How fast can you adapt to different handguns?

[trooper]

Hi guys,

there's a question floating around in the back of my head lately...

How easy is it for those of you who own very different handguns to switch between them? After extensively shooting gun A, can you just pick up gun B which has a totally different manual of arms, is vastly bigger/smaller and points differently and continue to shoot equally well?

Do you do things instinctively right if you just feel a certain gun in your hand? If you have two or more different guns you've practiced a great deal with, can you pick up one of them from your nightstand at 3:00 a.m. and instantly adapt to it?

Well, I was just wondering... Thanks for your input.


Regards,

Trooper

 

[Secmat]

These days, I stick with Glocks and revolvers. Grip and shoot action with each keeps any confusion away. When I carried a 1911 daily, my BUG was an Officers ACP. On the range it doesn't really matter because you have the time to pick up the weapon and play with it before you shoot. When carrying, you revert to training when faced with a stressful situation, so it just makes sense to stick with similar action types.

 

[HSMITH]

Yes, I can transition between 1911's, DAO auto's, DA/SA autos, and revolvers without any problems. It took a PILE of shells to get there though. The hard transition was the 1911 to the Glock for me, the grip angle is drastically different. After a couple thousand rounds the Glock and I are old friends, and I have been shooting this 1911 for over 10 years.

 

[MoNsTeR]

I tend to ride the slide stop on a Beretta due to my high-thumb grip. Other than breaking myself of that, I have no problem switching about. Different triggers can present a slight difficulty, but it only takes me a few rounds to adapt. Never understood why grip angle mattered, or how people could forget different control locations...

 

[Kamicosmos]

i don't seem to have much trouble switching between MY guns.
I pick up someone else's gun, and usually the trigger gets me, either lighter or heavier than I'm expecting.

 

[Ankeny]

After extensively shooting gun A, can you just pick up gun B which has a totally different manual of arms, is vastly bigger/smaller and points differently and continue to shoot equally well?

Nope, I can't switch platforms on the spot and continue to shoot "equally well". When I am concentrating on a particular gun, say my STI Open blaster, and I want to transition to a different gun like my CZ 75 Production gun, I need several days of dry fire and a couple of trips to the range to do some timing drills. When I switch from a semi-auto to a revolver, it takes me about two weeks of daily dry fire and several hundred rounds of live fire just to get back into the groove. Going from a wide body 2011 to a single stack 1911 takes just a few minutes. Of course, I am talking about switching guns at a fairly high level of competition.

For informal plinking and/or self defense, I can switch around between guns with no problem. I think most folks would be best served by picking just one gun and practicing if they ever want to get really good.

 

[Sean Smith]

I've found that for whatever reason, going from a lighter trigger like a 1911 to a heavier trigger like a DA revolver takes some getting used to, but going from a heavier trigger to a lighter trigger is pretty easy. But that's just me.

 

[ChickenHawk]

I shoot my Glocks (and my G17 is my HD gun) so much it takes me a couple of shots to get comfortable with any other gun I start to shoot.

I recently switched to my Bersa Thunder as my carry gun, so I make sure I shoot at least 100 rounds through my Bersa during every range trip (weekly) to make that trigger as 'second nature' as my Glocks trigger is.

I love that Bersa, but the Glock trigger is still the sweetest thing going IMHO. I have the 3.5 connector on all my Glocks, though.

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[Jim K]

For the range it doesn't matter. But if you carry a gun for serious purposes (like you testified against the local mob boss), get one gun, and practice with it. You don't play "If it's Tuesday this must be a Glock" while little holes appear in your precious bod.

Jim

 

[tc300mag1]

No prob here i did shoot a firends springfield the other day and the light trigger got me but after 1 mag i had settled in

 

[Smoke]

One of the reasons I advocate choosing one platform and sticking to it....

There is no "adapt" when you have to use the gun in a hurry.

Smoke

 

[cratz2]

Well, I started with 1911s and prefer single actions in general. I would imagine it would be easier from a 'doing things right' perspective to go from cocked and locked to something like the Glock, SIG or Kahr action.

On the other hand, having been on the various forums for a while, it gives me slight pause to see guys that have carried a Glock or a SIG for 10 years talking about getting into carrying a 1911 for the first time... Just something about having presented a carry weapon thousands of times not having to worry or even think about a manual thumb safety or ensuring the grip safety is properly engaged to having to remember all that stuff... I sometimes wonder how many times that needs to be done before the 'extra safeties' are dealt with as second nature.

To answer your question directly though... I have 1911s, a Kahr, a KelTec, a Taurus, a Glock and a couple revolvers including a DAO... At the range, I can transition pretty quickly and be on target but at the present, I'm pretty much in a DAO mindset but if I had to grab a 1911 or a single action CZ type pistol, I would be pretty confident in remembering to do what needs to be done.

