Handgun Advice

[warpedcamshaft]

This.
Pick one pistol type. Shoot it until you master it. You wrote that you already have two G19's--perfect pistols for CCW use, that are easily serviced and have been proven to work very well in multiple places throughout the world. Getting a large ungainly 1970's technology pistol that is harder to shoot, more difficult to service, and offers no advantage in capacity makes no sense...

Doc, at what point would one have mastered a pistol type? At what point does it make sense to try something else and see if it fits better or works better for you?

Make no mistake... I'm not disagreeing with you, but am curious if you had a quantifiable performance metric in mind.

[Luke]

Doc, at what point would one have mastered a pistol type? At what point does it make sense to try something else and see if it fits better or works better for you?

Make no mistake... I'm not disagreeing with you, but am curious if you had a quantifiable performance metric in mind.

I asked this same question, and got an answer.. going tk try and find it. I do beleive it was basically A ranked uspsa or better.

[JHC]

I asked this same question, and got an answer.. going tk try and find it. I do beleive it was basically A ranked uspsa or better.

That would not be my standard. Ranked Class A in USPSA demands a good bit of stage planning acumen which may be of no interest whatsoever to a shooter. I think one could review a range of known measured drills and base it on that. Shooting "advanced" scores in those would IMO a fine place to branch out from if you have interest.

Take your pick. http://pistol-training.com/drills

[GJM]

I asked this same question, and got an answer.. going tk try and find it. I do beleive it was basically A ranked uspsa or better.

USPSA B class was the answer.

[TGS]

I have a problem with those answers.

Many of us may want to improve our shooting skills, but that doesn't mean getting to IDPA Master or USPSA B class is our goal.

You know, that whole realistic goals thing. I don't have the money to dedicate to shooting at that level. Many people don't have the time. Many don't have the time or money. So you're telling us we should never switch platforms?

That's ridiculous and myopic.

[45dotACP]

That would not be my standard. Ranked Class A in USPSA demands a good bit of stage planning acumen which may be of no interest whatsoever to a shooter. I think one could review a range of known measured drills and base it on that. Shooting "advanced" scores in those would IMO a fine place to branch out from if you have interest.

Take your pick. http://pistol-training.com/drills

Disagree with the bolded portion, but I agree with everything else.

I disagree because in USPSA, typically the way to classify is through classifier stages or major match performance and as I understand it...not many people try to move up by whooping ass at a major...Granted I'm a newbie to USPSA so perhaps I'm totally off base, but isn't the OG classifier stage for IPSC is the "El Presidente" which is considered a drill in nearly every other context? The way I see it, Classifier stages don't involve a lot of movement or planning. You just do it all faster and more accurately and thus you are a higher class.

Am I off base here?

[JHC]

Disagree with the bolded portion, but I agree with everything else.

I disagree because in USPSA, typically the way to classify is through classifier stages or major match performance and as I understand it...not many people try to move up by whooping ass at a major...Granted I'm a newbie to USPSA so perhaps I'm totally off base, but isn't the OG classifier stage for IPSC is the "El Presidente" which is considered a drill in nearly every other context? The way I see it, Classifier stages don't involve a lot of movement or planning. You just do it all faster and more accurately and thus you are a higher class.

Am I off base here?

Isn't that what is referred to as a "paper GM"; ie via classifiers only? I think you may be right but I wasn't figuring "paper Class A" was really class A. At least that is the impression I got from a lot of Doodie guys.

I just figure from watching A and B shooters shoot matches there is a lot of other than shooting skill required.

[nycnoob]

I have a problem with those answers.

Many of us may want to improve our shooting skills, but that doesn't mean getting to IDPA Master or USPSA B class is our goal.

You know, that whole realistic goals thing. I don't have the money to dedicate to shooting at that level. Many people don't have the time. Many don't have the time or money. So you're telling us we should never switch platforms?

That's ridiculous and myopic.

Its just a rule of thumb. It is very close to the internal rule I set for myself when I started shooting.
Don't try and buy skill, first get a decent gun and learn how to use it "well", then when you are good
you will know what you want as a second gun and why

I any sport there are really only two answers to the question "what equipment should I buy"
either the answer is very specific "what do you want to use it for . . . ."
or "get this great all around one (Probably a Glock 19) and use it till you are good"

In either case the beginner is best served by working on skill rather than asking
"whats new and hot?"

Ben Stoeger claims that it only takes (with his program) a dedicated student one year to make master.
if this is even remotely true, then saying you should be spending 1/2 a year working on skill before
considering switching guns does not seem to be very outlandish advice.

And it also seems to me that shooting to be a "Paper Master" or a "Paper B" is a great way to measure your
progress and know in an objective way if you are any good or just a beginner.

Really I had many thoughts along these lines before I saw his system. I want to know objectively if I am an "intermediate shooter" or not
and the drills in his book are all basic skills (draw, reload, multiple shots on one target, multiple shots on the same target) what is cool
about his system is he gives you "M" level times for all these skills at all relevant distances, so you can see what to work on and get at it.

[Patrin]

A comment on mastering (competent level) your chosen CCW, aside from USPSA or IDPA......it doesn't take a lot of money, just solid fundamentals, regular range time (200-500 rounds a month)...what you lack in high round counts can, and should, be made up in dry-fire drills.

(I shoot this course monthly as a baseline to identify shortcomings in my fundamentals.)

If you can score a 285 to 300 score (expert) on the Federal Air Marshal Practical Pistol Course, IMO, you know how to run your gun and have attained the necessary level for CCW. You can get better from there, certainly, but I believe it is an excellent baseline, a course of fire that can be fired on one target and at most any range you walk into. 1.5 yards to 25 yards, 60 rounds, stick to the times and your good to go.

Nearly every 285+ plus shooter could also pass the FAM Tactical Pistol Course....which is a course of fire that is no joke and I would put the FAM TPC up against any 'tactical' course of fire in the world.

I shudder that the FAM service abandoned the TPC as a qualifier for the job, but the numbers didn't lie and shooters couldn't pass it...285 and below shooters that is...and there are a lot of those in today's service.

I looked on the net for a link to the PPC, no dice, so I'll scan my copy and post it next day or the following.

FAM TPC is here: http://www.thegunzone.com/fam-lawman/fam-qual.html

[Luke]

What is the practical pistol course of fire?