Sir,
I am currently in the US Army, and am looking for information prior tothe purchase of a personally owned pistol. I have shot 1911's and M9's in the army and I'm rather partial to the 45 acp round. So what I'm looking for is a good 45 caliber pistol that is either left handed (magazine release and safety) or ambidextrous. I've been silently following your blog for a while, and it appears that you know a fair amount about weapons and owning them as a civilian. I'm staying in the Army, I'm just looking for something to shoot on my own time. Seeing as my residence of record is in MA I need to follow their gun laws pertaining to what I can and can't own... Makes you want to move to NH.
Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Respectfully,
Brian
I responded thusly:
Good everning Brian,
First off, thank you for your service. It is truly an honor and a pleasure to assist you in this endeavor.
Secondly, your options will be somewhat limited as a MA resident; however, I have a fair amount of experience dealing with this state and it's insane regulations, so I'll offer up a few thoughts.
For 1911s, there's three main players in MA for new guns: Smith & Wesson, ParaOrdnance, and AutoOrdnance. AutoOrdnance makes decent, entry level guns that will most likely need a bit of attention from a gunsmith to properly function. ParaOrdnance I have found (not my experience, I've never owned one) to be either hit or miss - people either have had horrible experiences with Para guns or fantastic. I've got a good friend who owns literally dozens of Paras and swears by them; another friend has had two or three that have all had many problems (he swears at them...).
In this regard, for a new 1911, Smith & Wesson is truly the way to go. An entry level SW1911, brand new, is going to run you about $800 right out of the box. The good thing is, from everything I've heard, "right out of the box" is going to be pretty darn good. It doesn't cost very much to have a good gunsmith put on an ambidextrous safety; however the mag release is problematic.
For non-1911s, the Smith & Wesson M&P45 is a good fit to what you're looking for. Both the mag release and safety are interchangeable for left- or right- handed, and if you're reasonable competent mechanically you can perform the work yourself. Or, as is customary with MA-legal guns, you're going to want a trigger job anyways, so have everything done at once.
Other options are the Sig220, which unfortunately does not have the ambidextrous safeties nor the ability to switch. However, it's a Sig, meaning that it's built like a tank and damn accurate. Another option is the Glock 21; however being MA you'll have to look around a bit to find one. That's got the same issue with the mag release (right handed), but at least no safety to worry about.
With your permission, I'd like to post your question and my response on my blog - I've got some mighty sharp readers and commenters, and I'm sure they can come up with a firearm or two I haven't thought of. Let me know, and I'll get it posted ASAP. Aside from that, I hope I've given you a decent start, and good luck in your
search!
With best regards,
Jay G.
MArooned
Any help y'all could give Brian would be appreciated. Remember, he's a MA resident, so his options are significantly more limited than those of someone living in America... And thanks for writing, Brian. I'm glad I could help in any small way I could.
That is all.
15 comments:
For a non-1911, a Ruger P90 would be a good choice as well. I don't know if the safety is ambi, but I know the decocker and mag release are.
Sweat not the mag release, fellow lefty. If you have the thumb safety moved to the proper side you are set, and you can use your social finger to hit the mag release button and be ahead of the game with right handers. They either have problems extending their thumb far enough to engage it, or they inadvertently hit it when they need the mag to STAY IN PLACE.
The P220 would be a good choice IMO. I have no problems operating any of my sigs as a lefty.
No issues with the safety on a P220either. There isn't one, unless of course you opt for a P220 SAO
I second T-bolt's observation. I'm a lefty and actually own a firearm with an ambi mag release. I still operate the release as I do a right handed pistol...with my middle finger...because it's easier and I don't have to shift my grip to reach it.
As far as pistols...If he's thinking full sized 1911, don't discount Rock Island Armory. I just bought their "tactical" model recently (ambi safety, extended beavertail, lowered ejection port, etc.) and am VERY pleased with it.
The frame is cast rather than forged, and it does incorporate some MIM parts, but for $425, what do you expect? The good part is that it reliably feeds and functions with both ball and JHP ammo, I'm very impressed with it's fit and finish, the action is smooth and consistent, trigger pull is light and crisp and I've had no malfunctions whatsoever to date.
They get rave reviews across the internet and I've heard no complaints about longevity or function over the long haul. I'm planning on having and carrying mine well into the future.
For someone looking for an entry level 1911, It's hard to go wrong with RIA...heck, you can buy two of them for the price of one Kimber or Para.
Pistolero,
See? That's why I posted this. I plumb forgot about Ruger's fine line of semi-automatic .45s. The K345 is another MA-compliant model that is a joy to shoot and nigh-invulnerable.
T-Bolt,
Thanks for the comment. I know my dad, who's a lefty, has no problem with right-biased guns, but then again he qualified as expert on the MA state police - with either hand.
