Mag Release / Handedness Poll

What is your handedness / Mag release side?

  • Right handed - left hand mag release

    Votes: 11 35.5%
  • Right handed - right hand mag release

    Votes: 8 25.8%
  • Left handed - left hand mag release

    Votes: 6 19.4%
  • Left handed - right hand mag release

    Votes: 6 19.4%

  • Total voters
    31
  • Poll closed .

Llando88

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Am curious about getting some input from ya'll with much more experience shooting than I.

New shooter, first pistol, ever, in November last year. I have a FS 9, 4.25" M&P.

My question is on the mag release. I'm a lefty, and I find it pretty natural to operate the mag release with it set up on the left.

I gather that side is for righties tho?

So, I was wondering what your personal choices were, lefty vs. righty, and mag release, left vs. right?

Wait for the poll...
 
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I'm a lefty as well. When I first bought my 9c I thought switching the mag release around would make it more comfortable to use, but after firing and changing mags with it on the righty side I liked it better that way. It's easy to reach with my middle finger. Plus, not all of my pistols have the option to switch, so I'd rather just get used to living in a right handers world. Great question and topic!


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Lefty, I like it on the right so I can hit it with my thumb. Works fine for me. So, yes, I switched it. Was new to hand guns anyway at the time so I didn't have to "unlearn" anything.
 
Jeff Cooper taught use of the traditional 1911 magazine release for both lefties and righties. He noted that it was perfect for lefties but righties had to practice a bit to use it properly.
 
I'm a lefty as well. When I first bought my 9c I thought switching the mag release around would make it more comfortable to use, but after firing and changing mags with it on the righty side I liked it better that way. It's easy to reach with my middle finger. Plus, not all of my pistols have the option to switch, so I'd rather just get used to living in a right handers world. Great question and topic!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Couldn't have said it better^ same for me
 
I'm a lefty.

Switching the mag catch over to the right side of the gun was never a thought for me. I don't have to change my grip to operate the mag catch with the middle finger on my shooting hand. So, I do.

I have a few guns that have the ability to have the mag catch switched. I've changed none of them.

The mag catch was intended to be operated with the shooting hand thumb. Most guns require a slight rotation to reach the mag catch with the thumb. The M&P is unique in that I don't need to rotate the gun to reach it with my thumb. Even so, for consistency sake, I leave it on the left side.
 
I shoot both Left & right.
I never swapped any of the mag releases.
When I shoot Lefty, I use the middle finger of my left hand.
When I shoot Righty, I use the thumb of my Support (left) hand.
 
Jeff Cooper taught use of the traditional 1911 magazine release for both lefties and righties. He noted that it was perfect for lefties but righties had to practice a bit to use it properly.


I searched and wasn't able to find this method.

What did Mr Cooper advise re mag release?
 
After many years with the mag release on 1911s and Browning HPs on the right I can not change old habits.

FYI if you are packing a semi auto as a BUG please be sure the mode of carry will not accidentally release the mag. This is one place where the European heal of the grip mag release shinesmy

By the way my J frame never had an issue here.
 
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Cooper taught Lefties to use left index (trigger) finger to operate mag release, righties use right thumb.

This is a one handed operation, since the weak hand is drawing and inserting replacement magazine as the strong hand operates the magazine release.

With practice, you can have the pistol reloaded before the empty magazine hits the ground.

By the way, you never shoot the pistol 'dry' so you don't need to fiddle with the slide release.

This means you count your rounds and load a fresh magazine while there is still a round in the chamber.
 
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