Left Handed - in the drivers seat.

[doctor_ocks]

So about a week or so ago I was driving down a really poorly lit street in a newly developed nice part of town at about 1am. It had been raining cats and dogs all day and had just started letting up. I was in a bit of a daze when all of a sudden a guy appears in my headlights in the middle of the road flagging me down. I slam on my breaks and just barely missed him and skid past him maybe 10 feet. My window was partially rolled down, so I shouted out the window to see if he was okay. As I did, I looked at him in the sideview mirror just in time to see him pull a mask over his face and run towards my truck. I threw it back into gear and slammed on the gas. It took a couple of seconds for the tires to grab on the wet road, but I was able to get moving just as the reached for my tailgate.

Thankfully, I got out of the area and called 911. We've got a great police force here and by time I rolled back around the cops had him on the side of the road AND had pulled another guy dressed all in black from the woods on the side of the road. Couple of dangerous idiots.

Anyway, this is the incident that got me off my butt to start the CCW process. I've always wanted to get one, but I'd just been lazy. Obviously in this situation, even if I did have my Glock or my XD, I'd still have an obligation to try and get away, but I kept thinking - What if my tires didn't grab in time?

Here's my question: I'm a lefty and I plan on wearing my MTAC holster at about 8 o'clock (seems to disappear best there). Being left handed means that I have to deal with the driver's side door getting in the way as opposed to a right handed person who has open space to his/her right. Anyone here have any experience with this? Am I worrying over nothing? Should I move the gun to a different position while driving?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Bud White]

well it is a worry i am a lefty also

cross draw for driving or should holster or a lot of pratice getting the gun out of holster and dealing with seat belt and door .. i chose the last .. or a 4th carry a bug

[goawayfarm]

I have a car-jacking rig that I got from Rhome. It is easily removed without un-buckling belt.

The reinforced paddle at the bottom tucks behind your belt & the end goes into a belt loop. This allows the holster to be above your waist line & places it above the safety belt.

As you can see it is right-handed, I am left handed, so I practice right handed drawing while seated in vehicle.

The only draw back (as with this one & all cross-draw holsters), is that when you draw you sweep your own arm. If standing you can go below your off side arm, but while sitting in a vehicle, you can't help but sweep your arm.

[Superhouse 15]

I either untuck my shirt on the left side to make access easier, and adjust the gun and holster, or use a dedicated car gun in the center compartment. Right now, it's a Beretta 21 in .25acp. Good for seat to window range.

[glembe]

Good job staying on your toes and keeping any eye out in your rearview mirror.

I am right handed but occasionally carry a backup on my left side. If I needed my back up while seated in my car I would lean forward and to the right, draw with my left, pass to my right hand, keep my left elbow high and point shoot under my arm keeping my left hand free for the steering wheel, or I could use a two hand grip.

Watch this video clip of the draw then hand switch-

Steve Krystek of Progressive F.O.R.C.E. Concepts demonstrating CQC and firearms tactics for airline pilots.
http://www.pfctraining.com/video/PFC.wmv

[Rob72]

I'm assuming that the BG was grabbing for the driver's side rear of your truck? If your wheels weren't catching, cut your steer for a hard right turn- the rear will happily start to spin around. Cha-bump.

You might want to look at appendix carry. Still not "convenient" but no holster switching, and at least slightly more accessible.

[Cap'n]

I'm a leftie, and I can tell you it's just about impossible to get to a gun in a belt holster with a seat belt on. It's even worse with bucket seats. I find the best thing for me is to keep it in the door map pocket.

I'm ambidextrous (eat and write left handed, everything else right handed). Shoot best right handed but not bad left handed. I too use the door pocket. I have a padded pistol rug (unzipped) that I keep the gun in while driving. Can reach into the rug and draw without any obstrutions. I've found that the seat belt gets in my way no matter if I'm carrying in my shoulder holster or owb. This really works well and the padded rug keeps the gun secure and protected from bouncing around in the door pocket.

[doctor_ocks]

Thanks, guys. I think what I'll probably end up doing is just using my XD as my vehicle firearm.

My other problem is shooting with my left hand out the driver's side window. Like what was mentioned before, I'll just have to spend some more time working with my right hand. Like most lefties, I'm fairly comfortable using my right hand for as many things as I am my left. Just take some practice I suppose.

[doctor_ocks]

I'm assuming that the BG was grabbing for the driver's side rear of your truck? If your wheels weren't catching, cut your steer for a hard right turn- the rear will happily start to spin around. Cha-bump.

Yeah, he was running up the driver's side of the vehicle. It's funny, in those situations it's fight or flight and being as that I'm just now getting my CCW, I just gunned it to get the heck out of there.

[sheepdog]

I'm left handed, but have a couple of right handed ankle holsters. In my small car, my right hand can get on or even rest on the J-frame at my ankle when I'm stopped somewhere I'd rather not have to sit at the light. I figure if it's dark, they can't see where my right hand is. I've tried grabbing and falling to the right as I draw it. Great except in cars with very tall consoles. Not much, but it beats trying to get to my belt gun. I'd really just try to get out of there, unless I had let myself get blocked in.

[dannreed]

I'm a lefty and former LEO. I often don't wear a seat belt, but even when I do they generally don't get in my way. I carry an outside the waistband holster, and maybe that makes a difference. I find that more than any other factors is the configuration of the vehicle and how much room there is between the seat and door. I used to find in most cruisers there was very little room between the door and seat, and I would have had a hell of a time trying to draw from the seated position with the door closed. I found a place to conceal a backup weapon in my cruiser in that case that was easy to retrieve. These days in my pickup truck and Subaru wagon I have plenty of room and it wouldn't be a problem to draw seated in either of them.
If I had a vehicle that was tight enough that I was worried about it I'd probably get a cross draw holster, or mount a holster somewhere in the cab.
Dan

[jet3534]

I am left handed, but generally carry in a right handed holster to facilitate a draw while in a vehicle. Most of spend more time in our cars than walking. For some reason, the right handed draw seems more natural, possibly due to years of reaching for a wallet in a right rear pocket. Switching hands can be done quickly and anyone that carries a handgun should practice as much with the weak hand as the strong hand, IMHO.

[Alexander]

I bought a cheap Uncle Mikes lefty IWB (I'm a lefty) and keep it in the car. When I drive I just remove my P3AT from my pocket holster and put it in the Uncle Mikes as a cross draw at about 2:00 and the seat belt doesn't interfere at all.

[Chooie]

I take my P3AT out of my pocket and place it in my center console, squeezed in between the cupholders and e-brake (my car is RWD, so the console is substantial, and this is a secure enough location that I'm confident it won't bounce out). It's easy to reach, and if I really need to, I can roll my body forward and grab my XD off my left hip.

[downrange]

lefty here as well and found cross draw the best option. even gave it a couple of dry runs with the quick release of undoing the seat belt to see how bad it was. i think it's fast enough.

this, of course was with IWB. OWB cross draw? it's too easy. the seat belt isn't even in the way.

these fancy configs that all these members here advise for carry in the car or vehicle? ... well, ...actually i think it's pretty cool and maybe if i get off my A#$ and do something like that, it would be great. just have to make room by clearing out all the junk, napkins and ketchup packets from the center console.