What handgun will make me a better shooter?

The one you dry fire about 10,000 times.

I agree with the revolver idea, but for a "practice" revolver, I'd opt for a full sized one, as it'd be easier to learn what it can teach you. A 4" .357mag or .38spl would be a good choice.

And yeah, dry fire a bunch. Easy to do with a CF revolver.

Dry fire and a cheap laser sight or pointer will give you great visual feedback on your trigger pull.

Remington R51 (don't laugh; I shoot it better than my Hi Power, presently )

Much more emphasis on practice, though. Practice will not necessarily make you better, since some guns do actually have limitations, but you will at least learn what you need at that point.

TCB

Air gun built like the "real deal" that you can practice with a lot for cheap. Will give you good control of the gun, then you just control trigger and your done.

A decent (e.g. spring) pellet pistol and a home pellet trap. Shoot every day.

Really good guns. I didn't realize how much difference it made until I proved it to myself.

I went to the range one morning many years ago. I had two 22 revolvers with me. A Harrington and Richardson 620 (IIRC), and a Smith & Wesson Model 17-3. Both are D/A-S/A 22 revolvers with 6" barrels, but at opposite ends of the spectrum. I started off with the H&R and I was all over the place. I was having a really bad day at the range so I started to pack up and go home, but decided to shoot the Model 17 a little. My groups shrank dramatically, and I mean DRAMATICALLY. Same shooter, ammo out of the same box, same distance. Only the gun changed.

I've sold that 17-3 since then but I've learned the joy of really good guns. Today, other than a Smith & Wesson Model 12, I carry, these are about the only handguns I've got.



The upper one is a S&W K-38 Masterpiece. It and it's cousin below, a K-22 Masterpiece are delightful to shoot. They make even me look like I know what I'm doing.

There are a few good suggestions here but none of us can really say what's best if we don't know what part of your shooting you'd like to improve. You mentioned carry guns. If this is where you need improvement then all of your practice fire should start from a secured holster under a covering garment. If all you really need is improvement in is your slow fire bullseye shooting then you don't need to worry about achieving a shooting grip and then a proper draw and presentation, you can just grab the gun from the shooting bench and adjust your grip as needed.

The old saying goes that "Practice makes perfect". Most of us know that this isn't really true, its perfect practice that makes perfect. If you're doing something "wrong" or maybe just a little sloppy in your practice that will become your trained response. For this reason I would get a shooting coach. You don't have to spend a week at Gunsite (that would be ideal) but a few sessions with a qualified instructor may turn up some small problems that you aren't even aware of. If you can't get a real instructor just get some of your shooting buddies to watch you and maybe one of them will see something that you're missing. Good luck and good shooting!

If the idea is to become better with your carry gun, then the rimfire the comes closest to that gun would be the one to choose for plinking and fun shooting (and without spending a fortune on ammo).

I don't suggest practice with a gun very different from your carry gun; you might get things wrong when you shouldn't, like trying to figure out where the safety is on your Model 60.

Jim

I stick to one platform(DA/SA) for two sidearms both with identical configurations and a DAO as an EDC.

.22lr pistols are just fun guns for me so they only get shot as such.

If you honestly think that any particular gun is going to "make you a better shooter", I'm afraid that you're in for a disappointment. It doesn't work that way.

Hurryin' Hoosier said:

If you honestly think that any particular gun is going to "make you a better shooter", I'm afraid that you're in for a disappointment. It doesn't work that way.

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^ This.

The old saying goes that "Practice makes perfect". Most of us know that this isn't really true, its perfect practice that makes perfect.

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I fully agree......................
It doesn't matter which handgun you choose to practice the principals. The key is to master the principal skills. If you make a list of the principal skills, practice them one at a time and then gradually bring them together as a set, you will have a good starting point.
Most novice shooters try to lump grip, sight picture, trigger management, stance, breathing into the introductory phase as a single package. Unless there's a coach standing by, that's a mistake. Practicing each of those skills one at a time in dry firing environments until they are rote is the first step. Next step is taking them to the range.
I'd forget about the laser sight suggestion. It will only exaggerate your unsteadiness and frustrate your efforts to improve. The laser sight will help you hold center mass but for premier accuracy they are of no real benefit. I can point shoot at 25 yards as accurately as I can sight on target with a laser.
Once you've fairly well mastered one gun, start working with others. My suggestion for a beginning shooter is the S&W .38 revolver (whether it's a K Model or something newer doesn't matter) firing single action from about 15 yards. Move gradually out to 25 yards and when you can put ten shots in an eight inch circle shooting off hand (with both hands on the gun) repeat the process with double action.
From there you can start practicing with other guns with some confidence.

