That's a cross to bear, for sure. We forgive you.

for over fifty plus years I have had thisen,thaten and sometimes several of each.
As an old man I have finally settled on something light,lots of round in the handle and is ambidextrous.
Why is this point inportant,I got two hands and shoot pretty well with both.
The 5-7 fits that bill,most all the other are locked in an iron box

Hark! Do not be lead astray by the false truth of the One Gun.

For when thine heart and mind is strengthened, all that ye touch may strike at thine enemies. Seek not the One Gun, but turn your mind to self reflection, and All Guns shall be thine.

Not sure if I missed something that triggered this thread but it's a good reminder that nothing is perfect. There is no one size fits all. Every choice is a mixture of compromises, not just in general but even for a specific person in a specific scenario.

I like Arc's direction: lay out the true pros and cons based on your experiences and let others collate the info and decide what's best for them.

In my case, I have only glocks right now. Specifically, only 9mm and they are all configured the same way. I realize that there may be situations that call for a different caliber (handgun). So I peruse the pistol section looking for tidbits that may indicate where a glock 9mm may be deficient and a different platform may be better suited. Over time, for example, I've seen many suggestions for 1911 but have yet to see a convincing argument for specific situations on when it would be preferable over the glock.

So... 9mm or 45?


OK, I've never done that and I just wanted to just once... And never will again.

I 100% agree with the thoughts in this thread.

I am not now, never have been, and never will be that great of a shot. However, I grew up shooting and love the ever-living hell out of touching off rounds. I train, and have trained a lot. I always have to tell the instructor it is not their instruction, it's just that I'm not that great of a shot.

Because I am an enthusiastic shooter I end up answering a lot of first gun questions. To that end I've bought some pistols that I normally wouldn't buy but purchasing them serves 2 purposes: learning how to be proficient with a gun I don't like in general (Glocks etc...) and being able to show the differences in different types of firearms to new people. My main shortcoming there is in the revolver arena. There are some that I would really like to own but these blasted manufacturers keep releasing new auto-loading models that sing to me.

And, there is the AR journey. There I was, fat and happy with my tank of a Sig 556 when Jerry Jones had me run a drill with his AR. I about dropped it because it was so light. And there was that sproing... What the hell was that? What I discovered was that what I thought was my sickness, Sig pistols, turned out to only be the gateway drug that is building things based on the AR platform.

So, I'm no sharpshooter but I do feel I've made a positive difference in adding to the ranks. This is not to fluff me up, but to say I really don't understand those who run others choices down. Instead of running down what may have been a lesson learned, or may be the only thing they could afford but is a damn sight better than a dull stick, show them how to make the best use of what they got and IF they ask steer them in the direction that you think is appropriate.

The most valuable lesson I've learned is dry firing. Jones tried and tried to beat it into my head and I refused to believe. I have a friend that gets paid to shoot and be shot at. He is a pretty good shot. He told me that he dry fires at least 100 repetitions every night. Now I had 2 people that I respected telling me the way to happiness.

So, even if it is a piece of crap gun, and even if the owner can't afford to shoot a lot or doesn't have easy access to a place to shoot, they can dry fire for free and become the best that they can be with what they have.

This turned out to be quite the rant for me...

Mark

You know one of my biggest shooting "downsides" is that I am a hobbyist and I shoot such a large variety of guns without dedicating myself to one (whatever that one is). Because of that I will never really have that horse and rider type skill. That is one of the things I tell people who ask me for advice so that I can tell them that if they really want to be a great shooter, find/pick what works for them and shoot the bejuzzus out of it.

That being said I am passable and can break down and maintain damn near anything this side of a big fitty . So I might make a horrible trigger puller but I would make a hell of a quartermaster.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Hark! Do not be lead astray by the false truth of the One Gun.

For when thine heart and mind is strengthened, all that ye touch may strike at thine enemies. Seek not the One Gun, but turn your mind to self reflection, and All Guns shall be thine.

