One thing I’ve learned when working in various gun stores for a side job is the struggle left-handed shooters have to go through. Left-handed people have to either find a fully ambidextrous handgun or learn to manipulate the handgun with their wrong handed tactics. I am a right-handed shooter, but having helped dozens of left-handed people and shooting at the range with friends, I’ve put a list of guns together that are a great option for left-handed shooters.

Gen 5 Glocks

The newest generation of Glock pistols are really focused on being more ambidextrous for left-handed shooters. The fifth generation Glocks have added a slide stop/release on both sides of the gun along with switching the magazine release to the other side. People have been able to switch the magazine release for years with the fourth generation but now with the slide stop/release makes the handgun fully ambidextrous. The biggest complaint I heard from left-handed individuals is the fact Glock didn’t make fully ambidextrous handguns, but now the flood gates have opened to those shooters.

SIG Sauer 320 Series

The SIG Sauer 320 series is another great example of a handgun that can be set up for left-handed shooters. The real party piece is the 320’s modularity with the chassis system. Not only can you have a fully ambidextrous handgun, but you can also switch from full size to subcompact with the various exchange kits. SIG has done a very nice job making it possible to create the perfect size gun for a  left-handed shooter.

Heckler and Koch

HK makes some fantastic options for left-handed shooters with a couple of fully ambidextrous handguns. The VP9 and P30 both have an ambidextrous slide stop/release along with their traditional paddle mag release.  They do not have left-hand variations of the American style mag release. Don’t fear though because the paddle release is easy to use for both right and left-handed shooters. The decocker on the P30 models is situated on the left side on the back of the slide. This can be tricky for left-handed people to engage, but with practice, it is possible to be proficient in working the decocker.

FN America

FN was always mindful of having their pistols be usable for left or right-handed shooters. Some of their more famous models like the 5.7 and FNX-45 Tactical models are 100% ambidextrous. Their new striker fired handgun, the 509, is also fully ambidextrous. With the 509 Tactical, shooters have the option to pick up a solid optics ready handgun that’s also easy to use either right or left handed.

Overall Thoughts

Being a left-handed shooter is much easier in today’s market than it was in years past. There are a ton of different ambidextrous models on the market today. This change has made being left-handed not as difficult as it was even ten years ago. One thing to keep in mind is the ability to shoot with either hand if you absolutely need to. I’ve had the privilege to talk with a number of great shooters who happened to be left-handed.  I learned most left-handed shooters try to adapt and shoot right handed even though it may not always seem natural.

Whether it’s learning to shoot with both hands. or picking a handgun you can have fully ambidextrous controls, there are a ton of different options for the left-handed shooter today. Let me know what you guys do when shooting left handed. If you have any questions for me feel free to contact me on my Instagram Page. Stay safe out there.

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