If you could only use 1 arm....

[Biggy]

Probably something like this in the near future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9LkpJUUMOQ

[breakingtime91]

Thanks for asking - I'm holding off on getting into my own details right now while I listen to other's input. In part, what I'm looking for is if anyone has encountered a setup that was significantly better as a one handed shooter over others (assuming equal skill and proficiency). That said, from a manipulation standpoint, your suggestions are on par with my own thoughts and it sounds like you've seen the inside of my gun safe. My current home gun wears a WML and lives in a Philster floodlight so it has a place to go if the weapon doesn't need to be immediately in hand(There are one handed techniques for transitioning from a handheld to a weapon mounted light and back).

Was recently in your position when I had two surgeries on my dominant hand pinky. It honestly has completely changed my life when it came to a lot of things, including my two biggest hobbies of weight lifting and shooting pistols. I originally planned on keeping my sig 365xls and just running them left handed. This seemed like a great idea until I continuously missed the little safety and the recoil one handed, especially week hand, was not superb. I then went back to glock, thinking a g19 would solve my woes. While it solved the issue of the safety, recoil, I didn't recognize even after I healed as much as possible (my pinky is maybe at 70% of what it used to be as far use) and I struggle with pain in the joint, my dexterity went down. This has led to me being very uneasy carrying them and training with them. It is probably all in my head but even with the scd, I realized the shorter trigger just wasn't a good idea for my new found abilities. I personally decided to go back to the lem, specifically a V2 p2000. It is fully ambidextrous incase I need to learn to shoot pistol left handed, which is a strong possibility, holds 13+1, and gives me the added safety of the hammer for draws and holstering. May reason is it gives me a long first trigger pull that isn't overly heavy. I have come to terms with the fact that I will probably never be to the same level of pistol shooter I was before, so I am strictly going for what I think is the safest thing for ME to carry every single day and train with.

[breakingtime91]

@1More, challenging question. You have some good suggestions already. Here are a few thoughts:

Reloading, malfunction clearance, and safe holstering are all much more challenging SHO. So, I would choose a mid to full-size TDA that is reliable using a compromised grip. I would want 15-17 rounds at least to avoid a reload.

I can make a Glock 19 (and many other guns) stovepipe if I use a loose limpwrist single-hand grip. Only two carry guns I've owned were 100% reliable even with a very poor grip (CZ P-07, HK USPc). Testing will be key.

A WML is more important if you only have one hand, but being able to switch it on and off under stress SHO is not a given for all light models. The TLR-7a/8a high switch works well for me single-handed, using the trigger finger to tap on/off. Consider a WML/green laser combo like the TLR8ag for reasons explained below.

A single-handed index (automatic sight alignment) on the draw, under stress, in awkward positions or while moving is not a given. Iron sights can be more forgiving of a missed grip or other index problem. People 'lose the dot' all the time at USPSA matches using two hands, let alone one. However, some shooters almost never lose their dot, and the difference is skill and practice. I've put a lot of time into my SHO/WHO shooting lately, and would feel very confident carrying and shooting SHO. WHO is still more of a challenge for me. I've been burning 50-100 rounds per practice session just shooting singles and doubles WHO. If I was limited to one hand, I'd spend a lot of time on fundamentals (draws, doubles, and transitions) dry and live. And, a laser can solve a lot of problems in jacked up positions and in the dark.

Exactly why I gravitated back to irons after my surgery. I absolutely love shooting dot equipped guns but irons allowed me to acquire a sight picture much more consistently more expediently.

[LJP]

In your situation, I think I would probably pack my favorite revolver in a City Special holster. The grip of a revolver is easy to access from the waistband, the revolver is not subject to functional problems induced by a compromised grip or limp wrist firing, and the city special holster is specifically designed to facilitate single hand reloading. For those that may be concerned about capacity, the odds of needing to reload in a civilian defensive gun use are statistically insignificant. I would probably default to the same option for home defense, given that long arms are a bit more difficult to wield one handed than a “handgun.” If you feel the need for a long gun, PCC for the win.

