Us Poor Lefties

[Tex1961]

Good Evening everyone.

My name is Mike and I'm a Lefty... (insert snarky AA comments here)

Just joined and of course have spent countless hours perusing the site. I'm waiting on the yellow screen of "background check" on DPS so hopefully soon..

Anyway.

Being a lefty poses certain issues when CC, most notably when in a vehicle. Assuming the bad guy comes to the drivers side window it is very difficult to draw and point with your left hand. I have begun practicing right handed shooting, but unless I carry on my right side it's not very effective when drawing from IWB holsters. That being said.. I'm just doing a simple shoutout to my southpaw brothers (and sisters) out there as to any predicaments, solutions, unexpended issues that you may have come across.

I'm not even going to get into the whole issue of most guns are made for rightys...

Thank you everyone for all of the thousands of previous posts, pearls of wisdom and sharing your stories and knowledge. In my first post one of my last lines was that I've learned more here than I did in my LTC class due to the instructor spending lots of time on pushing LTC insurance. (Which the range gets a cut).

Anyway... Love the site and so glad it's here....

Mike

[SewTexas]

hmmm, you have a point, you need to be able to draw in the car.....what about cross-draw? would that work for you?

[flechero]

Being lefty give you a few things to think through or address but it's not a handicap. In some regards I think it's an advantage.

Most non manual safety guns are very lefty friendly... I can't reach the mag release with my thumbs anyway so using my trigger finger is perfect.

A couple of things to watch for or watch out for, off the top of my head are 1911 safeties getting snicked off in the holster (not a huge deal but takes some getting used to, for avoidance )

1911 slide stop can be an issue- if you shoot with a real high grip, your trigger finger can bump the slidestop and cause a hold open mid mag. A wilson BP slidestop with material removed from the underside eliminated that issue for me.

The biggest one for me is to watch for IWB holster cant/height combos that allow the belt to depress the mag release button! I've had a few holsters show up that when I tried them on I heard the click of the mag release... glad I found those from the get go and returned them.

I actually see the car/truck as a non issue since you don't have the seatbelt buckle & latch to contend with. I carry about 7:30-8 o'clock so I'm behind the seatbelt and can comfortably draw from seated. Sure the angle is bad but at least I'll have a chance to shoot as I lean to center.

I'm sure I'll think of others tomorrow....

Welcome to the forum, fellow Southpaw!

[crazy2medic]

Yup left handed person trapped in a right handed world!
I open carry a P14 1911, so far I have found the holstered pistol to not be a problem, the gun rides behind the seat belt and they basically have no contact with each other, as far as being able to draw from this position I can move forward in the seat a bit or a slight twist of my hips to the right makes the gun accesible, if I perceive a threat I draw and hold the pistol at a low ready close to the door out of sight, if I had to actually shoot I would lean back towards the center console and use both hands to aim and fire! If necessary I can shoot right handed (only thing I can actually do well right handed) but in the confines of my pickup it would be awkward!

[Tex1961]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far.

I did a little testing at the outdoor range over the weekend. I setup a chair perpendicular to the target area. I only had an open carry holster with me but figured it was at least a good start for training... As I expected, no way, no how was cross draw going to work so I abandoned that idea all together. I mimicked unsnapping a seat belt, leaning over and pulling my firearm to attempt to fire to my left.. Whew.. Almost impossible. This is all under the assumption that speed was a major factor in the scenario. My current plan is to carry a sub-compact 9mm, striker fired, DA, no safety firearm. (Taurus PT111 G2). I have several hundred rounds though this weapon system with zero malfunctions as as per 90% of all reviews, functions perfectly and a great CC gun (but I digress). I have thought about purchasing a second one and just keeping it in the vehicle (pulling it out overnight) as to have quick access if the need arises. I am not a fan of unholstering and holstering my firearm to get in and out of my vehicle.. Nope, nada, nyet, nein...

Once my LTC arrives and I begin to actually carry, I may look into another weapon such as a Beretta PX Storm or something along those lines which would immediately give me a low cost 2nd firearm for the truck.

