How often, and why, do you change up your primary pistol generally

[s0nspark]

The reason I ditched the hyper-expensive multi-kilobuck bespoke 1911s for carry and practice is because I was getting to the point where I was entirely too obsessed with the gun. My backup 1911 was a Pro that I'd carried for years; I'd switched to a bespoke gun whose build I'd specced out from the bare frame. I'd picked out the pins in that gun; they were the best 1911 pins...

And then I got to see real shooting. I watched Todd Jarrett shooting like a demigod in a class at Blackwater with a flippin' Painted Ordnance LDA Commander, guys at local bowling pin matches smoking pins with Glocks and DA Smiths, went to AFHF and watched Todd and the best shooter in the class crushing it with junky plastic LEM Kraut guns...

And here I was worrying about improving my performance by whether I had a curved or straight trigger in my special snowflake custom 1911? The variable here was obviously not the gun.

I decided to worry more about shooting than whose sear and disconnector I had in the gun. When I bought the used M&P, it was completely and solely because it was a better deal than the used Gen 2 Glock 19 at the same gun show. Would I prefer the Glock? Probably, but I've made my commitment to shoot the Smith. Maybe once I can shoot, then I'll switch.

It's not so much that I wanna be some tacticool Ninjette who's afraid she's gonna get into a gunfight, but because I was heartily sick of sucking at shooting due to obsessing too much over the less important half of the equation.

Good thoughts. I have been on a similar path.

I got interested in shooting later in life and brought to it the same gearhead mentality I'd developed in other areas. It took me a few years of cycling through THE gun to have at the moment to realize that the gun matters... but not THAT much

I spent another year or so settling on a platform that was a good fit for me physically and mentally and now all I focus on is developing my skills - the gun itself practically disappears.

[mizer67]

I seriously started shooting in 2009, but didn't pick up on pistols until 2010 sometime. Prior to that, my only experience was the odd BB gun when I was a wee one, the Boy Scouts and a S&W Model 41 that I shot for about 6 months in a league in 2000 before I moved away from that area.

I bought an M&P 40 to start, mainly because it was ambidextrous, I liked my Model 41 and it had relatively good reviews at that time in .40 caliber. As I quickly started to shoot more and more volume, I switched to M&P 9mm and found that I couldn't group reliably with mine at distance. Embarrassingly, I hadn't really shot it beyond 50 ft. prior to taking a training class, and we spent a fair amount of time at 25 yards. Even the instructor couldn't group with it at that distance and it was all geeked out with APEX parts and decent sights, so I was reasonably certain it was the M&P that was FUBAR'ed, not just my sorry shooting.

I put it in the safe and switched to a Glock just in time to experience the "perfection" that was the early Gen4 9mm difficulties. I've pretty much stuck it out with Glock since with a few interludes for a little variety.

[ReverendMeat]

When they design a gun with the concealability and capacity of a G19 with a better trigger and ergonomics I will switch. Not until then.

Have you tried a Walther PPQ? It certainly fits your criteria. I ended up buying a PPQ and G19 at the same time because I couldn't decide between the two (haven't owned any Glocks before that) and ended up selling the G19 about a year later.

[1slow]

The reason I ditched the hyper-expensive multi-kilobuck bespoke 1911s for carry and practice is because I was getting to the point where I was entirely too obsessed with the gun. My backup 1911 was a Pro that I'd carried for years; I'd switched to a bespoke gun whose build I'd specced out from the bare frame. I'd picked out the pins in that gun; they were the best 1911 pins...

And then I got to see real shooting. I watched Todd Jarrett shooting like a demigod in a class at Blackwater with a flippin' Painted Ordnance LDA Commander, guys at local bowling pin matches smoking pins with Glocks and DA Smiths, went to AFHF and watched Todd and the best shooter in the class crushing it with junky plastic LEM Kraut guns...

And here I was worrying about improving my performance by whether I had a curved or straight trigger in my special snowflake custom 1911? The variable here was obviously not the gun.

I decided to worry more about shooting than whose sear and disconnector I had in the gun. When I bought the used M&P, it was completely and solely because it was a better deal than the used Gen 2 Glock 19 at the same gun show. Would I prefer the Glock? Probably, but I've made my commitment to shoot the Smith. Maybe once I can shoot, then I'll switch.

It's not so much that I wanna be some tacticool Ninjette who's afraid she's gonna get into a gunfight, but because I was heartily sick of sucking at shooting due to obsessing too much over the less important half of the equation.

I agree completely. Custom 1911s were, for me, too much range toys/mechanical OCD. I need to do the work and become better.

[NETim]

There's an old saying in the trapshooting game: You can't buy targets.

If the gun goes "BANG!" reliably and has a consistent POI, we can adapt to it. The weakest link in the system is naturally the human element.

Beware the "new gun" syndrome.

[warpedcamshaft]

If I personally frame it within a realistic scope of what my need for a handgun is: concealed carry... It would be silly to change what I carry very often.

That said, if shooting is your passion... It can be fun to try new things and expand your horizons. I enjoy comparing things and trying to improve and experiment, but I try to keep myself grounded in the reality of a civilian...

At the end of the day, a seat belt and defensive driving course is more likely to save my life than a firearm. (If you want to hear me go off... talk about how you carry a gun everyday, but don't wear your seat belt if you drive a automobile.)

[Mr_White]

(If you want to hear me go off... talk about how you carry a gun everyday, but don't wear your seat belt if you drive a automobile.)

What if someone told you they don't wear a seatbelt because it interferes with gun access while driving?

I'm not saying that. I'm just asking, what if someone did?

[warpedcamshaft]

What if someone told you they don't wear a seatbelt because it interferes with gun access while driving?

I'm not saying that. I'm just asking, what if someone did?

I'd throw on my Kittens and Lasers hat and pistol whip them with a Glock 34!

[Mr_White]

I'd throw on my Kittens and Lasers hat and pistol whip them with a Glock 34!

Now that would be a good Youtube video!

[45dotACP]

Hmmm, well for me, I started on a Smitty 64 because when I turned 21, I had little money and a desire for a good pistol...Then I got a Glock 21 and became enamored of the plastic wonderguns...then I got a G34, which has been my go to gun since.

But I also built a 1911 from parts, because I couldn't buy ammo and decided "Well f@#$ it then, I'll spend ammo money on gun stuff!"

I got a Beretta 92FS compact because...well because McClane and Riggs.

They're all fun guns really. Shooting is a fun thing to do. No lie, one time a friend wanted to shoot a Tannerite target at his farm...so I set it next to a cow pie and created what would later be described as "The worst smelling pun in the history of shooting." when I started laughing myself to death while trying to gasp out "You blew sh!t up!" between breaths. I think there is still a foul smelling cloud hanging over that pasture...

So yeah, shooting a bad guy is an important thing to know how to do, and I probably wouldn't be laughing about it, but I really just switch whenever I feel like it and trust that focusing on the front sight and pressing the trigger will carry the fight in my favor. Probably not smart, but then you are talking to somebody who blew up a pile of cow poop just for..."sh!ts and giggles"

Okay, I'm done.