Sadly, the shooting gene has apparently skipped this G.
Mike,
Good point - the Sig doesn't have a safety, per se; it has a decocker that's right-biased (my other 9mm is a S&W model 39, where the decocker is the safety, hence my confusion. Plus I'm old...)
I'd recommend the P220 if going for a non-1911, personally. I love my P226 and do plan on getting a P220 to complement it in the near future (along with a .40S&W P239 for CCW...)
I've seen gently used P220s selling for ~ $500-$600 right in MA, so they're a good middle-of-the-road priced .45.
Sailorcurt,
Thanks for echoing T-bolts comments about shooting lefty - like I said, I have very little experience shooting lefty (weak hand drills only, and even then none of my carry guns have safeties!).
Rock Island is not a MA Approved firearm {spit}, so that $425 pistol commands a MA premium more along the lines of $600 - the only way to get one is to buy one in a private sale from someone who moved into MA from out of state (like how I got my Kel-Tec).
It's stupid and arbitrary, but it's the law...
Another consideration:
Ruger P-345
This is chambered in .45 ACP, has a ambidextrous safety. The magazine release is right handed but many lefties seem to find it easier to use their middle finger on such releases than some of us short-fingered righties do.
It is a polymer frame, very comfortable fit. It is not a brick like the old Ruger 9x series. The safety is also a decocker. The Ruger P-345 has an internal lock and magazine disconnect as well as a loaded safety indicator - so I believe it should be legal in MA. (I think it's even legal in CA - at least for another year or so.) It's a DA/SA with exposed hammer. And a safety/decocker.
You can get it for about $450. So it might be a bit more economical than some other options. Thing is built like a tank but doesn't way as much as the old P-90 tanks. I've had zero problems with it. I was tipped off to always purchase the magazines with all metal feed parts.
Main downsides that I've found are 1) The safety is a slim profile to facilitate concealed carry. And like everything with firearms - it's a trade off. Narrower profile means the need for more practice to quickly flip it on. Some might advocate just using it as a decocker. 2) It's a bit harder to find custom pre-made holsters for the Ruger P-345 than say a Glock or Springfield Armory XD.
- N.U.G.U.N.
PS - Thanks for you help in keeping my family and this nation safe.
While I know nothing about MA laws, I do know a bit about how the Army treats gun owners.
First, you will most likely have to register the gun with the MPs.
If you live in the barracks, your gun will be stored in the arms room. You'll have to deal with the unit armorer in order to get it out.
If you live in base housing, you should be able to keep it at home, however there may be some local policies on this.
If you live off base, then you just have to comply with city and state regulations. You wouldn't have to register it with the MPs, but you couldn't bring it on base at any time.
I had plenty of guns while on active duty, I never had any problems with any aspect of what I described above.
Just make sure you're aware of all local policies before buying your gun.
As NJT and Sailorcurt have said the mag release isn't a problem for lefties. I just use my strong hand middle finger.
As far as the decocker on the Sigs I use my trigger finger.
The Ruger P-90 is a terrific gun and built like a tank. It's breakdown is even simpler than the Beretta 92.
It's heavy. VERY heavy a regular hand-cannon. But that's also a strength because it reduces recoil. Lousy carry weapon because it's huge, but a hell of a fun target gun.
If you're married to lefty mag-release, it's a solid choice.
But for .45s, IMO it's better to get a good 1911 (pre-bans are less rare than people think, I just picked one up) and have ambi safety added. It's simply the best thing going out there for serious pistol-work. Additionally it's basically a "kit" gun. You can start out on the lower end and as budget/desire warrants, have nifty things added, soothed etc.
It is not a brick like the old Ruger 9x series.
The earlier Ruger P-Series pistols are a bit ungainly, but after I put a set of Hogues on my P90 it felt GREAT.
I just had a thought (dangerous, I know:).
If he's in the Army, where is he stationed? Because he should be able to 1. Change his residence of record to where he's stationed now and 2. I'm not sure even with Massatwosh*ts as his home of record he's bound to obey Mass laws...
Brian, before you make a firm choice, I'd suggest you post your question to Northeast shooters as well. They have some lawyers who specialize in gun laws there who might be able to help, or even save you a WHOLE lotta hassle.
Should he change his residence to a friendlier state, the Springfield Armory Loaded is an excellent lefty choice - it was my first and one of my smartest purchases.
If he is willing to go to 9mm, the CZ-85 is completely ambi except the mag release. I haven't tried one yet, but it's next on my list.
The P2xx mag release is swappable with a partial detail strip. And if you want to delete a control, there's always DAK.
Jay,
Not sure if it is MA legal, but the XD45 from SA has an ambi mag release... and no safety...
:)
--Jim
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