Continuing the discussion on “pick your gear, and move on“.

Reading this post by DocGKR, he quotes “a very experienced senior SOF NCO” who “wrote the following superb analysis discussing pistol calibers”:

Not getting into the weapons transition issues from frame design to frame design (it’s the reason I love to hate the Glock), the fact of the matter is that the recoil on the G23 crosses the magic line of running the shit out of your pistol. Allow me to explain… Most of the guys mentioned that they can handle the reduced size of the 19 and the recoil increase over the G17 is acceptable. Most of us have also determined that this does NOT cross over to the .40 cartridge. Guys with a firm handle on recoil manipulation can use the G22 and G35 with acceptable results. However when you go down to G26’s and G23’s, the juice is not worth the squeeze. The recoil is now noticeably effecting times and it’s measurable. If you can’t effectively control recoil and are wasting time allowing your pistol to settle between shots then this is all a wash and means nothing to you, but if you can apply the fundamentals effectively you will quickly see that you can’t run a sub compact 9 or a compact .40 worth a shit. So a decision to accept a larger pistol in order to have an acceptable recoil impulse based upon caliber must be made. The smallest 9mm Glock recoil that I will accept is the G19 and I will not go below the G22 when bumping up to .40.

For reference, ordered by caliber, then from largest size frame to smallest.

• G17 – 9mm, Standard size frame
• G19 – 9mm, Compact frame
• G26 – 9mm, Subcompact frame
• G35 – .40 S&W, Competition frame
• G22 – .40 S&W, Standard size frame
• G23 – .40 S&W, Compact frame
• G27 – .40 S&W, Subcompact frame (not referenced in the above quote, and likely because if the G23 is unacceptable, the G27 is right out).

So what does this all mean?

Equipment matters (but only so much).

You need to be able to run the gun and run it well. While the old-school and Internet commando mantra demands you use only calibers that begin at least with a “4”, the reality is that using such calibers is difficult because, as above NCO stated, you can’t run it worth a shit. More correctly tho, when you have more recoil, it’s harder to run the gun. More recoil happens because of caliber (e.g. .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .357 Sig, .357 Magnum), but it also happens when there’s less gun (less mass, less area to grip) to help mitigate that recoil. That could be because of simple weight (e.g. an “airweight” revolver vs. an all-steel revolver), or because of size which naturally reduces available mass and grip area (e.g. G17 vs G26, G35 vs. G23).

So you have to ensure you have a gun that runs — for you. This is where things like “gun fit” matter. Here’s a good guide on the topic (and more).

But then amongst all those guns that run, there are other things that contribute to you being able to run the gun well. And I’ll put it pretty simply:

Pick the largest gun that fits you and your circumstances, in the biggest caliber you can acceptably run.

Let me break this down.

Larger guns aid in recoil management, both because they will have more mass, and also with more size comes more surface area to enable a better grip on the gun. They can also offer things like a longer sight radius, lighter recoil springs (makes it easier to rack the slide). Bottom line: you can shoot a larger gun better and more easily than smaller guns. This doesn’t mean to buy a monster gun that you cannot handle, it still has to be what properly fits you and fits your circumstances. But within those that fit, strive for the largest you can because you’ll shoot it better.

You want the largest caliber you can acceptably run. I’ve seen folks that cannot handle 9mm recoil but do OK with .380 Auto. While .380 Auto is marginal in performance, it’s better than nothing and if that’s what you can shoot best, then that’s a settled matter. I’ve also encountered some that can’t shoot more than a .22 LR; while that’s also not ideal, it’s still better than nothing so there you go. And note, while you might be a big strong guy with forearms like Popeye and can run .40 decently well, chances are still good you will run 9mm better due to simple physics.

So yes, for the majority of folks, getting a Glock 17 or Glock 19, or a Smith & Wesson M&P 9 (service model size) is good enough. They are proven reliable platforms, that provide acceptable performance. If those guns do not fit you, you may have to do some more shopping, but the end result is the same:

Pick your gun, and move on.

Continuing the discussion on “pick your gear, and move on“.

