SW22 Victory, is it just me?

Being a righty I am on the outside looking in but what about left handers and revolvers all these years? Never seen a revolver with the cylinder swinging out of the other side, I bet they could sell more than a few but talk about engineering costs!:eek:

I'll just count myself as lucky...

The new Ruger MKIV is ambi but also costs at least $100 more than the Victory.
 
I'll break ranks and disagree on the importance of the safety here. The lessened importance of a safety may hold true for a true target grade pistol intended for use on a controlled firing line (under controlled conditions) but...the Victory is a gun designed more as a "do all" /plinking gun. (Much like the 22A). Therefore it has potential by intent, to be carried in a loaded condition in/out of a holster while in the field. Without getting into the ambi safety argument, I'll argue that a good accessible safety is important on any field gun. IF field use is the OP's intended use, I'd vote your $ would be better spent on a good 1911 conversion with ambi safety or a quality (617)revolver.
 
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If offered a choice, at a reasonable price increase, I'd buy pistols with ambi-everything (like my HK P30S). And I'm right handed and never use the safety, except for emergency "cease fire, range is cold!" scenarios.

If having the ambi controls raises the price of the pistol, say, $100 (like the Mark IV price premium over the Victory), I would not pay the extra money for that gun. For a target/plinking gun that is. For a defensive pistol, I'd be willing to put out more cash for ambi-everything.

For me, ambi is much more important for a defense pistol. There are scenarios for that where you may have to switch hands. And you need ambi-everything for those cases. An ambi-safety would be the least of the three that I'd want. First, I'd want an ambi-mag release, next an ambi-slide release, and in last place, an ambi-safety. But I would still want all three. Many defense guns are DAO or DA/SA and don't require safeties IMHO. For the SA guns, you need a safety. Some guns, like my P30S, can be carried DA/SA (just ignore the safety if you carry it that way), or SA, where you need the safety.
 
I am a converted righty (Nuns) but shoot pistol left handed which is my dominant hand but shoot rifle right handed. I have been shooting so long that I never even think or worry about the safety as my hands memory knows what to do. Same thing with revolvers I just handle them as naturally as any righty would. Nuns have me so damn confused that I do half things lefty and half righty!!
 
The reason they don't add the Ambi-Safety is, they don't have to.
People like you and me will purchase the right Hand safeties firearm anyway.
I also have several H&K's, one with Ambient Safety's. The others are De-cocking button.
Like it was mentioned above, the S&W Victory is usually not a CCW hand gun.
My S&W Model 41 is on the left side. I would never sell it. I'm 65, Vietnam Vet. All the M-16's are Right handed.
It's something you can get use to very easy. Don't fight the System. Follow the Money. Ambi-Safety will cost more with little benefit to the majority of Shooters..
Sin-Loy--Sorry.
 
TAROMAN said:
Its a target pistol, not a carry piece.
Fast safety actuation is generally not an issue in the target world.
Click to expand...

There are competitions that require it. For example, it's a DQ not to engage the safety at low ready in our local PPC-style league.

Planning to send my M41 into Smith to have an ambi safety installed. It has needed some work even new out of the box anyway.
 
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The safety is probably there only because the lawyers said it should be there. It's not really necessary on a target pistol. So the manufacturers probably want to do the cheapest thing possible to satisfy the corporate lawyers. Which is to make it simple, and non-ambi.
 
Our LH plight continues to march forward in the shadows, unnoticed and unable to reach the safety on most guns without (ironically) unsafely doing the one-handed twist of it in our hands to reach the gun.
I concur with the masses, it's a cost issue, and it's too small a space to make an ambi add-on reasonable, like an ambi safety on an AR-15.
Which doesn't work that great anyway for me as the left side hits my hand when I work the lever with my thumb.
Sigh. We endeavor to persevere.
And I, like many, scoff at companies that offer Lefty bolt-action rifles now. It's too late, sister! My agency last week offered to switch my Glock out for one with a LH mag release. No friggin way! 19 yrs and countless rounds, and NOW the Man wants to accomodate me which would really mean I'd never remember the button was moved in a real situation.
We like to be challenged. The only ones more cooler than us are LH and right-eye dominant. They are badasses that can adapt to anything and probably breathe under water.

