Has this ever happened to you?
It's time to go out into the cold, cruel world, so naturally you prepare to don your trusty sidearm. You saunter over to the gun safe, peruse your diverse selection of handguns, and select a one from amongst the throng. You strap on the accompanying holster, load the gun, and slide it into its holster while saying any of the following to yourself:
“This one's dusty. Better carry it for a while.”
“When was the last time I shot this one?”
“Ah, my old friend, how I've missed you.”
“Wow, I'd forgotten this one was in there.”
It's time to go out into the cold, cruel world, so naturally you prepare to don your trusty sidearm. You saunter over to the gun safe, peruse your diverse selection of handguns, and select a one from amongst the throng. You strap on the accompanying holster, load the gun, and slide it into its holster while saying any of the following to yourself:
“This one's dusty. Better carry it for a while.”
“When was the last time I shot this one?”
“Ah, my old friend, how I've missed you.”
“Wow, I'd forgotten this one was in there.”
If this sounds familiar, you're probably a member of the Gun of the Week Club. As a bonafide member of the GWC, your carry gun changes with the phases of the moon. After all, variety is the spice of life. Why limit yourself to a Glock or 1911, when there are Sigs, H&Ks, and Berettas out there? And you have a full range of holsters and other carry accessories for each handgun in your vast collection.
No one knows how many members are in The Gun of the Week Club, but based on the anecdotal evidence of the members I've identified among my thousands of students, I would estimate the number is sizable. As a member of the GWC, you may have plenty of company, but in my opinion, you are making a serious mistake.
Ask yourself, is carrying a handgun a hobby for you? Or a precaution? If it's a precaution, you believe that you may someday be required to use your gun to save a life – yours or someone you care about. When that moment comes, you need every advantage to ensure that you come out on top. The gun you are carrying should be part of that advantage.
In order to be ready to perform under the stress of a life-threatening encounter, your level of proficiency must be high enough that you can use the gun to do what you need to do, automatically and without conscious thought. This is what we call being “unconsciously competent” with your handgun. Your grip on the gun must be consistent as you present it from the holster. The safety, if your gun is so equipped, must come off at the proper time. Your finger must go on the trigger and take the slack out as soon as the gun is on target. The type of gun that you are carrying affects all of these things. You're not going to have time to think about what type of gun is in your holster when your life is in danger. Your hands need to know exactly what the gun feels like, where the controls are, how to bring the sights on target, and how to run the trigger, to avoid giving your adversary any advantage. That's why you should carry the same gun, or at least a variation of the same gun, every time you strap on your sidearm.
This is also why your carry gun should be as simple as possible. A Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P, Walther PPQ, or a similar gun, has only the three essential controls: a trigger, a magazine release, and a slide stop. Fewer controls mean fewer things to think about, which means fewer things to go wrong in a gunfight. If you decide you want a gun with a thumb safety, you have to train with it enough so that you consistently take the safety off while bringing the weapon out of the holster and onto the target.
As a general rule, larger is also better when considering a carry gun. Larger guns have softer springs and larger controls, making them easier to operate. For most people, there is no reason you can't carry a full-sized gun with the proper concealment attire. If your lifestyle requires you to carry a small gun, you'll generally get better results by training first with a full-sized gun, then transitioning to a smaller variation of the same gun once you've mastered the essential skills. For example, train with a Glock 17, then transition to the Glock 26 once you've mastered the larger gun. The skills you built with the full-sized gun will translate over to the smaller model, and you'll achieve proficiency with the small gun after only a little additional training and practice.
There's an old saying, sometimes attributed to Wild Bill Hickok: “Beware the man who owns one gun. He probably knows how to use it.” There is wisdom in mastering one gun instead of becoming a jack-of-all-handguns. If you're a member of the Gun of the Week Club, it's time to turn in your membership card. There is absolutely no advantage to changing your carry gun on a regular basis, and you're potentially putting yourself behind the power curve in a self-defense situation. After all, it's a gun, not a fashion accessory. You want to ensure that you're prepared to defend yourself. Choose your gun accordingly and learn it well.
No one knows how many members are in The Gun of the Week Club, but based on the anecdotal evidence of the members I've identified among my thousands of students, I would estimate the number is sizable. As a member of the GWC, you may have plenty of company, but in my opinion, you are making a serious mistake.
Ask yourself, is carrying a handgun a hobby for you? Or a precaution? If it's a precaution, you believe that you may someday be required to use your gun to save a life – yours or someone you care about. When that moment comes, you need every advantage to ensure that you come out on top. The gun you are carrying should be part of that advantage.
In order to be ready to perform under the stress of a life-threatening encounter, your level of proficiency must be high enough that you can use the gun to do what you need to do, automatically and without conscious thought. This is what we call being “unconsciously competent” with your handgun. Your grip on the gun must be consistent as you present it from the holster. The safety, if your gun is so equipped, must come off at the proper time. Your finger must go on the trigger and take the slack out as soon as the gun is on target. The type of gun that you are carrying affects all of these things. You're not going to have time to think about what type of gun is in your holster when your life is in danger. Your hands need to know exactly what the gun feels like, where the controls are, how to bring the sights on target, and how to run the trigger, to avoid giving your adversary any advantage. That's why you should carry the same gun, or at least a variation of the same gun, every time you strap on your sidearm.
This is also why your carry gun should be as simple as possible. A Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P, Walther PPQ, or a similar gun, has only the three essential controls: a trigger, a magazine release, and a slide stop. Fewer controls mean fewer things to think about, which means fewer things to go wrong in a gunfight. If you decide you want a gun with a thumb safety, you have to train with it enough so that you consistently take the safety off while bringing the weapon out of the holster and onto the target.
As a general rule, larger is also better when considering a carry gun. Larger guns have softer springs and larger controls, making them easier to operate. For most people, there is no reason you can't carry a full-sized gun with the proper concealment attire. If your lifestyle requires you to carry a small gun, you'll generally get better results by training first with a full-sized gun, then transitioning to a smaller variation of the same gun once you've mastered the essential skills. For example, train with a Glock 17, then transition to the Glock 26 once you've mastered the larger gun. The skills you built with the full-sized gun will translate over to the smaller model, and you'll achieve proficiency with the small gun after only a little additional training and practice.
There's an old saying, sometimes attributed to Wild Bill Hickok: “Beware the man who owns one gun. He probably knows how to use it.” There is wisdom in mastering one gun instead of becoming a jack-of-all-handguns. If you're a member of the Gun of the Week Club, it's time to turn in your membership card. There is absolutely no advantage to changing your carry gun on a regular basis, and you're potentially putting yourself behind the power curve in a self-defense situation. After all, it's a gun, not a fashion accessory. You want to ensure that you're prepared to defend yourself. Choose your gun accordingly and learn it well.