It has only been 6 weeks since I posted, and I made another change (or change back)...
My order for criteria for a defensive pistol is: 1) reliability, 2) how well you shoot it, 3) capacity, 4) pretty much everything else
I shoot CZ 75B and 1911 type pistols better than anything else (with revolvers being in 3rd place). So, I recently have started practicing my draws with a safety until I get proficient again with disabling the safety on the draw every time. I will soon put 1911s back into my carry selection. I'll drop my SIG P250 Compact since it is a bit thicker than my 1911s but otherwise roughly the size of a Commander sized 1911 (and my smaller S&W M&P40c has 1 better capacity while being even smaller), and I'll probably be trading it (maybe on another 1911) since I bought it for practical reasons and not as a range gun. I do shoot the P250 Compact reasonably well, just no where near as well as a 1911 or CZ, and I do enjoy it at the range, just not as much as other guns that I do keep as range guns. In addition to my S&W 1911SC for carry, I have put a Rock Island Rock 1911 Compact on layaway. I've also decided that since how well I shoot comes before capacity (but capacity is important) I need to train both for mag reloads more than I used to and to use a backup.
So, while transitioning (until I'm confident in my ability to disable the safety on a 1911 every time I draw):
- SIG P250 Compact, though I'm phasing it out and will cease to use it after the CZ and S&W are fully in the "rotation" (the other transition guns will still be used from time to time after the transition while the P250 won't)
- SIG P290RS
- CZ P01 (after one more range trip)
- S&W M&P40c (after a few hundred rounds are through it)
- S&W 625MG for a outdoor/woods/camping gun and once or twice a year when in the mood for a revolver over an auto
What I envision my regular and ongoing carry selection will be for the next several years (until/unless there is another "carry philosophy" change):
- My main carries will be my S&W 1911SC and the RIA 1911CS with either a couple mags for reload or a backup
- CZ P01 when I want more capacity or the mood strikes
- S&W M&P40c and SIG P290RS when I need a smaller gun or the mood strikes (these may eventually be replaced by a .40S&W EMP and a 1911 style mini-9 in order to minimize the number of completely different platforms I use)
- Revolver (my S&W 625MG and eventually a 3" S&W 686 Plus) for a outdoor/woods/camping gun and once or twice a year when in the mood for a revolver over an auto
For occasional backup use:
- My LCP for now, though it will eventually be traded on a Colt Mustang or SIG P238
- I will probably keep either my Taurus 85CH or S&W 442 as an occasional BUG
So, eventually I may be down to different sizes of 3 platforms for all uses, including BUGs (1911, CZ, revolver), which will even simplify my carry choices while maximizing my options to cover the most situations.
