Posted by Katana8869: What are your requirements for accuracy in a CCW handgun? Or more to the point how accuratly should a CCW holder be able to shoot their choosen firearms? With any of my carry pistols or revolvers, shooting rapid fire, I can keep all of my rounds in a 6" circle at 7 yards. I think that the old 5 shots in 5 seconds within a 5" circle at 5 yards theory is a good benchmark for any CCW handgun, and I look for guns that allow me to do so consistantly. I want to stay within 7" shooting rapid fire at 15 yards. What does everyone else think?
Until earlier this year, I held similar opinions.
In May, I took a nine hour high performance defensive pistol course. After one series of shots at targets for grouping, they dispensed entirely with paper targets and went to torso-sized steel plates.
Any audible hit was a hit.
After a fair amount of one-on-one instructions on the fundamental--stance, grip, sight picture, and trigger control--we fired two shots at each of three targets from left to right, reloaded, and repeated the drill shooting from right to left. The use of three targets provided skill development for shooting at a a moving target or at multiple assailants.
Again, a hit was a hit.
The instructors could complete the cycle in less than four and quarter seconds. That's for twelve hits
and changing the magazine. The reason for the magazine change was to develop the skill to do so very quickly in the event of a malfunction.
Are you looking for pinpoint accuracy or just minute of badguy performance?
Well, you are looking for the accuracy and speed necessary to stop an assailant before he harms you. That's probably two or more hits in a very small fraction of a second after taking about a second and a half to draw.
Let's face it, there often is a good amount of difference between how the average shooter groups with a customized 1911 vs how they may group with a 2" snubby or a micro sized .380.
Two things.
First, how one "groups" was not a measure of merit in the training, and it shouldn't be. Speed, hit probability, avoiding wild shots that endanger others--those are the important things. A perp is not a paper target. For the first time, I understood why my CCW instructor, who is an accomplished target shooter, strongly advised using a blank piece of 8.5X11 paper for practice at seven yards.
Second, when I signed up for the course, the instructors recommended bringing service-sized semi-automatics, even though one of the leaders is a revolver aficionado.
I was able to get by with a four-inch 1911 with an Officer frame. The guys and gals with bigger guns did better.
Personally, I would not rely on a snubby or a micro .380 for personal defense unless I just could not conceal something larger. The limited capacity, short sight radius, and small grip just do not cut it for me.
Again, I do not consider group size, or strive for it, in practice for SD shooting. For targets, it's fun, but not all that useful.
I suggest your taking such a course. It was a real eye-opener.