Ambidextrous handguns

[tte]

Hi,

I am new to hanguns and I have done some research on the net but didnt find much.

I am an left hander and I was told that I needed a ambidextrous handgun.

1/. Does this mean that the gun safety and the magazine release both have to be ambidextrous?

2/. How much would it cost me to get a right handed gun and have it changed for left handed?

3/. If I buy some a private party what procedures do I need to go through to make it a legal purchase?


Thanks,
Roy

[tyrist]

With proper training you can fire any gun left handed.

[Patriot]

3/. If I buy some a private party what procedures do I need to go through to make it a legal purchase?


Thanks,
Roy

'private party' usually refers to a PPT (private party transfer). The buyer and seller meet at a licensed dealer, fill out the paperwork (which the dealer processes), 10 day wait.

[Saigon1965]

Welcome TTE -

You don't really need ambi guns - Just more comfortable. You'll learn to manipulate the controls with your left hand.

Most semi-auto pistols are not that easy to convert from right to left with the exceptions of 1911 based models. There are ambi guns out there.

You would need to go thru an FFL for all of your weapons purchased - Before you're able to buy, you'd need to take a basic handgun safety test - Available at any FFL/Gun shops.


Good luck and enjoy -

[Knight]

As a left-handed person myself, I would say that the main item on a handgun that should be ambidextrous would be the safety, and in some cases the decocker lever (if a gun has one). Both the slide release (if you use it) and the magazine release can easily be manipulated by lefties with proper technique. I actually prefer releasing the mag on my 1911 with my middle finger, for example.

Just my .02.

[Patriot]

Before you're able to buy, you'd need to take a basic handgun safety test - Available at any FFL/Gun shops.

Depending on your familiarity with gun laws and safe handling/storage practices, you may want to study up and take the practice quiz prior to taking your HSC test. (Handgun Safety Certificate, by the way.)

The consensus is that you will need a gun lock purchased within the last month (correct timeframe?) for every handgun transfer if I recall correctly. Many times it will be less expensive to purchase your own lock ahead of time (but not too much in advance!) than to buy one at the dealer.

[Saigon1965]

And there's a beautiful, fully ambidextrous gun in the FS - Walther P88.

[tte]

Thanks for the replies guys.
For the record this is my 1st gun purchase and right now I am studying the Cal Safety Handgun booklet.

I am taking a firearms course in college and thats why my instructors advise me to get a ambidextrous gun. They told me some student got sold a right handed gun and he was left handed and couldnt fire the gun well.

I know a Beretta 92fs is ambidextrous but target masters in milpitas and some other store in San Jose wants $600.
Is that a reasonable price? And plus I wanted a .40 caliber.

Roy

[Saigon1965]

Is there any reason to you wanting your first hand gun to be a .40?

[tte]

Well the course reqds it to be either 9mm, .40 or .45 caliber.
My instructor told me that when I buy my gun, I would wanna keep it for a while so I have to make sure it is one that I really want. He reccommended a .40

Roy

[Saigon1965]

Humm, I was going to suggest getting yourself a .22 to start -

9mm ammo is the cheapest then .40 then .45 - How much shooting do you anticipate?

You should check into a range that rents guns - Go with several friends, as some range rules will not allowed them to rent pistols to a single shooter. See what you like.

[trinydex]

i think there are very few guns that are not left handed friendly. sigs are the worst. to have anything ambi from sig you gotta spend about 2000 bucks, or you just get to have your decocker on the wrong side fo the gun.

even glocks are not bad. i have a glock because glock has fixes for their left handed unfriendliness (the mag release is hard to actuate with either right or left handedness but the easy fix is oversized mag release button) and i actually prefer to use the just the oversized mag release in righty configuration. i was debating an 21sf ambi but now i have just a normal 21sf in right handed.

so basically with glocks it's hard to actuate the mag release without one of the aftermarket extended mag release buttons. once those are installed i wouldn't have the thing any other way.

ca hk pistols all come in variant 1. it's hard to get the ambi control levers because hk sucks and they hate you. pm me for a source of ambi control levers that are in stock (probably few left, no pun intended).

baby eagle, 92, m&p, , glock, 1911 all either have a reversible mag release or ambi versions. control levers are either already ambi, available or don't have any levers.

the fnp, and the xd are a few truly ambi guns, as is the hk once you have the ambi control lever but they hate you so...

with most guns as long as you're cool with using the index finger to release mag you can usually find the control levering to be ambi and you don't even have to reverse the mag release and so your righty friends can use the gun no problem.

it's not easy to find truly ambi slide releases so as long as you're ok with using the coarse movement method of dropping the slide... but if you insist on using the slide stop as a slide release you'd be limited to guns that you can use your index finger to release :\ (no glock, sig, etc)

something i wrote in another thread. keep in mind i never use the slide stop to put the gun into battery so my opinion is biased towards that.

[HCz]

1/. Does this mean that the gun safety and the magazine release both have to be ambidextrous?

It depends on the definition of 'ambidexterous'

The most common controls that are ambidexterous are magazine release and safety/decocker. Then there is slide lock which may or may not be used depending on shooter's preference. Perhaps the person that told you this was thinking of magazine release first, as it will be used most often. If the class utilizes 1911s or other guns that use safety, it maybe needed too.

My suggestion for guns that fit the criteria are,
Springfield XD - magazine release, no external safety
Glock - no external safety, and NO ambi mag release unless some newer model
S&W M&P - need to manually switch magazine release, which can even be easily done by idiots like me.
Walther P99 - ambidexterous all the way
H&K USP - mag release is ambi, safety depending on variants
H&K P2000 - mag release, slide locks are ambidexterous, and decocker can be behind the frame or if you use LEM trigger, no need
CZ 85 - ambi safety, slide lock, and might have to work on mag release.
Some 1911 models come with ambi safety

2/. How much would it cost me to get a right handed gun and have it changed for left handed?

Depends, but labor+parts and waiting time is the variable. I'd go with something from my list above instead of taking it to a gusmith.

As many said already, try different guns and see which you like the most.

[ghideon]

Highly recommend both the Walther P99 and the HK P2000. Both of these guns have their mag release in the trigger guard area, which can be strange.

[tincan715]

I am right-handed but left-eyed. I bought a Glock partly so I could shoot left-handed without fumbling for an external safety on the "wrong" side. I've learned that I don't need to shoot left-handed but I still think a Glock is a good choice for left-handed shooting.