I am in the ammo, training, practice camp and also the .22 version of your current gun camp. Other than .22 stay w/ 9mm. Look at any ammo source and note that .40 or 45 is usually nearly double the piece of 9. Buy ammo in 1000rnd cases. Look at ammoseek if you don't have a local store handy so you get an idea of what you should pay.
Here’s a possibly spicy counterpoint to some of the excellent recommendations in this thread:
I occasionally shoot .22, but I don’t find it a very helpful training tool. I’d rather dryfire at the range with my defensive or competition guns, which is something I do every practice session.
Interestingly, not a single instructor I’ve trained with recommends .22 practice.
Last edited by Clusterfrack; 03-11-2024 at 11:19 AM.
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I recall reading a study - which I saved but probably on two generations of computer ago, that a police department did an experiment with two rookies classes - one with a SW 22 revolver the same size as their 38's of that day and then switching to the 38SPL guns vs. a group that just did the 38SPL for the whole training sequence. No difference, IIRC.
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Big difference in cost per round, though.Originally Posted by Glenn E. Meyer
And if your wrist is the least bit gimpy, big difference in recoil.
My girl won’t shoot anything that kicks hard. She likes some .22s and her G42.
I think that is 100% true for you and other experienced shooters. For newer less experienced shooters I think there is a lot of "meat on the bone" for a .22lr. It's primarily trigger control and confidence building, but that's huge early on.
Factoring in budget and the fun of shooting, there is real value to a 22lr if it keeps a shooter engaged.
I'll add to the chorus of identical second pistol or 22LR close copy.
My academy gave us a day with .22 revolvers before we moved onto the big guns (.38). I don't think it made any difference and was perhaps counter-productive. That said, for an experienced shooter, a .22 training gun may make sense if the shooter os comfortable with the duty load and wants some affordable practice.
For me when we first started $ were tight. So a .22 helped a lot because I could shoot 3-4 times as many rounds per practice session. It also helped because I held myself to a higher accuracy standard w/ the .22. This was all indoor and we usually shot at 3-4" stickers at 30ft w/ 9mm. As I got better w/ the .22, I changed to 2" at 30 ft, then 2" at 50ft. For me anyway, shooting slow fire, the trigger control learned w/ the .22 definitely transferred to the 9mm. Speed wasn't a factor then, double taps no factor, and we didn't try to quickly transition from one bullseye to another. So I finally realized that, if I could hit it slow fire w/ a single shot from the .22, I should be able to hit it w/ the 9mm. And that drove me to more concentration on trigger manipulation w/ the 9mm.
I'm admitedly unfamiliar wiht the Walther PDP but what I have heard has been good. I would strongly recomend either getting a second PDP identical to your first or the closest thing you can find in the next size up or down depending on what you want it for.
I have let my desires get in the way of practicality and I have wasted a lot of time, money, and ammo trying to aquire one of everything instead of focusing on a single platform and devoting myself to building skill with that. Having multiple different guns is going to make becoming and staying skilled with any of them more challenging so diversity is not a good thing in this instance.
If fincances were of no concern you would ideally have three identical guns. The first gun is the gun you take to the range and train with. It gets all the wear and tear. The second gun gets vetted to ensure it works and then for the most part is just carried or stored so it stays "fresh" and in good operating condition. The 3rd gun gets the same treatment as the first and sevres as a backup in case the main gun is ever lost, stolen, or confiscated. That's the ideal situation but for most folks having a 3rd pistol just collecting dust just in case is a tall order. Considering the odds of acutally having to use your gun or having just one gun get stolen while the rest remain in your ownership, I think just having a range gun and a main gun is doing pretty well and the range gun can serve as the backup until a replacement can be aquired if you ever find yourself in that situation.
The trick is to take the inevitable urge to buy something different, then go and get another of what you already have.
A good bit of advice I have a hard time following, but will try to do better in the future. No more new guns until I get a third Shield Plus.
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