If you’re a left-handed shooter in the firearms world, things have gotten better for you. They aren’t perfect, but the industry has at the very least stopped ignoring your existence. Left-handed shooters were often an afterthought in the gun world. In researching this article, I found a gun specifically designed for lefties.
Just one. Luckily, the market has moved, or at least leaned, towards an ambidextrous trend in modern handguns. Ambidextrous designs are taking over and finally offering lefties an ergonomic option that doesn’t require some weird manipulations to run right, or in this case, run left.
Let’s dig into the best guns for left-handed shooters.
Charter Arms Southpaw
If you’re a left-handed shooter looking for a revolver that truly works with you, not against you, the Charter Arms Southpaw is in a league of its own. This isn’t some ambidextrous afterthought; Charter Arms reverse-engineered their popular Undercover Lite to create a wheelgun specifically for southpaws.
The key benefit? The cylinder release is located on the right side of the frame, and the cylinder itself swings out to the right. This might seem like a small detail, but for a left-handed shooter, it’s like feeling at home with a wheelgun. Your thumb can easily reach and engage the release.
It means you can manipulate the cylinder release and reload the firearm with your dominant left hand, in a natural, efficient motion, without needing to contort your grip or awkwardly switch hands as you would with a standard right-handed revolver. This significantly speeds up reloads and makes the entire operation far more intuitive. You can use the same reload and style as a right-handed shooter.
Beyond this truly left-handed design, the Southpaw retains the practical advantages of the Undercover Lite series. It’s a lightweight, compact .38 Special, making it an excellent choice for concealed carry. Constructed from durable aircraft-grade aluminum and steel, it offers robust reliability in a small package.
The fixed sights are simple and snag-free, perfect for a self-defense tool where close-quarters encounters are the norm. With its dedicated left-handed configuration, the Charter Arms Southpaw fills a significant void in the revolver market, providing a wheelgun option for the discerning Southpaw.
Springfield Echelon
If you’re in the market for a modern semi-automatic, striker-fired, polymer frame, double-stack 9mm and you’re left-handed, the Echelon can’t be ignored. The Echelon features completely ambidextrous controls, which aren’t a compromise and are truly ambidextrous. Most handguns require you to modify and swap parts for southpaws; the Echelon is genuinely fully ambidextrous right out of the box.
Not only are the controls ambidextrous, but they are large and easy to access. The magazine release isn’t super tight and annoying or recessed to the point of being nearly useless. The Echelon does ambidextrous controls the right way. Everything is positioned perfectly for easy use and access.
Just being left-hand friendly isn’t all what makes up a solid defensive handgun. The Echelon series is optics-ready in one of the best ways possible. The Echelon features the Variable Interface System, or VIS, which uses a series of metal posts and several screw attachment points. You can create a system that can mount a wide variety of different optics without the need for plates.
Additionally, the Central Operating Group is a removable serialized control unit that allows the user to swap grip modules to change the size of the gun to increase comfort and improve ergonomics.
The gun only has a few downsides. The most notable is that you are very limited in the enclosed emitter optics you can use with the VIS system. No ACROs, no 509Ts, no MPS; you are limited to optics like the Holosun EPS.
Arex Delta Gen 2 Tactical
If you want something affordable but packed with features, then the Arex Delta Gen 2 Tactical is the gun for you. These things are coming straight out of Slovenia and providing a feature-filled handgun that’s left-hand friendly. The Arex Delta Gen 2 Tactical is a specific model of the Arex Delta Gen 2 and is best described as the Cadillac of the Arex Delta Gen 2 guns.
The Arex Delta Gen 2 features completely ambidextrous controls mirrored on both sides of the frame. No need to do any weird and annoying grip shifts to reach your slide stop or magazine release. It’s all right there, easy to access. The stock magazine release is slightly recessed, but the gun comes with an extended magazine release that can drop in and make this a non-issue. It allows the user to select which configuration they want, and it’s something I can appreciate greatly.
The Arex Delta Gen 2 Tactical comes with all the bells and whistles. It’s optics-ready, but you are forced to use a plate system, which isn’t the best way, but it works, and you can mount any handgun red dot. The iron sights are suppressor height, so they co-witness with the optic. Additionally, the barrel is threaded for muzzle devices, which is a surprisingly nice feature.
Oh yeah, you even get four backstraps to customize grip size. It’s an excellent all-around system. It might seem that holsters are lacking, but the Arex Delta series will work with most Glock 17 or 19 holsters. I carry my Arex Delta 2 compact in a Safariland IncogX, and it fits perfectly. Because these guns are somewhat uncommon, they do lack a big aftermarket, but there isn’t much to improve.
HK VP9A1
HK’s name comes attached with a smug sense of German perfectionism and a reputation for high-quality weapons. The HK VP9A1 is their entry into the polymer frame, striker-fired, double-stack 9mm market. It builds on the previous success of the VP9 and introduces a number of ergonomic improvements that focus on the controls and layout of the gun.
