For the last three years ,i've been using one pistol for competition, range practice, and defensive applications. I thus wonder - is there a limitation with this practice?
I've only heard good things about "streamlining" , but like all things theres always a price to pay for every benefit. Besides loss of gun collection bragging rights, what other drawbacks come to mind with this practice?
The Minority Marksman.
"When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet."
-a Ch'an Buddhist axiom.
Thanks for the link.Originally Posted by BCL
That said,we don't live in feudal Japan.
"Battlefield Pick Ups" require there first to be a battlefield, and im fortunate enough to not live in one. It would seem logical that on the path to improve one's pistol skill changing weapons frequently introduces more issues then it solves. I own a brace of Beretta pistols, yet even though they're all 9mms and all came from the same plant they don't behave exactly the same while shooting.
The Minority Marksman.
"When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet."
-a Ch'an Buddhist axiom.
After you read through the 95 posts that BCL linked to, here's another 45 posts.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-on-one-pistol
There is a branching path to developing proficiency, and the road widens and narrows as you develop. Just as there is a balance of speed and accuracy when shooting, there is a balance of breadth and depth in developing our level of proficiency.
There is a lot of merit to practicing shooting one particular gun very well. Yet if you can only shoot that gun very well, are you where you want to be as a shooter? Perhaps; perhaps not. If you are an armed professional with an issued weapon and your only interest is in using it as a tool, then by all means keep a focus on that. There is a risk of burnout, boredom, or just reaching a level of complacency on that path, though.
However, there is a big difference between being a SIMP (ha, I'd forgotten the S stood for SLG) and being someone who is capable with many weapons. Showing up to the range with a Glock 34, a Ruger Redhawk, a 10/22 Charger, a J-frame, and a CZ Evo, and shooting a half box through each one, is not going to advance you as a shooter. However, shooting the Glock exclusively "seriously" for an extended period, and occasionally enjoying trips with the others, isn't going to turn you into a sloppy basket case with the Glock. And, with a little effort, you could even get pretty darn good with those others, and developing proficiency with them will very likely teach you some things about shooting the Glock. Personal example: Spending serious time with an P30 LEM did a lot of good for my understanding of trigger mechanics when I picked up a Glock again. Many folks say similar things about time with TDA guns or DA revolvers. Shooting a RDS can help with an understanding of how to best use irons.
Also, do no underestimate the power of novelty to the process of learning. Making changes - a different gun, a different sport or discipline, or even just a different focus (working on your 25yd groups instead of your bill drills) -- forces us to learn and adapt. If you do it every range trip, it's just going to keep you in a state of perpetual chaos, but making changes with deliberate purpose creates an opportunity for more well-rounded development while adding to the fun factor of doing new and different things.
--Josh
“Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws.” - Tacitus.
To paraphrase another P-F Member, I don't fear the man who only has one pistol; I fear the man who has one pistol and an identical training copy of that pistol...
There are drawbacks that having an identical training pistol addresses: the risk of parts breakages in a high round count carry gun, the advantages of having a clean, well-lubed carry gun immediately available when coming off the range, having a defensive weapon on your person/accessible when practicing with a training gun, etc.
Regardless of whether or not you have just one gun or duplicates of the same gun, there may or may not be drawbacks to not having other tools available for specialized purposes or niche roles. For the most part I carry a P2000 9mm, but I like having a more discrete option available, so I also have a P2000SK for those times. A single-stack micro pistol would be useful for NPEs where it's vital no one know you're carrying. A large bore revolver is good for wilderness carry. A lightweight snub for pocket carry...the list goes on and on.
If I had to choose just one gun, it would be my P2000, and it would work for about 80-90% of my carry needs. Fortunately I'm not limited in how many guns I can have, so I'm able to 1) have identical training copies (yes, each gun is slightly different, but to me the slight disadvantage in practicing with a gun that has minute variations is offset by the advantages of having a vetted, clean, well-lubed low round count training gun), and 2) can pick up niche pistols that are better suited to the 10-20% of the carry roles where my P2000 isn't ideal.
I think it's a balancing act between focusing your training time and efforts on your primary pistol, and having the right tools available for the task at hand. I also don't think there's anything wrong with collecting, owning, and shooting different types of guns just for the enjoyment sake, but that doesn't mean that you should carry a different gun every day of the week.
"Battlefield" doesn't necessarily mean battlefield in the military sense. Any incident that you may use (or want to if you don't have it) your gun would imply theres other guns present. Being at least passably literate on common guns would seem a good general plan. That said, Id probably be harmless with a Sig until I looked at it a minute, having never shot one.
Thanks for that link, I forgot about that post.
If you're going to be a shooter then pick one and run it. If you're going to be an instructor you're going to need to be proficient with a variety of pistols, and you will also want to spend some time with revolvers.
"There is magic in misery. You need to constantly fail. Always bite off more than you can chew, put yourself in situations where you don't succeed then really analyze why you didn't succeed." - Dean Karnazes www.sbgillinois.com
The battlefield doesn't exist until it does - until then, it's just your environment. How you use your environment and the things in it change when it changes into a battlefield.
A gun is only one kind of tool. There may be others available when a gun is not.
Last edited by Duelist; 10-16-2016 at 07:41 PM.
True. My point was a battlefield can happen anywhere at any time.
...and somebody elses gun may be the only one you can lay hands on.
Last edited by Malamute; 10-16-2016 at 08:11 PM.
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