sigs or glocks, or both?

[Sgt Stevo]

I shoot with a PD guru type. he said, I should stick to one kind of gun. One kind of action I mean. I have a couple of glocks and sigs. And a wheel gun and a p-99 and a high power. He says I should shoot only one type. I figured I would ask the HR before I Sold all my stuff and bought all of one thing.

[Preacherman]

I shoot, and carry, Glocks, SIG's, S&W revolvers, Colt revolvers, Ruger revolvers... do I need to go on? :D I think your shooting buddy was overgeneralizing. For "fun guns", get whatever floats your boat, and enjoy it!

For defensive weapons, he has a point in that the operation of those weapons you most frequently rely on for your safety should be as similar as possible. I subscribe to this myself: hence, I don't have an external safety on any of my defensive guns. All fire with a simple pull of the trigger. I also try to make sure that I have similar sights on all of them, so that the sight picture is the same irrespective of the gun in use at the time.

[Mal H]

Strictly my opinion, but - nonsense!

Now if he's talking about using only one type of action for all your carry pistols, then maybe. But, I still don't think even that reasoning is valid. You'll know what you're holding when you need to use it. Trust me you won't try to stuff a magazine in the bottom of a revolver or try to open the cylinder of a semiauto even under severe stress situations.

[tlhelmer]

I have heard that before, but I cant help myself. I love them both.

I am issued a Beretta 96-G.

I shot both my Glock 27 and my Sig 229 at the range today. The G-27 is more compact and will not rust. The Sig 229 has a much better trigger and is more accurate.

Enjoy them all.

[STEVE M]

I think it falls into one of those useful/good idea catagories. But not

nesessary. It is a matter of being very familiar with your equipment

(always a good idea). It probably won't make the difference in SD, but

then again it might (why take the chance?) Just my opinion, you got what

you paid for it.

[Sean Smith]

I'd do the most practice with what you intend to use most, but there is no reason to not shoot other stuff for fun. :D

[gulogulo1970]

I would go with Glocks, they are less expensive and they will feed almost anything. Very simple to use and strip. You cannot get one dirty enough that it will not fire. I love mine. I shoot no autopistol better.

You can't go wrong with a Sig either. They are more accurate and they can shoot lead reloads, Glocks cannot shoot unjacketed bullets without the barrel fouling to the degree where they will eventually blow up. Sig Sauers are extremely well made gun, they just don't fit me right.

Shoot both but stick with one for self defense.

Muscle memory is a big advantage in a high stress situation.

[JeepDriver]

I have both. I tend to shoot/carry the Sigs.


That's just a personal preference though. I like the feel of the Sigs over the Glocks.

[Smoke]

I know some guys that subscribe to this theory. One goes so far as he won't shoot anything other than his Sig. But he is LEO of the high crime district of a major metropolitan city and has to pull his gun every night.

I agree with him to a point. If you are a diehard Glock (an example) man and then one day decide to carry a 1911 varient. Do you think you might not remember to take off the safety? It has happened. I think you should pick a carry platform and stick to it. That doesn't mean you can't have different sized versions of the same weapon. They should have the same controls, same sights and same trigger.

But you can go to the range and shoot other guns...not doing that would be...well...not right! :D

Smoke

[Navy joe]

Trust me you won't try to stuff a magazine in the bottom of a revolver or try to open the cylinder of a semiauto even under severe stress situations.

HeHe. Being a high volume Glock shooter I recently started learning myself on a 625 revo. Danged if I didn't punch for a mag release, roll the thing to my right and go for a mag with the right hand. Stood there for a second, mag in hand, looking awfully dumb. :p

For carry, I believe in one type at a time. For a year that has been a Glock. Sometimes a 1911 as a second gun for boredom's sake, but the primary is always the same. Once I can afford an SV for competition then I'll probably switch to a 1911 for carry also and do that for a year or two. The grip memory, gun timing, sights, controls, all get too ingrained to unlearn under stress because you brought your Tuesday gun.

