ambidextrous handguns

[Jason Brown]

Bofh,
Since apparently the only reason you come on here is to read your own post, I would politely request that you stop posting. If you read any of my previous post it clearly states that my wife can operate my gun just fine, it is just less comfortable for her. For a weapon that she wants to carry on a regular basis she wants something that's more comfortable. All guns are not ambidextrous that's an asinine statement, if that was the case companies wouldn't make truly ambidextrous guns with saftey and mag releases on both sides. The point of this post was not to start an argument about why ambidextrous guns are made I'm sure you have your opinion I personally just don't care about your opinion. I was simply asking people who had experience with actual ambidextrous guns if they had any recommendations if you don't have any recommendations then please just stay out of it.

 

[bofh]

Bofh,
Since apparently the only reason you come on here is to read your own post, I would politely request that you stop posting. If you read any of my previous post it clearly states that my wife can operate my gun just fine, it is just less comfortable for her. For a weapon that she wants to carry on a regular basis she wants something that's more comfortable. All guns are not ambidextrous that's an asinine statement, if that was the case companies wouldn't make truly ambidextrous guns with saftey and mag releases on both sides. The point of this post was not to start an argument about why ambidextrous guns are made I'm sure you have your opinion I personally just don't care about your opinion. I was simply asking people who had experience with actual ambidextrous guns if they had any recommendations if you don't have any recommendations then please just stay out of it.

Let's get your false statements out of the way: I certainly read all the other posts. Your OP was not about the manual safety or magazine release, but about your wife having "a hard time with the slide release." I never stated that all guns are ambidextrous. I actually stated that "I consider the S&W M&P Shield 9mm ambidextrous as long as it does not have a safety or you don't use the safety."

This is an Internet Forum. There will be differences in opinions. You are free to ignore my comments. Your OP was not about the manual safety or magazine release, but about using the slide stop lever as a slide release. Many, well known, instructors will teach you not to use the slide stop lever as a slide release. Again, you are free to ignore such advise. I was just trying to help you solving your problem that you stated in the OP by getting rid of a poor firearms handling procedure. My point was that you don't need to buy a different gun, just use it properly and you will be fine. This is certainly an option, but you have apparently already settled on buying a different gun when writing the OP and are not changing your mind.

PS: Any Gen 4 Glock is truly ambidextrous as the magazine release is reversible, there is no safety, and you shouldn't use the slide stop lever as a slide release.

 

[Dan528]

Hey Jason, sorry some people just can't answer your post without assuming you are making some kind of mistake that they can "help" you with since they are an "expert". As I stated in an earlier post I agree that the Shield does have a more difficult slide to operate and both my wife and I carry a Bodyguard .380 to solve all of the problems you mentioned. The Bodyguard has an easier slide to work for my wife and since I am a lefty the Bodyguard's manual safety(not ambidextrous) is not used since the trigger pull is very long and heavy, a lot like double action revolvers that do not have thumb safeties, and I feel comfortable with carrying with the thumb safety off. Last issue was California compliant mag capacity and the .380 mag holds 6 rounds + 1 in the chamber solves that issue. I hope this is helpful and that your wife finds a carry gun she is comfortable with.
PS: Merry Christmas!

 

[Jason Brown]

Hey Jason, sorry some people just can't answer your post without assuming you are making some kind of mistake that they can "help" you with since they are an "expert". As I stated in an earlier post I agree that the Shield does have a more difficult slide to operate and both my wife and I carry a Bodyguard .380 to solve all of the problems you mentioned. The Bodyguard has an easier slide to work for my wife and since I am a lefty the Bodyguard's manual safety(not ambidextrous) is not used since the trigger pull is very long and heavy, a lot like double action revolvers that do not have thumb safeties, and I feel comfortable with carrying with the thumb safety off. Last issue was California compliant mag capacity and the .380 mag holds 6 rounds + 1 in the chamber solves that issue. I hope this is helpful and that your wife finds a carry gun she is comfortable with.
PS: Merry Christmas!

Agreed and thank you for your suggestions. You have a merry Christmas and happy new year as well

 

[BluesStringer]

Bofh has said nothing in this thread that wasn't intended as good advice. He has also said nothing in this thread that doesn't comport with "expert" conventional wisdom, whether drawing on his own expertise, one or more of his trainers' or just looking at a parts list for various weapons, like for instance a Link Removedwhere the three parts having to do with the slide *lock* actually call it a slide *lock*. Or a Ruger SR9 that refers to a slide *stop*. Or the M&P Shield that also calls it a slide *stop*. Or the Link Removed (all models) that calls it a slide *catch*.

Nowhere that I can find does a manufacturer call the mechanism a slide "release," yet the OP continues to call it exactly that in response to bofh when he said, "Can she operate the magazine release, safety and slide lock release, yes absolutely...."

I have used the slide stop as a release for many years. It's a habit that would be more trouble than it's worth for me to break at this late stage of my shooting "career." But reading through this thread I couldn't help noticing that some people seem to get offended if advice is offered that has good basis in training and actual manufacturers' nomenclature. I neither agree with nor disagree with bofh about how to use that lever on my weapons. I understand his point about reducing the number of steps, or normalizing procedures during training to better function under stress. That's excellent advice, it just won't apply to me as regards the slide stop lever because at 60 years old with 50+ of them actively lived as a shooter, my muscle memory would be harder to retrain than it's worth. I don't take bofh's advice as a personal affront, and I seriously doubt that he takes my decision not to implement it as an affront either. But for a beginning or otherwise marginally-experienced shooter, I think it's extremely valuable advice, which has every hallmark to this observer of being offered in good faith and solid knowledge of the subject.