*That said, I don't use the safeties on the Victory or any of my .22s because they're too dang hard to reach. *******s!
 
haertig said:
The safety is probably there only because the lawyers said it should be there. It's not really necessary on a target pistol. So the manufacturers probably want to do the cheapest thing possible to satisfy the corporate lawyers. Which is to make it simple, and non-ambi.
Click to expand...

Again, there are target competitions that require a safety. For example, it's a DQ not to engage the safety at low ready in our local PPC-style league.

Manufacturers leave the lefty side off simply to reduce cost. We add it back when necessary, but most lefties learn to operate just fine without any changes.

Related videos (from my signature on CalGuns):
Revolver reloading: de Bethencourt • Ayoob (lefty at 4:30)
Semi-auto handling: SIG SAUER Academy • Gunsite Academy
 
Old-Veteran said:
Being left-handed, I'm aware of the lefty plight. Baseball gloves, golf clubs, even scissors! Fortunately, my right handed brother taught me to shoot when I was 10 and never even considered that I was left handed. Consequently, shooting is the only thing I do right handed. Just lucky I guess.

Took my 14 year old granddaughter to the range for the first time on Spring Break from school and started her with the Ruger Single Six, then went to the S&W Victory. Now get this - she is right handed, shoots with her right hand, BUT her left eye is dominant and that is the eye she uses to shoot. If I had to shoot with my left eye, I think I'd fall down!

Before anyone tells me I should be shooting with BOTH eyes open - I just can't do it with my old eyes. I see double images! It's fine with my red dot, but not with standard sights. The granddaughter can't do it either.
Click to expand...

Hi I'm right-handed and left-eye dominant. The trick to shooting with both eyes open is to mask or flip a flippable eye patch over the non-dominant eye. You will not see double and the eyes will be both getting light. Less stress than winking (closing one eye). Now, I have a macular hole (it has been operated on and the hole is closed but my vision, from this dominant eye, is distorted. I am learning to shoot with my right-eye now.
 
I don't understand the opinion that .22s don't need a aafety because they are only "target pistols". Doesn't anybody use them in the field?

My wife and two of the kids are left handed. I tell them I am sympathetic to their handicap and they should be able to park right up front by the door too.
 
I would say that since the design is so backward in your eyes -- don't buy one. Problem solved! You're welcome. ;-)
 
aphelion said:
I don't understand the opinion that .22s don't need a aafety because they are only "target pistols". Doesn't anybody use them in the field?
Click to expand...
I don't "carry in the field" except to walk from the car to the shooting bench (ignoring self defense carry pistols for the moment). But do people actually chamber a live round in these single action .22's, cocking the gun in the process, and then use only the safety to protect themselves and others while walking around in the field? I wouldn't do that. Cocked-n-locked carry of a larger caliber self defense pistol is appropriate, but really only for highly experienced and expert shooters. I see zero reason for cocked-n-locked field carry of a .22LR.
 
I like my M41 better then my Buckmark I had a few years ago now. It was a decent gun but I personally find the M41 to be a much better gun as well as my M46 also. The hand feel to me is much superior over all 100 or so other handguns I have owned since the early 70's.
 
Barrie said:
I like my M41 better then my Buckmark I had a few years ago now. It was a decent gun but I personally find the M41 to be a much better gun as well as my M46 also. The hand feel to me is much superior over all 100 or so other handguns I have owned since the early 70's.
Click to expand...

Understood. For me the feel and balance of the Buckmark are perfect. As for accuracy, they both performed about the same. Considering the Buckmark's price is about half that of the M41, I'd say it's money well spent. Enjoy your 41 Barrie...especially if it floats your boat.
 
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I don't hear this guy complaining about the inconvenience of safeties being on the left:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlMz2sCDCA4"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlMz2sCDCA4[/ame]
 
haertig said:
I don't "carry in the field" except to walk from the car to the shooting bench (ignoring self defense carry pistols for the moment). But do people actually chamber a live round in these single action .22's, cocking the gun in the process, and then use only the safety to protect themselves and others while walking around in the field? I wouldn't do that. Cocked-n-locked carry of a larger caliber self defense pistol is appropriate, but really only for highly experienced and expert shooters. I see zero reason for cocked-n-locked field carry of a .22LR.
Click to expand...

It doesn't sound like you hunt with one. Plenty of people do though.
 
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