As for your buddy, tell him to go fly a kite. Two of each is a valid gun buying goal.

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's All-

I have to agree with those who claim this is BS. :uhoh:

I've owned, shot, and carried virtually every major
caliber and action type (DA for revolvers - SA, DA,
and DAO for self-loaders) on this frigin continent!
Not tooting my own horn, but I'm a fairly decent
shot with any combination.

I like a DA first shot capeability; nuff said! :cool:

I can transition from my beloved SIG's, to a Beretta,
to a H&K, to a Browning BDM, to a Ruger P-series,
etc. without much of a problem. Then say, I can pick
up a 1911 .45, or a Browning Hi-Power and never
miss a lick. After I lay the auto chunkers down, I've
been known to pick up a wheel gun or two; and
continue raining on the parade! ;) :D

Its like my friend Mal H said, that theory is
"nonsense".

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

[arinvolvo]

All guns are the same action, they all have triggers that you pull..

Life is too short to not have a VARIETY of guns...variety IS the spice isnt it?

[Mal H]

Well said, arinvolvo. Short and to the point.

Dan's words remind me of almost any range session many of us have been to. You shoot a box or two in one gun and then pick up a different one. I don't ever recall feeling dumbfounded, or seeing anyone else standing there puzzled trying to figure out what to do with the different gun. There is no hesitation in using it. This is all assuming enough practice time to get acquainted with the various firearms. Trying to carry a gun or guns, no matter how different they are, without practice - a lot of practice - is simply foolish.

[orangeninja]

Okay I'm gonna go a little of both ways here. Bear with me. But first a quote from Smoke that needs attention.....

" major metropolitan city and has to pull his gun every night."

All I gotta say is Holy Crap...that is one police job I would quit.


A book I recommend reading is "Handgun Combatives", an excellent book that covers this very topic for an entire chapter. I was also taught this at work, through long long conversations with officers much more knowledgable than me. The thing is this.

1.) pick a platform, become intimately familiar with it. During stress shootings very few officers actually remember aiming during a gunfight. Almost all of it was muscle memory. This can become a life and death thing. So I picked the Sig platform. To be honest, I like the Springfield XD and the CZ line a little better, but in life and death, there is no second chance. I work and train with the Sigs, so I carry Sig. I even have learned to love them.

2.) Once you have picked a platform and have become retartedly good with it, you can pick one other generally and become equally proficient. Many SWAT teams do this. They first must qualify with their "duty" weapon for everyday use and their "tactical" weapon for SWAT use. An example would be the Beretta 92 LAPD uses while those same officers upon donning SWAT gear wear 1911's. The FBI does the same thing with Glock and Springfield's. The logic is, you can master 2 platforms with continual practice and expertise in each. 3 platforms and you begin to fade into a jack of all trades master of none area. Same rules apply for rifle and shotguns...but due to the little amount of shotgun practice you are likely to do....stick with one brand and type. Rifles? They tend to vary with the mission/training/time/etc.

My conclusion. You're friend is half right. THR guys here are half right. You really should pick one platform and master it, THEN expand your skill to one more. Glock and Sig are both great. My preferences tend to run Sig and Beretta. Why? Because in this area, working with the people I do...I am much more likely to encounter a Sig or Beretta than a Glock. Take look at your enviroment. If you are a SO or LEO then you need to consider other agencies you work with, you never know.

Try to thing of handguns as tools and not toys or collectibles....now don't flame guys let me explain. I love Love LOVE to go to gunshows and shops. I love to shoot everything I can get my hands on. I love guns and want to own them all. Reality however is that a handgun is a very grisly, menacing and awful tool. It is designed to produce death or massive injury. The mission of this tool is unlike a hammer or a drill, it has dire consequences if misused and when it is needed, people may die in very short order. Ugly, bloody, twitching deaths. Shootings are horrible to see...if you see one this will tend to sober you up. You will become a much more serious tactician and shooter. Stick with one platform for now. Then get a second. Call it a day there.

my .02;) ;)

[Highland Ranger]

Neither - get an HK

:neener:

[Sgt Stevo]

Being a california subject. I am not allowed to carry anyway. So Iwill stick to both until I can move us out of here., then I will carry just sigs. Thanks for all the info.

