Hi all,
First post here. As I await my LTC renewal to come (45 days now and counting), I have had the urge to purchase my first pistol. Whether my intent is for target shooting, home defense, carry, conversation starter at the club, etc. is it possible or even advisable to have one pistol to check all the boxes and do well in all of them?
I am under a mindset, being a new owner, that having more than one pistol may interfere with how I'm able to adapt to it all situations. Different grip angles, sight planes, bore axis, grip feel, blah blah blah... I'm sure this topic has been discussed several times, but given my situation I would appreciate the help. Thank you.
On hold at the local shop is a Sig P320 compact, Sig Pro Cut Slide and Leupold Deltapoint Pro with lower 1/3 co-witness sights.
No i haven't read all 120 responses.
One pistol to do all will result in a pistol that does nothing exceptionally well.
As someone who has taught hundreds of people to shoot I can tellyou a few things with absolute certainty.
1) if you by a G19/P320 compact sized gun for both range/home and carry, you won't carry it. Its simply too big and heavy for most people to carry regularly.
2) Your skills are rudimentary. You need repetition on the cheap with a gun that won't induce a flinch.
If you want to be a crappy shooting gun guy that I see all the time at the range. Fine. Go get a 19.
If you actually want to progress do this.
1) Buy a .22 handgun
2) Buy 5000 rounds of .22. (It should cost you $240 from the mail order place that begins with T. (is it ok to say the name now?))
3) Shoot 1000 rounds while focusing on trigger press, sight alignment/picture, grip and stance.
4) Keep a log book in your shooting bag. Do a self critique at the end of every range session.
5) Buy a "practical/tactical" sized 9mm with a 5" barrel. Like a G34.
6) Go to the range and continue focusing on the .22 but shoot a 5 round mag out of the 9mm gun at the end of the first couple of range sessions.
7) Work slowly. Its easier to avoid a push or flinch than it is to fix it.
8) Move up to 2 - 5 round mags. (Never put more than 5 rounds in. You need practice changing mags. This will give you practice. )
9) If you start to shoot low you are pushing the gun anticipating recoil. Go bck to the .22 and shoot only the .22 forthe next range trip.
10) Continue. Repeat until you are proficient slow fire with the 9mm.
11) Take a defensive shooting class where you will learn about
- Cover / Concealment and the difference
- Moving and shooting
- Speed vs accuracy
- Draw from a holster
- Mag changes
- clearing stoppages.
12) start attending local IDPA or equivalent matches.
13) When you have made SharpShooter or equivalent go buy yourself a "always" gun. Don't delude yourself into thinking you will "always" carry that P365. I'm talking ALWAYS. For most people a 365 is too big and heavy for that. My Always Gun is a Kahr P380. The less expensive CW380 is just as good and is the best compromise for me of weight, size and shootability. I had a LCP that was terrible to shoot, but reliable and small. I'm told the LCP2 is much more shootable. So I'd try to test fire both the LCP2 and the Kahr before buying. The Kahr is ammo sensitive. It runs 100% with some ammo and 50% with other. I've got some extra 50% ammo that I use to induce malfunctions when I least expect them.
14) Practice with this gun a minimum of 10 times. Don't shoot it a lot at each session, or you could induce the dreaded push. Maybe 10 round - 2 mags of 5 each.
Now you have it. A battery of 3 guns that will do pretty much everything you want. If you want a 4th, get a small 9mm that works well IWB, like a P365 or G43.
And don't scrimp on the holsters or belt. Good ones make carrying easier, bad ones make it uncomfortable.
One last point. How easy is it to induce a push? It takes only 1 shot.
Let me give a personal example. I have been shooting handloaded .44 magnums for years. I owned a .460 XVR with a 8" barrel. I am very used to recoil. Over the last 30+ years I've progressed where when shooting slowly, the only thing that moves is my trigger finger.
I recently had a chance to shoot a relatively light and small Ruger Bisley Super Blackhawk in .454 Cassul. I ran my target down to 25 yards, focused hard on the front sight and gently pressed the trigger while doing a respiratory pause. The shot broke, ALL HELL BROKE LOSE, the gun went up, it hurt, a flash came out of the muzzle, and at the end of it all, the round hit the target dead in the middle of the X ring. NICE.
Care to guess where the second shot went?? How about so low that the bullet only barely nicked the bottom edge of the target.
One shot, was all it took to induce an unconsicious (subconscious??) fear of that gun that resulted in me pushing it ahead of the shot. I opened the gun, thanked the gun owner for the opportunity and went back to my .44 magnum to recover.
Holy crap. I've just spent too much time on this. Hope this helps.