Most people who have been around firearms for a while eventually accumulate more than one.
There may be a full-size pistol that’s comfortable to shoot at the range, a smaller handgun carried for personal protection, and perhaps another firearm dedicated to home defense. Add competition guns, old favorites, and the inevitable purchase we convinced ourselves we absolutely needed, and the collection can grow quickly.
Nothing wrong with that. Firearms can be useful tools and an enjoyable hobby.
But I’ve noticed something interesting over the years. The firearm someone says they depend upon isn’t always the firearm they train with most often.
That deserves some thought.
Familiarity Matters
The fundamentals of shooting transfer remarkably well between firearms. Sight alignment, trigger control, recoil management, and safe gun handling don’t suddenly disappear because we changed platforms.
But firearms are not identical.
Triggers feel different. Controls may be located differently. Grip angles change. Sights and optics present differently, and recoil characteristics can vary considerably. Even something as simple as accessing a firearm from its normal storage location or presenting it from the holster you actually wear introduces variables that aren’t present when shooting your favorite range gun.
None of those differences may seem particularly significant during a relaxed afternoon at the range.
Under pressure, small differences have a way of becoming larger ones.
The Easier Gun Usually Gets More Attention
There’s also a very practical reason people sometimes train less with their carry gun.
Small defensive pistols can be unpleasant.
A compact or micro-compact handgun may be wonderfully convenient to carry, but the characteristics that make it easy to conceal can also make it more difficult to shoot well. Shorter grips provide less leverage, lighter guns generally produce more felt recoil, and shorter sighting systems can be less forgiving of errors.
Meanwhile, the full-size pistol sitting next to it in the safe may be an absolute pleasure to shoot.
Guess which one tends to get more rounds?
Again, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the easier gun. But if the smaller pistol is the one you’re relying upon for personal protection, its difficulty is an argument for spending more time with it, not less.
Train in Context
Training with the firearm you actually depend upon doesn’t mean every range session needs to become defensive training. Sometimes you should simply work on fundamentals, and sometimes you should shoot because shooting is fun.
But periodically, it’s worth practicing with your equipment in the context in which you actually use it.
If it’s your carry gun, how well can you operate it with the sights, magazines, and holster you normally use? If it’s your home-defense firearm, are you equally familiar with its controls, light, optic, and normal condition of storage?
The goal isn’t to create elaborate scenarios.
It’s simply to remove surprises.
The Bottom Line
Owning several firearms can be enjoyable, and training with different platforms can make you a more adaptable shooter. There is real value in both.
Just pay particular attention to the firearm you’ve chosen to rely upon when the stakes are highest.
Familiarity doesn’t come from ownership.
It comes from repetition.
So, the next time you pack your range bag, ask yourself which firearm you would reach for if something actually went wrong.
Then make sure that one gets some range time too.