How important is sticking to the same gun?

[Lior]

Dear fellow people who shoot things for fun,

One of the temptations in our noble sport is to throw money at a problem and try to mess around with our tools when shooting time is rationed.

In the past three years I have been running a CZ75 SP01 Shadow, which I consider to be a fairly decent gun. Lately I have purchased a S&W M&P Pro for carry and duty use and I ran it in training and in a match to see what it would be like and gain confidence with my everyday antipersonnel piece. Both of these guns are set up for Standard Division, minor power factor, and I am fairly infatuated with the M&P, which despite being a cheaper gun I consider to be just as good for our game as the Shadow - at least in my hands.

Shooters wiser and more experienced than me recommend using a metal framed gun for sports and not zigzagging between multiple platforms. I'm a C class shooter at present and enjoy the sport. I also shoot 10m air pistol, but I doubt that will ever interfere with my practical shooting skills (except for training time lost).

So how much am I inhibiting myself by not restricting my training and matches to a single gun platform? Should I stick to the Shadow for the whole season? Your opinions are welcome.

[mgardner]

It's good to know how to shoot as many platforms as possible. You'll find what suits you. I don't throw money at problems, but am fascinated by mechanical devices and love to tinker. No matter what I shoot or what division I shoot I'm an old B class shooter and no amount of money seems to change that. Maybe the money for new knees would help. LOL

[Rob Tompkins]

For me and others I've observed, shooting a single platform (i.e., all Glocks, all M&P's, 2011/1911's, etc. but not necessarily the exact same gun allows for faster and greater skills development.

However, some amount of experimentation in necessary to find a good ergonomic match to start with as well as to see if things have changed.

When I or others have changed platforms I've observed or personally had some amount of "set back" but you get past it.

Having said that, I shoot what I enjoy, a 9mm 1911 in IDPA, a stock M&P 9 Pro in 3-gun, and a 40 cal 1911 in USPSA until a few months ago when I went to my M&P 40 Pro in USPSA w/ modified trigger (but only until my 2011 is finished). Over the past year I'd say 75% of pistol shots fired were from a 1911 of some sort, most of rest were from an M&P of some sort and few from odd's ends (M41, PT111, revolvers) when plinking with friends.

[techj]

While I understand the benefits of a single platform I enjoy variety and personally prefer a larger group of guns to choose from for both range fun as well as competition. But then again I don't take the competition part as seriously as a lot of others,

[daves_not_here]

I think you should experiment.

Do you get better match results from the M&P or CZ? Run with whatever gets you better results = Use the tool that works better.

You'll like the results and the gun, enjoy the sport more and shoot more. This happy cycle will make you a better shooter.

Try other things every once in a while because your shooting style will change. You may end up running your CZ or something completely different.

DNH

[joshxdm9]

When I first started shooting competitively I bought glocks, spingfields, and a couple 1911's. I would shoot 1911 and xdm at steel challenge matches glocks and xdms in uspsa and idpa. Then started shooting 3gun using the xdm's. I shot pretty decent at most matches but changing platforms all the time I think was keeping me from being able to improve as a competitive shooter. I had a grand master shooter at our local club tell me PICK A GUN practice with it and stick with it. So I kept my xdm 5.25 9mm for steel and 3gun and bought a xdm 5.25 in .40 for uspsa limited division because the xdm platform fit me the best. I would have loved to stayed with the 1911 but could not afford a 2011 .40 for uspsa. I can honestly say it has made me a better shooter sticking with the same platform in multiple shooting sports. I still plink here and there with other guns but when practicing training or competition it's all xdm for me.

[ummm]

Ben Stoeger touches on this topic in one of his podcasts, you could check that out for his perspective.

My 2 cents is that it's kinda straightforward...if you are all about the results, then flitting between guns / divisions / whatever is obviously sub-optimal. If you are all about the fun, then do whatever is the most fun for you.

[Hi-Power Jack]

if you are all about results, flitting between guns is sub-optimal. If you are all about the fun, then do whatever is the most fun for you.

