Thinking Man's Corner

Article by: William G.

Does the caliber of the gun matter? Yes, and no. When I was younger, I had no problem shooting thousands of rounds a week, for weeks at a time with a 45 Auto. Breaking my hand and wrist several times, arthritis, tendonitis, etc. has made shooting that much with that caliber problematic. There is no denying that a 45 Automatic round when compared to a 9mm round (placed in the same general area) will be more effective (unless it is a direct spinal hit, or severs the aortic valves, or takes out the medulla or cerebellum). It removes more tissue, creates a larger hole, and delivers more momentum into the target. Just like the single action trigger of the 1911 is more conducive to accurate shooting. Same as the grip circumference and ergonomics of the 1911 design lend themselves to quicker handling for a trained shooter. Nothing is free though. The 45 Auto has more recoil than a 9mm in the same sized gun. If you have grip strength issues, or it causes pain, then you simply won’t be able to train enough. If you can’t have continual practice, then things like the thumb safety may be problematic for some (I have yet to miss the thumb safety under duress, but I have seen it happen, and I am not still arrogant enough to think it couldn’t happen to me at some point.)

Why not practice with a 9mm version and carry the 45, or download the 45 practice rounds? Because it gives you a false sense of your abilities. They are not the same. But, I heard that in a gunfight, it won’t matter because you will never feel the recoil. Really? Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. What will affect your performance is your subconscious. If, in the back of your head, you know the 45 hurts to shoot, or you know that you struggle to manage the trigger, or any other deficiency, there is a high probability it will affect your performance. Better to practice what you preach, so when you stand in front of the congregation you aren’t trying to convince yourself more than you are them.

I can shoot the 9mm without pain, and for a longer time. It is cheaper to practice with, and the current crop of duty ammo is pretty impressive for what it is. The 9mm still hurts though, but only my ego. Ego will get you killed, so the rationale part of the brain must come into play. How do you get experience? By making mistakes. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel? Want to take advice from others? What makes someone worthy of giving you advice? What are their experiences, and are they similar to the places your life takes you?

The 9mm is easier to shoot with two or one hand, and if the shooter does his part, then it matters less the caliber, to a degree. Now that we have determined that caliber is fine, what about the gun? I like single stack 1911’s, and do not like the double stack ones, even in 9mm. I find the grip circumference is too much for me while having to activate a thumb safety. I can do it, but I don’t like the placement of my thumb on the gun, especially at speed. So, for me, I need a single stack 1911, even in 9mm.

If I want a double stack, I like several, but let’s concentrate on the Glock 19. I like Glocks, but I do not like some of the features. Specifically, the underside of the trigger guard. Even though it appears to be rounded, it creates a wedge with the proper grip. That’s why there is such a thing as “Glock Knuckle.” I can shoot a Glock in practice all day, and the next day I will ever so imperceptibly hesitate on the draw due to the pain caused in the second distal joint of my middle finger from the hard edge bearing into me from the day before. If I mill and sand this edge down, I can shoot the gun for weeks straight with no issues. Don’t think that pain and bad experiences don’t degrade or hinder performance and decisions. They do. So, figure out what is causing a problem, or may be problematic, and fix it before it becomes a problem. 

How about that really concealable Hellcat, P365, or G43? Does the holster you chose allow a full access initial grip? Or, that 1911 or G47 for that matter? If you can not reliably grip it under stress then it doesn’t matter how concealable it is, in a crisis it is next to worthless. Don’t fall into the trap of “I’ll have enough time.” Even those of us who get to choose when to start the action, aren’t exempt from surprises we didn’t account for, or someone else’s actions. Need the PMO and WML on your concealed piece? I am in no way challenging what you have decided is required for your situation. What I am challenging is for you to take a hard look at the support gear. Is it really concealed, and what are the consequences if it isn’t? Criminals are good at spotting hidden weapons on each other. They are really, really, good at spotting ones on people that don’t look like them. If your shirt is too tight, and the gun is too big, it will be harder to draw. If the gun is too small, then it will be harder to access quickly. Nothing is free, and everything has its deficiencies. It can either be a gamble, or it can be a measured and reasoned choice with as many kinks worked out beforehand as possible.

Often, we look for the collective knowledge. If all these people are saying it, then it must be true? Even if 99 people out of 100 agree, it doesn’t make it so specifically for you. Doesn’t mean they are wrong. Doesn’t mean they are just parroting the others. It means something worked for them, or they believe it is a good product or technique or tactic. My colleague Leo, who writes on this site with me, doesn’t like WML on pistols. I do. A lot of really knowledgeable people like Pistol Mounted Optics. I don’t. What do Leo and I have in common? Even if we personally don’t like it, we still learn how to use and teach about them. We realize that just because we personally don’t like something, doesn’t mean it isn’t valid or useful for a lot of other people. So, we keep an open mind. Sometimes, we change our opinions and practices based off learning about and using things we don’t personally like or are different from what we have done for decades.

A full size 1911 in 45 Auto is a better gun and caliber, but better for who, and for what. Same goes with the Weaver stance, until you have another age-related issue that prevents proper isometric tension in your support elbow then you go to the isosceles because it works fine with the nine. Only to find out that you have to shoot from a highly compressed elbow position instead, because of age, heavy reps, and some stupidity on your younger self’s part. Careful with generalizations, since the world is bigger than your little bubble.

See that your equipment works for you, over a large variety of situations. If it doesn’t, then don’t worry that everyone else says it is the best. It is ok to be different, but make sure what you choose does really work, and it isn’t just emotional investment. Be careful that you don’t end up carrying a striker fired 9mm with a dot. You may hate the choice because it is the polar opposite of how you spent your glory days, but you will love the performance that it allows you to maintain.  Make sure you fact check yourself to see if you are just rationalizing your ego or you are rationing out your rations, rationally.