If You Had to Pick: Weapon System or Caliber?

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BerettaNut92

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Over the years I found that whether or not I can shoot better is dependent more on caliber than the weapon system itself...

While I like Berettas, HKs, etc., I rather carry a Glock, Sig, XD if they were in 9mm though I'm indifferent (fun but I like my HK and Beretta better) towards those systems. I rather have these than say, a Beretta in .40 or the HK in .45; so long as it's a 9mm, I do quite well with it.

Rifles, I wonder if I'll be happy so long as it's a .223? :eek:

Have you found that whether you shoot better with your favorite caliber and any weapon system, than with your favorite weapon system with any caliber? :uhoh:
 
I've found that platform is more important than caliber. Any weapon system that is comfortable from a shooter's standpoint is going to allow for greater accuracy potential. Using 9mm as an example, do you think more people would shoot more accurately with a Glock 20 sized handgun or a Glock 19 sized handgun? A system that doesn't fit won't work well regardless of caliber.
 
While I an not fond of the type of recoil a .40 gives, I still think the system is more important to me. Give me a good single action anyday and I will certainly do better than with a heavy triggered glock (ny Trigger) or other DAO
 
Have you found that whether you shoot better with your favorite caliber and any weapon system, than with your favorite weapon system with any caliber? :uhoh:
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No.

But if you need help in justifying some recent purchase or sale, I can say "yes" for a small fee.
 
I'm with you, Skunk. Granted, comfortable hand fit has some bearing but over the years I've come to find that I can shoot the spit out of anything in .45acp. 9mm? Doesn't matter if it's a Glock, Beretta, Ruger, whatever, I just can't seem to get the handle. I'm not saying that I can't hit the broad side of a barn with a 9mm but my groups are always tighter with the 45.
 
I don't see how caliber could be a better determinant of performance than the platform could be.

The way a caliber performs is affected very much by the platform. i.e. a .357 snubby performs different (and feels different) than a Mateba or an 8" hunting handgun. Likewise, I'm sure a 9mm will feel different, and perform different, in a Rohrbach than in a Hi-Power. And I can tell you that I definitely shoot a 9mm Hi-Power better than a 9mm P-11.

Likewise, in rifles, my .223 AK will not shoot as well as a 26" .223 varmit boltgun. And an M-4 will make that .223 perform different from an older M-16.

Caliber is a big part of the overal "personality" of a gun, but its far from the only factor.

Likewise, a Rem700 in .243 or 6.5mm will shoot more like a .223 Rem700 than a SU-16 will shoot like a Rem700.
 
That of course, is where good logistical planning comes in.

I like the 9mm and .40 better than the .45. I think I probably shoot the .45 better, it has a torquey push, instead of snaps like 9mm and .40, but logistically, I like the .40.

Ergonomics I think is more important than the caliber. A very ergonomic gun = pussycat to shoot.

What you should do, is go visit Tamara, shoot all her guns, see which one you like, and buy it.:D
 
That of course, is where good logistical planning comes in.
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You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

What you should do, is go visit Tamara, shoot all her guns, see which one you like, and buy it. :D
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Sorry, but none of the ones I have left are for sale. The last non-standard ones (G29, 96D, Mateba, Single Sixes) have all gone away in the last month or two. So sorry. :eek:
 
10-Ring, I knew I knew your answer :neener:

In theory I think you guys are right about ergonomics = the platform making it a pussycat to shoot--like a 1911 (good) vs my old USP45 Compact (bad) making a difference between night and day...but for some reason I just shoot better with the 9mms...which baffles me. Maybe I'm just a wuss and don't control recoil well; I'm not recoil sensitive, but perhaps I just control it poorly???? :confused:

Twoblink, where does logistics come in as far as controlling the weapon?? :confused:
 
I'm sure it also has to do with why I have no girlfriend, and why my rent keeps going up as well :D
 
In "Twoblink" theory,

Your CCW and your hip gun should have the same ergonomics (and preferably the same caliber), same manual of arms. This makes it easier to learn to shoot it well; same gun, same controls, just maybe the CCW is in a smaller package. That being the case, something like a .45ACP might give you a more difficult time, because your CCW might not be so small in a .45, making you choose say.. a 9mm, and that means you are now carrying 2 different loads, not interchangable and interoperable. You are now gonna have to learn (perhaps) the ballistics performance of two different rounds. You also might need to carry 4 mags if you'd like to have 2 spare mags per gun. (Dare I use it.. do you see what a logistical mess that would be??)

