to purchase?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.

[archtimb]

Look at the Smith & Wesson M&P. Very lefty friendly.

[medsteele]

The standard setup is geared towards right-handers, but plenty of manufacturers make models which will suit you no matter your preference.

Glock (Gen 4)-- all models feature a magazine release which can be swapped to either side.
Springfield-- The XD and XDm lines feature ambi magazine releases.
Smith&Wesson-- The M&P series come with ambi safeties and magazine releases, but the safety is optional.
Ruger-- The SR series have ambi safeties and mag releases.

There are many others, TC. You should have no trouble finding something to suit your needs.

[red dog]

i am a lefty as well and have been using glocks for decades. i use my trigger finger to work the mag release and if necessary the the slide stop as well. other left friendly ones to check out are the bersa line and the fnh line of guns, my favorite has to be the fn p in 45 everything is ambi on this gun and man does it shoot. good luck shopping there are more choices than you may think. red dog

[arjohnson]

I'm a lefty pistol shooter and I just learn to adapt. Also did you know left handed people are more intelligent than right handers, that's why most all guns are made for right handers cause they can't adapt as easily.

[51158]

you'll get use to any gun you buy, just as you have with everything else. the world is made for right handers.

Think about the holsters.Stick with popular handguns and you'll have a good assortment of holsters to choose from. also anything a gov agency uses will give you a good assortment. glocks,sigs, beretta's and some others


I know it's not your question but:
if this is the first time shooting or you've done it only a couple times, take a coarse. I can't say that enough to beginners. It made my wife a lot more confident. pistol people have coarses and intro is $95.00. well worth it. I have nothing to do with pistol people by the way, that's just where I sent my wife. they should all be around the same price

[renalp]

Welcome back!

There are plenty of choices for lefties, so before getting into specifics, I'd suggest you shoot a few pistols and decide what you want in general: size, caliber, action type, etc. If, for example, you decide against a manual safety, that's one less left-handed issue.

Oh, yeah, the Stoeger Cougar is essentially a Beretta Cougar 8000, made on Beretta machinery in Turkey by Stoeger, which is owned by Beretta. Seems to be a quality gun, although it's a bit bulky and heavy for it's relatively short barrel. Oddly, only the .45 version has an accessory rail.

[dman]

I'm a lefty pistol shooter and I just learn to adapt. Also did you know left handed people are more intelligent than right handers, that's why most all guns are made for right handers cause they can't adapt as easily.

I resemble that !

[Wilson Guy]

I am also left handed. I think you will find that you will end up using your trigger finger to manipulate most slide stops and mag releases. Many will argue that the slide stop and mag release are easier to manipulate on 1911s for left handers than right handers. I'd take a look at HKs. They are great defensive weapons and they can be ordered from the factory with left handed safeties and slide releases. I think FNs even can be ordered with ambi mag releases.

[GonzoGeezer]

I'm also sinister-handed. I found a S&W M&P and Beretta 90-Two with changeable mag releases. And many 1911s are ambi safety. Wheel guns don't care. And many modern striker guns don't have or need manual safeties. Previous correspondents are right, finding LH holsters are a bitch. Otherwise, we just have to cope with the fact that it's a right-handed world, but the naturally superior left-hander is up to the task.

So, there are lots of choices out there. The fun is finding and trying them.