My 'one gun' theory blown out of the water

Jayne

Jayne

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My working theory for the last 5-ish years was to try to use 'one gun'. That's not that practical for competition and carry so I've been exclusively training/competing with a G34 and carrying a G26, both equipped with the same sights. I was thinking that skills on the G34 would directly transfer to the G26, same(ish) grip, same squishy trigger, same square ergos, same sight picture. More recoil, so slower follow-ups but otherwise 'the same'.

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I don't shoot the G26 on the clock much, but I wanted to see how much harder it would be to do the IDPA 5x5 qualifier with than the G34. Turns out, it's a lot harder. I got expert with the G34, and with the G26... was pretty much in the 'thanks for playing' category. Embarrassing.

For uninteresting reasons, I ended up with a 43x in a trade and it's got the same sight setup as the G34/G26, so I thought I would try that out as it's got more of a full grip than the G26, should make the mag changes easier. With the 43x I was embarrassing myself even further. Shots going 6" low at 10 yards, missing headshots, missing plate racks, just total noob garbage. Pick up the G34 and I'm a rock star again. Pick up anything else, it's sadness.

I'm going to dryfire the crap out of the 43x to see if I can figure out how to shoot thing thing, but my "a glock is a glock" theory is gone. Apparently puting 90%+ of my centerfire pistol rounds through 1 gun for the last 5 years has enabled me to shoot... 1 gun.
 
Jayne said:
Apparently puting 90%+ of my centerfire pistol rounds through 1 gun for the last 5 years has enabled me to shoot... 1 gun.
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Beware of the man with…

wait for it…

One gun.
 
fieldgrade said:
Beware of the man with…

wait for it…

One gun.
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He may NOT be afraid to detonate it! ALOHA SNACKBAR!!! 🤣🤣🤣

how-a-glock-works.gif
 
fieldgrade said:
I can shoot a G43 better than I can a G34. Weird ain’t it.
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What's weirder....

I can shoot all these pretty much the same..

G19, 19x, 45, 34, 43, 43xMOS, 20, and 40

(With the notable exception that longer range shots are much faster/better groups with the optics equipped 34/43x/40.)

But the 48, for some reason I shoot left. Consistently.....and it ain't the sights....


Maybe I suck equally with all of them though lol
 
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RR said:
But the 48, for some reason I shoot left. Consistently.....and it ain't the sights....
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I haven’t heard of anyone who really likes a 48, including me, and I have one.

I do have a tendency to drift Glock rear sights just a smidge to the right, but not on all of them. Vickers has even talked about this phenomenon.
 
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fieldgrade said:
I haven’t heard of anyone who really likes a 48, including me, and I have one.

I do have a tendency to drift Glock rear sights just a smidge to the right, but not on all of them. Vickers has even talked about this phenomenon.
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It feels good in the hand. And I shoot nice consistent groups with it. Just left of the 10 ring.

At fighting distances not enough to matter but enough to annoy me.

It MAY be the trigger. It's got some sort of fancy aftermarket. Can't remember which. Got it in trade. The stock trigger is in the box though and may go back in it soon. My 43 and 43x have stock triggers. And the 43 is a laser.
 
RR said:
It feels good in the hand. And I shoot nice consistent groups with it. Just left of the 10 ring.

At fighting distances not enough to matter but enough to annoy me.

It MAY be the trigger. It's got some sort of fancy aftermarket. Can't remember which. Got it in trade. The stock trigger is in the box though and may go back in it soon. My 43 and 43x have stock triggers. And the 43 is a laser.
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I have a souped up trigger in my 48. Can’t remember which flavor of the month. It was underwhelming stock, and is underwhelming hotrodded.

Trigger feels better, but the boo-lets still go where they want. Could be me.

I like everything about the gun, except my ability to put rounds on target as well as I think I should with it.
 
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I don’t know if this directly applies to your situation or not but I’ll share the crooked path I’ve been on the last few years. I shot autos, mostly .45’s, for a number of years. 1911’s and I also had a Glock 36 I shot fairly well. I decided to have a more open mind and try something in 9mm For the (then at least) cheaper cost of factory ammo. I went through a few different formats from Kahr to Glock to M&P, Hi-Power etc. I just never could put my hands on anything that I felt I could shoot adequately. I loved the feel of the M&P but my groups looked like a shotgun let loose on the target. I could get past the looks and banality of Glocks but after two 19’s and a 17 that I couldn’t shoot for crap I decided I didn’t like the grip angle and they didn’t like me.

