Fuzz Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Backstory: The wife is coming full circle and she fell in love with my 40 S&W 1911 and wants to switch up from her PPQ and start shooting my Para 16/40 Pro Custom in the Limited Division. (Yes she has come a long way) Problem is one I have never dealt with and I keep getting differences of opinion so I am no sure which way to go. Problem is the Mag release with her being Left Handed. Lots of folks suggest she just use her fore finger on the left hand to release the mag. She tried this and her finger was struggling with pushing the button. I put a light spring in it for her and took her to the range. Yep the mag kept getting bumped and dropping the mag unintentional. So then I removed the extension on the button which made it better but it still happened just a couple times. Now I am thinking I will put a Mitchell left handed Mag release in the gun for $150. She says no she will get use to it. But with me knowing her she is just going to suffer through it and try to learn and shoot it without bumping the mag release. She is a Titewad and just thinks that way. I am not and want to get it right. So the question is: Since so many shoot left handed with the 1911 and use the mag release with the fore finger should I let her try to learn it? Or should I just buy the Mag release for the other side and then let her figure it out? Anyone with any experience here, All opinions valued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chbrow10 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 mag release = A few dollars expense. A happy wife that shoots with you and doesn't have to learn a new technique? Priceless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I've tried the lefty releases in my 1911 (not sure on the mitchell) and didn't like them. They can be complex internally. Have her train with the forefinger. What I do now and find to work very well is have a wide ambi thumb safety, and fully engage the safety during the reload using the safety as something of a lever to rotate the gun a bit in my hand to better position the mag release allowing my forefinger to reach it better. Then when disengaging the safety, the gun will go perfectly back into firing position. It's safe and gets my finger in a spot where I can put a little more pressure on the button. Might be a slightly slower than the righties of the workd but nothing I concern myself with, and I shoot single stack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuz Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I've been a lefty all my life. I just use my trigger finger to drop the mag. It took minimal effort to learn this method back when I started, and is now second nature. I would recommend against getting a left handed safety because then her gun will be different from every other 1911/2011/etc. gun out there. When her gun breaks in a match and she has to borrow one to finish it will mess her up. When ever she tries out someone's gun it will mess her up. The good news is that by using her trigger finger to drop the mag, she will NEVER, EVER get DQ'd for having her finger on the trigger during a reload. This technique is like any other part of shooting, it just takes a little practice at home with the gun and empty mags in front of the TV or something to get better at it. I think she will be so much better off. She will be able to pick up anyone's gun at the range, or anywhere else and be able to work it without any problems. -Cuz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 3 hours ago, Fuzz said: a Mitchell left handed Mag release for $150. She says NO she will get use to it. I'd follow your wife's advice ... If she changes her mind, then I'd try to left handed MR - but sounds like you might want to check them out a bit more ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTrace Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I'm a lefty. I would have her practice and master using her trigger finger to drop the mags. I use a standard IDPA button and Infinity relieves the bottom of the button just a bit to help prevent me from dropping the mag during recoil. I'm sure you could do the same..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Hello: If she has small hands using the trigger finger may work better for her. If she has medium to larger hands the Mitchell mag release may work better. I know some right handed shooters who use the Mitchell mag release since they have smaller hands and are also used to an AR-15. I would let her shoot for a while and see how she does on mag changes. I found using my thumb was faster for me on mag changes since I could control the pistol better than using my trigger finger. I have a large hands so that may be a factor. If she does not like the Mitchell mag release you can always sell it. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mhall Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Another southpaw here too... When I started USPSA last year (in production) I used my thumb on an ambi mag release on my plastic gun. I wanted a metal gun so I got a 2011 and switched to Limited. I thought I would buy a Mitchell, but after trying the trigger finger release, I've never looked back. Does it take some practice? Yes, but I'm glad I learned. It certainly is no slower than any right handed thumb user. I got my M card in July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertg5322 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Try using the middle finger, not the trigger finger. I seem to get better leverage with that finger, it requires less maneuvering of the gun to get to the mag catch and leaves my trigger finger free to find the slide stop if I happen to be at slide lock (we're talking Single Stack here, going to slide lock is more common here than other divisions) The one upside of shooting left handed is that extended and oversized mag catch buttons are not necessary. In fact they kind of get in the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mont1120 Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Another lefty here, I definitely would learn to use the trigger finger. This ensures it is out of the trigger guard for reloads, and with the finger being much longer then the thumb, she will have an advantage by not having to work so hard getting the thumb to the release. I would go so far to say if I even was forced to go right handed, I would reverse the mag release so I could use the trigger finger. I have pondered why righties have not tried doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 7 minutes ago, mont1120 said: I would go so far to say if I even was forced to go right handed, I would reverse the mag release so I could use the trigger finger. I have pondered why righties have not tried doing so. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkvibe Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I use the mitchell on my guns. I like them. Shot other people's guns using my index finger and don't like it as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share Posted September 13, 2016 Thanks for all the advice guys and I will see how it goes next range trip. Still seems to be a toss up. Guess time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFLcavediver Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Another lefty that uses my trigger finger. I tried switching to the right side, and went back to using my trigger finger. It works much better for me. I shoot a 16 -40 limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertg5322 Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 I tried using my trigger finger. Took way more contorting than using my middle finger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankge Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 another benefit is that the gun never shifts in my hand doing a mag change with my index finger. Like all muscles, the finger will build strength over time and it will be 2nd nature after a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevepitt Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 As a lefty I agree with using the strong hand index finger for all the reasons already mentioned. How light of a spring did you try? Wolff sells a 5 spring pack- factory and #1-4 with the # 4 being the lightest. I've found I will drop mags with the #4, but the # 3 works fine. Most people I've talked to use either the # 2 or #3. Brownell's carries these also. Steve Pitt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 20 hours ago, stevepitt said: As a lefty I agree with using the strong hand index finger for all the reasons already mentioned. How light of a spring did you try? Wolff sells a 5 spring pack- factory and #1-4 with the # 4 being the lightest. I've found I will drop mags with the #4, but the # 3 works fine. Most people I've talked to use either the # 2 or #3. Brownell's carries these also. Steve Pitt I have the #3 in there now. She has struggled with several mag releases. I think she has weak fingers. (I didn't say that though) with the standard she could not do it at all. She can do the 3 as far as pushing it anyway. There have been several different opinions on this and some people that I really respect even have differing opinions on this. She has long skinny fingers and that may be creating more difficulty for her. At this point I will give her some time using the Forefinger and then if it does not work I will get the Mitchell. This seems to be a very personal preference. So I will leave it up to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertg5322 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Better leverage and less contortion required using middle finger. Give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enroute Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 On September 11, 2016 at 6:36 AM, Fuzz said: Backstory: The wife is coming full circle and she fell in love with my 40 S&W 1911 and wants to switch up from her PPQ and start shooting my Para 16/40 Pro Custom in the Limited Division. (Yes she has come a long way) Anyone with any experience here, All opinions valued. Well, congrats on finding THAT woman! Nice. Just swap it in, tell her you found parts/labor for cheap, and it's a done deal. It's like the woman who says she doesn't really want a bigger diamond after 20 years of marriage. Just do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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