Giving up proficiency in favor of power.

[oldfool]

"Somehow I didn't read it that way"

nor did I
some do that, some don't do that
you and Ankeny don't do that

 

[TonyT]

Very much an individual choice issue as well as ones needs for proper concealment. I carried a Glock-36 for some time but found that i could not conceal relaibly at all times and finally opted for a Kahr PM-9. I still keep 45's in the car and at home and carry the G-36 when applicable. In terms of accuracy one has to remember that one is responsible for every shot from his gun and should choose a weapon which insures proper shot placement.

 

[Ankeny]

It's not worth him reviewing his own thread. I must wonder if the goal of the thread was to be able, after a long discussion, to post that sentence.

I would certainly like answers to these questions:

I have answered most, if not all of the questions posed by "Prosser" along the way. My intent was to simply pose the original question and see how others feel, but of course with the thread drift, folks who don't bother to read the thread before they post, and so forth...the original intent has been lost on some.

I think where I went wrong was assuming that everyone would agree that "proficiency" suffers when certain variables enter into the picture, but it seems not everyone even agrees on the physics involved. From my personal experience, the ability to shoot fast and accurately is diminished when increasing power within the same platform, say going from a really light target load in a .45 steel 1911 to a "self defense load" in the same gun. The same is true when switching calibers like going from a 9mm lightweight commander to a .45 light weight commander. Similar problems arise when one goes to a lighter gun such as going from a steel 1911 in .45 ACP to the same gun in a lightweight alloy version.

As I have posted before, I went from a lightweight commander in 9mm to a steel commander in .45 Auto. As an old school "bigger is better" type of guy, I like the .45 ACP. I have carried 4 different commander sized guns in the last 20 years, two alloy framed .45s, one steel .45 (my current gun) and a 9mm lightweight commander. Of the four, I shoot the 9mm the best. When I went from 9 to 45 I made a conscious decision to sacrifice some "proficiency" in favor of more "power".

The thread isn't about me or about me trying to make a decision. The thread is about folks who have been faced with the decision of whether or not to sacrifice some "proficiency" in favor of "power". I am just curious how people decide which direction to take.

...are always wondering and looking for a better solution to the problem/balance...

Guilty as charged. I guess I just over think things. I think the people who just pick a gun they like, in a caliber they a comfortable and confident with, then practice as they see fit are on the right track. Chances are any gun will do if the person will do...

 

[JohnKSa]

From my personal experience, the ability to shoot fast and accurately is diminished when increasing power within the same platform, ... when switching [to more powerful] calibers ... when one goes to a lighter gun ...

Which means that your experience meshes well with that of other accomplished shooters, that it is in harmony with the laws of physics and that it reinforces the Major/Minor scoring philosophy found in some practical pistol competitions.

I think where I went wrong was assuming that everyone would agree that "proficiency" suffers when certain variables enter into the picture, but it seems not everyone even agrees on the physics involved.

The physics governing recoil are well understood and their validity is not affected in the least by the fact that some people don't agree with/believe/understand them.

You didn't go wrong, you just ran smack up against the fact that people often believe what they want to believe in spite of what the facts say.

 

[9mmepiphany]

You didn't go wrong, you just ran smack up against the fact that people often believe what they want to believe in spite of what the facts say.

This is one of the ultimate truths of the internet forums...unfortunately this also exist in the real world

 

[oldfool]

"I guess I just over think things."

Keep right on thinking, Ankeny. There is no such thing as "over thinking it" except if/when letting it get in the way of yourself whilst the sight picture is getting there.

There are a LOT of us average-joe weekend shooters who will never be on the competition line against you, who benefit by the shared experience, if only via cyberspace... and also benefit by the shared questions.

(no disrespect intended to Prosser who has also contributed much to to our understanding of handgun shooting & caliber performance)

It's a gun forum, and not unlike the guns we shoot, it gets a little HOT every now and then, but the mission, the shared common purpose, is nonetheless the same.

I myself, in spite of already knowing everything worth knowing, have benefited greatly by the multiple perspectives to be found here on THR., even considering the oft delayed reaction time, you know.. "sometimers"

be well, and thanks