I decided to dump all the autos and I bought a Smith Model 66. I bobbed the hammer so I‘d be forced to shoot DAO. Smith purists, don’t get too excited about desecrating a fine weapon, it’s a 66-8 with a lock and MIM parts 😁! I’ve shot the piss out of that gun and a couple other wheelguns exclusively for about five years now. My CCW is a revolver, too.

Whats occurred in the last few years is I’ve learned to shoot a lot better. I’m not gonna go challenge Leatham to a match, but I believe shooting a revolver only in DA has certainly improved my fundamentals.

Recently I stumbled on a beater gun deal I couldn’t walk away from. Friend was selling a G19 cheap and I needed a cheap truck gun. Took it to the range and, whaddya know, Glocks like me now. I bought a P365 for occasional carry. I still feel like I’m cheating on my wife or something, shooting a bottom feeder after a long time swearing them off 😂. But I can honestly say, for me at least, that shooting the hell out of a revolver has made me a better shooter with other guns. I hope you find a solution to your troubles.
 
Just Tripp said:
I don’t know if this directly applies to your situation or not but I’ll share the crooked path I’ve been on the last few years. I shot autos, mostly .45’s, for a number of years. 1911’s and I also had a Glock 36 I shot fairly well. I decided to have a more open mind and try something in 9mm For the (then at least) cheaper cost of factory ammo. I went through a few different formats from Kahr to Glock to M&P, Hi-Power etc. I just never could put my hands on anything that I felt I could shoot adequately. I loved the feel of the M&P but my groups looked like a shotgun let loose on the target. I could get past the looks and banality of Glocks but after two 19’s and a 17 that I couldn’t shoot for crap I decided I didn’t like the grip angle and they didn’t like me.

I decided to dump all the autos and I bought a Smith Model 66. I bobbed the hammer so I‘d be forced to shoot DAO. Smith purists, don’t get too excited about desecrating a fine weapon, it’s a 66-8 with a lock and MIM parts 😁! I’ve shot the piss out of that gun and a couple other wheelguns exclusively for about five years now. My CCW is a revolver, too.

Whats occurred in the last few years is I’ve learned to shoot a lot better. I’m not gonna go challenge Leatham to a match, but I believe shooting a revolver only in DA has certainly improved my fundamentals.

Recently I stumbled on a beater gun deal I couldn’t walk away from. Friend was selling a G19 cheap and I needed a cheap truck gun. Took it to the range and, whaddya know, Glocks like me now. I bought a P365 for occasional carry. I still feel like I’m cheating on my wife or something, shooting a bottom feeder after a long time swearing them off 😂. But I can honestly say, for me at least, that shooting the hell out of a revolver has made me a better shooter with other guns. I hope you find a solution to your troubles.
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There is a lot of truth to this.

For years my carry guns were various 3-4" GP100s or 2-3" SP101s. Carrying and shooting DA revolvers made me a better shooter overall.
 
RR said:
There is a lot of truth to this.

For years my carry guns were various 3-4" GP100s or 2-3" SP101s. Carrying and shooting DA revolvers made me a better shooter overall.
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I agree 100%. I gradually migrated from semi's to a 3" SP. No regrets.
 
Jayne said:
That was the conclusion at the range, but I'm not sure I can swing AIWB with the G34. I'll end up looking happy everywhere I go.
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While I do occasionally carry my (Zev'd out) G34.....

Carrying it AIWB isn't in the cards. LOL
 
Just Tripp said:
Whats occurred in the last few years is I’ve learned to shoot a lot better. I’m not gonna go challenge Leatham to a match, but I believe shooting a revolver only in DA has certainly improved my fundamentals.
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Makes sense to me. The G34's weight is likely hiding problems with my trigger control and the little guns let it be known.
 