I was having a discussion with a fellow KR Training assistant instructor about the differences between different brands of ammo, I came across this posting from DocGKR (a well-respected authority on such matters, real name is Dr. Gary Roberts). There’s more stuff from DocGKR here, and if you just search the Internet for anything DocGKR writes on ammo, you can rest assured you’re getting the best information on ammunition selection.

See, there’s all sorts of gimmicky ammo that comes out from time to time, claiming to be mostest more betterer than ammos that came before – it’s t3h d3adl3y! It all looks good on the slo-mo video against those evil watermelons. But name me one law enforcement agency willing to bet their lives on it… and oddly there are no takers. Not to say law enforcement agencies are any sort of gold standard, but these are people who put their lives on the line every day and whose job description necessitates the need to sometimes use a gun to stop bad people from doing bad things. Thus, these are people who need proven tools and will not accept anything less; they are a fair reference point for “what works” and is worth entrusting your life to.

It’s pretty simple: there are well-known, well-established brands of ammo that perform well and do the job as needed to be done. Yes, from time to time this list gets revised because technology! (e.g. Hydra-Shoks are old tech, HST is a superior replacement) But on the whole, there’s established stuff so just pick one from the list, make sure it runs in your gun (e.g. run 200 rounds through your gun and ensure you get 200 successful shots; yes that’s expensive, but isn’t your life worth it?), and then put this issue to bed because there’s really no need for debate, discussion or deep research into the matter.

Yes, there are some differences. For example, the discussion I was having was regarding the differences between Federal Tactical Bonded and Federal HST (which isn’t bonded). It was a minutia discussion, and there can be some relevance to such a discussion. But on the whole for most private citizens, DocGKR lists:

Federal Tactical 124 gr JHP (LE9T1)
Federal HST 124 gr +P JHP (P9HST3)

So according to DocGKR, either are fine. Pick one, move on.

Incidentally, shortly after I penned this article, Duncan Larsen over at LooseRounds.com reposted an article from the FBI Training Division regarding ammunition selection, mostly as it pertains to caliber. I’ve seen this article in other forms before, but Duncan’s posting of it was timely. For the tl;dr crowd, here’s the conclusion:

While some law enforcement agencies have transitioned to larger calibers from the 9mm Luger in recent years, they do so at the expense of reduced magazine capacity, more felt recoil, and given adequate projectile selection, no discernible increase in terminal performance.

Other law enforcement organizations seem to be making the move back to 9mm Luger taking advantage of the new technologies which are being applied to 9mm Luger projectiles. These organizations are providing their armed personnel the best chance of surviving a deadly force encounter since they can expect faster and more accurate shot strings, higher magazine capacities (similar sized weapons) and all of the terminal performance which can be expected from any law enforcement caliber projectile.

Given the above realities and the fact that numerous ammunition manufacturers now make 9mm Luger service ammunition with outstanding premium line law enforcement projectiles, the move to 9mm Luger can now be viewed as a decided advantage for our armed law enforcement personnel.”

For those curious, I carry Speer Gold Dot 9mm 124 grain +P in all my 9mm semi-autos. In my snub-nose revolver I carry Speer Gold Dot .38 Special 135 grain +P. Why? They’re proven to perform reliably and be optimal for the platform, so ’nuff said.

Pick your ammo, and move on.

We love our gear and our “toys”. Case in point: the mania surrounding the iPhone 6 release and the people camping out for weeks to get the first one.

Why not? It’s fun, it’s tangible, you can experience it, you can share it, you can show it, you can talk (debate/argue) about it. There’s a lot of human satisfaction that comes from gear.

And so like with gear in any realm, so much discussion in the firearms world revolves around equipment.

I always liked Insights Training Center‘s “inverted pyramid” of priorities:

1. Mindset
2. Tactics
3. Skill
4. Equipment

You need equipment, it is foundational. But it is also the least important. Find the equipment that works for you, then move on. Don’t be afraid to occasionally reassess your gear because technology improves and something better may come along, or maybe later on you discover gear that works better. For example, I was fine with my Springfield XD for a number of years, but the main reason I switched to the S&W M&P was discovering minor differences in the construction of the frame worked better for the physiology of my hands . But on the whole, get it settled and move on.