As mentioned in another thread, a couple of things happened recently that have me considering rethinking what I carry.
The first thing was shooting my carry gun (Officer size SIG 1911 .45) in a competition and getting smoked. Granted, I was shooting my bone stock gun against a CZ Orange running an optic, Comp, etc...but felt like I should have been able to make it respectable. I didn't.
The 2nd thing was when I was shooting with my 13 year old son last weekend, he decided he wanted to try shooting my carry gun. He'd never shot anything bigger than 9mm in my Dan Wesson Guardian. 2 rounds fired. First hit the 8" steel at 25'. 2nd went who knows where, but the recoil really bothered him and he was done shooting it.
So my concerns are:
1- I can't honestly say I carry the gun I shoot best. I know I can't carry a competition level gun, but I do shoot the DW better. It's got a bigger profile and isn't as easy to conceal though.
2-I don't choose what to carry based on how someone else shoots my gun, but the thought crossed my mind... We'd talked about a situation when we're out somewhere, things happen. I become incapacitated and I'm unable to defend my kid or myself. He knows how I carry and how the gun functions and would ideally give himself a chance at least. But he can't shoot this gun.
Overthinking? Worth considering? Complete overhaul needed?
Regarding the quoted Concern #1, I shoot medium-frame and “medium-large” revolvers more consistently better than anything else. That is what I normally carry, as a “primary” handgun. I did not grow up among handguns, and bought a 1911 when I was old enough to do so. I soon had to carry train, at a police academy, with an S&W L-Frame revolver, followed by being mandated to use DA revolvers as my only carry handguns, 24/7/365, during my rookie period. I had considered revolvers to be quaint, but soon learned to like them, and trained trained diligently, with a residual result that some revolvers are now my best choice for optimal performance, especially if working from a cold start, and/or under stress. Moreover, my once-“stronger” right hand, arm, and shoulder have not aged well. An auto-loading handgun is at its best when run with two physically-capable hands.
Regarding the quoted Concern #2, well, my wife, who does not have small hands, is most familiar with, and performs best, with S&W K-Frame and similar-sized revolvers. She has a Texas License To Carry. It does makes sense that we can use each other’s primary handguns.
When I do carry an auto-loader, it is usually a supplement/complement to a short-barreled revolver.
Regarding Officer’s ACP-sized 1911 pistols, those things are frisky to shoot, for those unfamiliar with them. I had bad luck finding one that was reliable, so, after about four or five attempts, with three brands, gave up on that whole category of 1911, some time before 2002. A beginner can learn to like a compact 1911, but, it would normally require taking small, easy steps, with special attention to support hand techique.
youtu.be