[orangeninja]

Sgt Stevo

Hope we helped...read that book though...you may like it.

[Werewolf]

I think it was Robert A Heinlein that said "Specialization is for animals...".

[Ky Larry]

I drive a Ford F-150 pick up. My life depends on how well I can manipulate the controls of this vehicle. However,I occasionally drive my wife's Dodge Intrepid, my mom's Chevy Impala,my neice's Toyota Cellica, my bro-in-laws 1966 Chevelle SS/396 ( Now there's a blast from the past!) and many other vehicles. Same with my guns. I carry a Kimber .45 ACP every day but I also shoot many other guns. Life is too short to be limited. YMMV.

[cratz2]

Well, I grew up think the 1911 was the only way to go and I still basically consider myself a 1911/BHP/CZ guy. I've had positive experience with Kahrs, Berettas, Taurus Beretta copies, Glocks and SIGs.

My general advice to new shooters is that I encourage a consistant trigger pull... Whether that is single action, double action only or the preloaded single action such as the Kahr or Glock... Purely personal preference, but I'd rather carry a gun that required the same trigger pull every time I pulled it. Having said that, I size issues aside, I'd gladly carry any gun I've listed here and would have faith in it.

As for only going with the Glock platform or the SIG platform, I kinda prefer Glocks but I have a SIG on my hip as I type this so I obviously consider the theory kinda a hill of crap. It all comes down to training and familiarity with your carry gun. If I trained day in and day out with a 1911 and maintain a good grip (to disengage the grip safety) and always swipe the thumb safety off every time I draw, I would feel confident in carrying a Glock or a SIG. The opposite isn't true though. If I knew someone had only shot Glocks and SIGs, I wouldn't think of handing them a 1911 or a BHP to carry in a urban combat environment.

My official answer is, tell your friend to take a hike and enjoy your SIG and your Glock. And hopefully a nice 1911 at some point... :p

[Island Beretta]

When I transition from my G19 to the Beretta, the Beretta points low and the DA trigger seems extraordinarily long. I have heard others complain of this too, and I even know an IPSC shooter who now CCWs a pistol that his similar to his 2011 pistols and has sold his Sig 229.

[Heraclitus]

That would be like asking me to give up one of my kids.

Would I give up my G-22 or P-229?... No... Never. And although there is something to be said about fixing your habits on that one special gun, I am certain that if you practice a lot with each of your guns then you will be good with all of them.

However, I do tend to practice a bit harder with whatever my current ccw happens to be. As well I should. (Reaching for the decocker on my SIG when it's the slide release I'm after would be very distressing in a real gunfight.). :uhoh:

[355sigfan]

He is right. Plink with what you want. But carry and shoot the majority of your rounds with one action type. Switching between DA SA to DAO to SA is a bad practice. Anyone who has shot alot knows how much better you can do once you learn your gun. Knowing your guns trigger reset, malfunciton drills ext. Switching back and forth can at the best cause you to shoot worse and at the worst it can get you killed. Say you go from shooting a Glock to a 1911 and don't have your muscle memory trained to flip the safety off. As a firearms instructor I encourage our guys to stick with one gun type for carry. There is nothing wrong with carrying a small glock off duty or for ccw and having a larger one for duty or home defense use. But mixing it up and having a gun for every different outfit is not good.

QUOTEI drive a Ford F-150 pick up. My life depends on how well I can manipulate the controls of this vehicle. However,I occasionally drive my wife's Dodge Intrepid, my mom's Chevy Impala,my neice's Toyota Cellica, my bro-in-laws 1966 Chevelle SS/396 ( Now there's a blast from the past!) and many other vehicles.
END QUOTE

They are not the same. Its not big accomplishment to shoot a lot of guns well. It is however to shoot one well enough to defend your life or the life of a loved one. Fumbling with the windshield washer and not using a stick properly will probably not get you killed. Not flicking the safety off on your 1911 could.

