Mackay and others who have multiple EDC pistols. I understand that you might have a different gun for hot weather and cold weather applications. But from a tactical standpoint, thinking muscle memory here, would the best approach be to have as few platforms as possible and for those platforms to be similar? Say a Glock 19 and a Glock 48. Grip angle the same, controls in the same place, sight picture the same etc.
When I was on active duty in the Coast Guard we were carrying Beretta 92s. I started working part time as a reserve deputy for Harrison County. I went with a stainless 92 so that there was no relearning, retraining etc and muscle memory was identical. Seems like there would be similar value in being as standardized as possible with EDC.
Just thinking out loud.
The answer is "It depends".
How much time and effort are you willing to spend on developing your skill sets?
You can master multiple action types if you put in the work. The flip side is that you will never master even a single one if you very rarely do anything other than buy a gun and shoot 100 rounds a year, just popping a few magazines at a piece of cardboard.
Delving further into this, there are 4 levels of competence. They are as follows:
1.Unconscious incompetence.
2.Conscious incompetence.
3.Conscious competence.
4.Unconscious competence.
For those not familiar, I cut and pasted the Wiki definitions below, as I honestly don't feel like writing my own lengthy definitions, and the wiki versions are close enough. I will briefly touch on them after the wiki definitions though.
Unconscious incompetenceThe individual does not understand or know how to do something and does not necessarily recognize the deficit. They may deny the usefulness of the skill. The individual must recognize their own incompetence, and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage. The length of time an individual spends in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn.[1]
Conscious incompetenceThough the individual does not understand or know how to do something, they recognize the deficit, as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.
Conscious competenceThe individual understands or knows how to do something. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration, and if it is broken, they lapse into incompetence.[1]
Conscious competenceThe individual has had so much practice with a skill that it has become "second nature" and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. The individual may be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.
Now to go further into that as it relates to this topic.
Some gun owners do not recognize (Unconscious incompetence) that they are quite incompetent with a handgun. They are oblivious to the fact that they don't have even the most basic of skill sets and handle guns so poorly that often luck and infrequent handling is what keeps them from shooting themselves or others. In high stress situations they are basket cases and quite dangerous.
The next type (conscious incompetence) is not at all a bad thing. For example, I know that I cannot play a piano. That is conscious incompetence. Some people know their skill sets with a pistol, or multiple action types are poor. That is not a bad thing. It is actually good that it is recognized.
Next, being conscious competence. The person has to think about his actions while doing them but can get through an event if he maintains focus. However he really needs to concentrate, especially in stressful environments.
Last is conscious competence. This is where we don't even have to think about an action, we can simply do it at a natural level. The example I like to use is driving a stick shift vehicle after you have been doing so for 20 years. When you were first learning, you messed it up, and were consciously incompetent. Then you became consciously competent. Eventually you don't even pay attention and are at the level of unconscious competence. You simply drive and don't give it a thought.
Shooting various handguns (or any weapons system) is the same way.
If you put in the time and effort, you don't have to think about it. You can master it. It is a matter of how much time, training and effort you are willing to put into it. People who are operating at a higher level at a particular skill set were not simply born with it. They put in hundreds and usually thousands of hours of practice.
Most gun carriers who are casual shooters would be better off picking one action type, such as an S&W M&P or Glock w/o a thumb safety to manipulate, or a DA revolver, or a some other version. The brand is less important, as long as the gun is extremely reliable. If a person wants a thumb safety, that's fine too. Just keep it the same. Under stress people tend to fumble a bit, so keeping things simple is a very good thing.
Personally I tend to carry mostly Glocks and 1911s. The manner in which I draw both is the exact same. So if I was drawing a 1911 the thumb safety would come off. If the Glock somehow had a thumb safety it would come off as well, due to the way I draw. It is exactly the same. I also consider guns like the Glock and 1911 very close to the same in terms if actions. What I mean by that is that they both have the same short trigger pull, and a very short reset. So in practical terms they do not operate much differently.
Now with that said, I generally don't have an issue switching between various action types. I can shoot a DA/SA semi auto fairly well. Something like an S&W 4563 works well for me. I don't shoot it quite as well as a Glock or 1911, but that is more due to the time and round count I have on the Glock and 1911s.
So in summary, most would be better off picking a single platform and practicing to the point of unconscious competence. When they can simply draw and shoot at a target and not even think about the draw process then they are doing great.
