The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
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?
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.
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.anything over .40 S&W preferably for concealed carry..
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.