New gun, new trigger, or keep fighting the good fight?

[spinmove_]

So the last time I did any live fire before last night was 6/6/17. I still haven't done any dry fire practice in over a week probably a week and a half now. This was because I had to go out of town and didn't have the time or opportunity to do any dry fire practice. With that, I used last night's range trip to test myself on how I shoot what I have cold and see what the results would be. I took with me my P220, SP2022 (.40S&W), and G19Gen4. I did some warmup with each and then did some 25yard shooting. Unfortunately, because the only magazine that I have for the P220 was an unmarked somethingorother I was only able to get 14 rounds total down the pipe because the magazine baseplate disintegrated while doing remedial action. This is why you buy good quality magazines, kids.

With the G19Gen4 I put over 50 rounds through it before I did any 25 yard shooting. Groups at 5 and 7 yards were roughly on par with what I'm capable of throwing down with it on an average day. Going out to 25 yards, I was able to lay down a ~5-6" 10 round group almost half of those rounds were pushed slightly left, which for me is somewhat on par if I'm not being super diligent. The G19 is what I consistently practice with both live and dry and currently have over 4,600 rounds through this gun.

With the SP2022 I put 50 rounds total through it. Group size at the same distances with the G19 were about the same, but maybe a little more open as I'm not used to the extra snap and different recoil impulse in general. With the last 7 rounds that I had I decided to push it out to 25 yards for shits and giggles. I threw down a 3.5" group that was dead center. The last time I actually shot this pistol was sometime in the summer or fall of 2016. The last time I seriously dry fired it was sometime before that.

So now the question becomes, what do I make of this? With a pistol that I consistently practice and shoot with I do more poorly than with a pistol that I hardly do anything with. I'm not sure if this is due to the quality of the trigger/trigger break, the ergos of a SIG vs. a Glock for me personally, a combination of those two, or something else entirely. Part of me wants to say that it's time to move to something that I don't have to fight against. Part of me wants to say that I should invest in a more consistent and less garbage trigger for my G19 or find a way to make the existing one less garbage. Part of me wants to say that within 1 week of dry fire I'll be back to where I was at 25 yards and with further practice I can shoot the existing configuration of my G19 as good as the SP2022.

I'm just a civilian, so I'm not bound to LE or .mil decisions on what I have to carry. I won't be selling any of my guns as that doesn't make sense here. My Glocks have been functioning great and I'll continue to carry them for now, so if I make a move, I'll still always have my Glocks to fall back on. The SIGs aren't going away as the P220 is a collector/fun gun for me and the SP2022 fills a special role in that it shoots .40S&W and .357SIG. If I were to move to something else other than a G19, it'd have to be G19 sized, so I'm looking at something like the P320 compact, PX4c, SP2022 in 9mm, or something else.

I just got a bit of a reality check and need to know if I'm thinking straight or if I'm drawing incorrect conclusions on this data. Or if I simply don't have enough data yet to draw any conclusions and I need to not worry about it.

[spinmove_]

Pics for reference.

SP2022 at 25 yards. 7 rounds.



G19Gen4 at the same distance, on the same target, 10 rounds.





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[GJM]

If shooting perfectly centered, cold 25 yard groups was the sole criteria for picking a carry gun, not too many people would be carrying a Glock 19.

[spinmove_]

If shooting perfectly centered, cold 25 yard groups was the sole criteria for picking a carry gun, not too many people would be carrying a Glock 19.

True, but should that not be an important metric to consider? Are you always going to be able to regularly dry practice or get to the range on a regular basis? As stated in the OP I'm not going to immediately cease carrying my G19 nor will I be selling it off nor will I cease practicing with it.

[45dotACP]

Nice shooting...but it's just one point in time. A single data point if you will.

There are good reasons to consider the Sig over the Glock... accuracy, ergos, the safety of the TDA system...but I'd run some other drills as well.

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[rob_s]

In a target gun, group size is virtually everything.

In a carry gun it is but one of a half-dozen considerations.

[spinmove_]

In a target gun, group size is virtually everything.

In a carry gun it is but one of a half-dozen considerations.

Which is exactly what GJM said.

I understand that it's just one data point and further testing is warranted. I also understand that size, weight, reliability, control ability, and sight options are also a thing. But if I can shoot one thing cold better than another thing I practice regularly with warm, doesn't that tell me something?


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[nwhpfan]

So many variables with shooting a group personally I wouldn't prioritize that as a reason to pick one gun over the other.

As far as a dry fire goes, you always have 5 minutes Just say'n.

Generally when I hear a person talk about one gun over the other, if they shoot the gun they hardly shoot better I say give them more rounds and they will be just as bad with it. Often the gun with the trigger you are least familiar with you are less likely to prerecoil push, flinch, etc. You hear this with people that got that new gun and suddenly shot so much better.

It really doesn't matter which gun you want to take to the next level, it's you and your training. Ie, it's the software not the hardware.

[BJXDS]

how do you shoot the P320 compact, PX4c, SP2022 in 9mm, or something else?
Could it be you were less focused with the G19 because you felt more familiar with it?

[BehindBlueI's]

But if I can shoot one thing cold better than another thing I practice regularly with warm, doesn't that tell me something?

Yes. It tells you about group size at a given distance in a given circumstance under no time pressure.

I can tell you that I have a similar experience, though. I shoot the Glock left easier when shooting for groups and earlier when shooting for time. Sig just shoots better for me. I had just over 5 years of all Glock all the time, and still shot the Sig better at any meaningful test. The difference was much more pronounced after I broke my hand and ended up with crooked fingers because now my fingers and the finger grooves don't even pretend to get along.

Try some Bill drills or 5x5x5 drills and see what the target and timer say. Also realize at a certain point you are splitting hairs and it's time to just make a decision and roll with it.