Posted: 4/13/2026 5:49:56 PM EDT
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I'm watching an episode of Person of Interest. In one scene Reese, right handed, is going around a corner to the right and switches pistol to left hand. Once he clears the corner he goes back to right hand. It looked well done to me and pretty sure someone trained him on this. Being the character is a high speed, super secret, top tier bad ass, I'm sure he's also well versed in shooting a handgun with either hand. |
I'm a true southpaw, but not one range day goes by without shooting a few rounds from the wrong side.  I can't say how I would react in a similar situation though. Never been there. |
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in tiime when everyone stands around, and wise men are reloading." -Somebody that's been there.
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Doing this with a pistol generally changes nothing when working corners/angles - there is no advantage to it. A rifle/long gun is another story and shoulder transitions are an important skill, although even those seldom happen in "real world" applications (not saying rifle/shoulder transitions shouldn't happen, but, fatigue, volume of space/work can be a factor and we are lazy by default). I didn't believe that pistol hand to hand transitions were mostly a waste either, as sometimes hard earned old habits and skills die hard. Dry run it a few times though, do it in slow motion, video yourself if you have to, watch others do it in front of you (with a dummy/trainer of course) - transitioning from "strong hand" to "other strong hand" or right to left or strong to support or whatever terminology you subscribe to is good to know, but if there's not an injury or other variable to work around, it generally doesn't help you if you're working corners with a handgun. Do a dry run with a pistol, approach corner, work corner slow, then do it again with pistol in support hand as primary grip/trigger hand. Nothing changes except the vast majority of us decrease hit probability. Rifle though? Yes. Do it if you can. Train both but generally doing it with a pistol is a con and not a pro. I should emphasize that I'm not talking about the need to be able to run a pistol with the support hand, I'm specifically saying that as a right handed shooter, running the pistol with both eyes open - on irons or dot, whatever - nothing is gained by working a corner to the right with the pistol in my left hand as the primary gripping hand. Run it dry, do it slowly for a few reps and this will make sense. |
| Some instructors teach it however others who have done it the most, and for 'real' (a large amount of "for real") don't do it. Creates many moments when the gun is not ready to fire if you are surprised, in a less capable grip, creates more opportunities to be dropped, etc.. |
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Originally Posted By MarkHatfield: Some instructors teach it however others who have done it the most, and for 'real' (a large amount of "for real") don't do it. Creates many moments when the gun is not ready to fire if you are surprised, in a less capable grip, creates more opportunities to be dropped, etc.. There is also the dominant eye thing. I agree it can make sense for a rifle but it's not worth it for pistol. |
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Originally Posted By MarkHatfield: Some instructors teach it however others who have done it the most, and for 'real' (a large amount of "for real") don't do it. Creates many moments when the gun is not ready to fire if you are surprised, in a less capable grip, creates more opportunities to be dropped, etc.. Good points. |
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I do practice this stuff myself and let students try it around barricades with both pistol and rifle. For your average shooter out there who is still working to master their primary side, this is mostly for awareness and understanding. For those who are truly committed, mastery of both sides is nice to have. For red dot pistols especially, you can keep your grip, and just change the eye you are aiming with and it's much the same exposure to the enemy. |
per aspera ad astra
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Insofar as rifles are concerned, at least in night / low light conditions, some of it has to do with where the white light is mounted (e. g. 10 O'clock or 2 O'clock) given the rifle has no IR capability which one might presume entails most civilian scenarios. Example: Transitioning to the weak side when there is a need for illumination from a "left-handed" corner when the light is mounted at 2 O'clock or vice versa. |
Best Regards,
TonyF
Training Forum Moderator
"No such thing as tough. There's trained and untrained. Which one are you?" (Denzel Washington -- Man on Fire)
TonyF
Training Forum Moderator
"No such thing as tough. There's trained and untrained. Which one are you?" (Denzel Washington -- Man on Fire)
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Originally Posted By Gotterdammerung: I agree it can make sense for a rifle but it's not worth it for pistol. If you don’t then it’s risky, for all the reasons noted in the post above yours by @MarkHatfield. If you’re alone then the most valuable sense you have is your hearing. Use it well. |