ambidextrous handguns

[Jason Brown]

I'm looking for a concealed carry gun for my wife who is a lefty. She has shot my m&p shield 9mm but has a hard time with the slide release. Was hoping I could get some suggestions on California compliant ambidextrous hand guns. I like the S&W 9C but it's 12 round mag kills it in california.
Thanks in advance

 

[Quiet Observer]

M&P 9C are also available with 10 round magazines. The Shield comes with a 7/8 rnd mag. The M&P 9c also has 3 different back straps to adjust grip size. The magazine release can easily be set for the right or left side

I am left handed and carry a M&P 40 compact. I have small hands and have used various "right-handed" pistols. I use my fore and middle fingers on the safety, slide and magazine releases. My thumb is too short to reach around the grip to the appropriate button or lever.

 

[DavidWhite]

Sorry son!

You lost me as soon as you said "California Compliant"...

 

[flyingron]

The SIG P250 (and probably others in their line) has slide releases on both sides. The magazine release is reversable so you can have it on either side. About the only thing that is one sided is the takedown lever, but that's not likely to be a problem.

 

[SR9]

My Ruger SR9 has a safety release on both sides. ejection is on the right side. but so are most, unless it is designed to eject to the left. Slide release only on left side for right hander.

 

[bofh]

I'm looking for a concealed carry gun for my wife who is a lefty. She has shot my m&p shield 9mm but has a hard time with the slide release. Was hoping I could get some suggestions on California compliant ambidextrous hand guns. I like the S&W 9C but it's 12 round mag kills it in california.
Thanks in advance

Stop using the slide lock as a slide release!!! A semi-auto handgun is loaded by racking the slide. Get some training and stop fixing training deficiencies with equipment.

 

[Jason Brown]

For everyone else that replied with useful information thank you.

 

[Jason Brown]

Sorry son!

You lost me as soon as you said "California Compliant"...

Lol understood

 

[Jason Brown]

Stop using the slide lock as a slide release!!! A semi-auto handgun is loaded by racking the slide. Get some training and stop fixing training deficiencies with equipment.

Although I could have worded it differently (slide release / lock) it is difficult for her to release the lock (when needed) but thanks for being an insulting di*k

 

[Caper01]

You might consider one of the HK's like the VP9. Ambi safety, right side slide lock. Most HK controls are either ambi or convertible to the opposite side. Quality pistols, a step above a lot of the polymer crowd.

 

[bofh]

I'm looking for a concealed carry gun for my wife who is a lefty. She has shot my m&p shield 9mm but has a hard time with the slide release. Was hoping I could get some suggestions on California compliant ambidextrous hand guns. I like the S&W 9C but it's 12 round mag kills it in california.
Thanks in advance

Stop using the slide lock as a slide release!!! A semi-auto handgun is loaded by racking the slide. Get some training and stop fixing training deficiencies with equipment.

Although I could have worded it differently (slide release / lock) it is difficult for her to release the lock (when needed) but thanks for being an insulting di*k

You clearly didn't understand my post. To be clear, you should NEVER operate the slide stop lever to release the slide from its locked-open position. There are still instructors out there that teach that, but many do not anymore. Every time you want to release the slide from its locked-open position, rack it. There is no need to fiddle around with the slide stop lever. There is also no need for learning two different procedures for the same action. The main reason why instructors have moved to this is to simplify the operation of a firearm. Some instructors may argue that this is a gross vs. fine motor skills issue, but for me this is a pure "consistency so it works under stress" issue. Have you ever given the thought that you may need to operate your "right-handed" handgun with your left hand, such as when you are injured? You would run into the same issue as a righty. Watch this instructional video to understand what I mean:

James Yeager | How to Reload Your Pistol and Rifle - Part 1 of 3

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.

PS: Note that the slide stop is sometimes referred to as the slide lock, which adds more confusion. On a Glock, the slide stop keeps the slide locked open when the magazine is empty, while the slide lock is operated to disassemble the firearm.

 

[Jason Brown]

You clearly didn't understand my post. To be clear, you should NEVER operate the slide stop lever to release the slide from its locked-open position. There are still instructors out there that teach that, but many do not anymore. Every time you want to release the slide from its locked-open position, rack it. There is no need to fiddle around with the slide stop lever. There is also no need for learning two different procedures for the same action. The main reason why instructors have moved to this is to simplify the operation of a firearm. Some instructors may argue that this is a gross vs. fine motor skills issue, but for me this is a pure "consistency so it works under stress" issue. Have you ever given the thought that you may need to operate your "right-handed" handgun with your left hand, such as when you are injured? You would run into the same issue as a righty. Watch this instructional video to understand what I mean:

James Yeager | How to Reload Your Pistol and Rifle - Part 1 of 3

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.

PS: Note that the slide stop is sometimes referred to as the slide lock, which adds more confusion. On a Glock, the slide stop keeps the slide locked open when the magazine is empty, while the slide lock is operated to disassemble the firearm.