Pat

[arinvolvo]

Fumbling with the windshield washer and not using a stick properly will probably not get you killed. Not flicking the safety off on your 1911 could.

One of the main reason i dont have any cocked and locked handguns...I just want to pull the trigger...not fiddle with safeties.

[355sigfan]

One of the main reason i dont have any cocked and locked handguns...I just want to pull the trigger...not fiddle with safeties.
END QUOTE

Well they are a double edged sword. IF you don't train with them they can get you killed. If you do train hard with 1911's they are the fastest gun into action and the easiest to shoot with speed and accuracy. Hence their dominace in the competative shooting fields and amount the best LEO and Military special responce teams.
Pat

[arinvolvo]

competition sharp shooting is something that the operator has prepared and trained for.

Most people have not prepared and trained to be shot at, or be in the position to defend themselves with deadly force. I can imagine that in a hi-stress life-before-the-eyes situation such as this, Some people would be lucky to successfully unholster their weapon, let alone remember safeties and the like...

muscle memory and training are one thing...but i have never trained for this while being shot at. I dont trust myself to do much more than find my gun, and pull the trigger until slidelock.

People reporting gun fight SD situations, generally tell the same story. tehy dont remember aiming, they dont remember how many shots they fired, etc...

I cant even imagine the kind of mental stress and confusion that would cause such a short term memory dump. So, i cannot begin to know how I or anyone else would react in the same situation. But i can hypothesize that it will not be with the same grace and accuracy of an IDPA shooter.

Henseforth...nothing but a trigger pull for me. No safeties, no lasers, etc.:D

[355sigfan]

Most people have not prepared and trained to be shot at, or be in the position to defend themselves with deadly force. I can imagine that in a hi-stress life-before-the-eyes situation such as this, Some people would be lucky to successfully unholster their weapon, let alone remember safeties and the like
END QUOTE

Agreed. Most people being the key phrase. The 1911 is not a good sidearm for most people. For the dedicated professional however there is nothing better. No matter what kind of person you are. You had better be trained well enough to unholster your weapon and engage the threat or your better off without a gun. People don't rise to the occaision they default to their level of training.
Pat

[arinvolvo]

People don't rise to the occaision they default to their level of training.

That is the prayer that God gets from me every time i holster up. i pray that i never in my lifetime have to use my weapon to defend myself, but if and when i do..i pray that You steady my hand, and harden my heart.

[355sigfan]

From the few shootings I have been able to look at after the fact. I would say that the ability to handle stress is more important than your skill with a gun. We had one trooper who was a marginal shooter. But when a man with a shotgun threatened him. He shot 4 rounds at 4 yards and hit him all in center mass. He was a poor shooter but he did not freeze and he acted as he had been trained. He defalted to his level of training. We also had one trooper who not having worked patrol for several years walked right into an ambush and died. It was sad. I blame the admistration as much as anyone for sending a guy who has not worked the street in 10 years back out without any refresher training. But thats what happened and a good man died. If you keep your head about you you have a better chance of living.

But as the saying goes some times you eat the bear sometimes the bear eats you.
Pat

[Navy joe]

I drive a Ford F-150 pick up. My life depends on how well I can manipulate the controls of this vehicle. However,I occasionally drive my wife's Dodge Intrepid, my mom's Chevy Impala,my neice's Toyota Cellica, my bro-in-laws 1966 Chevelle SS/396 ( Now there's a blast from the past!) and many other vehicles. Same with my guns. I carry a Kimber .45 ACP every day but I also shoot many other guns. Life is too short to be limited. YMMV.

Driving around town going 55 is akin to shooting at one of those public ranges where you are allowed one shot per 3 seconds. Any knucklehead could do well with any gun. Now go drive all those cars to their absolute mechanical limits, tire adhesion being my favorite, and tell me you can do as well with any of them and no refresher training.

