(I’ve got no idea if this is the best area for this question, but here we go…)
I’m a lefty looking to purchase a semi-automatic handgun in the near future. I’ve shot with a couple different models at the local range, and so far a Glock 17 9mm is my leading choice. The safety, as has been the case for the all the pistols I’ve fired, is set up for a right-handed shooter. Anyone have a recommendation for a pistol with an ambidextrous safety, or a pistol built for leftys? The one suggestion I’ve gotten so far is a Ruger P85 9mm but I have not had the opportunity to inspect or fire one.
A couple other notes on my search:
Budget is ideally between $300-$400, which I realize is a bit low.
Not interested in a revolver.
I’m very experienced with long arms and moderately so with revolvers, but the last couple weeks have been the first time I’ve used a semi-auto pistol. I plan on taking a couple classes at the local range to get comfortable with it.
I’m leaning towards a 9mm over a .40 after my initial round of testing.
Part of my interest lies in having something more compact to keep close at hand vs. the Remington 870 I currently have to deal with intruders. I’m going to buy a gun-safe with a ‘no-look’ locking mechanism and keep it under the bed.
I’m sure a real expert like Martini Enfield will be along shortly.
Despite not being a firearms user, this piqued my interest because I’m a lefty myself. A search on Google show that the San Diego police use a Heckler & Koch P2000 because it’s ambidexterous but it’s double your price range when new.
On this page is a recomendation by Bob Hall for the Beretta 92 as being suitable for lefties. Again, same price bracket.
Like Quartz said, the Beretta 92FS (or M9 as is the military variant) has an ambidextrous safety. I have one and I like my Beretta. You can probably find one in your budget at www.auctionarms.com or www.gunbroker.com
That price range is really going to hold you back, but if you care look for either the Springfield XD or if you feel like laughing at prices Heckler and Koch makes the always swell USP, but I don’t recall (and can’t be arsed to look, I’m being called to dinner) if it’s available in 9mm. .45 is more fun anyway.
Check out the CZ 85. It’s a fantastic pistol (all the CZs are), a fully ambidextrous version of the CZ-75. New they seem to go about $450-500, so if you haggle a little bit or find a used one it should be right on the high end of your budget.
As a bonus, CZs tend to break in really well; the trigger starts a little bit gritty but gets nice and crisp after the first few hundred rounds. A used one already has that started (or done) for you.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I’ll be checking some of these out soon. I’ve had a couple people around here recommend Springfield.
You’re right, of course, that was a brain freeze. I must have been thinking about the Hi-Point I’d shot. Heavy for a hand-gun, especially compared to the Glock.
Heh, the 10XX series has been out of production since 1993. Last I checked, they were going for $700+ when they show up on GunBroker. I have a healthy chunk of cash waiting in case a 1006 or 1066 should come on the market in California.
I’ve never had any trouble getting the safety off an M1911 pistol when firing left-handed (for competitions which require using my off hand), but the Taurus PT-92s that I’ve fired had ambidextrous safeties and were reasonably priced as well.
It’s a legal requirement that guns (except revolvers) here be fitted with safety catches- I don’t know why, since I’m of the belief that safety catches on firearms are un-necessary.
The first rule of gun safety is (All together now!) Treat Every Gun As If It Were Loaded. The second rule of gun safety is [del]You Do Not Talk About Fight Club[/del] Do Not Point Your Gun At Anything You Do Not Intend To Shoot. If you’re obeying those two rules, I can’t think of a situation that you’re likely to need a safety catch- keep your finger off the trigger and don’t put a round up the spout until you’re about to fire. Just my 2c, though, and one that a lot of people disagree with IME.
I do not want an external safety on my handgun. I see no purpose for it. So we agree on that. But I do see a practical purpose for it on a long gun (rifle or shotgun). A long gun is often carried for hunting and combat purposes. As such, it is often carried through brush, and I run the risk of having an unintentional discharge from a twig getting caught inside the trigger guard and making contact with the trigger. Because of this, an external safety on a long gun makes sense to me.
A handgun is a different animal… it usually stays in the holster and is only brandished in an emergency. When holding a handgun, your finger should be off the trigger until you’re on target. Alas, it is my opinion that a handgun does not need an external safety… the safety is between your ears.
I don’t see a need for an external safety (besides CYA purposes for the company that makes them) on DAO auto pistols, but an external safety is a good idea on 1911 varients since it allows for different conditional carry options that would be disasterous to attempt with a pistol that only had a grip safety.