Sounds to me like The Perfect Response to the question.

UP TO YOU>

[cnote]

I enjoy change, different divisions for different times of year or per season with a goal for each session.

[aandabooks]

My club will usually let us shoot through twice on the same day. First time through is always Production with the XDM 9 5.25". Second time through is either the Colt in SS or the 625JM in Revolver. If I'm unhappy with the Production performance I run that same gun again.

When I'm doing my practice it is 95% XDM. I love shooting the other two but they don't get much attention doing drills.

[Nimitz]

i'll assume you meant what you said in your first post that you shoot just for fun. if true it doesn't matter what you do ... change guns/divisions every day if you want, it simply doesn't matter. however, if getting better IS really important to you then you need to pick one platform and one division and train every day ...

BTW, calling the CZ Shadow a "fairly decent gun .." is like calling a BMW a fairly decent car ....

[motosapiens]

Ben Stoeger touches on this topic in one of his podcasts, you could check that out for his perspective.

My 2 cents is that it's kinda straightforward...if you are all about the results, then flitting between guns / divisions / whatever is obviously sub-optimal. If you are all about the fun, then do whatever is the most fun for you.

Ben is a smart guy, but he gave a pretty simplistic answer the last time he addressed this question. But 'flitting' is an important distinction.

I personally find that it takes me a couple weeks to really start to get comfortable with a different platform, so my draws and reloads and grip become subconscious. For that reason, it makes sense to me to stick to the same equipment for long periods. However, I also find that different divisions sometimes have different foci and emphases, so (for example), so shooting a different division for a few months allows me to work more on certain things. Also, one might have the opportunity to do a certain major match (like a nationals where not all divisions are represented, or WSSC), so that can be an additional motivating factor behind switching to a particular gun for a few months or for a season.

Bottom line tho is that for some people, shooting a different gun makes things fresher and motivates them to practice more, and practicing more is not a bad thing.

[rowdyb]

Unless you are practicing poorly, then more practice is a bad thing. Practice makes permanent, good or bad.

As others have said, assess your goals or likes. IMHO if your goal is to get better in competition, one gun and one gun platform only for 99% of your shooting and training.

I've found I can keep it fresh, be motivated or do any other emotional need without having to switch guns. But you have to know yourself and run your program.

[motosapiens]

As one gets more skilled, it may get harder and harder to make each incremental increase, but for now, I found that after I made B in L10 (shooting my 1911, because I got a slot to nationals and that was the only gun I owned that would work), I was putting up the same classifier scores immediately upon switching back to production (which I shot for the next 12 months). After making A in production, I decided to take a freshness break and switch to limited for a few months, in particular to work on grip (major pf) and movement (less reloading). After a week of dryfire I was immediately putting up A classifier scores in limited. It *appears* that after a couple weeks of practice, my skillset is pretty transferable. It may well be that at the M/GM level that is not the case. As a bonus, I think the movement skills I've been able to isolate on are going to be very helpful when I return to production. But that will be a while, since I entered SS nats I'm going to shoot SS for most of next year. I think everything I learn during that time is going to help me in production, and I plan to at least get close to an M classification by summer.

[Southpaw]

I mostly stick to the same platform, but every once in a while I get bored of shooting Glocks and shoot a few matches in Single Stack. I certainly wouldn't say it's a bad idea to use your carry gun at matches, I should do that more often...

[jkrispies]

if you are all about results, flitting between guns is sub-optimal. If you are all about the fun, then do whatever is the most fun for you.

Sounds to me like The Perfect Response to the question.

UP TO YOU>

Bingo!

My $.02 for the moment (may change next week) is if you're looking to become a better competitor, a certain amount of success is going to be dependent upon your shooting competance (read: fundamentals) and that will be improved by initially finding the right gun for you (which requires experimentation) followed by your sticking with the gun that works best once found (which requires consistency on a single platform).

