[Howardk]

I just sold off my last non-1911. First, it was a 1911 that always came with me to the range. I prefer 1911s so much that I just didn't shoot the other guns. Secondly, I'm convinced that muscle memory and "feel" play an important part in a WTSHTF scenario. I know the "feel" of the 1911 and the manual of arms is becoming instinct. The gun feels like a natural extension of myself.

I've read several posts where people say they shoot their 1911 in competition but carry a Glock on a daily basis. My question is whether it's a good idea to train, shoot and compete with one style of gun while carrying another style on a daily basis. (This is not intended as a Glock v. 1911 question.)

 

[Electric_Armadillo]

Some of those people posting may be LEO where they are told what they must carry. Another point may be that some will be afraid to use and abuse a treasured and tuned 1911, but wouldn't loose any sleep if they just got a big scratch in thier USP or Glock.

I don't think anyone here will disagree that a 1911 is a weapon and an artful piece of engineering suitable for presentation. A Glock is just a weapon. I have seen some who lovingly store thier 1911 in custom hardwood and velvet lined cases. I don't think anyone would lavish such attention on a Glock. Remember that there are also people who get top of the line GMC Yukons and Land Rovers that have never been off the asphalt and never will.

I prefer to use my 1911, and I go mudding and rock crawling with my $36k Chevy Tahoe.

------------------
-Electric Armadillo-

 

[VaughnT]

I would have to say that it is a horrid idea to flipflop between firearm styles.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't be competent with many different operating systems. Heck, just last week I got to shoot a Glock in 357sig and a FEG HP clone. Though unfamiliar with either one (that was the first time I shot a FEG) I managed to keep all the shots inside the 6" circle at 25yd. Dropping the magazines or fieldstripping might be out of my league with either model, but I know how to shoot them accurately.

For the next few months, I'll have to continue to use my issued 686 at work and play with my 1911's off-duty. That will soon change.

Bottom line: you should be comfortably confident in the use of any weapon you might find at hand....but you should personally stick with one weapon. Having a Glock on your hip one day and a Colt SAA the next is only going to slow you down when you really need it.

In the words of the wise man, "Beware the man with just one gun!"

------------------
When reason fails...

 

[elsworth]

To maintain that razor's edge, one gun is the way to go.

But, I seem to be able to transition between the BHP and 1911 quite easily.

When I go to the Glock though, things do slow down for a moment.

 

[LAK]

I much prefer the idea of a single type of operating controls, etc. It makes reasoned and logical sense in every way if you can choose your guns along that line. Same would go for revolvers (Cylinder rotation, opening latch on Colt vs S&W, etc).

Having said that, some people can transition from one gun to the next and have no problem 99.9% of the time. But I think these people are few, and even they might admit to a "hesitation" once in awhile after having switched a gun.

I have been sorely tempted by several excellent DA pistols over the last 6 years after trading in the last one I had (a SIG 239), but have resisted them.

Revolvers are a different matter for me - probably because of the instant and significant change in grip feel, balance etc. I can switch to a revolver at any time without any reservations - and then back to a pistol.

 

[Rosco Benson]

As Robert Heinlein observed, "Specialization is for insects". A well-rounded shooter should be able to give a good account of himself with any firearm that comes to hand.

We all have our favorite firearms types and naturally gravitate toward using them most of the time. I will agree that the novice should pick a type and gain considerable mastery of that type before adding others.

Rosco

 

[Wes_Tulsa]

I've been competing for a couple years and have been legally carrying for about four years. In that time I've taken every opportunity to try out different types/styles of guns to see what works best for me by way of shooting and carrying.

I believe you have a duty to yourself to find what works best for you and stick with that. Only through practice do you become an efficient skilled shooter. That proficiency will translate to just about any handgun you pick up whether it be a Glock, Kahr, or a 1911. With that in mind, find what fits you best and stick with it. If for some reason the need arises to using something other than that gun, you'll still have to skills to put it to use.