Folks that shoot all guns equally well with no break-in period are most likely not shooting at anywhere close to their or their gun's potential. Case in point, you will not see Rob Leatham shooting his Open blaster 1 week before he takes an XD to the Factory Gun Nationals. Wild Bill didn't run out and buy the new-fangled Starr or SAA revos. Stick with what you know, or switch only when you devote the time to re-learning a gun from square one.

[tc300mag1]

I think that would apply more if you were a cop or someone who has to relie on his weapon every day

[355sigfan]

I think that would apply more if you were a cop or someone who has to relie on his weapon every day

END QUOTE


It applies to any one who carries a gun for defense. For me I have serious guns for work those are what I shoot the majority of the time and I shoot them well. Then I have the guns I have for fun. These guns are showed off and shot occaisionally but they are not carried.
Pat

[strambo]

I also think the direction you go with platforms is important. For example, if your primary carry is a Glock and you switch to 1911, you may forget the safety under stress untill your very well trained with the 1911. However, if your primary carry is the 1911 and you tote a Glock on rare occasions, no problem, subconsciously thumbing down a non-existant safety won't matter to a DAO gun.

Trigger pull diferences could throw you off, but again having a longer, heavier trigger than your used to shouldn't hurt under stress, but a light, short trigger your not used to under stress could cause you to miss or hit real low.

[Sgt Stevo]

I put the Question to the test last night. I shoot my Glock 34, then my sig 245. I found that I was not pulling all the way through on the sigs trigger. MY Glock has a 3 lbs trigger. I would pull the trigger in single action on the Sig, and think it did not go off. Then realized, I had not pulled it all the way. Weird. I can see how this would get you hurt. Thanks for all the good info. Bottom line. I must train more and harder. stevo.......

[Werewolf]

Trigger pull diferences could throw you off, but again having a longer, heavier trigger than your used to shouldn't hurt under stress, but a light, short trigger your not used to under stress could cause you to miss or hit real low.

That - my friend - is the understatement of the year.

A while back I switched from a Glock 22 to a Sig P220 for daily carry.

Prior to the switch I spent a lot of time practicing with the Sig - 95% of which was done by pulling the trigger from a hammer back position - i.e. SA. I also practiced the DA pull because that would be the necessary pull with a Sig 220 first shot (unless I cocked the hammer as I drew the weapon which at the time I had decided not to do).

The last thing I did was to practice presentation and double tap. I do this with weapon holstered and someone standing behind me who at a random time yells go.

The first time I did it I almost crapped my pants. I pulled the weapon and made my first shot DA. Now anyone who's ever shot a Sig knows that the DA pull is long and the SA pull is short - for me at least. Anyway after the DA shot my finger naturally returned to the DA position (remember I had been using a Glock for a long time) and nothing was there - no trigger touched my finger because it was now in the SA position about an inch or so farther back from the DA position. I was in double tap mode - it took me a few seconds to realize what was going on and even then I blew the second shot.

That little incident scared the bejeezus out of me because prior to that I was convinced that going from one gun to another wasn't that big of a deal. I imagined what could have happened had I not practiced with the Sig and presentation and been tossed into a real SHTF situation. Lucky for me I knew enough to practice. Now I can go back and forth between a Glock, a Sig and a CZ with ease but it took practice.

[Berg01]

My small arms instructor stressed the point that you need to practice dilligently with any gun that you plan to carry; he never said that you had to limit yourself to one kind of gun; this guy can shoot Glocks or Sigs like I could only dream about. The guns you already own are all high quality pieces; select one that you would want to carry (when you can carry) and then concentrate your training on that one piece; shoot the others for variety and a little fun.

[Angus MacDuff]

You will eventually have both so flip a coin at this time. I do like the G 34 and G 35, but prefer the SIG 220 for .45ACP.

[Brass Balls]

Both!

I have a handful of Glocks and they have all been terrific tools. I only own one Sig a P220 .45 and I like everything about it better than the Glocks except for the double action trigger.