Jayne said:
Makes sense to me. The G34's weight is likely hiding problems with my trigger control and the little guns let it be known.
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For awhile there, I was going back and forth between a 21 and a 19. The cycle rate really seemed to throw me off. Lately I have experienced the same going between the 34 and the 26.
 
frakncylons said:
For awhile there, I was going back and forth between a 21 and a 19. The cycle rate really seemed to throw me off. Lately I have experienced the same going between the 34 and the 26.
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I owned a pair of G34s a few years ago and the G34 felt, more or less, clunky. I don't know how else to explain it.
 
Jayne said:
My working theory for the last 5-ish years was to try to use 'one gun'. That's not that practical for competition and carry so I've been exclusively training/competing with a G34 and carrying a G26, both equipped with the same sights. I was thinking that skills on the G34 would directly transfer to the G26, same(ish) grip, same squishy trigger, same square ergos, same sight picture. More recoil, so slower follow-ups but otherwise 'the same'.

View attachment 370838

I don't shoot the G26 on the clock much, but I wanted to see how much harder it would be to do the IDPA 5x5 qualifier with than the G34. Turns out, it's a lot harder. I got expert with the G34, and with the G26... was pretty much in the 'thanks for playing' category. Embarrassing.

For uninteresting reasons, I ended up with a 43x in a trade and it's got the same sight setup as the G34/G26, so I thought I would try that out as it's got more of a full grip than the G26, should make the mag changes easier. With the 43x I was embarrassing myself even further. Shots going 6" low at 10 yards, missing headshots, missing plate racks, just total noob garbage. Pick up the G34 and I'm a rock star again. Pick up anything else, it's sadness.

I'm going to dryfire the crap out of the 43x to see if I can figure out how to shoot thing thing, but my "a glock is a glock" theory is gone. Apparently puting 90%+ of my centerfire pistol rounds through 1 gun for the last 5 years has enabled me to shoot... 1 gun.
Click to expand...
Actually, I think you've proven the one gun theory. The two guns G26 and G34 are NOT the same. Similar, but not the same in ergonomics, slide timing, sight radius, balance, etc., etc... You shoot the best with the one you put the most rounds through and are most familiar with.
 
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georgel said:
Actually, I think you've proven the one gun theory. The two guns G26 and G34 are NOT the same. Similar, but not the same in ergonomics, slide timing, sight radius, balance, etc., etc... You shoot the best with the one you put the most rounds through and are most familiar with.
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Exactly. If you spent 5 years shooting only the Glock 26 at the range and in competition you would likely not perform as well with the 34 when you pulled it out of the closet randomly.
 
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Truth is you shoot a 34 really really well.
And you shoot a 26 well.

This is as it should be. Or Bob Vogel/Taran/etc would all just shoot 26’s or other tiny guns.
Longer larger guns are easier to shoot faster and more accurately. If they all shot the same, glock wouldn’t make a 17/34 etc.
A 6” K frame is easier to shoot well than a J frame.
Eh?

I agree a DA revo is the most challenging handgun to shoot well. But it (mastering a DA revo trigger) will never make a J frame shoot like a K frame.
 
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NKD said:
Longer larger guns are easier to shoot faster and more accurately.
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NKD said:
A 6” K frame is easier to shoot well than a J frame.
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NKD said:
(mastering a DA revo trigger) will never make a J frame shoot like a K frame.
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Everything posted is 100% correct!!!^^^^ Now for the NaySayers that will read that and come to the conclusion that the short guns are Not accurate...you are Not accurate......See @NKD never once said, as in the short auto posts yesterday, that they were not accurate. He simply points out Correctly that they are HARDER to shoot accurately.
Out of a Ransom Rest a 2 inch Model 10 shoots the same groups a 6 inch Model 14 does. ....................................Hard to prove when actually shot by a person.
 
A good friend of mine shoots a model 26 better then any other glock you put in his hand, and carries a revolver ( typically a Gp100) most of the time.

We came to the conclusion, in his case anyway, it has alot to to with the subtle grip angle difference between the 17, the 19, and the 26...

He is also well over 6 foot tall and a big dude. So it goes to show you never know until you try something.
 
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I'm grabbing a 5" m&p for this reason. Ive shot a cz p01 almost exclusively for the better part of 7 months. Dry fry practice and range practice on the regular. Pick up my buddies m&p for the first time and I'm making 25 yard shots (something I've never done) that m&p added a solid 15 yards to my effective range.

