Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Dog New Trick
I've been reading this thread off and on from the beginning and the thing that strikes me is this:
Since the 1911, every handgun has been compared against it. It has many myths surrounding it and some of them are even true; probably a reason it has endured so many years and so many makers and copies. It launches a huge ass chunk of lead accurately (enough) down range with minimal effort and repeatable consistency from the shooter.
One thing it is not. SAFE! It is by its design a weapon designed to kill and to be used by those whom would undergo at least a minimum amount of training and semi-annual training in its use.
Over the years it has had small redesigns to make it "safer" and each one has made it less reliable. For those who have made the gun ever-so-more accurate, they too have made it less reliable.
Problem is with a handgun that is deemed "unsafe" and inherently easy to shoot is the likelihood of "accidental" discharge when it works as it was designed. Enter a hundred other designers to improve upon the concept of making "guns" safe enough for the idiots that carry them. Chamber indicators, DAO, DA/SA, Decocking levers, Decocking/Safety levers, etc...
Police don't and haven't spent the time, money and resources to properly train and provide refresher training. Citizens seldom seek or rehearse the skills needed to properly maintain the skills needed to operate such a "deadly" weapon. And lastly, even those in the military have limited budgets and resources to adequately train and maintain the skills necessary to operate "non-primary" systems as seen in the eyes of leadership.
The "revolver" was for the longest time considered a "safe" alternative to semi-automatics. Its inherent and simple safety-less design meant even idiots could safely carry one around without the risk of shooting themselves or someone else in the excitement of the situation.
Enter the Glock. The simplicity and difficulty of a hammer-less revolver in the form of a magazine fed semi-automatic pistol. 75-plus years of manufacturing and computer assisted design finally produced a rival to the tried and true perfection of the original John Browning design created with a lead pencil and a blank sheet of paper.
I can see why the military, police, and just about everyone (including my wife and self) have a Glock for "self-defense" and duty carry.
I miss shooting my 1911's and never had a problem with a dozen or so over the years. They all worked "as designed."
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Great post.
I loved owning a 1911. I found it like owning an American Muscle Car. You just kinda HAVE to own one, at least for a bit.
I've never carried a 1911 openly or discretely, but owned and shot one a bit. Lots of fun and I can see the affinity.
I've carried both SIG P226 and Glock overseas on tours. While I really like the SIG, I didn't like it rusting while I looked at it(very heavy pistol wear, no bluing, littoral tropical environment).
While I got pretty good with the SIG on PDT(great instruction), I got far better with the Glock(even better instruction, and with far more time/rounds/aggressive and operationally relevant training drills).
Maybe my personal affinity for Glock being a perfectly simple/servicable tool is that I was trained the most on it and performed the best on it compared to other tools.
Maybe it's like driving a VW GTI(Glock) approaching a track lap record after tuition from "Michael Schumacher" as an adult is what's driving my personal thinking when I compare it against driving a 1968 Yenko 427 Camaro(1911) at the Freaky Friday drag races with only my fellow teenaged friend "Ralph" to keep me from killing myself who also doesn't know what the hell he's doing.
If I had to choose what to carry, I'd choose Glock because it's what I've personally had the most tuition on and shot best with.
I'd agree there's better, and probably FAR better by the sounds of things amongst SMEs here. But for what I do and have done, it suits my needs pretty well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guymullins
Jaap jumped to his feet and drew his Glock to either chase the Warthog off or get some pork for breakfast.
In his haste, Jaap shot himself in the ass. Luckily, it was a shallow flesh wound as he was alone and hundreds of kilos from a hospital.
As soon as the Meercats saw and smelt blood, they attacked Jaap, biting him all over the body, but particularly on his legs, which were exposed in his short pants. To keep the Meercats away, Jaap fired off the rest of the magazine in the general direction of his attackers, shooting the veranda full of 9mm holes in the process.
Eventually, Jaap managed to barricade himself in the kitchen, where he could tend to his wounds, the Meercat bites the worst of them.
Jaap recovered completely from the Glock-ass and the Meercat bites, but today warns against both, calling them Fair-Weather Friends.
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With my sense of humor I'm left thinking about a new pistol training activity called "The Meerkat Drill".
You shoot a dozen bowling pins 5-10m away while being shot from behind in the legs with a low velocity pellet rifle.
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