I have no social media accounts; all purported ones are fake.

Picking a gun the wrong way: choosing a caliber by silly rules-of-thumb.

Picking a gun the wrong way: choosing a caliber by silly rules-of-thumb.

We have a lot of trite phrases in the defensive training world, and one of them sets my teeth on edge: when someone asks how they should choose a gun for personal protection, the usual answer is to “pick the biggest caliber you can shoot well.”

It’s nonsensical, and I’m tired of hearing it.

The problem is how to define “well”. Are we talking in terms of accuracy? If so, I contend that anyone can shoot any handgun caliber “well” – at least for the first shot. If we’re talking group size, given sufficient time between shots I’ll hold to my contention: anyone can shoot any handgun “well” if they have enough time to regroup between presses of the trigger.

I’ve heard the variation “….the biggest caliber that you can handle.” Same thing – what do you mean by “handle”? I’ve seen many guys at the range who claim to be able to “handle” large-bore Magnums, but it’s clear they have significant trouble with recoil control. Obviously there’s a difference between what I consider control and what they do, which illustrates my point. Without criteria, there’s no way to evaluate whether the person can “handle it” or not. Again, most people can handle any gun for a single shot. What about the second, third and fourth?

Some have apparently figured out that “well” and “handle” don’t mean anything and say instead to “pick the biggest caliber that you can shoot quickly and accurately.” How quickly? How accurately? With any gun/ammo combination, given a specific set of environmental variables, there will be a certain balance of speed and precision which the shooter can achieve. A .454 Casull will have one, and a .22 LR will have another. Which one should the person pick? Which balance of speed and precision is best?

As one goes up in caliber or power, at any given level of precision the shooter’s speed will decrease. How far along that line should the shooter travel before settling? There are many examples of arbitrary tests that people take to determine these things (so many shots in so many seconds with a minimum score), but they’re contrived. Take a 12-gauge and a 20-gauge shotgun; any given shooter may be able to use the 12-gauge and pass a qualification, then logically conclude that it’s the largest gun that he can shoot quickly and accurately. However, if that same person shoots the same course with a 20-gauge, they’ll find that they can shoot it faster with the same level of precision. Which, then, is the better choice?

Starting to get the idea? These statements – and their variants – sound profound, but they’re not. Unless very specific criteria are defined they mean nothing.

-=[ Grant ]=-

  • Posted by Grant Cunningham
  • On March 19, 2012

Leave Reply