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Thread: Operating a 1911 left handed

  1. #11
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    Back in the day when I carried a 1911, my left handed drills would incorporate an "over the slide" technique. Can't say I ever liked it because it really breaks the grip and made me worried about fumbling the gun in a real-world incident, but I never came up with anything better, barring an ambi-safety of course.

  2. #12
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    Thumb over the top to disengage the safety. To re-engage the safety is a bit more awkward...which is why I have ambi safeties fitted to my 1911s. Trigger finger operates the rest of the (standard) controls.

    FWIW I use a standard manual safety on the AR and operate it with the trigger finger when shooting left handed.

  3. #13
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    I am thankful for Wilson and EGW Ambidextrous Safeties that have strong steel and incorporate a pin to support/hold right side of safety. (I recently discovered that
    that the Kimber Ambidextrous Safety is a "drop in" for a Colt range gun) For serious business, I would only use the EGW (retention pin) or the Wilson Combat (retention pin).

  4. #14
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    Left-hander here, no ambi--actually, I run an old-school GI stub-safety (it's what this gun was built with, no mods here). I usually go off-safe in holster when trouble starts showing itself, then loosen my grip just a little and nudge the rear with my right hand so the "web" between index finger and thumb pops it back up.

    On the range, I reach over with my right thumb and pop it down, then take a breath and start my drill as normal.
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  5. #15
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    I'm left-handed and just learned to shoot 1911's right handed.
    Gettin' down innagrass.
    Let's Go Brandon!

  6. #16
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    I was at the range Tuesday and ran my 1911 w/o ambi safety quite a bit left handed, moving and shooting. I disengaged the safety with my left thumb, and reengaged the safety with my left index finger. Disengaging the safety feels awkward and I'm concerned about dropping it with my thumb wrapped around. Definety need more practice. Thanks for all the comments and ideas.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by titsonritz View Post
    I'm left-handed and just learned to shoot 1911's right handed.
    I'm a righty and have no ambi safety. This is more of a "what if" I can't use my right hand to operate a non ambi controlled 1911. How do you do it? I want to practice shooting it in this manner for that "what if" scenario.

    NC

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by nightchief View Post
    For those who are left handed, when shooting left handed with one hand, how do you operate the safety on a 1911 if it does not have an ambidextrous safety?
    FUNNY you should mention that...

    Because I started shooting pistols with 3rd generation Smiths in 1990, I got USED to ambidextrous safeties. When I bought my first KEEPER 1911 (Springfield) in 1995, I added an ambi-safety, and have either purchased 1911's with them, or added them, ever since.

    In FACT... I just picked up a new RIA full-size, as a truck gun for my second truck, last Tuesday. Turned right around, and gave it back to their 'smitty, and told him - "Install an ambi-safety on that for me, if you would please."

    Hope to pick it up next week.
    - Either you're part of the problem or you're part of the solution or you're just part of the landscape - Sam (Robert DeNiro) in, "Ronin" -

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by thegreyman View Post
    I am thankful for Wilson and EGW Ambidextrous Safeties that have strong steel and incorporate a pin to support/hold right side of safety. (I recently discovered that
    that the Kimber Ambidextrous Safety is a "drop in" for a Colt range gun) For serious business, I would only use the EGW (retention pin) or the Wilson Combat (retention pin).
    EGW does use a longer hammer pin.
    I use a Kings ambi-safety that works the same way.

    I don't think the Wilson Combat safety uses that same structure. The right side of the ambi safety has an extension that slides behind right grip panel; Ed Brown uses the same idea and so does STI.

    Kimber, I think has has offered a couple different style safeties over the years; earlier ones as you described. The one they show now is captured by a pin (ala EGW or Kings).

    In any case the thumb safety on a 1911 is really unlikely to be a drop-in. Come to think of it, probably shouldn't trust one that doesn't need fitting to properly engage the sear.
    Last edited by Wildcat; 10-19-17 at 20:43. Reason: syntax error

  10. #20
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    Like so.

    Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

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