Sold my .45 to buy strictly 9mm ammo and master my carry system

S

StainlessSteel215

Moderator
As the thread states, I took some careful time and thought about my priorities and my vision for improving as a defensive shooter. My Sig GSR 1911 was a sweet piece and shot with absolute perfection....but honestly I came to the decision that I want to now place my focus on mastering my Glock26 9mm carry system.

I dont have funds that permit me to be a true gun "collector" so instead I will finally take up SD classes that Ive been putting off for some time now. I can now consistently hit 6" groups on standing paper targets from about 18 yards which is good for me....now its time to learn low light and high stress training at my local gun club.

Not trying to sway anyone one way or the other...but for those of you out there like me who have a few guns spread all over in terms of trigger actions, calibers, and sizes and still lack timing and accuracy with your shooting.....it might be wise to consolidate to a dominant caliber...master it....then possibly move up to a .45 later.

For me anyways, this makes the most sense. I will now have about $700 tp spend on ammo & gear :)
 
I do not disagree with the idea of getting down to one operating system. I like simple, for a self defense pistol I think this is about as simple as it gets:

M624CentennialAirweight.jpg


Or this, double action first shot, single action thereafter, no flippers or levers to worry about. Especially no single action safety that you may bump on, when you want it off, or have on, when you really need it off.

SigP220.jpg
 
OK, maybe a little....

Ive just come to the realization that shooting paper targets in a relaxed, standing environment is only half the battle. Ive read that even police with extensive training are still likely to fumble in a high stress situation. I dont wanna be the guy who hiccups at the wrong time and these SD classes really seem to have amazing results depending on the class and instructor.

I will master the 9mm before making that jump again. Just my $.02
 
I use to think that way but came to the conclusion that I need to be familiar with all types of guns and how they work. It may not be my gun I am using to defend friends & family.
 
I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I really like .45, but I've decided to get my skills shooting 9mm first. The primary reason though, is cost. As far as training ammo is concerned, at least where I live, .45 ACP costs almost twice what 9mm costs. From where I'm standing, that means I can do almost twice as much training with a 9mm than I can with a .45. In the future, when it's less about training (I'll never stop training, of course) I might switch, but for now it 9mm all the way.
 
Glad to see the advice you got on PF is sticking.;)

Good luck and keep at it.

I think you will be suprised at what you will be able to do.
 
Thanks Crow....I see the value now in investing in my dominant caliber....getting REALLY good with it....and excited to learn and absorb as much as possible in multiple areas and from multiple places. Both places offer a great variety of info.

I will never turn down free advice
 
My 45 ammo costs are barely more than my 9mm. Then again I cast and reload my own , so...
Click to expand...

That helps, lol. I don't reload, so I'm stuck with what the manufacturers make me pay. On sale, I can get a box of 50 9mm for about $10. .45 on sale goes for right around $19-20 for 50. Assuming no sales, the prices go to about $13 and $25, respectively (and we're talking Blazer steel case here).

I've thought about reloading. Right now, unfortunately, I just don't have the room to do it. Eventually, when I get out of the place I'm living now and get my own place, I'll seriously consider putting in a reloading bench.
 
I do the same thing with .38/.357. All of my current handguns are chambered for it. And once I find a nice .357 Henry Big Boy, I'll have a long gun chambered for it as well.

How do you deal with magazine management? Or can you use the same magazine in each of your pistols?
 
I just like guns too much to get down to one gun. I like my little J frames in 22 32 and 38. I like my model 10, my 357s, my Ruger 44 and 480, not to mention my 610. I like my baby Glocks, and my grown-up Glocks. And who doesn't like a 1911 or a Hi-Power?

I'm thinking of cutting back, but what would I cut?
 
SS215, take two steps to learning your G26.
Get an Advantage Arms .22 Conversion Kit. You will get everything when shooting except noise and recoil.
I always shoot a few rds. of full caliber,install the kit and shoot a lot of .22s, remove the kit and shoot another few rds. of full caliber. Doing it this way keeps me accustomed to the noise and recoil.

Second step is to get a Gas Powered Airsoft copy of your 26 and shoot it at home anytime you want.
Airsoft BB's are cheap and you can use Coleman Propane to power it at less than $3.00 per bottle. In warm temps, I can get over 6,000 shots from a bottle.
 
My father taught me to only own 4 types of ammo. He says you need a plinking/small game round, a Large game round, a shotgun round and a Handgun round

For him it was 22LR, 30-06 12ga and 45acp

For me its 22LR, 45/70, 12ga and 357 magnum.

If I had to pick just one it would be 357 magnum.

Keeping things simple is a good thing you can stock up on less kinds of ammo. Wish I could get my wife to agree but she loves her 380acp :mad:
 
I disagree with selling the GSR. -___- harsh reality..regret will settle in hard soon enough if not already. Try not to do that.

Call me cocky if you want, I really don't care. I shoot weekly so maybe that's why, but I've mastered several of my guns and am extremely adequate with them all. Practice in general makes perfect.
 
Its simple Constantine...boils down to money and priorities. If I had much more disposable income I would have kept it. Now, I have $750 to sink into savings and the rest is going towards 9mm ammo!
 
I think I saw your thread over on Pistol Training. It seems like good advice. Todd Green's "slow demonstration" of various techniques is faster than my actual attempt to do the same thing, so I tend to listen to stuff he says.
 
Yupp Snort I really enjoy both places for the variety of shooting info & SD training info. My new focus now that I have my dedicated 9mm carry system is to learn SD training. I will start locally at my local gun shop then try to branch out to the more nitty gritty courses.

I just want to be prepared for any circumstance, and shooting stationery targets from 15 yards is the furthest thing from real life crisis simulation.

I'm happy at this stage to have made up my mind to master the 9mm first. Then, Ill migrate to the 45 so I can be proficient in both calibers
 
You had a good 1911...and you dumped it for a Glock. That is all sorts of wrong.

But whatever floats your boat.

9mm is easy to reload. A simple Lee loader kit should cost around $20. Long term you'll save quite a bit of money and or learn to develop a load that your gun shoots the best.

6" at 18yds is ok. It doesn't put you in the top ranks of shooters though.
I'd suggest that competition shooting for a way to improve your shooting in the shortest amount of time.
Further if you can find a shooting team instead of individual, you will get all sorts of coaching free from your team mates.
 
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