.45 ACP for lefty

[huntinlever]

I've no experience with semi-autos. Well, had a Glock G4 in 10mm, but sold it. Just prefer revolvers.

My son is a lefty interested in .45 ACP. We're planning a western trip so it would be a side carry, as well as personal defense/CC. I've looked a bit and he's interested in the S & W M & P II, .45 acp compact. His friend's parents were both detectives and this was their carry. But they were pro LEO's. Have to admit the lack of safety is a concern, for this dad, but then I have no knowledge here. Can anyone talk to how safe a trigger safety (as opposed to a slide or thumb safety, if I can find a dedicated LH gun) is, or more broadly, LH options in the caliber?

[megasupermagnum]

I'm not aware of any LH only handguns. There are plenty of options for ambidextrous handguns. Some work better than others. Most SA/DA or DA only handguns are perfectly suited for LH shooting, the only thing to watch for is where the magazine release is if you have shorter fingers. Many have decockers, but I don't consider that an issue as I don't use them anyway, plus who has to decock quickly? Some have manual safeties, most don't. I vastly prefer a SA/DA without a safety. I don't know if any DA only guns have safeties, I'm sure there's one out there somewhere.

Some of the best examples for 45 acp I can think of that work really well for LH shooting (I'm left handed), Sig P220 or 227. Older S&W M&P's (lots of variations) I would suggest the model 4526. Ruger P90 or 97. I'm sure there are more, but those are my top 3 favorite 45 acp handguns. All 3 can be found in compact variants if wanted. One more that I have not owned yet is the FN FNX 45, an absolute animal of a handgun. It is big, it does unfortunately have a safety, but it also comes with a standard magazine that allows you to hold 15+1 rounds of 45 acp. Nothing else comes even close to that capacity. I've heard of people carrying DA/SA guns cocked and locked, but I don't like that idea without some secondary safety as well. An example would be the beavertail on the 1911, or trigger safety on your Glock.

For single action guns I think there is really only one type of handgun you need to worry about, and that is the 1911 and variants. They all have multiple safeties, including one manual thumb safety. The key is you can buy ambidextrous safety switches that actually work good. The rest of the handgun needs no introduction. There are a zillon version out there.

I'm not a fan of any striker fired guns. I too don't like them without manual safeties, I much prefer them to at least have a thumb safety. One of the few I actually don't mind is the Ruger American. There's a lot to be said for that compact model with manual safety.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I’m not a fan of the Glock type trigger safety as the only safety on a striker fired polymer gun. I much prefer the Springfield Armory XD, XDm, XDwhaterver. I have a couple. They have grip safeties. No problem for a lefty to put one into action fast as a righty.

I also have an Sig 220, but in 10mm. It’s DA/SA and as megasupermagnum points out, there’s plenty of time to use a decocker after the dust has settled. I use mine with either hand and find decocking lefty is no problem.

Also H&K has some configurations that are totally ambi.

[trails4u]

I am a lefty and have never owned a rifle nor pistol configured for left hand use. It's all muscle memory.... I have a few with safety, and have learned to manipulate them quickly, effectively and reliably, even technically being on the 'wrong side'. Ambidextrous safeties are also available for many of them....I've just never felt the need, but for someone less experienced, maybe not a bad option.

FWIW - I am a fan of the 1911...w/o thumb safety. It's simple and completely safe, once properly trained to shoot, carry and use it.

[44MAG#1]

While the 1911 is my most favorite semi auto period I carry a Glock M30 far, far more when I carry a semi auto.
While I am a right handed person even if I were left handed I wouldn't worry about it. 10 plus 1 is enough. I can also use a M21 Mag that has 13 capacity.
But if you hate a Glock that doesn't help.

[RSAPD]

I second trails4u. I like the 1911 platform overall and have a couple of 45 ACP. Not a big fan of Glocks as mentioned earlier but I do have one and practice with it. Many Sigs have no safety. I have a 40cal Sig I really like as well and it is an LE model but I use it for home defense. For conceal carry I use a Sig Scorpion .380 ACP because it meets my purposes and preferences and has the 1911 features.

[huntinlever]

Thanks a lot guys. What do you think about a Kimber 1911, 5"? I don't know what "Custom LW" means, but that's its listing on Gunbroker. $599. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/970161142

[megasupermagnum]

Thanks a lot guys. What do you think about a Kimber 1911, 5"? I don't know what "Custom LW" means, but that's its listing on Gunbroker. $599. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/970161142

The Kimber Custom II is kind of their base model. This listed Custom LW means lightweight, which is an aluminum frame. That is their base lightweight model, I don't know much about it, but Kimber's in generally are decent guns. Steel vs Aluminum frame 1911's is a whole other discussion that I don't have the experience to say anything.

[trails4u]

The LW is light weight...hence the aluminum frame. Nice pistol and I wouldn't shy from having one. Cons for me: Thumb safety, sights would have to be upgraded to tritium or some kind of visible night sight for a carry piece. It's not optics ready, so a reflex sight would require some mods if he wanted to go that route. FWIW....all of my daily pistols lack optics, but they do wear tritium sights. But that's an easy upgrade.

[shooting on a shoestring]

The “II” indicates the Schwartz grip safety system. The earlier Kimbers used the standard original Colt type grip safety system.

It’s probably hair splitting for a new shooter. Just have to be aware of not depressing the grip safety when putting the slide back on after disassembly to avoid the Schwartz plunger from blocking the slide.

The upside of the Schwartz system is it doesn’t have any impact on trigger pull. The down side is there’s a few more moving parts that are subject to wear, breakage and Murphy’s Law. If the safety breaks, the gun doesn’t fire.