Practice may not make perfect, but a lot of practice with a .22 is better than the all too common practice of buying a "defense" gun, firing a magazine or cylinder, then sticking the gun in a holster (or a dresser drawer) and never firing it again because the ammo is too expensive to "waste".

Jim

I really can't answer your question about any particular handgun being good to teach better shooting but personally, besides the obvious, trigger technique was one of the most important things I had to learn about shooting a firearm accurately and precisely. The Ruger SR45 trigger helped me improve my trigger technique. It has no noticeable breaking point. I hated it at first but soon learned it's merit. I was used to a decisive breaking point so I had to work on my trigger technique. IMO, short of having a handgun with no noticeable breaking point in the trigger, live fire with randomly placed dummy rounds in the magazine is a great way to improve trigger technique also dry firing using a mounted laser or just dry firing alone helps. Each will quickly show if you are jerking, pulling or anticipating discharge.

Start with one that fits your hands.

Loads of people are too quick to recommend their favorite handgun to everyone else. Personally, I can't stand Glocks. But when a friend was shopping, he found the Glock fit his hands the best. I recommended he get it and he did.

Research handgun fit, then go shopping. What everyone else likes doesn't mean jack if it doesn't fit your hands.

Once you find several models that fit, choose one of those that has a decent trigger and sights. Everything else is gravy.

Dry fire....and lots of it

What will make you a better shooter is SHOOTING. Actually, the best shooters start out that way...they just understand the entire shooting experience...they visualize the bullet's arc to the target, they LOVE the recoil so caliber matters not.
So...there it is.

If you already have a bunch of guns, buying more is not going to make you a better shooter.

Buy ammo and practice. Dedicate more time to practice. Get a laser training device and practice at home when no one is around.

If you are really motivated, get some pro training.

If you really just want a new gun to play with, a DA/SA S&W or Ruger revolver is a good way to master trigger control.

A good DA revolver with a Crimson Trace laser grip. I've got a Ruger KLCR snubby w/ CT and I can get quality dryfire practice virtually anytime, anywhere. The laser tattles on any trigger mis-management or laziness in form, things that could easily go unnoticed with standard dryfire practice. It allows the perfect practice required to develop good habbits. The snubby is the most unforgiving gun to shoot, if you get good with it, you should be even better with larger guns.

As great as it is to have an understudy .22 for practice, the triggers are generally heavier than the centerfire versions and given the dearth & high cost of .22 ammo these days, I think a laser grip for dryfire and additional ammo for live fire practice is a better investment towards improved shooting skills.

In a larger gun, a 6" or even longer barreled medium frame with good target sights really allow one to do their best. Ramped front sights don't work for me at all, patridge, undercut patridge or fiber optic sights work best ime.

I have no doubt at all that my time shooting my DA S&W's has helped a lot with all the other guns. It taught me to use a nice smooth pressure build and to carry through after the shot.

On the other hand if we are thinking that a really strong DA pull is going to teach us that much more then I'm a little doubtful. I've got a couple of DA/SA H&R revolvers. The DA pull is so hellacious that the pressure on the trigger can't help but move the gun in my grip so that the gun jumps this way or that when the trigger finally does break. With larger and more supportive grips that might change. But with the little skinny grips I'd have to say that there is a point where a heavy trigger is TOO heavy.

As pointed out the first thing is to choose a handgun with proven accuracy. Mine is a S&W Model 10 38 Special.

The second thing is the fundamentals are the same regardless of the firearm.

Third as pointed out you want to reinforce the good fundamentals. Forget about shooting a set number of rounds. You are much better ahead by shooting 40 rounds properly then 100 rounds as you get tired.

Fourth start close. 7 yards. Practice until you can put ALL of your rounds in a nice tight hole in the X and 10 Ring. Then move the target out to 10 yards and repeat the same exercise. As you move the target farther out your groups at first will be larger as your shooting errors show up. Again keep practicing until you are getting that nice round hole in the middle of the target.

When my handgun shooting gets sloppy I break out the Model 10 and practice just what I describe. My Model 10 has proven accuracy so the holes in the target don't lie.

But if I really want to become a better shooter across ALL handgun platforms what should I gravitate towards?

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A 4" S&W .38 DA revolver, like the model 10. Learn to shoot it DAO, and you will be a better shooter overall.

Skip the gadgets and gizmos, and put that money towards a good set of grips that properly fit your hands, and ammo.

Learning to shoot DAO, will take away trigger phobia, and with any gun you shoot, not just handguns.