Most women at my local gun store are reverse size queens; they operate under the assumption that smaller guns are easier to shoot. I’ve encountered the same anti-big gun bias at the gun range. Many a new shooter (both male and female) have waved off the opportunity to fire my Smith & Wesson 686, their faces displaying an odd combination of humility and condemnation (i.e., I am not worthy nor as crazy as you). And yet larger, heavier guns are, in the main, more comfortable to shoot than lighter pieces. So it’s time to put down the “toys” and stick up for the heavyweights . . .
As the video above demonstrates, small/light/stunted guns are not without their dangers. For one thing, they can trick new shooters into thinking they don’t need to hold the weapon with a proper grip or assume a suitable stance.
RonJonFMF18’s pal learned the effects of the “small gun does not equal small amounts of recoil” paradigm the hard way. Unfortunately, despite the discomfort caused by shooting small/light guns, many shooters never get the same education. They just cope.
Newbies with small/light guns readjust their grip after every [painful] shot, not realizing that the process inhibits fast, accurate follow-up shots. They curse themselves for their lack of accuracy—not realizing that they’ve saddled themselves with an inherent disadvantage. They soldier on.
Aside from simple comic relief, the video above shows us that a shooter with the right training can still be sunk by firing the wrong firearm. The “wrong” firearm being any gun that creates ballistic aversion therapy: punishing its owner to the point where they don’t want to practice.
Don’t get me wrong: I understand the advantages of a small gun. They’re less psychologically intimidating. They offer considerable carry comfort and concealability; evoking the old adage “the best gun is the one you have.”
But why not have/carry a gun with which you can hit a target safely, efficiently and reliably? Surely, that’s the best gun.
Generally speaking, small guns are experts’ guns. Newbies should own/practice with a [relative] heavyweight until they master the basics. Then they can combine proper grip, stance, breathing with experience and confidence to withstand and overcome a smaller lighter weapon’s inherent disadvantages.
If you’re a new shooter who wants to be good with a gun, and you do, do it the easy way. Make your peace with a heavyweight piece before progressing to more minuscule machines.