Ideally, something like a glock system would be pretty good. Your hip gun is a glock and your ccw is a glock, of the same caliber, and you only need to carry 2 extra mags, as the bigger mags will fit fine in the smaller guns for most glocks of the same caliber. (AFAIK, the USP and USP Compacts don't do this.. what a shame and pathetic oversight)

Why the GP100 is on my list. Operates just like my SP101, and eats the same diet. takedown, trigger feel, manual of arms, internal structure, all the same, just a size difference.

You probably shoot the 9's better because the recoil is not that bad, and the "snap" is not too much for your size and frame. The 40's might be a tad too hot, and the .45's, you might not be used to the torquey push instead of the 9's snap. Not a big deal. Stick with the 9's then...

a 9mm on target is better than a 10mm off target..

Tam, you sold the Mateba?? Did you just have 1 or more?
 
facedown wrote:
I'm not saying that I can't hit the broad side of a barn with a 9mm but my groups are always tighter with the 45.
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For a long time, I would shoot better with .45's than 9's, and that made no sense to me at all. Then I realized that the extra recoil of the .45 was causing me to use a stronger grip and concentrate more in general. It's as if the 9's were just too easy, and I wasn't paying quite as much attention to the shot. Now if I bear down and get in the zone with my 9's, I'm just as accurate. Try pretending its a .45 and see how you do. Of course, if your .45's are all 1911, and your 9's are Sigs, Beretta's, and H&K's, then the issue may actually be platform (grip/trigger/etc.) not caliber. I knew I had to get over it when I couldn't shoot my 9mm STI Trojan 5 as well as my Kimber Tactical.

As far as the general question goes, that's a tough one. There is a correlation between size, caliber, and comfort. The comfort zone for me has been a big question, as I move towards full-time carry and I weigh the diminshing control of small frame large caliber guns. I don't really have the luxury of sticking to one platform, because once my varied work-day concealment criteria are factored in, I have to take what's available.

I prefer .45's, but think that they lose their practicality once the size/weight is reduced to a certain point. I like the feel of my G36 in my hand ...until I go to shoot it (it's new and I'm still getting used to it). If I were in a tense situation and needed to respond very quickly and accurately (especially over more than a 25ft. distance), and I were reaching for gun with a small grip that weighs less than 25 oz., I'd much rather be reaching for a 9 (SIG P239) than a 45 (Glock G36). If there were no other factors, I most enjoy and am usually most accurate with a full size .45.

[Side note: that's the irony of carry: if I knew I was going to be mugged in an alley at very close range (other than not going out that night!), I'd rather have the G36/.45 for the big holes. But if I knew I was going to be in a fast-food joint where someone was going to come in and shoot the place up, and I'd have to try to remove the threat from a 30 ft. distance with a high level of accuracy, I'd want the P239/9. Carry guns present the biggest challenge for me, since you always seems to be giving something up.]
 
I think...

the answer about recoil and grip may be a lot of the answer

I have a Ruger Bisley that I load anywhere from super mild to above 44 mag levels. Two problems with the heavy loads. As above, I tend to anticipate the recoil, which makes a tighter grip, which makes a stiffer trigger pull, which leads to "steering" with the trigger finger

Also, the noise (and probably more, the concussion) is anticipated, so one tends to jerk the trigger rather than squeeze

In a Glock, the 9mm (in terms of felt recoil) is not too much above a .22 IMO. Even the 10mm is pretty smooth shooting in a G20.

You can pattern your misses (assuming they tend toward one area) and figure out the problem.
 
MyRoad

The anticipated recoil aspect is an interesting point. Both guns are Ruger P series so the are very similar in hand-feel. While I load pretty stout rounds for both guns, the difference in recoil is appreciable. I'll try your tip and try to "forget" which gun I'm shooting, pretend they're both .45's.
 
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