Lefty friendly 1911

[40caljoe]

I am an unfortunate left handed person (wish that would qualify me as handicapped) I would really like a 1911 for league and compitition shooting. Does anyone know someone who has done or can do full lefty convrsions?

It is very hard to speed load or rack and clear a 1911 if you are left handed,

Thanks for your replies

[Longslide]

There are aftermaket parts that can assist

ambi-thumb safety safety
ambi-mag release
ambi-right side slide release

I am not sure who sells the right side slide release (ambi) but I know they are available.

[Hawkmoon]

Randall used to make left-handed 1911s. You can find them used on occasion. And Dlask, in Canada, either does or did make left-handed 1911s. I don't know if they are available in the U.S.

Actually, given the magic of CNC machining, I don't think it would all that difficult to set up a program to run a mirror image of the program you ran yesterday. I wonder why somebody isn't selling lefty 1911s? There are a few companies out there who sell left-hand rifles, including Stag Arms lefty AR-15s.

How about it, industry reps? There's a market segment out there just waiting for YOU to tap it ...

[EDIT]https://www.dlaskarms.com/

https://www.dlaskarms.com/1911p1.html

[WildCard600]

It is very hard to speed load or rack and clear a 1911 if you are left handed,



How so ? i've never had a problem ....

[carsten1911]

Hi,

the oonly thing needed for a lefthanded operation of a 1911 is an ambi thumb safety. The other bottons and levers are all operable with your left index finger, making all manipulations very safe, since the trigger finger MUST BE off the trigger.

Slide serrations are already on both sides, so I cant imagine where the problem lies here :confused:

Ah, and yes, I am a lefty too. One of the reasons I got a 1911 instead of another gun was the high grade of compatibility of 1911´s and southpaws ;)

Greetings and good shooting!

Carsten

[40caljoe]

I guess I am spoiled by the ease of function of my M&P. The hardest thing for me is the slide release w/trigger finger. Maybe it's just something I need to work on. I was looking at a Kimber Elite Target II but that only had the left side (right) thumb saftey. Dang it was such a good price too!

I am pretty sure any quality gunsmith could work a gun over to correct the problems with the original design. But at what cost?

Thanks

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Another lefty here.

My only complaint is the difficulty of locking the slide open left-handed. I usually have to switch hands to make it happen. However, that's not really a critical operation.

I find that when I shoot righty I frequently bump the mag release with my thumb. Not good.

[Hill]

Being a lefty is a handicap??

You may be happy to hear that lefthanded people have been proven to reside in the top 13% in intelligence amongst the world population. That lefthanded people live an average of 8.4 years longer than our right handed brethren. That the majority of history's great statesmen, artists, writers, Irishmen, and liars have been lefthanded?

Pick up your chin from your chest, son, and be PROUD that you are lefthanded and amongst the elite of the world. A Handicap indeed.


BTW,.............oh, you guessed! :lm:

[RickB]

I'm a lefty, have been shooting 1911s in USPSA and IDPA competition, almost weekly, for ten years. Add an ambi safety, and you are better-off than most righties. Right-handers can't reach the mag release with their thumb, so they have to alter their grip to do so; no such problem for a lefty. Likewise for locking the slide; it easier to apply upward pressure with the tip of the trigger finger, than to try to reach the slide stop with the right thumb. When clearing a malf, it's good to rotate the gun clockwise, so gravity will help clear the port; easy for a lefty, not so easy for a righty. I have decided to load from slidelock by slingshotting the slide, rather than trying to develop specific techniques for every gun I may fire.

[40caljoe]

Being a lefty is a handicap??

You may be happy to hear that lefthanded people have been proven to reside in the top 13% in intelligence amongst the world population. That lefthanded people live an average of 8.4 years longer than our right handed brethren. That the majority of history's great statesmen, artists, writers, Irishmen, and liars have been lefthanded?

Pick up your chin from your chest, son, and be PROUD that you are lefthanded and amongst the elite of the world. A Handicap indeed.


BTW,.............oh, you guessed! :lm:

I feel better already...... i think :scared:

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Likewise for locking the slide; it easier to apply upward pressure with the tip of the trigger finger, than to try to reach the slide stop with the right thumb.

Personally I have a lot of trouble with this. Maybe my fingers are too long? Of course my left index finger is also slightly arthritic so that may have something to do with it.

