Left handed handgun tips?

[Markus]

I'm a left handed shooter recently getting into pistol shooting. I bought a nice 22/45 with a 6 inch barrel and I know it's accurate but I'm not. Anybody have any recommendations on lefty friendly guns? Heck I'm not even sure if I'm gripping the guns right since everything I find online is all right handed. I know this is a somewhat broad question but any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ojisan]

Lefty or righty, the two most important things for a new shooter to learn is grip and follow through.

Grip...everyone's hands are shaped different and fit different. There are a few different ways people hold handguns. Try them all, pick the one that feels best to you and stick to it.
If you hold the gun loose on one shot and tight the next, the bullets will go different places. Be consistent in your grip for every shot.

Follow-through:
The shot is not over when the trigger breaks.
Do not loosen or change your grip yet, do not relax your arms.
Maintain that same grip and sight view / position as long as possible until recoil lifts the gun up.
I know we are only taking milli-seconds here, but it makes a difference.

That 22/45 has about as good an ambi grip as is out there.
Maybe one of those slip-on sticky rubber sleeves would be nice.

For other guns, a change of the rubber / plastic / wood grips may be needed for a lefty.

[evidens83]

Its all about trigger control. Practice with snapcaps they will make a difference in your technique over time.

[Ascout]

Ruger .22 autos are among the most natural pointing pistols ever made, rather like a Luger. Apart from controls like mag release, it doesn't much matter if you're a lefty when actually shooting.
Is there a pattern to where you group your shots? Is the target close enough for you to "group"? And where are you placing your trigger finger on the trigger...at the joint or on the pad of fingertip?
Is the gun so new that the trigger feels stiff and requires a lot of effort?

Don't be reluctant to move the target closer to establish how you group before getting discouraged. Practice, practice!

[9mmepiphany]

Lefty or righty, the two most important things for a new shooter to learn is grip and follow through.

I'll disagree with this, but just a bit. the most important thing to learn is trigger management...how to press the trigger straight back in one continuous and smooth stroke without slamming it into the back of the gun. The slower you can do it, the better.

While you're doing this, all you have to do is hold your sights in correct alignment on your target.

The ability to do this just really helped by having a consistent grip with even pressure to manage recoil, but having a strange grip coupled with good trigger control will still put your shots on target.

[wvdcm3]

-just an anecdote: firing a handgun right handed is not that 'odd' for a lefty, whereas firing a rifle right handed is pretty foreign to a lefty, IMO.

[Markus]

Its a used ruger so the trigger isnt stiff. I put the joint of my finger on the trigger. I also have a cz-82 and a tt-33 but I figured I would stick with guns that are more common. Also I notice that I tend to shoot high a lot and I shoot a bit to the right that mean anything? And not necessarily at the same time.

[Porscheguy]

I'm left handed and bought my first pistol a month ago. I have it in my hands all the time. whenever watching tv etc. I practice with grip, releasing mags, loading, slide release, stripping, everything with my left AND right hand.

Growing up a lefty, I'm sure you know you're more ambidextrious than righties out of necessity. I feel just as comfortable in either hand now. I even would goof off loading and unloading cartidges from the magazine with my right hand as well.

Being ambidextrious saved my *** so much growing up in MMA and martial arts and especially in fencing and Kendo. When matched with a better opponent, I'd just be a bit defensive until their arm tired out, then I'd switch to my fresh hand and take em. Worked all the time.

May not work the same way but being able to fire a gun just as well with left and right hand has to have some good advanatages. Practive both ways man. I can work it just as fast with either hand now.

Also, I only use my right eye for both positions since I'm right eye dominant. It doesn't affect shooting at all. I thought initially before buying it would be a problem but with handguns, it's not at all. Can't say for a rifle though which I'll probably just learn right handed for since my right eye is also 20/18, better than my left as well as dominant. Shotgun works fine though. I trained in my right hand for it as well and switch off. Come to think of it, I learned to play guitar right handed. It just takes some work man. You have an edge though.

Oh and I have a Glock 19. Has ambi grip but not buttons. Still works fine. Just have to change how I hold it for a half second to hit the mag release and slide lock when left hand holding. I'm going to have extenders to those buttons and I think that'll help the smoothness even more.

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

Left handed also, have fired all kinds of handguns over the years.

As to semi-autos, Glocks, XDs, Berettas, HK, 1911s, S&W, all are either lefty-friendly or can be made so with a reasonable effort.

Sigs, on the other hand... had a Sig rep tell me, when my department was selecting its first semi-autos, "We don't make guns for left handed people." Having been told that, I've never owned one.

Revolvers are generally very easy for left handers to manipulate - easier than right handers, in my experience.

In the end, it's largely a matter of training, practice and adaptation.

[Ascout]

Its a used ruger so the trigger isnt stiff. I put the joint of my finger on the trigger. I also have a cz-82 and a tt-33 but I figured I would stick with guns that are more common. Also I notice that I tend to shoot high a lot and I shoot a bit to the right that mean anything? And not necessarily at the same time.

Putting the joint of your left index finger on the trigger will tend to "push" the gun to the right as you take up the trigger. While it may feel un-natural at first, pull your finger out of the trigger guard a bit so the pad of your finger beyond the first joint rests on the trigger. This tends to pull the trigger straight back when you fire and will keep the gun more "on target" than when using your knuckle.

[M. D. Van Norman]

Sigs, on the other hand … had a Sig rep tell me, when my department was selecting its first semi-autos, “We don’t make guns for left handed people.” Having been told that, I’ve never owned one.

Too bad. SIG-Sauer P-series guns seem to fit the left hand better than the right.

[Porscheguy]

Left handed also, have fired all kinds of handguns over the years.

As to semi-autos, Glocks, XDs, Berettas, HK, 1911s, S&W, all are either lefty-friendly or can be made so with a reasonable effort.

Sigs, on the other hand... had a Sig rep tell me, when my department was selecting its first semi-autos, "We don't make guns for left handed people." Having been told that, I've never owned one.

Revolvers are generally very easy for left handers to manipulate - easier than right handers, in my experience.

In the end, it's largely a matter of training, practice and adaptation.

That's lame re: Sig rep considering there's around 11% of word population is left handed.

[41M]

Being left eye dominant I prefer to shoot left handed, but train with both hands. The SIGs are about the least left handed friendly pistols, but the hammer decocker can be easily manipulated. For my Glocks I use the extended slide lock/release which has just enough projection that I can push on it with my index finger extended as I pull the slide to the rear when locking it to the rear. I use that same technique for 1911s, Hi-Powers, CZs, and other pistols with a slide lock only along the left side.
As for your high and right impacts, vertical stringing may also be an indication of not having developed a consistent level of holding your breath, or noy managing your breathing between shots.

[trashman]

Sig has certainly changed their tune; I have a real nice p220r compact "SAO" that has a full-size ambi rhumb safety a la modern 1911s. It is a phenomenal shooter.

--neill