Thanks everyone...I didnt figure there would be so much ambi support out there since majority are right handed, least I have a good option when I get over and begin looking for a handgun.
Smith and Wesson M&P pistols have controls that can be switched to be left or right and a really nice pistol to shoot.
One advantage to learning how to shoot righty pistols is you won't be confused when you need to use someone else's handgun.
I'm a southpaw and I currently am shooting a 1911 and a S&W 65. The latter is not friendly to reload left handed without a lot of practice (which is the case with most DA revolvers it would seem). Someone mentioned the Springfield XD, which is a good choice, as is the S&W M&P series. The Glock platform is an option as well. If they fit you, they seem to be good to lefties. Do you have a preference on caliber?
anything over .40 S&W preferably for concealed carry...but for at the range it doesnt matter as long as its a fairly accurate round.
If you were ok with 9mm, I would recommend the STI GP5 or GP6, which are polymer framed pistols imported by STI, although they are made elsewhere (I can't recall where though). Sadly, they are only chambered for 9mm. Without other criteria or knowing you, suggestions are pretty hard to make. The guns that I have found to enjoy shooting the most are (roughly in order): Single Stack 1911s, Springfield XDs, the STI GP6, Double Stack 1911, K-Frame size revolvers, M&Ps and Glocks). I like the way HK stuff points, same with some SIGs and the new FNXs, but I dont have much experience with either.
Another vote for HK. :thumbup: I carry the USP Compact at work, and ive been very pleased with it. As is has been stated by pervious posters, it comes in a lefty version with the decocker and slide-release on the left side. Mag release is ambidextrous.
Glock's newest generation have ambidextrous mag releases. There are no other external controls which need to be manipulated on a Glock which makes them ambidextrous. And before someone says it, the slide stop on Glocks is just that, a slide stop - not a slide release.
+1 for the Gen 4 Glock pistols. I recently purchased a G26 G4 in 9mm and as a lefty shooter it fits my hand like a glove and the added bonus of a ambi mag release makes it a perfect CC piece.
The CZ 85 is a fully ambidextrous CZ 75, and one of the nicest made pistols of any currently out there. Don't let the price fool you---I've had far fewer (and less expensive) problems out of CZs than I've had out of Sigs. They're slim and the ergoes are excellent.
I used to be a die-hard .45 acp cultist, having heard all the stories about bad guys who survived multiple hits with 9mm. Then, a co-worker's brother got shot outside a notorious local water hole. He took seven rounds of 230 grain .45 acp ball, and was released from the hospital less than two weeks later. With modern ammo, the difference is becoming a matter of preference. Are you aware that some +P 9mm loads are approaching the ballistics of .357 magnum? I wasn't, but it made me all the happier for buying my Gen 4 Glock 19. 9mm is also cheaper, easier to find and easier to shoot. I've got a 1911 Commander and an XDM .45, but the G19 is turning out to be what I carry most. As mentioned, the mag release can be reversed if that's important to you. You just have to make sure you're using the Gen 4 magazines, which have a notch on both sides.
Agreed, stopping power is shot placement. Up close, a shotgun has stopping power, as do rifles shooting hunting ammunition at longer ranges, but pistols do not pick people up and send them flying, regardless of what the movies show. Non-grazing hits to the head and to the spine are fairly guaranteed stops. Anything else is heavily influenced by chance. If I'm remembering correctly, the average recovered diameters of the 9mm, 40 and 45 Gold Dots (during FBI trials) were within seven thousandths of an inch, though admittedly the heavier bullets carry better through barriers. In FMJs there's a notable difference in the amount of impulse delivered, but premium hollow points have largely leveled the playing field. Point being, if you love 45 or 10mm or anything else, then great. But you need to spend the time and ammo to get damned good with drawing and point-shooting it not only accurately but quickly, or you're just not going to be effective. And that's drawing from the exact rig you'll be carrying too, not a speed rig that's just for the range. As 9mm practice rounds run just over half as much as 45 on average, it's something to consider.
One thing in this statement that I don't think can be stressed enough is practicing with the rig you are going to carry with. Buy a good holster, and by good I mean the best you can afford, and practice with it. And keep practicing with it, and rinse and repeat.
Thanks for all the info guys, it is good to know and opens up my options...I am very much fond of the glocks and was going to go .40 s&w when I got one but to have 9mm rounds with ballistics almost similar to a .357 is something I was unaware of. Most of my friends stateside carry .45 GAP and your larger sized calibers so was under the impression anything less than 10mm (.40) was underpowered for personal defense. I have a lot to learn with pistols and am more than willing to put in the range time with someone who knows what they're doing, rifles I can hit the hair off a dogs back no sweat with an 80 year old SMLE from a good distance and knew what ammo would do what, what was best at the range for distance, what was good for thick brush hunting (my granddad was a marksman in WWII, taught me a good lot about rifles and ammo loads)...but pistols and ammo I am just in the dark, they never interested me due to the legislation side of things down here.
The 9mm rounds that approach 357 are usually labeled +p+: Winchester Ranger SXT, Federal Hydra-Shok (which is what I carry on a daily basis) and also Buffalo Bore are premium loads at this level. They're still shy of the 357, but zipping along much more quickly than any factory loaded 38 +p that exists. Now, shooting that stuff ALL the time would not only be expensive but will also accelerate wear on your pistol. That said, Glock's springs are so heavy and their frames flex enough that they really stand up to it better than most, and if you just put some through it from time to time in order to check that they're still hitting to point of aim (as a barrel wears, point of impact can change, and also different batches of the same ammo can shoot differently) it won't hurt it at all. Again, if a 32 or 380 or 40 or 45 or whatever is what you want to carry, then it's the right choice, provided that the gun you've chosen is a good ergonomic fit for you, and you practice like holy hell with it. Best o' luck and have fun. Edit to add: Oh yes...some ranges will not allow you to practice drawing as--especially in some carry setups--the risk to other people next to you is too high. If you can't find a place where you can work on this skill, then work on point shooting where you have the gun down and then bring it up quickly into shooting position and fire by looking over the top of it without worrying about sight picture, and then practice drawing and dry firing in the comfort of your own home, having made sure the thing is empty about five times, of course. The vast majority of defensive situations occur inside of seven feet, and you won't be looking for the sights. There are lots of people who do slow fire practice exclusively who can knock the eyes out of a bad-guy silhouette target all day long at 25 yards (providing that they're in their perfect shooting stance, air conditioning and perfect light, and there's no movement anywhere else to distract them) but who can't get three out of five rounds into a six inch circle at ten feet when their gun is holstered and they have three seconds to react.
