A Take of two Smith .45's, and a Case of Dumbass

[gruntjim]

It takes time to form opinions, and more to change them.

I recently decided that my shooting performance using Mod Weaver was steadily degrading, and so I finally took the advice of Doug Tollen.

Doug owns Oregon Security Training, and is one of the best instructors I've ever worked with. Over the years, he saw me favoring the shoulder I injured overseas, and suggested using a Modified Isosceles stance. I resisted for way too long, partially out of not wanting to admit the injury was slowing me down.

Today, I finally gave in, and just to put a fine spin on it, I used two .45's: A Smith Military and Police 2.0, and the Shield in the same caliber.

I ran both pistols for the DPSST qualifier, and I noticed two things: One, I was getting dramatically better accuracy, and secondly, my raw scores with both pistols was pretty much identical. The results became all the more glaring when I considered that my last qualifier was run with a service size 9mm, and I was still getting better and faster hits with the .45's.

Are the .45's inherently more accurate? Perhaps, but the inference is clear: The Shield in .45 is supposed to be hard to control, and yet, it proved moreso than a service size 9mm, just by virtue of using a different stance.

[Galbraith]

Are the .45's inherently more accurate? Perhaps, but the inference is clear: The Shield in .45 is supposed to be hard to control, and yet, it proved moreso than a service size 9mm, just by virtue of using a different stance.

Not sure about S&Ws, but my experience for other makes the .45s tend to have better inherent accuracy than 9mm. Particularly at longer ranges, when the slightest cross-wind will make the lighter projectile go off-target. Glocks, CZs, classic Sigs, P320s, H&K USPs, to name models have have experience with in both calibers.

[45dotACP]

I'm not sure about S&W, but the Glock 21s I've fired have been without a doubt more accurate than their 9mm counterparts...on the level with any factory 1911 I've ever fired actually.

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[HopetonBrown]

I can't find the course of fire, can you post it?

[gruntjim]

Can't find it in a postable format. However,

3 rounds, kneeling, 10m
14 rounds, two hand sighted fire, 7m
3 rounds dominant hand, 5m
3 rounds off hand, 5m
2 rounds unsighted, 3m

Careful observers will note that this is not the school qual. It's the closest that the host range would allow, however.

It's not challenging, but it does bring to light deficiencies in technique. According to Oregon, anything inside the 8 ring is full points. Since I was attempting to get a baseline on what was wrong, it was necessary to use a 10 ring scoring system.

[PD Sgt.]

I have noticed with my earlier generation M&P 45s (a mid and two compacts) that they seem to be the most accurate of the M&Ps I own or have been issued for work in 9mm or .40. This was confirmed for me by a SME instructor I had who stated the 45s were spec’d with a .mil contract in mind and had slightly better lockup.

I recently had the chance to put some rounds through a coworker’s 45 Shield. It was far smoother than I had expected for the size. I personally am not a fan of the more aggressive texture for CC, but I did like the performance.

[Aray]

I doubt mechanical accuracy is much of a factor at those distances.

[45dotACP]

I doubt mechanical accuracy is much of a factor at those distances.

I'd probably agree. That's not a terribly complex or accuracy intensive test. Likely the switch to a superior shooting technique accounts for the improved scores. I suspect the OP might see even better improvement with a 9mm service pistol and it would end up being easier on the injured shoulder.

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[HopetonBrown]

Is this on a B27? Are there par times?

Sorry, I don't see how one could really divine that they were substantially more accurate with one gun/caliber over another with 2 rounds kneeling at 10 yards.

As with many LE quals this seems more like testing whether the shooter has a pulse or not.