Lady Lefty looking for a 1911

[happy plinking]

Howdy folks,

I'm new here from Cincinnati and I am a relatively new shooter looking to get into USPSA matches (that's what's offered at the local club). I have watched one so far volunteering with the local and was lucky enough to see some guys who were really friendly (and really good shooters)have a blast doing the match. I'm hooked. I'm also looking for a new gun since my current Springfield XD 40 sub-compact is not ideal for matches and I have recently realized that it doesn't actually fit my hand. When it is in my hand and with the grip running a straight line up my arm, I have trouble reaching the trigger (I hear that's a bad thing when you can't reach the trigger ).

I am looking at the Nighthawk Ladyhawk as my first 1911 because it offers some lefty modifications and it should be small enough for me. It is a ton of money, I know, but I want something that works well for me, I am blessed with a husband who is also a gun nut and doesn't balk at the price for a gun I will have the rest of my life, and I don't know enough to have someone build me a custom gun yet.

I am a lefty, and looking for my first match gun. I have a ton of questions.

1. Are there any guns out there that are made for women other than the Nighthawk Ladyhawk? (I don't want anything with pink handles, and yes, I can control a 45ACP)

2. Is it better to use a 1911 style for matches or something else?

3. Are there any guns out there made for lefties? with a lefty safety, ambi-mag release and possibly lefty slide lock?

4. Why are people so careful bringing the hammer forward on 1911s? Does this mean you can't dry fire them for practice?

5. Any other suggestions on firearms to look at?

6. There are no dealers around Cincinnati that have Ladyhawks, or even Nighthawks to my

knowledge. I am a big fan of shooting or at least holding a firearm before I drop any

money on it, much less three grand. Anyone have any ideas of how to find one to look

at?

Thanks so much for your help!

Suzanne

Edited May 17, 2010 by happy plinking

[toddrod]

Being a leefty, but not a lady, here is what works for me.

What ever 1911 gun you buy, you can add an ambi safety to it. It is hit or miss with the polymer type guns, but since most of them are striker fired and DA you really do not need the manual thumb safeties.

For the mag release, use what it comes with and learn to hit it with your trigger finger. Once you learn this it does a couple of things for you. 1st - it is a safety mechanism. By hitting it with your trigger finger there is no way you can get an AD during the reload. 2nd - you do not have to roatate the gun, as most righty's do, in order to hit the mag release.

Slide lock lever - again, learn to work it with your trigger finger. It is pretty easy.

As to what type of gun to get, I would recommend you handle as many as you can to see what feels good in your hand before you buy.

Dryfiring a 1911 will not hurt anything.

Edited May 17, 2010 by toddrod

[raz-0]

If shooting a .45 doesn't bother you, then why look for something made for a lady? That's just smaller caliber, girly colors and marketing. All you want is something to fit your hands.

The lady hawk looks like it is just 9mm 1911 with slim grips and MAYBE some of the front strap material machined off. You can put slim grips on any 1911. If you can get your fingers around the grip, you don't need any modifications to the front strap. If you have issues reaching the trigger, you can just install a short trigger (most 1911s ship with medium length triggers). Off the top of my head, I don't know what factory 1911 ships with slim grips. Maybe someone else can chime in.

Stepping out of the 1911 form factor, the m&p with small grip insert might work. It has ambi slide release, but the lefty side is notably tougher to activate. The mag catch is reversible.

Trigger guard mag releases lend themselves to being activated with the trigger finger. H&ks use them as does the walther p99/s&w sw99. The walther is pretty slim with the small grip insert.

[G-ManBart]

For $2900 you can get a custom gun built that will be better than the Nighthawk, probably have better parts, and any feature you want. I looked at the pics of the Lady Hawk and aside from the slim grips (I gave a pair of those to a new female shooter here not long ago) it doesn't look like they've made the grip much smaller at all. Still, any competent gunsmith should be able to do that on a full custom build. They do make mag releases that work from the right hand side of the gun, but there aren't right side slide releases. Many folks learn to hit it with their trigger fingers, others just practice the slingshot method where your support hand pulls back on the slide a little bit allowing it to go forward. If you do get the LH, get either .40 or .45 since it won't limit you to Minor scoring the way 9mm will...that hurts points wise.

I'll second the idea of looking at the M&P and shooting Production Division. My wife shot my M&P Pro (5" 9mm), turned to me and said "sheesh, anybody could shoot this thing, it's a wussy gun". She's all of 5'2", 105lbs and has tiny hands. R,

[atbarr]

Welcome Suzanne, you have been given some great information. You should consider http://shootersconnectionstore.com/STI-Trojan-50-45ACP-Fiber-Optic-Front-Ambi-Safety-Stocked-Item-P1670.aspx in either .45 or 9mm. I have both. I also have slim grips on them, because I don't have large hands.

Shooters Connection is located at 804 South Broadway Unit 9 Georgetown, KY 40324. Give Mike Foley a call at 800-387-4045. You can go by and handle a whole lot of different guns.

Stay Safe,

A.T.