I prefer a lighwieght commander for a carry gun. I've tried Glock, H&K, S&W, Sig, & Beretta. Although I always have come back to the 1911, I'm just as good with the others.

 

[Mikey]

What Rosco said!

While most of us get to choose our weapon (most of the time), sometimes the weapon chooses you. Many of us carry one gun by choice but another, by dictate, when on duty. Also, many of us carry more than one at the same time and there are instances where folks had to use whatever they could grab off a fallen partner or BG.

While a "one gun" shooter can become a master of that weapon and be quite well prepared, I personally prefer to be as proficient as possible with a variety of arms. I have favorites (that change from time to time based on performance) but it's nearly impossible for me to carry in every situation I encounter with the same gun all the time.

I do believe the ability to vary ones defensive weapon is an individual talent and some folks really need to stay with just one. Others can perform the mental gymnastics required to switch gun types without hesitation. You must experiment during non-lethal encounters to determine which type of person you may be.

Mikey

 

[Rosco Benson]

One of the things we do periodically in the Paladin Program is to run scenarios in which the shooter retrieves an unfamiliar pistol from a bag at the beginning of the exercise...thus simulating a "battlefield pick-up". While one needn't overstress this issue of being familiar/competent with most commonly encountered weapons, there are ample examples of the benefits of knowing how to operate a great variety of weapons.

Tom Horn was recaptured by a mob after his jailbreak, because he didn't know how to operate the jailer's Luger that he had taken. More recently, there was the incident in which the airplane hijacker left his P-35 in the airplane's lavatory and the passenger who found it had no recourse but to sheepishly return it to his captor.

Rosco

 

[Howardk]

Roscoe,

I understand those scenarios, but for the average CCW holder all they will be reaching for is their own gun, and that's where familiarity and instinct is important.

 

[jackdarkknight]

Originally posted by Howardk:
I just sold off my last non-1911. First, it was a 1911 that always came with me to the range. I prefer 1911s so much that I just didn't shoot the other guns. Secondly, I'm convinced that muscle memory and "feel" play an important part in a WTSHTF scenario. I know the "feel" of the 1911 and the manual of arms is becoming instinct. The gun feels like a natural extension of myself.

I've read several posts where people say they shoot their 1911 in competition but carry a Glock on a daily basis. My question is whether it's a good idea to train, shoot and compete with one style of gun while carrying another style on a daily basis. (This is not intended as a Glock v. 1911 question.)

I've been told by firearms instructors. The best thing you can do for your self is pick a primary defensive weapon. What ever you shoot the best. Then your secondary weapon should be an exact copy of the primary weapon. Exact make, model, & cal. That way every thing is the same. Opperation of the weapon, mags or speed loaders, holster, bullets, ect. This way you don't have to think about how the weapon opperates. You pick it up it's second nature. If you switch between say a Glock & a Colt 1991A1, the difference is the external safety. If you need to fire a Glock you don't want to attempt to take off the safety. If you need to fire a Colt 1991A1 you don't want to fire with out removing the safety. Most of the time your weapon will be in the holster. The one time you need the weapon, you don't want to have to think which weapon you have & how to opperate it. At least thats what firearms instructors tell me. Also you should have knowlage of how different firearms opperate should you have to fire a weapon your not use to. But your carry weapon should always be the same.

 

[eljay45]

I think it is wise to practice wth what you carry until shooting it is second nature.But I would never handicap myself by shooting only 1 type of firearm. Sometimws your clothing or activity may dictate carrying a different gun. I don't carry the same gun with shorts and a t-shirt, that I carry when I am wearing a heavy shirt and jacket. But I do only carry only DAO, Safe Action , 357 revolver or 1911. All of them are draw and fire type weapons.no safeties to disengage except of course the 1911. I figure the worst I can do is flip off a non-existent safety.

 

[Oddjob]

I have been a firearms instructor for the past 19 of my 23 yrs as a LEO. As a general rule one should stay with one series/style of weapons (Glock, Sig, 1911). If the duty gun is a Sig 226 then a Sig 232 would be a nice off duty/backup piece for example. Carrying in the same area would also be nice if possible.

