I went out shooting my favorite carry pistol. Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 380 Auto, I had just installed a Viridian RFX1 Green dot and needed to sight it in.
Let’s start off by saying I’m a long gun guy. My dad was a fantastic handgun shot and I just ain’t. If I put in the range time I might be an “ok” hand gun shooter, but I’m never winning any medals.
I love the Bodyguard 2.0 as a carry, it’s light, small enough I can often pocket carry, and I can shoot it (Though learning to draw & see new green dot instead of having to hunt for it, is going to take more range time ) Going at a steady pace I can get 5 0f 5 into an 8”x11” sheet of paper at 10 feet & 7 yards with a few in the 3” ring in the center every time, 10 yards gets a bit iffy maybe 3 or 4 out of 5 hit the paper.
The problem is I brought my CZ P-07 along, It’s not so nice to carry, I have to work a bit so it’s concealed, It’s never going to be a pocket pistol & compared to the S&W it’s heavy. But dang can I shoot that gun better. I’m still no Pistolero but I get better hits with the CZ then the S&W shooting faster, hell I get about equal hits on target dynamic shooting (shooting while moving ) as I do with the S&W standing still.
Where is the line for you if you carry every or most days, the gun that is a dream to carry and ok to shoot or the gun that you shoot well but is a challenge when it comes to concealed carry?
I feel you. I feel like Roland from the Dark Tower books with my full size Sig but really have to work to shoot decent with the S&W Shield 2.0. Here’s what works for me.
Don’t shoot for accuracy, shoot for fundamentals. The basic fundamentals are the same for any pistol, the more you work on the fundamentals the more accurate you’ll become. Larger, heavier pistols offer a more stable platform with less muzzle flip. By concentrating on the most basic lessons of shooting you’ll have to “work” less hard at shooting well with the smaller pistol.
I have a glock 23 in .40 S&W. That got a 9mm conversion barrel after a decade of shooting .40. Several thousand 9mm and 10,000 plus dry presses later I got the dagger I ccw.
Glock 19/23 frame size with the Glok 17 length slide and a dot sight.
and would always check my performance on paper. Getting the clean press with a suprise when the gun goes off sounds odd but gets more in the center than any of the grip issues or recoil anticipation (in image it says breaking wrist down).
At one time I had a grocery bag full of golf balls. At outdoor shooting areas I would roll a few out and shoot until they launched out of sight.
More recently, dry practice on dime to quarter size circles (3-4) while moving.
Small guns don’t fit my size 12 hands well, but I do ok with the ones I have as a result of solid fundamentals in a full size gun.
I hate the phrasing, but mission drives the gear. Pocket guns are always about size and ease of carry first, shootability second. Maybe seventh. We should all carry the largest, most capable gun possible. But the word “possible” is doing some heavy lifting there. Concealability matters most of the time, so carrying a rifle isn’t going to work outside of the woods. Depending on weather, maybe a larger handgun outside OWB under a coat works. Go IWB and midsize as a good middle compromise. Pocket when you need to be invisible.
I often work in non-permissive environments. Think, not illegal, but get fired. So I have to stay invisible with carrying. So pocket is my only real option. It’s also so incredibly convenient. But it requires a ton more practice and it’s much harder to draw or shoot well. Otherwise I try to do midsize IWB as my middle ground. OWB full size shoots the best, but rarely fits my lifestyle.
It took me a while to find the gun that fit my frame. 5’9” 175. I used to carry a 1911 with ease. I switched to an FN 509 and had to carry 4:00 IWB. Then tried a dagger AIWB. It was too big of a gun for me to carry Appendix. I switched to the dagger micro. Only lost 2 rounds and the gun disappears under a shirt.
Realistically, what are the chances that one of us will find ourselves in the very-unfortunate, very-unlikely scenario where we are forced to take a shot farther-away than arms-length? (Or shoot at all?)
I always like to think that I would react and perform as well as Elisjsha Dicken, given the same circumstances. But realistically, it’s far more likely that my carry (should it ever be called upon) will be a “GetOffMe!” gun, especially as I age.
Although I might add: those incidents, like the one Elisjsha Stopped, are becoming disturbingly more common.
This is not me advocating for not practicing at longer distances, or skipping Dryfire Training - I believe and encourage in just the opposite. Even if I don’t do so as often as I Should.
Firearms are tools. My EDC is a Bodyguard 2.0. But I’m not breaking out concrete with a carpenter’s hammer, or cutting plywood with a hacksaw. And I’m not carrying my 2.0 to a large meeting room like a church or movie theater. I shoot it very well out to about 20 feet. Beyond that it’s not the right tool. I have several pistols that I shoot extremely well out to 25 yards, and pretty well out to 50. Pick the right tool for the job you’ll be doing that day.
