Self Defense Handguns

Fella's;

Not all firearms are created equal, we lefties know that.  But, some self defense handguns are far more left oriented than others.  I'll post my observations & I'd really like to see other viewpoints on what works for other left handed people.

It's been said that Sam Colt was left handed due to the design of the single action Army.  Personally, I doubt that story.  It's true that the operation of the gun certainly seems to favor us southpaws, but there are other factors involved than Mr. Colts personal handedness.  The telling point, to me, is that the SAA was created for the horse soldier.  So what's more important?  Yup, control the horse first, 'cause you ain't gonna hit nothin' if the horse is outta control.  That puts the reins in the right hand of the vast majority of the cavelry soldiers.  Practical considerations of soldiering put that myth to rest, but it's sure a nice story.

OTOH, in today's world, without having to give a whole lot of consideration to horses, there do seem to be guns that favor us, the left handed shooters.  I considered the market more than a few years ago, made my choice, paid my money, and realized I hadn't made the best choice several hundred dollars later.  Not that the gun I initially chose was a bad one, it was just that wearing it brought home the fact that it wasn't the best choice for me.

That gun was a Ruger SP101 2.25" barrel in .357 magnum.  Even with a 5 shot cylinder, it has a bit too much girth for my long-term comfort.  I realize that the holster can make a huge difference in the comfort level for whomever's wearing the gun, but I also feel that I made a good choice there.  I put the Ruger into a Milt Sparks Summer Special rig.  That's a piece of leather that has a long and honorable history of being about as good as it gets.  In fact, I liked that holster so much that when I did get the gun I'm now using for carry, I went back to Milt Sparks for the leather.

After realizing that revolvers just weren't going to work for me for sustained carry, I perforce examined the semi-auto market.  I'd decided that the .40 S&W was going to be the caliber, the platform was the question.  I felt that the .40 was perfectly capable of imparting just as much energy to the target as was the .357 that I'd been carrying.

Ever try to find a 1911 pattern gun in .40 S&W?  Here's a tip, don't hold your breath while you try.  Sure, they've been cataloged for years, when did you ever actually handle one?  I considered J.M.B.'s design because I like the idea of cocked & locked carry.  If you know the manual of arms for the 1911, and have a drum full of sand, it's not at all difficult to drop the hammer safely.  But, I found in my search, that there are indeed alternatives to the classic 1911 method of operating in cocked & locked mode. 

I also looked at Glock.  Then I handled one.  That cured that in short order. 

Taurus had a .40 on the market at that time that offered condition 1 with a hammer drop operation.  So did H&K.  After careful consideration of the contents of my wallet, the value of my life, and the reputation of both guns, I took a full measure of time, measured in nano-seconds, to decide which of the two platforms I preferred. Therefore, I've been carrying an H&K USP40c in a Milt Sparks Exec's Companion IWB holster for nigh unto 10 years now.  I ordered it in variant II, for left hand operation.  Subsequently, I sent it in to H&K America for the installation of an ambidextrous operating lever.  I've bought a couple of extra magazines ( 10 round ) & replaced the magazine springs over the passage of years too. 

All in all, I don't regret my decision in the least.  But, I also understand that in the intervening time since I purchased my H&K, the marketplace has moved on.  Not that I'm anxious to find a replacement for it.  But I'd be stupid to consider that nothing could come along to offer a better alternative.

So;  what do you have, and perhaps more importantly, why do you have it?

900F 

Edited by CB900F

I am still in the hunt for a CCW weapon. My safety is a priority for me, so I am willing to spend some money to get a quality firearm. The Ruger P345 looked promising, but I have heard too many problems with hollow point ammo to give it much more thought. I handled a USP compact, and liked how it felt (it was a .40), but haven't handled the .45 version. A wise man once told me...

I used to carry a P14-45 para, then one day at an auction I bid on and won (reasonably cheap, which will soon become apparent why that is important) a pre-enhanced Delta Elite.

After getting it home, cleaning it up, and finding it still had the plastic guide rod in it, I got bitten by a really, really big custom gun bug!

So, I started looking around for people who did "quality" custom work on 10mm's. I settled on Ted Yost, so off the gun went to hot, hot Arizona. And it was there, and it stayed there, and still stayed for about 15 months. Not all of that was Teds fault, the first barrel he got from Scheumann didn't fit right for Ted, so he ordered another one which took about 3-4 months to get. He said the first would have worked, just not the way he likes to have them work.

The gun had lots of work done, with the heart being the Scheumann Ultimatch AET bull barrel. I don't know if the gain twist rifleing helps accuracy, but it sure doesn't hurt. This thing shoots like a laser.

One thing I have never liked are those big ole swoopy beavertails. So I had him take the Ed Brown memory groove grip safety and grind off the humps and grind down the beavertail to where it was just big enough for the hammer.

I think it came out pretty good.

There was a lot done internally, some on the outside, and then when the whole thing was done it went off for hard chroming over the stainless.

So now I have my gun, built to my specs and I carry it daily.

The P14 is now in the nightstand on my side of the bed, SWMBO has a Ruger GP100 on her side and we sleep pretty good at night.

 

 

Hey, I just had a thought CB900, 40 S&W is actually no more than a 10mm slow and weak  ....why not a 1911 platform in 10mm downloaded to something around 40 S&W ballistics, shouldn't be that hard to do.

 

Whan I bring this down (see below) to Great Falls in Jan or Feb for some work we should meet and you could try the 10mm.

 

Tha's my story and I am sticking to it.

 

bob

 

 

 

 

I am going to bring it down to Sports City. Things get lean down there about Feb and they drop their labor rates by 10 dollars an hour. Too early for bikes and too late for Snow machines.

SWMBO = She Who Must Be Obeyed.

The .40 makes sense in its own way. Smaller pistols, less recoil, and like you said, at pistol ranges for self defense it has plenty of umph.

After all, I often throw a J frame .38 in my pocket to take out the trash, and I don't feel undergunned for most social encounters.

bob

 

 

I have a Rossi 720 in a Wild Bill's Tuckable IWB. Its all stock except for the spring and trigger job.

My reasons: I prefer SS revolvers. I hunt with .44 caliber handguns so using the same bullets was an obvious route. The Rossi was the smallest .44 available with adjustable sights. It turns out the Rossi is a sturdy revolver and plenty accurate to take advantage of the power of manageable loads.

The only thing that makes it a lefthanded rig is the holster. I think revolvers are ambidextrous. The cylinder release is easy enough to use with the index finger. Closing the cylinder is much easier lefthanded.

OOhhhh!!  Somebody's feeling snarky tonight, aren't we?

 900F

saw a review of a pink one for the ladies, too.