Is it a big enough problem to be problem??? Well that answer is cloaked in emotion, personal views and perhaps linked to testosterone levels. I view it like the S&W Hillary hole. Some people hate it and won’t carry the gun. Some never let it bother them. For a new shooter, I think it’s way down on the list of things to worry about. Just don’t try to force the slide on with the grip safety squeezed.

[Froogal]

I just recently purchased a Tisas 1911A1. Built like a tank. Paid $400 new and in the box. Still getting acquainted with it, but so far I LIKE it.

I am right handed, never tried shooting it with my left hand, but I don't know why it wouldn't work.

[Bigslug]

Confucious say: "Safety is between the ears, not between the hands".

A lot of modern pistol doctrine - spurred largely by Glock - is based around keeping your booger hook off the bang switch until you're ready to shoot something. Given that traditional safeties are all in different places, move in different directions, may not be there at all, and have to be learned, this may ultimately be a more valid approach to pistol design if it's done well, which on the Glock at least, it is.

The tab on a Glock's trigger keeps it from being pulled until you're fairly committed to the act; the firing pin is blocked from forward motion until the trigger has been retracted about a quarter inch; the striker spring doesn't even have firing tension on it until that same quarter inch is taken up; and the striker is double-blocked from forward motion until the trigger bar is hauled all the way to the rear, at which point it is given a path to move downward out of engagement with the striker - allowing it to slam forward.

So in the sense that you can drop it out of an airplane and not have it fire on contact with the ground, the Glock is VERY safe. It does not have a traditional "off switch" like a 1911 or Beretta, or a decocker which takes you back to a harder first trigger pull like a Sig, but the great advantage the Glock has over those designs is that all you need to "remember" to do to re-engage all of its safeties is to SIMPLY LET GO OF THE TRIGGER.

Glock now has a Gen 5 model 21 that has an ambi slide stop lever and a reversible mag catch. Provided your son has big-ish hands, he'd be good to go.

I cannot speak to the cocked or uncocked when resting striker spring status of other striker fired guns, but all of the trigger safety guns I'm aware of at least have the firing pin block feature as well.

The Springfield XD's are ambi for both the mag catch and slide stop, and add a 1911-style grip safety.

Some of the Smith M&P's will add a 1911-style thumb safety to the above. This all just comes down to mindset - some of us are paranoid about things that allow the gun to fire, where some of us are paranoid about things that keep the gun from firing. . . in other words, it's a gun - it's SUPPOSED to be dangerous.

[huntinlever]

Thanks for all the help guys. He went with an HK 45. True ambidextrous safety, hammer. Hope it was a good call, but it was his to make.

[gwpercle]

I can shoot semi-auto's right handed or left handed , makes no difference .
Get ambidex. safety or swap to other side and you good to go .
The real safety is between the shooter's ears ... no joke ... it's the man holding the gun and how he operates it ... slide mounted or frame mounted it makes no difference where on the gun it sits .
Gary

[44MAG#1]

I can shoot semi-auto's right handed or left handed , makes no difference .
Get ambidex. safety or swap to other side and you good to go .
The real safety is between the shooter's ears ... no joke ... it's the man holding the gun and how he operates it ... slide mounted or frame mounted it makes no difference where on the gun it sits .
Gary

That is entirely correct. I can shoot eitther hand. Some make more of a problem out of something than need be.
But is one says that many thinks one is being hateful or condescending.
I call it the truth.

[megasupermagnum]

I can shoot semi-auto's right handed or left handed , makes no difference .
Get ambidex. safety or swap to other side and you good to go .
The real safety is between the shooter's ears ... no joke ... it's the man holding the gun and how he operates it ... slide mounted or frame mounted it makes no difference where on the gun it sits .
Gary

There's plenty of semi autos that you can't swap safeties, or buy ambidextrous safeties for them. Even if you can, a lot of them are in less than ideal locations, and have a tendency to be bumped easily. An example is the Tanfoglio Witness, which is not very left hand friendly. The safety and slide release are practically touching each other. Even worse is something like a Hi Point, which has no ambidestrous safety option, and they are pretty horrible to use left handed. A 1911 is very good, the only thing to watch for is how easy they switch. Some barely have any retention and can easily be bumped.

As for safety between your ears, absolutely true. I also believe in contingency. No doubt most AD's are from a finger pulling the trigger, but not all. "Glock Leg" is a term because they can be so easy fired. You can blame it on getting your shirt in your holster, or whatever, but the fact remains that that the ONLY thing stopping them from firing is you being on the ball 100% of the time. That trigger safety does almost nothing. I don't believe any person has the ability never make a mistake.

My opinion is still the same. If you like Revolvers, a DA/SA or DA only semi auto is very similar. I can't even imagine how much it would take to fire one double action accidentally. A SA only, definitely use a safety. When the only things stopping you are a beavertail grip and a super crisp 3lb trigger pull, you are just asking for it. How do you even holster a 1911 without hitting that beavertail? I'm not going to tell you what to do, but anyone running a 1911 with no thumb safety is being dumb in my opinion. A striker fired gun is basically the same thing. The triggers are pretty mushy, not all that light, but they still don't take all that much more to set off, and they aren't at all comparable to a double action pull.

[jreidthompson1]

May be of interest

https://lefthandedrifle.club/left-handed-friendly-pistols/

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[Plate plinker]

Glock or Glock type guns of another brand. Certainly a 1911 if you buy a quality piece that’s reliable.

[Ed K]

HK's are nice.

Single action revolvers are actually naturally lefty. In practice less ergonomic for righty's.