[Wise_A]

Revolver and a NY reload.

[psalms144.1]

Revolvers are the easy button, but severely capacity challenged, and you can forget about SHO/WHO reloading. I used to be in the "carry two" camp, but, recent health issues from old injuries have shown me that's just not happening for me anymore.

Everybody's immediate answer to "what should I carry" is always a Glock 19. However, I do NOT advise the Glock for SHO/WHO carry unless you have shot that way EXTENSIVELY. Especially with the newer generation dual-recoil spring pistols, the chance of inducing a malfunction with improper or just weaker than usual grip sky rockets. We've seen tons of police shooting videos where Glocks malfunction when fired one-handed or from compromised positions - so I'd steer clear.

The P07 is a wonderful pistol, but trigger pull is on the heavy side, unless you're down for a lot of spring changes and experimenting to make sure you have 100% reliability.

The HK LEM pistols (P2000 is my favorite) flat suck to try to shoot at competition speed, but, for safety, they're super hard to beat with a very long, deliberate trigger pull, and a spur hammer you can thumb on reholstering.

Another honorable mention would be a P229 DAK - again, the trigger is an abortion if you want to go fast, but self decocking and deliberate are, IMHO, better for dealing with physical limitation than a "go fast" pistol.

I'm sure there are other good options out there, but those three (P07, P2000, and P229 DAK) would be my first three choices.

ETA: I've been in your shoes (gloves?) at least twice over my career - once with a severely broken left pinky, once with a severely broken right pinky. In both instances, I was limited by agency policy to have to shoot my issued pistol (P228 at the time) which caused me no end of grief in weapons handling. Decocking a "classic Sig" left hand only with a left hand that's 85% at best due to the partially functional pinky on that club is just no fun. Hence my recommendations towards DAO style semi's.

[RevolverRob]

I might even kick it up a notch if I knew I'd be one handed and put target grips biased towards the hand I was shooting with on my 1911. Because why not? You can't get full palm rest and thumb rest grips and conceal them, but something with a flare at the base, finger grooves, maybe a small thumb rest. I wouldn't normally use something like that, because typically flares gets in the way of the support hand. But it wouldn't matter here and it would give you a bit more leverage for control.

[Clusterfrack]

...The P07 is a wonderful pistol, but trigger pull is on the heavy side, unless you're down for a lot of spring changes and experimenting to make sure you have 100% reliability.

We have this figured out. You need 3 parts that are easy to install: #15 hammer spring, CGW firing pin and FP roll pin.

[BillSWPA]

When I first bought my Glock 26, I deliberately tried to induce a malfunction with a weak grip. I was completely unable to do so shooting strong hand only. Shooting weak hand only, I was only able to induce a malfunction by holding the gun with my middle finger only, and only by holding it very loosely with that finger. Have Glocks become that much worse since 1997?

While capacity might not be significant in most civilian gunfights, if you are in a gunfight, the odds have already proven to be of little protection. Having as much as possible to avoid a 1 hand reload could potentially prove valuable.

A heavier trigger might be safer, and also might be more difficult to use accurately with 1 hand only depending on the trigger, hand strength and condition, and amount of practice. I would only switch guns if the current gun is set up for use only with a specific hand, and that hand is not the functioning hand. Sticking with what one is already comfortable and familiar with is likely to produce the best results with the least effort.

[TheNewbie]

I would go revolver. That's what I do in my free time.


The revolver has two major issues, capacity and reloading. For me the benefits of administrative handling simplicity, safer trigger, safer handling, etc, would outweigh the downsides for your temporary intended purpose. For the short time you plan to go that route, I would be fine with a 5 or 6 shot revolver. LCR, 856, SP-101, etc. If you're willing to go a little larger, then GP100 2.5 or 3 inch, or even a 686 + 2.5 inch.