How many of the individuals buying a first pistol based on 'feel' are even holding it correctly? Most new buyers just don't know what they don't know.
I don't think 'feel' should drive the decision making. However, if someone has narrowed down a selection to two similar handguns (e.g. a G17 and a M&P9), 'feel' is certainly a useful discriminator.
"When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man."
P30, with its 27 possible combos of side inserts/back straps, is the best pistol to refute this notion. The combo that feels best to me is not what I have on mine.
I agree that reliability and accuracy are the most important criteria to be met, at least for me. Features would be third or further down the list, unless I was looking for a specific-use weapon.
That being said, I also agree that "comfort" or "feel in the hand" will likely play a role in how much a new shooter shoots, which will be a deciding factor in how proficient they become. To me, it's similar to what caliber someone chooses for their first weapon. If they choose something with a lot of recoil or that is overly expensive to feed, shooting may not be enjoyable, and they will likely not shoot.
Some may disagree, but comfort in the weapon is similar to comfort carrying. It is not #1 on MY list of considerations, but it's an added bonus. A person new to CCW/shooting, that is uncomfortable when carrying, will be uncomfortable with carrying.
For more experienced shooters, the comfort piece is not as important as the performance, since those people likely already have a firm foundation of handling a firearm and know what they are looking for.
Hi, my name is Bo, and I have an unhealthy love for my P30 (and my sk)...although I went through S&W, Glock, and Sig first, and still own many of them, just to make sure.
The problem with the "comfort" argument is that comfort can only be determined (a) during live fire and (b) once someone knows how to hold the gun properly in the first place. That's not what people are assessing at the counter in a gun shop. They just like the way a certain gun fits into their hand. They don't know if they can manipulate the controls, reach the trigger properly throughout its arc of motion, maintain a grip in recoil, etc.
The majority of people would be better serviced choosing a respected brand & model of handgun that is in use by multiple large .mil or LE agencies. That's decent evidence suggesting the gun will work for people with a variety of different hand sizes, and probably just plain work.
In class I will bring this up with students. I ask them how many cars they have owned over the course of their time behind the wheel. One student said 39.......... I bring up the point that starting out you simply want something that runs, is safe and works with the current budget. As experience increases you will usually want to upgrade. As technology improves and your skills and comfort develop and change, so do your choices. Not one student has said they have found the perfect car. Something that costs thousands of dollars more than a handgun, is constantly traded and swapped and upgraded. What feels good initially, is likely to change. Keeping in mind some guns have a better resale value and dealer support than others is one way to point a student in the right direction.
Taking a break from social media.
As other have said, I think "feel" would be more important to a beginning shooter than a more experienced shooter. When I bought my first pistol, I had trouble deciding between a Browning Hi Power and a Glock 17. Most people will say that the Browning "feels" better, but now after shooting a G17 for years, the first thought that comes to mind when I pick up a BHP is that it's not a Glock and that the slide lock is where my thumb wants to be.
I think there's legitimacy to being able to reach the controls, and particularly to being able to properly address the trigger. As has been said, though, most people don't know how to figure that. I think the 'choose a recognized brand' thing works with glove sizes M and up. There were very few service pistols five years ago that worked for small hands without modification. I am anxious to find time to spend a year with one of the new slim guns (M&P / Gen4 / P30) to see if that's no longer an issue.
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I agree. I think that having a gun "feel right" in your hand will come best with thousands and thousands of dry repetitions and thousands and thousands of rounds downrange.Originally Posted by pangloss
The human hand wasn't designed to do any one thing in particular. We teach it to do stuff that was unthinkable a thousand years ago, like drive a car, solder a circuit board, navigate an iPhone, etc.... why should a gun be unique in this regard? Do you ever pick up a soldering iron and think, "Gee whiz, this sure fits amazingly in my hand!"
The problem with choosing something based on how it “feels” is simply this IMO; that factor is subject to change and has little to do with how well you can use it. Some better advice would be to choose something that “fits” and hope the good feeling will come from being able to use it well. Every once in a while we get both (fit & feel) in the same package, but even that doesn’t necessarily make our choice the best one if it’s not the right tool for the job.
The path of least resistance will seldom get you where you need to be.
So, you're saying that there's a possibility that the RPG that I AIWB daily might be the wrong tool for my suburban personal defense needs?...but even that doesn’t necessarily make our choice the best one if it’s not the right tool for the job.
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