Edited May 17, 2010 by atbarr

[Bob DuBois]

I would also recommend the Trojan. I'm a right handed male but I like the way the trigger guard is under cut on the Trojan. Mine is in 9mm. I'm sure someone in the club there has one they could show you and perhaps let you shoot before your purchase.

The Ambi safety will work for a lefty. You should be able to save enough from a Night Hawk to purchase both a 9mm and a 45acp Trojan.

The S@W M@P Pro is a good choice, one of the ladies here scores have improved since moving to the M@P. The M@P would also sell for less than the Trojan. Here again someone in the club should have one. Handle it and ask if you can shoot it.

Never met a shooter that didn't like to show you his pistol or help others getting started in the game. Find the platform that fits your hand before the purchase.

[cheers623]

My wife has an STI Trojan in 9mm. I added thin grips, SV interchangeable short flat trigger, SV magwell, and a Mitchell left handed mag release. She shoots the heck out of it and it has been a great gun. She can shoot Single Stack, or L-10 minor. I have a Trojan in .45 with the same mods except the left-handed release. I'm a lefty and prefer using the standard controls. Either caliber will be great for you and with the mods I listed both guns came in at around $1250. STI has a lifetime warranty and stands behind their guns. The only 'LADY' mod my wife has is pink Mag basepads but she loves the gun. I think you should be able to find someone in your area that would let you shoot a Trojan. Also, don't rule out 9mm. I love shooting my wife's gun and it is a lot cheaper for ammo.

Good luck,

cheers623

DVC

[atbarr]

My club http://bgslinc.com/ is having their 5th Sunday Single Stack/Production shoot on the 30th. Why don't you drive down and shoot my 9mm Trojan? I had my right shoulder replaced about a month ago, and my doctor won't let me shoot for at least another month. All you need to bring is a belt and some ammo. I'll furnish a Blade-Tech Stingray right hand holster and some Blade-Tech mags.

Let me know,

A.T.

atbarr@windstream.net

[dangucci]

I also shoot lefty. I installed a cylinder and slide ambi mag release and it works great. I did trim it slightly because out of the box it sticks out pretty far and is very easy to accidentally hit. Its nothing about thirty seconds with a file won't fix. I don't know of any ambi slide releases for a 1911. I just slingshot it.

[happy plinking]

My club http://bgslinc.com/ is having their 5th Sunday Single Stack/Production shoot on the 30th. Why don't you drive down and shoot my 9mm Trojan? I had my right shoulder replaced about a month ago, and my doctor won't let me shoot for at least another month. All you need to bring is a belt and some ammo. I'll furnish a Blade-Tech Stingray right hand holster and some Blade-Tech mags.

Let me know,

A.T.

atbarr@windstream.net

Thanks for the offer! I will run it by the hubby and let you know. I am sure he will want to come along to drool, er, I mean look. Seems like a nice club you have there! Love the idea of the Ladies' class, wish we had one of those up here soon or that I wasn't working on the Saturday your club is having theirs!

[happy plinking]

For $2900 you can get a custom gun built that will be better than the Nighthawk, probably have better parts, and any feature you want. I looked at the pics of the Lady Hawk and aside from the slim grips (I gave a pair of those to a new female shooter here not long ago) it doesn't look like they've made the grip much smaller at all. Still, any competent gunsmith should be able to do that on a full custom build. They do make mag releases that work from the right hand side of the gun, but there aren't right side slide releases. Many folks learn to hit it with their trigger fingers, others just practice the slingshot method where your support hand pulls back on the slide a little bit allowing it to go forward. If you do get the LH, get either .40 or .45 since it won't limit you to Minor scoring the way 9mm will...that hurts points wise.

I'll second the idea of looking at the M&P and shooting Production Division. My wife shot my M&P Pro (5" 9mm), turned to me and said "sheesh, anybody could shoot this thing, it's a wussy gun". She's all of 5'2", 105lbs and has tiny hands. R,

Thanks for the technique tips! The only issue with having a custom gun built is the lack of knowledge on my part. Basically, I would have no idea how to pick a knowledgeable gunsmith, how to make sure I am getting a fair price, or what to have them build for me except for 1911 type frame, small grip, possibly lefty features, and in a 40 or 45. I also don't know about gun manufacturers and which ones have good parts, etc. I only really have experience with Springfield (we have the 9mm, 40, and 45 XDs that have been good to us), a Walther p99 which I don't use currently because of a cocking problem I haven't yet figured out, and a Ruger 38 special revolver (the hubby's) which I hate to shoot because the kick is straight back and down with a metal sharp edge in the palm. That's all I know about handguns thus far. Not enough to design a custom firearm, unfortunately.

[little_kahuna]

There is a lot of good advice in this thread. I believe that you should find a relatively inexpensive gun that fits your hands, and is shootable, and just shoot the snot out of it. After a season or two, you'll kinda know what you want. I have a plenty of gunsmith friends that can make left-handed everything, including slide stop. It's just a function of knowing what's out there, so go shoot and stay involved. Soon enough you'll have your bearing in the shooting world, and from there you can pursue a custom gun.

[Rob Boudrie]

Your best bet is to show up at a few matches and start asking questions. You'll find that people are going to be most helpful and very willing to share their information with you - and, range time/access permitting, you may even be able to try some guns.