Col. Jeff Cooper wasn’t the first person to say “Beware of the man with one gun – he may know how to use it.” But he certainly popularized the adage. The idea is simple enough: it’s better to be really good with one gun than to be meh with a few. Yeah, I’m not buying it.
My first gun guru Wayne Buettner taught me that I should be able to pick up any handgun and be a more-than-reasonable shot with it. I’m still down with that. Aside from external safeties, handguns all work the same way. Grip, stance, breathing. Aim and squeeze the trigger.
In the main, I carry a Wilson Combat EDC X9. I pocket carry the Ruger LCP II. Or a Kahr MK9. My BBQ gun is a Smith & Wesson 686 4″. And I take a range of guns to the range, just because I can.
I can shoot any of these guns well enough. Meaning I’m confident in my ability to defend my life, my family’s life and other innocent life with any of them. As for shooting a gun with “ultimate” accuracy, it’s the Wilson.
Yes but — do I need a gun with which I can make a headshot at 15 yards or center mass beyond that? God I hope not. And if I don’t have it with me, I’ll do what I can do, knowing what I can’t do. (Not to mention knowing what’s beyond my target.) And I think that’s the most important consideration.
To paraphrase Dirty Harry, a man’s got to know his limitations. Which varies according to the gun and the situation. Beware of the man with a gun, says I. As the blowhard O’Reilly used to ask, what say you?