If you have some gen 3s laying around I'd try out some of those lone wolf frames where you can have a g26 upper and a g19 or g17 lower. See if it's the grip length or the sight radius / lack of recoil for that long slide. You might be able to narrow it down and have a "compromise carry" gun.

I'm a newbie so take this with a grain of salt lol.
 
I have quite a few handguns that I use for a variety of applications. I even have duplicates for some models. Time at the range has shown me that I shoot some individual handguns better than others. I even shoot handguns of the same model a bit differently at times. Putting a good bit of time shooting a variety of handguns has allowed me to come up with several handguns that I can shoot much more effectively than the others I have. I agree that it is not the bow but the Indian, but sometimes the Indian needs to find the right bow.

I was shooting a Wild Bunch match several years ago when one of the shooter's 1911 malfunctioned. I loaned him a spare 1911, a stock Kimber Custom II if I recall correctly, to finish the match. He commented when he returned it to me after the match that it seemed as if he could not miss with that pistol. Evidently he shot it better than his own 1911. Same Indian with a different bow.

I was shooting falling plates in an Action Pistol match with a pair of my Cowboy revolvers, 357 Ruger New Vaqueros for this match. They were both stock from the factory and about as identical as they could be. I hit the plates a whole lot better with one than with the other even though both have always shot to point of aim equally well. Again, same Indian, different bow.
 
This whole “big gun and a little gun” concept used to be about using “similar” enough guns that the benefits of competition or training with a service-sized gun wouldn’t be totally lost in a carry gun.

It only works a little. Not a lot. You build good basic habits and fundamentals just by competition or training, but the big gun never, ever gets you used to the limitations of the little gun. A K/L frame does little to develop muscle memory for a J frame grip or trigger. That little G26 is a whole different beast out of the holster than the G34 in every aspect but the trigger—the master grip and draw is different, the dominant and support hand technique is different, the reloads are tougher, it cycles differently, and the sight radius is much shorter.

It honestly works better in reverse. Dryfire consistently with the little gun, and all of a sudden, the big gun is comparably easier to draw, shoot quickly, and reload.
 
As a reminder, if we're talking defensive firearm uses, there IS such a thing as 'good enough'. i.e. You don't need one ragged hole at 7 yards or one MOA; you just need center mass or minute of bad guy. Paper punchers often forget this. :)
 
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surrealone said:
As a reminder, if we're talking defensive firearm uses, there IS such a thing as 'good enough'. i.e. You don't need one ragged hole at 7 yards or one MOA; you just need center mass or minute of bad guy. Paper punchers often forget this. :)
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“Minute of bad guy” is T-zone or heartbox. No more.

Training to any lower standard is banking on a psychological stop (with or without firing a shot) or pure luck (e.g. pelvic girdle damage, low hit to CNS). You only get to play the “anywhere near center mass is good enough” card if you’re running a gauge with an open bore and quality buckshot.

I’ve only seen three things immediately end fights with any sort of dependability. Shotguns, quality pepper spray, and dogs. People bodyshot with pistols or glanced on the skull still are very much happy and able to continue fighting if they so desire.
 
More dryfire and some range time today. It sucks less, but still 1/3 the accuracy of the big gun.

One day at a time.

Just frustrating, haven't been this crappy with a pistol in a while.


Ah, but one positive. With the significantly smaller grip I can actually eject the mag without moving my hand at all so I'm fumbling less reloads. I've probably done 1000s of reload drills in the G34 vs. dozens with the 43x and the 43x is already pretty smooth. Losing that fumbling is a bonus.
 
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Jayne said:
More dryfire and some range time today. It sucks less, but still 1/3 the accuracy of the big gun.

One day at a time.

Just frustrating, haven't been this crappy with a pistol in a while.


Ah, but one positive. With the significantly smaller grip I can actually eject the mag without moving my hand at all so I'm fumbling less reloads. I've probably done 1000s of reload drills in the G34 vs. dozens with the 43x and the 43x is already pretty smooth. Losing that fumbling is a bonus.
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Just borrow my 42 for a couple weeks and walla: 26 mastery.
 
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