Thank you, unlike your first response this one was actually informative and helpful. Although you don't have to use a slide lock often it is needed in some instances. my wife would like something that is a little more user friendly for her. Can she operate the magazine release, safety and slide lock release, yes absolutely, can I operate in a left-handed form, yes absolutely. That being said she would rather have something that is a little easier for her to use and is more comfortable on a day to day basis.

On the shield the slide lock keeps the slide open when empty and for disassembly

 

[Dan528]

I am a lefty too. I have a Shield, several full size M&P's without thumb safeties. I do not carry the full size M&P's because they are just too big and I don't carry the Shield because the thumb safety is not ambidextrous. For now I carry a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380. It is not ambidextrous but the slide is much easier to manipulate (same reason my wife carries the bodyguard 380) and I carry with the thumb safety off because it has a very heavy and long trigger pull. I've been carrying the Bodyguard every day for almost 3 years and have been very pleased. I would like to carry a 9mm but the Shield has a very difficult slide to rack (and I'm 6 ft 185 lbs with large hands).
There is a gun coming out (supposedly this month) that is a fully ambidextrous single stack 9mm called the Honor Guard by Honor Defense. Has everything a lefty wants that the Shield does not have. I plan to buy one as soon as it is available.

 

[tcfiero]

I'm a lefty also. I have carries a M&P and a Shield. I got rid of them to go with hammer fired guns. The Sig P250 is a good ambidextrous gun. I don't switch the mag release as I use my index finger to drop the mags. I also use my index finger to drop the hammer with the decocker on my Sig P Series guns.

Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk

 

[bofh]

Thank you, unlike your first response this one was actually informative and helpful. Although you don't have to use a slide lock often it is needed in some instances. my wife would like something that is a little more user friendly for her. Can she operate the magazine release, safety and slide lock release, yes absolutely, can I operate in a left-handed form, yes absolutely. That being said she would rather have something that is a little easier for her to use and is more comfortable on a day to day basis.

On the shield the slide lock keeps the slide open when empty and for disassembly

My point was that "you should NEVER operate the slide stop lever to release the slide from its locked-open position." The slide stop lever is for manually locking the slide into the open position, but not for releasing it from that position. There is NEVER a need for releasing the slide from its locked-open position using the slide stop lever. Read Shooting Illustrated | It's A Slide Stop, Not A Slide Release and Ammoland | Why I Don’t Use My Gun’s Slide Release Lever to understand the argument.

On the S&W M&P Shield, the slide stop lever can be easily operated left handed to manually lock the slide into the open position using the index finger, which is why this gun is ambidextrous (excluding the issue with the manual safety).

 

[Greg Evans]

Ruger SR9c and SR40c are both great CC guns and both feature L & R safety release.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[flyingron]

Sometimes you still have to use the slide release. My gun doesn't go into the case with the slide back so I have to use the release.

Still I don't buy the argument, there's not hardly any travel on my gun between the slide stop position and full back. I think this argument is much ado about nothing.

 

[bofh]

Sometimes you still have to use the slide release. My gun doesn't go into the case with the slide back so I have to use the release.

And racking the slide to close it is out of the question?

Still I don't buy the argument, there's not hardly any travel on my gun between the slide stop position and full back. I think this argument is much ado about nothing.

When limp wristing can, in very, very rare instances, cause a failure to feed, then releasing the slide using the slide stop lever could do that too. However, that's a weak argument. I agree.

The main argument is about consistency in training and practice, so that it can be applied under stress when needed. Watch the video I posted earlier. There are only very few procedures needed to operate any handgun. Most of these procedures translate to other firearms as well, e.g., operating the charging handle on an AR instead of using the bolt release. There is no need to add unnecessary procedures. The more options you have, the more time it takes to choose.

The second argument is about the OPs problem of having difficulty to operate the slide stop lever that way in the first place. If you can't operate it easily under range conditions than you are setting yourself up for failure under stress. The Glock solution for that is the extended slide stop lever, which fixes a training problem with equipment and adds a new problem. The extended slide stop lever is so easy to actuate that the shooter sometimes accidentally engages it while shooting, thus locking the slide back on a non-empty magazine.

The OP was trying to fix this problem by looking for a different gun, which is also trying to fix a training problem with equipment, thus my first post in this thread.

 

[flyingron]

And racking the slide to close it is out of the question?

Other than the fact it won't work? Unless I hold the catch down "racking" it just returns it to the locked back position.

When limp wristing can, in very, very rare instances, cause a failure to feed, then releasing the slide using the slide stop lever could do that too. However, that's a weak argument. I agree.

It's an inane argument. Limp writing sucks up the recoil force. With a slide lock you've got a 95% compressed spring. I don't know of any gun that's not going to load a cartridge with that.

 

[bofh]

Other than the fact it won't work? Unless I hold the catch down "racking" it just returns it to the locked back position.

Without having an empty magazine inserted?