I vary my EDC depending on lots of things: what I’m wearing, where I’m going, how long I’ll be out, etc. If I’m not wearing a belt, my LCP Max goes in my pocket. Short jaunt to the market with a belt? My LCR. Going downtown and dressed up, P365 X-Macro. I practice with all three on the regular, so I know my capabilities (and weaknesses) with each.
Clearly from the replies this is a dilemma shared by many. Thanks everyone this really helps
I think my first course of action with my Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 will be snap caps and a BUNCH of dry firing to tighten up my fundamentals of draw, grip, dot acquisition & trigger pull. I don’t think I can pistol shoot this weekend so that gives me 8 or 10 days to sharpen up my basic skills. Then I’ll see if it shows on the range.
Everyone who carries a pocket pistol (myself included, Glock 42 is my CCW) just needs to remember one thing: you’re not aiming for perfection, you’re aiming to put the capacity of the mag center mass at a distance of three to seven meters, which is where nearly all defensive encounters occur. That’s a standard of accuracy even a mediocre to bad shooter can attain easily.
You’re not trying to win medals with your micro, you’re just maintaining basic levels of competence. They’re get-off-me guns, nothing more. You SHOULD be shooting your full size gun with more weight, a better trigger, and a longer sight radius better.
I know from first hand experience that you will revert back to your trainning in times of stress. I know that sounds like a cliche but it is very true. If you have no trainning then you most likey won’t be ready. You will probably hesitate when you shouldn’t or draw when you should stay holstered at that time.
Think about and run senarios in your mind. Then physically get out and do those senarios. It is less about the gun itself and more about the fundamentals and practice. The gun is important but practice is more important. Practice clearing your holster and develop muscle memory. When you have muscle memory you automatically put your red dot in focus and you don’t have to search for it. You need to really mentally know when it is time to draw and when it is time to stay holstered. Draw too soon and now you have placed yourself in a predicament because you legally can’t shoot. Believe me some people really don’t care if you point a gun at them. If they know that you legally don’t have the right to shoot. Some people will get more aggressive. There are people who genuinely aren’t scared of being shot. I have had to deal with those type of people and you better know the law and know when you are justified to shoot.
We can all talk bravado and say that you would just shoot. Going to prison for murder is a very likely senario if you shoot and it isn’t a clear cut case of self defense. In today’s age it isn’t as clear cut as it used to be.
How did you like the Viridian RFX1? I did not like it on my LCP MAX so returned it. It felt cheaply made, and the reticle adjustments were very limited. But, that was with the LCP MAX. I also have a Bodyguard 2.0 and am revisiting the idea of an optic. Both the Viridian and Gideon off solutions and while I did not have a good experience with the Viridian that was on an entirely different, hammer striker pocket pistol that was likely defective to begin with as I had to build a battery mount/shock absorber out of painters tape and shove it up under the battery before I mounted the optic. If I did not do that, then the battery would come loose when I fired the gun requiring me to remove the optic, reseat the battery, and reinstall the optic. That is not a good use of one’s time
One more thing on the Bodyguard 2.0 and even on the LCP MAX at 7 yards my shots were always lower left and not by a little bit, but rather by a lot. What I ended up doing was drifting the front sight to the left a few mm’s off center. OMG did that make a difference. I am now in the 10 zone no problem using the iron sights. Albeit, on my Bodyguard 2.0 I did replace the OEM sights with the XS Sights R3D 2.0 Night Sights Green on Green, and they are awesome. So another reason I may just skip the gimmicking slide mounted red dot optics and stick with the iron sights.
I find the .380 to be the most difficult handgun I own to shoot accurate. Not sure why but just not accurate. I have G25, SW EZ Performance Center 380 and Walther. Glock is probably the most accurate. I generally shoot at 15 yards though, probably be much better at 7y.
I have the Viridian’s I got with my SW handguns I bought last year during rebate. I have one on my Smith 5.7 and it is just barely acceptable. But since it was a rebate item I just keep it on there for the hell of it. I put it on the same level quality wise as the Vortex stuff. To be fair I only have the lower tier Vortex I think they are vipers.
I tried the Sig P365 Lux in 380 today and OMG did I like it. Easy to rack, integral comp so no ubiquitous 380 snap. I was more accurate than I usually am at 7 yds from what I could tell. Granted it was at The Gathering this afternoon so the targets were pretty shot up already so no way to know for sure.