A little background though. I am self employed and work from home, so I probably only drive 20 miles per week and that's running out to pick up office supplies, UPS store (private business), drive through when were too wiped to cook... Things like that... 90% of my travel is within 5 miles of my home and we live in the Frisco/Plano area which honestly is a pretty low crime area. Still....

With all that being said, I am still very interested to find out what else you other lefties have come across that would be different than a regular right handed person.

I've owned and shot firearms for better than 50 years and am pretty acclimated to dealing with operating a mag release, finding holsters, etc. etc. but just not experienced with CC in an everyday environment.

Again, thanks everyone for your response.. Mucho aprecaiado.

[RogueUSMC]

'Leftist' is the popular term...lol.

Just kidding. Welcome to the forum sir!

[flechero]

This isn't lefty specific but watch those Church ladies and family gatherings... you need to preemptively go low with your strong side - when giving or receiving hugs! It took 17 years for me to let my guard down (happened about a month ago) and got "made" in a hug!

It was my own father- I have been carrying for 17 years around him (daily for the 10yrs we worked together) and he just found out that I carry. His eyes got as big as saucers when he felt my gun.

He asked [only 1/2 joking] if he needed to make a rule about guns in his house... I responded [smiling but not joking] with- "not if you would like to continue to see your grandson and daughter-in-law.

[Abraham]

Look into chest rigs.

[Beardo]

One lefty advantage I've found is being able to occasionally get lefty holsters at clearance prices on Amazon. I just got a Tagua leather Glock holster for 12 bucks.

[Jeff B.]

Made me look! (lefty)

:)

On topic, shooting with the the "off" hand is a good skill to practice and one that I need to pay more attention to as well...

Great item to bring up!

Regards,

Jeff B.

(fellow lefty who's somewhat ambi)

[The Annoyed Man]

I'm a lefty. There are ways around this - one of which is a shoulder holster. The problem isn't so much drawing left-handed, it's being able to access a gun that is pressed up against the inside of the door. There's not enough room to access it effectively. But a shoulder holster gets you around that, whether you carry it under your right arm, or under your left. If you carry it under your left arm, you can draw with your right hand. If you carry a traditional lefty shoulder holster under your right arm, you can still access the gun easily with your left hand, and shift it if necessary to your right hand.

But that said, don't lose sight of the fact that your best weapon in a lot of those scenarios is your car itself. It will hit someone MUCH harder than a pistol bullet. Consider the possibility of using your car as a battering ram or as a weapon, to put distance between yourself and your foe, so as to give yourself time to access your weapon.

'Leftist' is the popular term...lol.

That reminds me of something that came in my mail yesterday:

[RogueUSMC]

NICE!

[Deltaboy]

I put a holster between my driver seat and console .But I can shoot with either hand .I also used a clip holster in the door pocket of my car.

[montgomery]

Train to become proficient using your firearm with either hand, both one handed and two handed. Problem solved.

[pushpullpete]

Morning Mike and welcome to the forum.
I was raised as a righty (in a time & place where you were either right handed or wrong handed) so, like many others I feel your pain.
You already know this but, you need to train w your weak hand. However, if I know that I am going to be spending alot of time in my
vehicle whether traveling or driving the family up the road to the store I will switch out my AG 3.0 to the right side enabling me to
cross draw. Not ideal but, w practice can be a very smooth & effective alternative that I believe has been helpful to me in being
prepared to act. I did spend alot of alone time in the garage practicing not to sweep the passenger seat or myself. The hardest
part for me was remembering to shift/lean right so as to give more room for my arm operate and to get my face away from the window
(in case the window 'shatters'). When the family is shopping I drop & pickup at the front door. That way there is no traipsing thru the
parking lot w kids/grandkids in tow. Easier for them & less worrisome for me. I haven't yet found a shoulder rig that feels comfy.

PS When I pull in "anywhere", even home, the first thing I do while still moving is to undo my seatbelt (illegal, yes). This habit does
(I believe) give me a bit more freedom of movement, just in case. YMMV

Pete