Massad Ayoob on Drawing a Handgun With Your Weak Hand

Writing for The Armory Life, instructor Massad Ayoob explains how to reach a holstered pistol with your weak hand if your gun arm is injured and out of action.

Key points

• Cross draw: A holster on the side opposite your gun hand is fairly easy to reach with the weak hand.
• Behind the back: Ayoob advises turning the gun-side hip toward six o'clock, lifting the shoulder on that side, and pulling the gun straight up, with the muzzle pointed down behind you.
• Across the front: His default is the "Roll-Over." Grip the pistol upside down, press the slide to your abdomen, then rotate your palm across the butt, finger off the trigger.
• Limits: He says half or more of the people he has trained lacked the range of movement for some of these methods.
• Safety: Ayoob says to practice only with triple-checked unloaded guns or identical dummy guns.

Quick take

Ayoob's guiding rule is to move your whole body so the holster comes toward the reaching hand. He says body build, heavy clothing, armor or a load-bearing vest can limit reach, and he argues that anyone who cannot manage these draws should carry a backup gun within reach of the non-dominant hand.

Read the full story at The Armory Life.