fastbolt
Member
You know, I finished my LE career carrying an issued 7+1 capacity compact .45, instead of the issued full-size, all-steel 8+1 capacity .45 pistol. 
(FWIW, I started by carrying an issued .357 Magnum revolver and a 7+1 Colt Commander off-duty ... and carried some assorted hi-cap 9's & .40's as issued weapons during more of the 'middle years' of my career.)
Yes, it might be an advantage to carry more rounds in a magazine load. On the other hand, it might be even more of an advantage to develop a skillset that makes someone feel less dependent on sheer capacity to mitigate a decrease in practical accuracy under stress.
For example, thinking back to some cops I've listened to during one seminar, a couple of them who were using hi-cap pistols stated that at some point in their respective shooting incidents ... after they'd each been seriously injured by an attackers gunfire, and had either not hit their attackers, or hadn't hit them in a critical manner which stopped their continued volitional actions ... they said that they realized they had to start making better aimed shots if they hoped to survive. They did, and did. One of them said that he suddenly realized he had to stop using instinctive shooting and start aiming (after missing with his first 22 shots, at distances he said were later determined to have been as close as 5' and as far as 100').
Training & practice ... and then finding a way to engage in training so you're able to effectively use your skillset under the sort of stresses and demanding conditions that are generally found to occur in actual situations.
This is where folks who are able to participate in properly supervised and designed force-on-force training may discover that "simple" range skills, as developed as they may be, may not be able to be as easily and as effectively accessed & utilized during the chaos of real rapidly changing & dynamic situations.
That said ... I think I'll go in and replace the 5-shot J-frame I slipped into a pocket holster earlier today, and instead belt on my CS45 - with its 6-rd mag capacity. I'm sure I'll get back around to carrying my 9 & 10-rd mag capacity pistols sometime in the next several days.
Capacity is fine for those who prefer it ... as long as they can effectively utilize it, and aren't choosing it so they can miss faster with more rounds.
Every time one of our guys or gals asks me questions about caliber or capacity during a range session, I ask them if they're really satisfied with their demonstrated skills and abilities, right there and then, performing whatever drills we're requiring for quals, etc, and how they think that simply having more rounds (or a "better caliber") might help them if they can't hit their intended threat target.
Then we usually get down to working on improving their shooter skills, abilities & familiarization with whatever it is that they're using in the way of a weapon, caliber & ammunition (and holster!) ... and try to discuss mindset issues, as well.
I usually suggest to folks that they don't let capacity, caliber and firearm platform distract them too much from the actual critical issues and considerations.
Hey, that's just my thoughts, though.
(FWIW, I started by carrying an issued .357 Magnum revolver and a 7+1 Colt Commander off-duty ... and carried some assorted hi-cap 9's & .40's as issued weapons during more of the 'middle years' of my career.)Yes, it might be an advantage to carry more rounds in a magazine load. On the other hand, it might be even more of an advantage to develop a skillset that makes someone feel less dependent on sheer capacity to mitigate a decrease in practical accuracy under stress.
For example, thinking back to some cops I've listened to during one seminar, a couple of them who were using hi-cap pistols stated that at some point in their respective shooting incidents ... after they'd each been seriously injured by an attackers gunfire, and had either not hit their attackers, or hadn't hit them in a critical manner which stopped their continued volitional actions ... they said that they realized they had to start making better aimed shots if they hoped to survive. They did, and did. One of them said that he suddenly realized he had to stop using instinctive shooting and start aiming (after missing with his first 22 shots, at distances he said were later determined to have been as close as 5' and as far as 100').
Training & practice ... and then finding a way to engage in training so you're able to effectively use your skillset under the sort of stresses and demanding conditions that are generally found to occur in actual situations.
This is where folks who are able to participate in properly supervised and designed force-on-force training may discover that "simple" range skills, as developed as they may be, may not be able to be as easily and as effectively accessed & utilized during the chaos of real rapidly changing & dynamic situations.
That said ... I think I'll go in and replace the 5-shot J-frame I slipped into a pocket holster earlier today, and instead belt on my CS45 - with its 6-rd mag capacity. I'm sure I'll get back around to carrying my 9 & 10-rd mag capacity pistols sometime in the next several days.
Capacity is fine for those who prefer it ... as long as they can effectively utilize it, and aren't choosing it so they can miss faster with more rounds.
Every time one of our guys or gals asks me questions about caliber or capacity during a range session, I ask them if they're really satisfied with their demonstrated skills and abilities, right there and then, performing whatever drills we're requiring for quals, etc, and how they think that simply having more rounds (or a "better caliber") might help them if they can't hit their intended threat target.
Then we usually get down to working on improving their shooter skills, abilities & familiarization with whatever it is that they're using in the way of a weapon, caliber & ammunition (and holster!) ... and try to discuss mindset issues, as well.
I usually suggest to folks that they don't let capacity, caliber and firearm platform distract them too much from the actual critical issues and considerations.
Hey, that's just my thoughts, though.
