by Chris Cerino
Chris Cerino is a nationally known firearms instructor who has been training law enforcement officers and military for more than 10 years.
After running classes this summer I have come to the conclusion that too many people buy guns based on a salesperson’s or friend’s recommendations without ever having shot the pistol. Even if they have shot the gun, they haven’t weighed any pros or cons of their choice. In training I find myself, quite often, saying, “There are easier guns to shoot.” Today, there are so many choices in handguns— choices in caliber, fra8me size, type of action and location of controls. Now these poor students that made a bad pistol choice are facing the idea of firing a thousand rounds with me in training and wasting all these repetitions on a gun they aren’t able to keep up with.
Sales persons at gun counters lurk like sharks as many first time buyers shop for handguns these days. Remember that these guys have a job to do; they need to sell the guns. Specifically the guns they have in stock and the guns they stock are generally the guns they got the best bulk deal on or guns the dealer is partial to.
Chances are if you go into a gun shop to buy a pistol, you’re going to leave with a pistol even if it is the wrong gun for you.
When you pick up a big double stack 45 caliber semi-auto and can barely get your hand around it, the sales person doesn’t care that you won’t be able to shoot it well. All he cares about is making the sale. He’ll tell you whatever you need to hear to persuade you to buy it. By the time you figure out the gun isn’t for you, it’ll be used and when you trade it in on the next gun you can bet he’ll give you the minimum dollar value on it.
Do the research and you’ll find that we live in the day and age of extended range, higher round count gunfights.
Even if your research is watching the news, you’ll figure this out. Of course I believe that the gun you have is way better than the gun you don’t. However, little mouse guns of small caliber and low capacity get empty real quick. Look at the Utah Trolley Square mall shooting. That officer probably felt pretty confident having that compact .45-caliber single-stack.
Big bullets, decent size frame, the quintessential defensive pistol. I Gun Selection? Don’t buy until you try! wonder how he felt after he had dumped the limited ammo supply and failed to neutralize the threat.
Essentially he is left with a rock. Nice and heavy, good for clubbing or throwing. I could name a half dozen pistols that would be the same size in high capacity 9 mm. I’ll bet he starts carrying a higher capacity gun or one or more spare .45 magazines.
It’s not he who shoots first that wins but he who hits first that wins.
I’d much rather get a first round hit with my 9 mm than miss with any other greater caliber. There are easier guns to shoot. Don’t think that I’m a “tacti-cool” guy who is always armed to the teeth. There are many days that I carry a five-shot .38 in my waistband or a six round .380 in my pocket. I do however adjust my mindset to the reality of what I could seriously and effectively handle should a shoot situation arise. I am most confident carrying a full size 17+ capacity 9 mm. I also know how fast I can run it dry.
This year we’ve trained dozens and dozens of civilians and have seen a wide variety of successes and failures.
Not all success has been with full size guns. Nor have all failures been with mousy pocket pistols. A full size pistol in the wrong caliber can be way too hard to manage for a small female. I know you love your .45 or .40 caliber but don’t push it on your wife or girlfriend. Neither is the easiest to shoot for any shooter and most professional trainers won’t recommend them as starter calibers. In the day of high performance ammunition the 9 mm round performs circles around greater calibers of the past.
The current age of striker-fired, fully ambidextrous, high capacity, ergonomically friendly pistols makes choices tough. You think it would be easy, but there are so many details on these new pistols that can make or break your ability. You need to take a test drive. Keep in mind the goals of concealability and comfort. Manageability of recoil and trigger pull have everything to do with your ability to deliver rapid, accurate fire on target.
Every round you send down range has an attorney attached to it and misses aren’t going to stop a determined aggressor.
There are easier guns to shoot. Just because I like a gun or that it works well for someone I know, doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Do your research and choose wisely.
It’s all about the fundamentals!