Now, the other half of our game is the ability to properly devise and execute stage plans. Sticking with the same gun (or at least the same category, as in Limited vs. Single Stack) will make a difference in your ability to practice good stage planning because a stage plan for, say, an 8 round magazine may be wildly different than a 26 round magazine. That last point can be a minor one, though, if you have good focus, but if you're REALLY struggling with stage planning then why fiddle too much with something that you're struggling with? (EDIT TO ADD: Personally, stage planning is something I'm concentrating on for improvement, and between the two clubs I shoot in, I compete in L at one and L-10 at the other but with the same gun loaded to different mag limits. Switching categories is a non-issue for me, but I attribute this largely to the fact that I'm using precisely the same platform regardless of the category.)

I bring up this idea of focus, though, because if switching back and forth between platforms is messing with your focus (this gun has a thumb safety and that one doesn't, or "I have to be careful on the single-action because I've been shooting the double action only the past month," or "crap, I went to hit the mag release in this spot but that's the other gun") then how can you concentrate on the movement and shooting? To my mind, 100% mental and visual focus on stage execution is paramount, and that can best be accomplished if your hands are allowed to run a bit on auto-pilot. For mere mortals, this means gun consistency.

There are some really amazing shooters out there who can switch guns like they switch hats (at one of my clubs Taran Butler shoots each stage first with an Open gun, then walks to his bag and immediately switches a Limited into his hoster and shoots the stage nearly as well) but they've been doing it for so many years that they can pick up pretty much anything and it won't affect their mindset during the course of fire. Their hands are on autopilot with anything. If you're so experienced that this is possible, then gun consistency is irrelevant.

Edited December 6, 2014 by jkrispies

[kujo929]

Due to work I have to switch types of pistols and find that generally most of the training carries over from one to the other. Not that I'll ever be hitting GM with the dao sig I have to carry but I can still pick it up after doing most reps on a 2011 and run it harder than most.

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[newmexicocrawler]

I switch between Glock and 1911 and don't have any issues doing so

[BoyGlock]

If "for fun" its doesnt matter what you shoot, it doesnt count how fast, slow, misses, hits, etc.

[nathandewalt]

If you are strictly talking about performance for the long run then I believe switching divisions with a like gun is a good way to keep you interest and learn different skills. It will probably lower your scores for the short term.

Productions teaches accuracy and reloads over movement. Limited teaches some shooting on the move, movement, and some accuracy. Open teaches shooting on the move, movement, and some accuracy.

For me I have shot across all the divisions except revo and learned great things from each. I do stick with 2011/1911 like guns and run my holsters/magazine carriers in the same place so I'm not relearning the gun handling skills (grip, draw, reloads, safeties.)

Edited January 7, 2015 by nathandewalt

[BeerBaron]

Ben Stoeger touches on this topic in one of his podcasts, you could check that out for his perspective.

My 2 cents is that it's kinda straightforward...if you are all about the results, then flitting between guns / divisions / whatever is obviously sub-optimal. If you are all about the fun, then do whatever is the most fun for you.

agree 100%. No one pays me to turn up to practice or to matches. I go there to have fun. sure I want to develop and compete, but It's not a job for me, just a hobby. part of that hobby for me is trying different guns. they all have their positives and negatives.

as nathandewalt said I do tend to keep my rig the same at least (I basically run my open rig the same as my production legal rig).

I do agree in terms for fast development sticking to one platform is a good idea. but if you like switching? do it.

[mike4540]

I also enjoy shooting different platforms,ie ,Glock,CZ, 1911, just recently picked up a 2011 in 40 and have found that very easy to enjoy. looks like the others might be sitting home for a while! As was said this is for fun I have no illusions of being a pro shooter.

[akeefer]

There are so many awesome platforms out there, I just can't bring myself to dedicate myself to one system. I have Glocks, but along with some 1911's.

[dansedgli]

I have this problem.

In the last 18 months I've gone from classic -> production -> standard -> classic and started shooting open a few months back.

Have the opportunity to make a classic state team for our nationals but don't know if I'm ready to put the open gun away for 6 months.