Luckily, HK kept the VP9A1 series lefty-friendly. The European-style magazine release is the best thing to come out of Europe since Czech pilsner. It sits on the trigger guard and is naturally ambidextrous and easy to use. The slide release is massive and ambidextrous. It’s easy to engage and fast to drop the slide.
The VP9A1 comes with all the features you want and expect. It’s got a rail, and it’s optics-ready. The optics system uses plates, which isn’t my favorite method, but it’s one that arguably works while being fairly simple. The little charging supports at the rear of the slide are also a nice touch when working with optics. They act like wings that catch the hand for easy slide engagement.
The VP9A1 also comes with HK’s grip customization system. You have backstraps and side grip panels that can help you make the best grip configuration for you. There are over 27 unique grip configurations. It’s one of the most ergonomic designs, and a handgun I often hear is extremely comfortable for smaller-handed shooters to employ.
S&W CSX E Series
We’ve got three full-sized, polymer frame, striker-fired handguns on the list. Let’s change it up with something a bit radical, but still friendly for our left-handed brethren. The S&W CSX E Series is a single-action only, hammer-fired, metal frame gun that resides in the micro-compact world. It’s like a SIG P365 and a 1911 got together and had a baby.
The Chief’s Special X features a stack-and-a-half magazine that comes in capacities ranging from 10 to 17 rounds. The E Series includes a model with a 3.1-inch or 3.6-inch barrel. The gun has a customizable grip that makes it longer and better for big-handed shooters like me. Additionally, it’s optics-ready with an RMSc cut for whatever optic floats your boat.
The CSX E Series comes with the ambi controls you could want. The thumb safety and slide stop are present on both sides of the frame. The magazine release isn’t naturally ambidextrous, but S&W includes a lefty mag release in the box to make it easy to swap to a left-handed configuration.
A single-action-only, 1911-esque trigger gives us a super crisp feel that breaks quite cleanly. It’s quite accurate, and if you’re a fan of 1911 ergonomics, you’ll like the CSX. Best yet, it also holds a modern capacity’s worth of ammo and doesn’t have that silly grip safety. The CSX blends old with new cleanly and provides an excellent, left-handed friendly concealed carry option.
SIG P322
If you’re a left-handed shooter looking for a capable plinking firearm, the SIG P322 is for you. The SIG P322 embraces an ambidextrous slide stop and manual thumb safety. The magazine release is sadly not ambidextrous, but it is reversible. The P322 chambers the classic .22LR and is ready to come out swinging as a plinker, trainer, or low-recoil self-defense firearm.
Beyond the ambidextrous controls, the P322 offers unique benefits for all shooters. It boasts an impressive 20+1 round capacity and the option for 25-round magazines. The pistol also comes optics-ready, with a removable rear sight plate that directly accepts Shield RMSC footprint optics.
Additionally, the P322 ships with interchangeable flat and curved trigger shoes, allowing users to customize the trigger feel to their preference. The barrel is threaded and comes with a 1/2×28 adapter so it’s easily suppressed. The P322 is a fixed-barrel, blowback-operated gun, which makes it easy to suppress without the need for a booster.
The gun is a blast to shoot and surprisingly accurate, even with one of the spongiest triggers I’ve ever felt. The P322 isn’t a clone of the P320 or the P365. It sits in between the two and offers a training option for both. It’s ergonomic, easy to handle, and feature-filled. Did we mention it’s affordable too?
Glock Gen 5
I have to add a Glock to the list; specifically, any of the Gen 5 guns would be a solid choice for a left-handed shooter. People love to hate Glocks, but the truth of the matter is that they are extremely reliable, have excellent accuracy, and are very simple.
For Southpaws, the Gen 5 was where Glock finally started to truly get it. For years, lefties had to adapt or settle, but the Gen 5 lineup? It brings some much-needed ambidextrous functionality right out of the box, making it a serious contender for anyone who isn’t shooting right-handed.
The big win here is the ambidextrous slide-stop lever. That’s huge. No more fumbling, no more awkward reaches. You can hit that lever with your support hand thumb, just like a righty. Then there’s the reversible magazine release. Glock brought that over from the Gen 4 and it’s a welcome addition to the Gen 5 guns. It finally makes Glocks truly lefty-friendly without dealing with the aftermarket.
Beyond the dedicated left-hand controls, the Gen 5 ditches the finger grooves, and honestly, that’s a blessing for everyone. Now, you get a more universal, comfortable grip. Combine that with the Modular Backstrap System that lets you dial in the fit. The MOS system is fine, but not perfect, and like any plate system, tolerances start to get stacked.
With the Gen 5, we do get a flared magwell for faster reloads and the improved Glock Marksman Barrel. Add it all together, and you’ve got a robust, reliable fighting pistol that finally plays nice with both hands. The Gen 5 is a win for all, but it’s a particularly sweet victory for the left-handed contingent.
The Left-Handed World
The market has changed. It’s not about settling for a compromise anymore. The industry has finally started listening, and the market is seeing some genuinely inclusive designs. These handguns aren’t just “lefty-friendly”; they’re designed to let you run the gun efficiently, confidently, and without compromise. Did I miss any? If so, let us know below!
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