Good question though... Many comments have been made about the difference in grip angles between the Glock vs the 1911. At close 'defensive' range, I don't think it matters nearly as much as drawing from concealment and getting on target at 25 yards. And much has been said about transitioning from a long, heavy DA pull to a short, lighter SA pull in pistols, esp the Beretta platform. While I have a lot of experience with the Beretta and Taurus copy, I think generally I'm more of a fan of either a single action pistol or a DAO pistol.

 

[mete]

Your serious gun should always be the same .In an emergency you react as if you have the most familiar gun. I always carry a P7 and I'm sure I would forget to disengage the safety if I was carrying a 1911.The same thing is true for automobiles .A perfect example was when my brother was driving my aunts car, but in an emergency he reacted as if it were his own. that was good for laughs.

 

[cslinger]

I am not an expert with any handgun by any means.

That being said I can pick up just about any make, model or caliber of handgun and be more than combat accurate and know how to make it function or clear a malf.

One exception to this rule that I have found is the Beretta Tomcat in .32. I can't shoot that little bas......sucker to save my life. I might as well just throw that tiny little hunk of metal at an assailant. I don't know what it is. Even when I conciously try to shoot well, trigger control, breath front sight etc. bahhhhhhhh. Everybody around me shoots the darn things just fine but not me brother.

 

[tlhelmer]

I'll throw my 2 cents in on this topic.

Mainly it depends upon controls and the type of action on the gun.

For target practice I can adapt pretty quickly. If your talking about drawing from a holster and shooting quickly, it takes me a little longer.

If you throw in a manual safety ie. 1911 thumb safety it takes many repetitions. Sometimes I even find myself trying to decock my Glocks. My primary weapon for duty use is the Beretta 96G.

 

[TN-popo]

My experience is the same as Ankenys. I like 1911s and love Glocks, but trigger manipulation between the two can screw me up for the first few mags after switching between the two.
I'm not talking about just punching paper, but during more "speedy" drills.

"Beware of the man with one gun."

 

[Mannlicher]

I don't think about this stuff on a regular basis, but I am able to transition between my carry guns with no problems. I know that I take a long time before a new gun moves into the rotation, but once I am comfortable with it, the new gun takes it's place with the others.

 

[BluesBear]

I dryfire at least 25 rounds each and every day. Usually more and usually different guns.

I am of the belief that you MUST "become as one" with each serious gun you have. It then becomes second nature to adapt to the difference between each.

After all you don't hug your mother exactly the same way you hug your sweetheart do you?
(Hopefully you never get confused in this.)

 

[Morgan]

Front sight.

Press.

Works with pretty much everything. Nothing wrong with keeping it simple by using the same gun for concealed and duty carry (or same gun pretty much all the time).

 

[Hal]

Depends on how many rounds it holds.

 

[JPM70535]

for years I carried only DA revolvers so there was no problem. Transitioning from them to DA/SA Autos took a little time primarily due to the different grip angle. Trigger pull was never a problem, since in an emergency situation, operation was the same, draw and pull the trigger.( I always carried S&W autos with safety off) When I added the 1911 platform it took several months before wiping the safety off on the draw became second nature. When the plastic wonder (Glock) arrived on scene I bought a model 23. Although it shoots well and never jams, if I had to draw from concealment in an emergency, (which since I don't carry Glocks is moot) the difference in grip angle always makes the pistol point high.

I still carry S&W Autos on occasion, however most of the time I carry either a Para LDA or a Model 649 S&W and have no problem switching back and forth. For the new shooter sticking with one type of platform makes more sense.

Beware the man who has only one gun!

 

[shooter1]

I carry Glocks, Kimbers, Smiths, and Kel tecs. I shoot straight thumbs which wipes the safety on the 1911s. For combat purposes there is no pratical difference for me. The mag releases are pretty much the same, so no problem there. On the range I might shoot one better than the other on any given day. It depends a lot on which one I've had the most range time with lately.
Will

 

[ChickenHawk]

Well (not flaming just commenting) I gotta play "I doubt you" on that point.

Since I also have both, I can't believe you shoot any of your Glocks and your Kel-Tecs the same way. The Kel-Tec is a great example of a trigger that is excruciatingly long ... especially if you shoot your Glock a lot more making that the trigger you are more used to.

There has to be some mental transition when you switch from one to the other.

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[shooter1]

If on the range shooting quals, yep, there's a big difference. If I yank it out of my pants to shoot a bad guy, nope. I assure you, in a fight for your life situation, you can't tell a 2# pull from a 20#!
Will

 

[gabeodog]

My only problem is different site pictures. like from my glock to my Sig, or my sig to my TLE. But i still do well.