Everyone should get this printed and hung on the wall. That way when your spouse complains about you buying another gun you can point to it and say that it is "The Rule" (it helps if you can say that in a loud reverberating voice...)

Mark

PS: I think Mr Aeteocles is getting ready to discover this truth first hand...

it is a pretty silly discussion. everybody knows the answer is a 12 ga shotgun.

Yeah, all you young narrow minded folks listen up.

I imagine Arc is serious in his request but do some people really think a particular gun is the end all and be all of guns?

isn't that topic raised more in the hopes of starting a conversation or polling people's views (albeit heated and passionate opinions) rather than convincing anyone of the "one gun to rule them all?"

I try to think of my gun collection the way my wife buys shoes.

Sure, one pair would cover the feet; but if you can afford it, and want them, you kinda get something for every occasion.

If the house is burning and you need to get out, you put on the first pair that come to hand and get moving.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Not sure if I missed something that triggered this thread but it's a good reminder that nothing is perfect.

Everything triggered this, and I can't find the right footsie pajamas.

Aertaroies or however he says it is right. He's a touch more poetic, but I won't hold it against him, unless it's a lonely saturday night.

Welcome those who seek the way of the gun, and do no disparage their lack of knowledge. Seek to fill their minds of when you were a dumbass, such that the peace be passed on.

Bout 20 years ago I went looking for the perfect sidearm to carry. I bought and trained and carried many differ platforms and caliber. The main reason I came to this forum was to learn about one of my experiments, a P220 but stayed on this forum because of the variety of opinions and experiences. I spent a lot of time and money only to find that the only gun I was truly comfortable with was one that is both highly praised and maligned frequently, alas the funky curmudgeon 1911. I like it and am comfortable with it and can shoot decently with it, yet no gun I have ever seen has such a more detailed protocol for carrying, shooting, cleaning, oiling, storing, loading, shooting and about everything else associated with it according to the internet 1911 experts. I used to hang out on some of the 1911 forums but the people who contributed were so dogmatic in their beliefs and procedures that they just would not tolerate someone with opinions and experiences different than their own. I swear the next time I hear "That's the way JMB designed it," I am going to scream. Is the 1911 for everyone, no, but for me it is right. In fact, I generally tell people who are new to firearms that a 1911 for them would make a nice range gun but until they have a lot of shooting experience then a 1911 is the last thing they should carry. My wife is quite proficient with my 1911s in 9mm and 38 Super but her carry gun is a Model 19 S&W. Although 1911s in different calibers come close to being an all round gun I still have others that fit categories the 1911 can't.

Reading over the whole thread, the thought that comes to mind is:

"Some arrows will work a little more easily for some Indians, but at the end of the day it is much more about the Indian than the arrow."

Different firearms have different pros and cons. Different shooters put more weight on different features/attributes. What works best for one shooter may not work very well at all for another (or may require a whole lot more training to get to work for the second shooter.

I find even the idea of "one gun" to be patently absurd.

Assuming a Glock 19 is the one pistol: What if I want to hunt doves? What if I want to shoot a pronghorn?

I was amazed that I could love my son as much as my daughter. Then I had three more sons and my love for each of them filled my heart. So it is with my guns (except for my P229 which I still can't shoot worth a damn).

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I find even the idea of "one gun" to be patently absurd.

Assuming a Glock 19 is the one pistol: What if I want to hunt doves? What if I want to shoot a pronghorn?

Hang on there sport, or should I call you chief?

No one said the G19 was the "one gun," except maybe one guy so lets settle down.

For hunting doves you'll want shot shells, and for pronghorn you'll need to get close. You'll be Legend!

The Glock 19 of my post is a shorthand reference to very idea of there being one gun. Any gun could be used as a hypothetical one gun.

If a putative one gun was a Garand, you would point out that they aren't concealable.

My carry is a Kahr PM9

My bedside gun is a P229

Jhe888 Are you feeling alright?

I'm not insisting that "one gun" is the only way to go, or endorsing one gun as the "one gun." As an avenue of training, finding one gun that suits you and sticking to it, is a reliable path to mastery.