What's the problem?

Blues

 

[bofh]

The following handguns suggested in this thread are not on the CA Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale:

• H&K VP9
• Honor Defense Honor Guard
• Ruger SR9
• Ruger SR9c
• Ruger SR40c
• S&W M&P 9c (even suggested by the OP)
• S&W Bodyguard 380
• ALL Gen 4 Glocks (which is why I mentioned them in my last post)

The following handguns suggested in this thread are on the CA Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale:

• S&W M&P Shield (single-stack)
• Sig Sauer P250 (double-stack)
• Other H&Ks (all double-stack, I believe)

To the OP, please do some research. You have very limited options, thanks to your state's firearms laws. Also, don't take critique as a personal attack.

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[flyingron]

Yeah, I could pull the empty magazine out, rack the slide, and put the magazine back in, but it's a lot easier just to thumb the release.

Note that only the 9mm compact 250 is on the California list (go figure). I could be wrong but it's still a single stack.

 

[Jason Brown]

Bofh,

"To the OP, please do some research. You have very limited options, thanks to your state's firearms laws. Also, don't take critique as a personal attack."

Here would be me response to the above. The point of my post was to get insite from people about ambidextrous hand guns ( this would also be called research, and no this is not the only research I am doing). I did not ask for critiques about tranning. your original post did not provide any useful information that was being asked for. Moreover you provided, what you call critique, what I would call nothing more than a fairly rude statement, based on what at best would be called limited information.
You made SEVERAL assumptions about my wife's and my skill level, training and how we were using a weapon. You assumed I was using a slide release/lock to chamber a round or on a loaded weapon, which by the way we were not. You made a statement that the slide lock should never be used "To be clear, you should NEVER operate the slide stop lever to release the slide from its locked-open position" which is incorrect. When there is no rounds in the weapon and you are inspecting or breaking down the shield YOU MUST operate the slide lock.
Lastly you assume that poor training is the reason we are looking for an ambidextrous gun. Even after I told you she can operate the weapon you still continued on about it. What you don't know, because you inserted your 2 cents where it was not asked for, is that my wife has a physical abnormality which makes it even harder.
Next time you are thinking about "critiquing" a post you should think first....is the crap I am about to shovel out there going to be usefull? Or maybe... do you have enough information, based on the information that has been provided, To offer a meaningful and usefull insite? Or most importantly, since the person asking for assistance has asked a specific question should you just stay out of it since your post is neither helpful to the subject nor does it answers the question.
I would ask that you stay out of my thread as I am trying to get usefull information about the question I asked

Thank you
Jason

 

[bofh]

Here would be me response to the above. The point of my post was to get insite from people about ambidextrous hand guns ( this would also be called research, and no this is not the only research I am doing). I did not ask for critiques about tranning. your original post did not provide any useful information that was being asked for. Moreover you provided, what you call critique, what I would call nothing more than a fairly rude statement, based on what at best would be called limited information.

Granted, my first post in this thread could have been more useful, but your OP clearly stated the reason as to why you were looking for a California compliant ambidextrous hand gun. I simply stated that this particular reason is one that simply shouldn't be a reason to change out a handgun.

You made SEVERAL assumptions about my wife's and my skill level, training and how we were using a weapon. You assumed I was using a slide release/lock to chamber a round or on a loaded weapon, which by the way we were not. You made a statement that the slide lock should never be used "To be clear, you should NEVER operate the slide stop lever to release the slide from its locked-open position" which is incorrect. When there is no rounds in the weapon and you are inspecting or breaking down the shield YOU MUST operate the slide lock.

Incorrect, you must operate the slide stop as a slide stop, not as a slide release. Read the S&W M&P Shield manual. The slide stop can be used as a slide release (as the manual states), but it doesn't have to be.

Lastly you assume that poor training is the reason we are looking for an ambidextrous gun. Even after I told you she can operate the weapon you still continued on about it. What you don't know, because you inserted your 2 cents where it was not asked for, is that my wife has a physical abnormality which makes it even harder.

You should have mentioned this particular detail in your OP. There are a few operating procedures that can help with that. I myself have some experience with this due to a recent skiing accident. I fractured several fingers, including my right-hand index finger.

Next time you are thinking about "critiquing" a post you should think first....is the crap I am about to shovel out there going to be usefull? Or maybe... do you have enough information, based on the information that has been provided, To offer a meaningful and usefull insite? Or most importantly, since the person asking for assistance has asked a specific question should you just stay out of it since your post is neither helpful to the subject nor does it answers the question. I would ask that you stay out of my thread as I am trying to get usefull information about the question I asked

Thank you
Jason

Understood, I will leave "your thread" alone then.

 

[BluesStringer]

Just for general information, there is no rule that I've ever seen on USA Carry that grants ownership rights, or moderation authorities, to an individual simply because he/she starts a thread. There is only one owner of every single thread on this site regardless of the author of the OP in each thread. For newcomers, his name is Luke McCoy, lukem is his user name, and if there's really a problem with one poster making as many posts within a given thread as he/she wishes, then rather than ordering them to stay out of "your thread" without a scintilla of authority to enforce the order, just write a PM to lukem and tell him that the kerfuffle being discussed here is of such great import that it requires moderation, maybe a deletion or two, or perhaps a ban would suffice for the transgression of giving correct and accurate information about how slide stop mechanisms should be used. Please do share with us what Luke's response is to such a request.

Or, alternatively, get over it already.

Blues