Like many of you my initial formal training with firearms was in the military.  One of the glaring deficiencies I noticed was right handed shooters training lefties.  Many instructors would just show me how they were shown how to do things weak handed.  Considering the level of training I was receiving wasn’t very good in the first place I assumed there had to be accomplished instructors that could help me with my dilemma.  When I started paying for instruction out of my own pocket I made a point to seek out true lefties with real experience so I could find out better ways to run a gun.

Now that I’m a reasonable shooter with a few training courses under my belt and a few rounds down range I’d like to pass on a few things that I’ve learned along the way that are specific to a lefty.  For you righties, please feel free to utilize some of this for your weak hand shooting.

Let’s start with pistol reloads.  I have seen three ways for a lefty to get a pistol back into action once the magazine has been inserted into the mag well.  The first and most sure handed and secure, is using the right had to grab the slide.  Pulling the slide to the rear and letting go will allow the slide to slam forward with a new round in the chamber.  This method is also the slowest, but requires the least fine motor skill and works on every pistol I’ve encountered.

The second method is to reach UNDER the pistol with the weak hand and depress the slide stop, allowing the slide to go forward.  I learned this method shooting Sig’s in the military.  It’s a little odd at first, but doesn’t alter your firing grip and is relatively fast and sure handed.  In other words, it works almost every time under almost all conditions.  I’ve never had it fail except while practicing it on a new pistol platform.

The last technique I know of for reloads with a pistol is the fastest, but also has the highest degree of training required to attain (and maintain) a high level of proficiency.  With my trigger finger straight I position the second knuckle above the slide stop.  As I insert the magazine inside the mag well my palm creates upward momentum on the gun, forcing the slide stop to depress, allowing the slide to go forward.  This technique is very fast but has a chance of allowing the slide to go forward without picking up a round, creating a malfunction, and requiring immediate action.  This technique is not recommended by any instructor I have trained with or experienced shooter I know.  I have been lucky enough to train frequently and rarely do I make a mistake.  Hopefully it won’t happen when my life is on the line.

The good news is that reloads with an M4 are much easier to explain.  I’ll explain two ways I’ve been shown.  Both methods require the right hand to depress the magazine release, drop the magazine, acquire and insert a new magazine.  The difference between the two techniques is one requires the right hand to rake the charging handle to the rear, allowing the bolt to go forward and the other requires the trigger finger to push the bolt release, allowing the bolt to go forward.

The thing to consider with the above techniques is speed versus sure handedness, and what is important to you.   Some will say using the slide stop on a pistol or the bolt release on a M4 is too much of a “fine motor skill”.  Here’s a little news flash, operating the trigger of a gun is a fine motor skill.  The reason we train to make fine motor skills second nature, to burn them into our sub conscious.  If I’m expected to break a clean shot under stress then I should be able to manipulate the slide stop or bolt release under stress as well.

Let’s discuss the selector switch and the M4.  Many lefties run it with their left thumb.  I was originally taught this way but it was difficult to do dozens and dozens of reloads during training.  My hand and wrist strength was not enough to hold the weapon in an ideal position.  I’m not a small guy, so if it doesn’t work well for me it probably doesn’t work well for smaller shooters either.  The ability to take the weapon of safe while presenting the gun while simultaneously reaching for the trigger isn’t a big enough advantage for me to weaken my grip on the gun.  I prefer to keep a full grip on the gun while using my trigger finger to take the gun off safe, as well as place it back on safe once I have completed my scan and assessment.  I typically use my second knuckle to push the selector down while I present the gun and move my trigger finger to the trigger.  “A” standard is to be able to break an A zone hit at seven yards (using your sights or optic) in .75 seconds.  I can routinely do it in .66 seconds which is just as fast as the righties I shoot with regularly.  For putting the gun back on safe I use my second knuckle to move the selector to the rear.  The added advantage of this is it is almost impossible to have my finger on the trigger once I’m done shooting, scanning and assessing.

These techniques are A way, not THE way.  I’m still learning all the time from people more knowledgeable and experienced than me.  Give a couple of the techniques a try.  Find out what works for you.  If you have other techniques that apply to a lefty chime in and share what you’ve got.  If you see a lefty at the range.  Now we put it together on a pistol on the move.