I had the same problem when I first started carrying. I bought a small pistol which had good ratings and a great sale price. It turned out to be brutal for me to shoot at all, let alone accurately, even though others seemed to have little trouble with it. I ended up going through a few different pistols before finding one that fit my hand, my shooting style, and was suitable for CC.
And before anyone mentions ‘rentals’, at that time I had never even heard of being able to rent and try out a gun. Once I did learn about it, there weren’t any ranges within 100 miles where it was even a possibility, let alone affordable. (Even today the pickings are mighty slim around here.) Add to that the fact that I couldn’t spend hundreds of dollars in travel and fees just to ‘try out’ a variety of weapons. It may be a good idea, but if the money isn’t there, it isn’t there.
Fortunately my circumstances have changed so that my budget supports a quality carry gun and adequate range time. There are still a few desired weapons which many would consider reasonably priced but are still beyond my means. Same goes for professional training beyond the basic level. (Which I have had.) I’m very happy to have found the USCCA and its wealth of ‘self-training’ material.
This thing still puts a hole in a hole, not me, the gun. Extremely accurate, no maintenance issues, nice deep concealment, natural point of aim from the draw. Unless, of course if you’re shooting gangsta style, then all bets are off!
Hence the natural feel of a 1911 in your hand. Nothing beats the angle, grip and sight picture.
However with all that said, good old fashioned shooting techniques should allow you to be proficient (not comfortable) in any firearm. In addition, if you’re going to carry, your weapon choice should be as comfortable as that old pair of jeans.
Please remember that we don’t know each other personally and that text can easily be misunderstood when you don’t know the person writing it.
For example, I took @JoeC’s comment as a joke, but I can see where it could be taken negatively.
If you’re being sarcastic, please remember it doesn’t translate well in text. PLEASE throw in an emoji ( ) as a way to let people know your joking.
One more thing to keep in mind, anything in writing can be used against you in court if you ever have to legally defend yourself for any reason.
Negative, bashing online behavior is something prosecuting attorneys look for and is against the Community Guidelines.
Were you looking for a fight? Did you misunderstand what another person was saying and assume the worst of the situation? Did you return a negative comment with another negative comment? These are the types of questions a DA may be thinking as they look at your social media history. All of that can be used against you.
Wise words @USCCA, and this brings up a question: To the extent you can share, have USCCA Community posts ever been requested or subpoenaed by a court or other Justice Department org?
EC9s is my EDC - the more I work with it, the more I like it, and the tighter my groupings get. 1) I painted the front sight fluorescent orange and the rear sights white for contrast. 2) I spend plenty of time dry-firing with a laser cartridge. 3) I get to the range sometimes twice a week. 4) I try firing switching between a right hand hold and left hand hold. With all that, I don’t feel the need to change guns. For the 7 to 10 yards range, I can regularly hit real close to center of mass, which is plenty good to stop a bad guy at close range, which is really what it’s designed to do.
Oh, and I also added a Hogue grip. That made a huge difference!
I don’t know the pistol you’re having trouble with, so no idea whether you might be taught to shoot it better.
If you like the M&P9 and shoot it well, I think you might find the Shield to be an awful lot like a single stack M&P but easier to stow away — if your hands aren’t too much for it. Smaller in all directions, but very similar angles, proportions, and controls. If you’re not a fan of manual safeties — they provide a silly little nub on the Shield, which will probably keep me from ever considering one seriously.
I get a kick out of this “try before you buy” idea. I don’t know a place where I could rent a gun without arranging for overnight accommodations. Accumulating a closet full over the decades, I can only think of one which I was able to touch before I owned it. Never shot a gun I’ve owned before it was mine. I do a lot of research and have a lot of serious talks with myself ahead of time — it’s worked out pretty well.
I have a pretty simple way to help you with natural point of aim and choosing a firearm.
In your shooting stance, with your firearm, get a good clear sight picture. Hold that position for a couple seconds and then close your eyes. Drop to the low ready, and then bring the gun up to your proper shooting stance.
Open your eyes. If you have to work to bring the gun into alignment or you have to move your body to accomodate, then that is not the firearm for you.
Another firearm to try would be the Walther PDP sub compact. It is my daily carry after carrying the PPQ for 7 years.
Thanks for the advice. One of the guns that I really enjoy shooting is my PPQ45. Definitely considering a PDP, but it is a bit larger than what I can currently carry for EDC.
I’m going to echo a couple folks who said to maybe seek out a good trainer, if that’s possible near you. They should be able to diagnose why your shooting is off and you may be able to train your way out of the problem. That knowledge will translate to any other small firearm you shoot in the future so it’s a worthy investment, IMO.
Having said that… sometimes a gun just doesn’t work for you and you will forever be “fighting” the gun to be able to shoot accurately and consistently. The P365, Hellcat, Shield Plus are all great options that a lot of people like and they all “feel” like bigger guns than they are which may be helpful especially if you are used to larger handguns.
Small guns are definitely a greater challenge to shoot well than larger handguns and do require more work.
I had a similar issue with my original ccw. Watched some videos of a guy with the same pistol hitting targets at 40 yds with it and never missed, decided I needed more work. After another 1000 rounds I was still not satisfied. I purchased a S&W ez shield for my wife and loved it. The feel and accuracy were much better from the first shot and most of all the trigger had a much better feel. I have since had some work done to a older Beretta that I have had a while and I like it much better now with the new trigger. I have recently purchased a Springfield EMP4 and I love it. Its a 1911 in 4’’ and although its a bit heavy for a ccw, it shoots so well I have swapped to it and with a new belt it hides\hangs quite nicely. That said you can NEVER go wrong with training
Bought the Houge Grip sleeve and installed it tonight. It was a bit of a struggle but it went on after a few failed attempts. Feels better in the hand, more substantial. Looking forward to trying it out at the range. Thanks!
) as a way to let people know your joking.