If you are "into" guns (like most of us here) and are willing to practice another system other than your primary weapon that would be OK.

I carry a 1911 for field work, a Sig P-245 when behind my desk (99% of the time), and carry the P-245 or a P-230 off duty. I also shoot a 1911 design for USPSA/IPSC shooting. Its been my experience watching students shoot that a change in the method of carry (spare ammo too) messes people up more than a different weapons system.

 

[LAK]

(By Rosco Benson) "...While one needn't overstress this issue of being familiar/competent with most commonly encountered weapons, there are ample examples of the benefits of knowing how to operate a great variety of weapons"

Now this I am in agreement with for "general purposes" - even though it does perhaps have more appeal to professional types.

 

[BrianMajors]

I agree with eljay45. I carry a S&W m60, Glock m32, and of course, Kimber Gov.45. All have consistent trigger pull, and only one has a VERY simple safety to swipe off when needed. I believe the consistency in trigger pull to be the major factor, of course second to gun familiarity, IMHO. Sometimes a SECOND shot is what counts over the first...

 

[jason10mm]

I tend to stick with 1911s, but try to learn every type of pistol out there. As a lefty, there can be a dramatic difference in operating different pistols. Sigs especially have controls that are almost completely inaccessable for me. I defeat this by training with a manual of arms that is as generic as possible. Usually I drop the slide after a reload by stroking the slide stop with my trigger finger, but this does not work on Sigs or Glocks, and can be unreliable depending on how that little lever is designed, so now I hand rack after every reload. My malfunction clearance is pretty generic as well. I think the things you need to worry about when switching between different pistols are trigger pull, sight picture, trigger pull, safety location, and trigger pull. I set up all of my pistols with the 3 dot sights and paint the front sight post bright orange so I am looking at the same sights regardless of the gun. I also sweep my left thumb over where the safety would be regardless if it is there or not (glocks, beretta, sig). The trigger pull is the one thing I can't control and it shows. After caressing that wonderful single action 1911 trigger, my first glock or DA beretta shot usually dives into the berm

I can adjust if I'm thinking and the Glock is really not that bad, but it is a consideration when I choose a carry weapon. Bottom line, I think you are better off with a "primary" weapon system, but work on a universal manual of arms and recognize the differences with the various pistols out there so when you have to defend yourself with a wounded LEOs dropped sidearm, it will be a firearm and not a L-shaped club. LAter.

 

[Bandit]

Mastery of one manual of arms is indeed an advantage when using your primary weapon for self defense. However, it's beneficial to cover all possible scenarios you may or may not encounter and know the rudimentary manipulation of other weapons as well.

My .02

Rick


------------------
"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms ... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. ... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." -- Thomas Jefferson

 

[J MAC]

Shoot what makes sense for you and then some...I prefer a .45cal 1911...I also love a big revolver...pull the hammer back then it's a single action...boom...I love my S+W 44 mag...also practice with practical low maintenance carry guns like a Glock...The trigger sucks compared to single action but a few hundred rounds later it's like an extention of your arm...they all can be very accurate...Practice with every gun you own...

 

[Manny]

Just talked to a good friend yesterday who wants my Ruger SP101. When thats gone I'll use the money towards a compact Kimber 1911 to complement my full size Classic Custom Stainless. This will reduce me to two types of hand guns, 1911 for target and defense and Ruger single action revolvers for hunting and playing cowboy. I can and do shoot any other type of gun I can lay my hands on, but want to be as proficient as possible in defensive pistol craft and want to concetrate on mastering one type of gun in that situation.
Manny

 

[Doug 29]

It's easy, for most of us, to shoot ANY handgun accurately........IF accurately is hitting a man-sized target at less than 25 yards. But, if I were going "into harms way", knowingly, I would prefer to be the insect that specializes in ONE weapon! It's a part of your body and is fired accurately, hitting a mann-sized HEAD, at 25 yards. There's also a saying, "Jack of all trades, master of NONE!"