# Southpaw 1911's



## Mdnitedrftr (Aug 10, 2006)

Does anyone make a 1911 with left hand safety and mag release, or atleast an ambi safety?


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## drummin man 627 (Dec 25, 2006)

Randall made one for a while. http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/history/randall_history.htm 
Charter Arms makes a "Southpaw" revolver in .38 special. That's all I could find for you poor lefties. http://www.charterfirearms.com/products/Charter_Undercover_Southpaw.html


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## 45fan (Mar 5, 2007)

Mdnitedrftr said:


> Does anyone make a 1911 with left hand safety and mag release, or atleast an ambi safety?


Smith & Wesson, Kimber & Springfield Armory all make models w\ ambi safety but I don't know of any ambi\ left hand mag release. The springer I have has a good ambi safety and you can find ambi safetys @ gun shows to install on your favorite 1911. Good luck. :smt023


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## Mdnitedrftr (Aug 10, 2006)

Cool, thanks guys. :smt023


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## Tigerseye (Nov 27, 2006)

It's my understanding that Caspian owns the old Randall tooling for the mirror image left handed 1911 and that they are on record that they would go into production if enough orders were received. You might check with them and see if they ever had any orders placed.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Just so you know, a properly trained lefty can operate the magazine and slide release on a 1911 better than a righty. Just use the left index finger. All you need is an ambi safety.


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## sbninja (May 25, 2007)

Taurus PT1911 comes standard with ambi-safety's


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## drummin man 627 (Dec 25, 2006)

True, that putting an ambi safety on a 1911 helps, but the brass is still going to fly accross your face. The Randall I mentioned in the earlier post was a true "lefty". Not only were the ejection and the controls mirrored, but even the rifling was reversed.
I don't understand why someone else doesn't produce a "southpaw" 1911. I've read that approximately 15% of the population is lefty. There must be a market for them.


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## tekarra (May 16, 2007)

drummin man 627

Very interesting article, thanks for posting. I recollect that Mr. Lau established a successor company to produce the Falcon Portsider, which was a left hand version of the 1911 using Randall tooling. I think this venture folded rather quickly. I also recollect that Safari Arms at one time produced a left and right handed version of the 1911. It seems this venture did not last long either. In the 1980s I was in contact with Safari to purchase a matched pair (left and right) 1911a but was sent overseas before I could make it happen. If I am correct, Safari purchased the Randall tooling. I wonder if the tooling was then sold to Caspian, as is stated in another post. 

I agree with you that there is likely a market for a left hand 1911 based on the Randall precepts. As you state 15% of the population is left handed, but I reckon the appeal for a left hand 1911would be greater than that.

In my library is a pristine copy copy of the Guns & Ammo issue that featured the left hand Randall. The test report was written by Craig Boddington,


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## DevilsJohnson (Oct 21, 2007)

Well, I'm a lefty and have had to either put an ambi saftey in or just learn to use the ones already there. I don't have an issue with it either way. In reality the ambi on my Taurus and my para make me have to remember it's there and I will use the one on the other side anyway without thinking. Never had a flying brass issue either. I guess being the way most 45 AcP 1911's eject up and out. I used to try holding over to the right but that just made some bad habits that I had to unlearn to get to shooting one as well as I do now. I guess it's just a personal preference. Remember that adding an ambi safety will require that any grips you use will have to be cut to allow the other side room to work:smt1099


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

If you can see the brass flying, you're not concentrating hard enough on the front sight. :mrgreen: Again, a 1911 works _better_ for a lefty, who doesn't have to shift his grip to eject the magazine or release the slide.

A true lefty 1911, like the Randall, would also require a mirror image holster (at least for a well-molded holster) and most other 1911 accessories wouldn't work. Randall and Falcon proved the market was tiny.


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## Cabinetman (Nov 26, 2007)

I know most of the semi customs like Baer, Wilson and Brown can be had with ambi safeties. I wouldn't think adding an ambi safetly would cost too much to an existing gun.


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## BK (Dec 30, 2007)

*Lefty mag release*



Mdnitedrftr said:


> Does anyone make a 1911 with left hand safety and mag release, or atleast an ambi safety?


This is the place for the mag release your looking for. I have been using one and it's great! $100.00 bucks.:smt082

http://www.smithandalexander.com/guides.html#mag-release


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