Which Gun should you shoot?

PBD has been ragging on 1911s in a series of posts.

He makes a very good point: your choice of guns matters less (with in reason*) then your choice of training. Spending money on a 'better' gun will not get you as much as spending that money to learn more about shooting**.

*The difference between a 50$ pistol and a 400$ pistol is hugely different then the difference between a 400$ pistol and a 750$ pistol. I would be suspicious of a gun costing less then 200$ or so. It might be great, it might be crap, but there is a reason its so cheap. That said: any modern production pistol from a Named manufacturer is probably going to meet the basic 'goes bang when I press the trigger' test just as well as any other.

**Once again not all trainers are created equal, and each style has strong and weak points. My feeling is that you will get more for your training dollar if you study with multiple instructors then if you spend all that money to become a 'master' in any one instructor's style. This is based on my background in open hand and edged weapons, I haven't had the time and money to confirm it in the realm of shooting instructors.

There is one great big but coming after all that, and its not what Opra sits on: you must like to shoot your gun. If you don't enjoy shooting your defensive gun you wont practice. If you don't practice regularly all the training classes in the world are waisted. You're not going to perfect the techniques in a class during the 3 or 4 days of the class, your going to perfect them over the next 3 or 4 months on your range.

This is why choice of gun is so important: its not the technical .45ACP is better then 9mm, or JMB's guns are better then Mr. Glock's (both are true, but I don't expect any 9mm Glock toting heathens to take it from me:). Its pure preference.

Does the gun fit your hand comfortably?

Does the trigger feel good when you press it? Does it at least not hurt when you press it?

Can you actually conceal the bloody thing on your person? And then carry it around all day?

Can you afford the gun, holster, and ammo to feed it?

Those are the questions that determine which gun you should carry, not the opinion of some crazy guy on the internet.

AE

In the spirit of full disclosure: I carry a 1911, not a Glock, because of the questions listed above, when I'm teaching I suggest students answer those questions, not follow either I or Co-Instructor (the glock toting heathen) into one gun or the other. So far we have had an even split between 1911s, Glocks, and S&W Revolvers.
AE