[Joni Lynn]

I'm a leftie and don't currently own any left handed guns, nor am I looking for any. Most of my 1911's do have ambi safeties though.

[flycaster]

I'm with Joni Lynn. I do just fine with my S.A. Loaded. I'm thinking of replacing the right side thumb safety with a wider one, though.

Chuck

[twin oaks]

Being a lefty is a handicap??

You may be happy to hear that lefthanded people have been proven to reside in the top 13% in intelligence amongst the world population. That lefthanded people live an average of 8.4 years longer than our right handed brethren. That the majority of history's great statesmen, artists, writers, Irishmen, and liars have been lefthanded?


That's because there's a left handed conspiracy to make all the really dangerous things for right handers.

[40caljoe]

I'm with Joni Lynn. I do just fine with my S.A. Loaded. I'm thinking of replacing the right side thumb safety with a wider one, though.

Chuck


I was actually handling a S.A Loaded 9mm today and it felt good and I was able to operate it fairly well. Now if they had it in a .45 I may have purchased it! But for the same price they had a nice Rock River Arms AR-15 in 9mm that looked like fun too!

Decisions, decisions???

[bill4282]

I'm a lefty and the only change I had to make was to add an ambi safety. I never use the slide stop to release the slide; pull the slide back and let it go (slingshotting). Makes the round go into battery easier and less chance of the extractor not grabbing the round. I use my right thumb to engage the slide stop when I pull the side back with my right hand. Takes a little practice but not difficult.

[txharleyrider46]

If the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body...then left handed people are the only people in there right minds. ;)
And yes I'm a south paw...have been all my life.

[keys1222]

just remember this
God created everyone right handed, but the truly gifted overcame it

[Joshua M. Smith]

The more I use them, the more I'm convinced that the 1911 was built for the left hander. The only place Browning dropped the ball was with the thumb safety, but that was added at the behest of the calvary at any rate. JMB considered the grip safety to be perfectly adequate.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/WabashShootist/Guns/1911/DSC00013.jpg

My personal carry gun has a thin right side extended safety, while the left side, the side a right hander would use, is reduced to a military style nub. While it's still very serviceable in an emergency, it's reduced to the point that a high hand hold, which I use with an Ed Brown fitted grip safety, is not a problem at all.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/WabashShootist/Guns/1911/DSC00014.jpg

Removing your trigger finger and hitting the mag release with your middle finger accomplishes the task much faster than most right handers I've seen when hitting it with their thumbs. JMB designed the 1911 so that a right handed person would have to rotate the pistol slightly in his grip. The idea was to get the trigger finger away from the trigger while loading. The grip shift is not desirable nor conducive to speed. This is why we have companies selling ambidextrous mag releases and extended mag releases.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/WabashShootist/Guns/1911/DSC00016.jpg

I usually prefer the slingshot slide release method. (Actually, I try to keep one in the chamber so the slide doesn't have reason to lock back.) However, there are times when I'll use my trigger finger to release the slide stop. As with the mag release, a right handed shooter would have to shift his grip to accomplish the same task unless the pistol were equipped with a suicide switch (extended thumb safety) or if he were to use his left (support) hand to release it after reloading. Regardless, it's slower from what I've seen.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/WabashShootist/Guns/1911/DSC00017.jpg

Malfunctions are anther issue. A right handed person may have to rotate the 1911 almost 90 degrees to identify or work on some malfunctions, while the lefty only needs to look down into the ejection port.

I have a Taurus PT92. For those who don't know, it's completely ambidextrous, excepting the slide release. The mag release button can be reversed.

I did that when I first got it - it was my first carry pistol. I quickly switched it back to right handed configuration. At the time I didn't have anyone to tell me whether that was right or wrong, but rather I went with what worked and felt right to me. In fact, I didn't find out until later that others shot with their thumbs riding their thumb safeties (my PT92 is a pre-decock model). I just went with what felt right.

I hope this has given you a different perspective. You can get an ambi 1911 build, or even a lefty pistol as they're out there. You will, however, be slower with it. I can almost guarantee that.

Josh <><

[WildCard600]

Agreed Josh. I am much more comfortable with most right handed guns than with "left handed" ones. Your fingers are much more dexterious than your clumsy thumbs and are much better suited to the finer motor skills required for magazine releasing and slide stop disengagement.