That’s not a mindset. It’s a mental disease.
A recent tally showed that I bought/sold/traded 54 handguns over a period of 22 years. Many of these were 1911’s, but plenty of others too. And yes, they got more high-tech over the years.
Finally I got fed up, and decided that – at least for me in an everyday real-life personal-defense mode – the G19 remains unbeaten. After all the predecessors, it has been carried everyday for the past 2&1/2 years. I did just recently upgrade it with Warren 2-dot night-sights (that helps a lot in low light).
Dare I say, it’s a true keeper? The peers can keep whatever works best for them. :rolleyes:
First off you will never see me post a “mine’s bigger than yours is” comment. My only point is that you usually have to pay for quality. How much you’re willing to pay is each individuals discretion. What you get for your money depends on whom you give it to. It’s kind of like cars. You can spend up to a million bucks for an uber rocket. That doesn’t mean you can drive it to it’s potential or it’s money well spent. In the hands of somebody like a top F1 driver that potential can be recognized. As far as the shoot I attended (a national points event) many of the shooters were top notch, came from all over the world, and were very serious about winning. That’s all.
Using cars again as an example. A lot of people are willing to drive rock stock hondas, some rusted out beaters, and others demand something better. How many PU trucks do you see with megga bucks in tires, wheels, suspension kits and blaster stereos? How many high end luxury or sports cars? Some people buy clothes off the rack others insist on tailor fit. Same as in houses, boats, fill in the blank. Some will say it’s a waste of money. Others will see it money well spent. If you noticed I have a G23 as my daily carry. I can appreciate fine art and craftsmanship in firearms. Some things just feel better to have and hold. My Glock suits me just fine. I’m not afraid to scratch it. It’s just that I can appreciate other brands and craftsmanship. Flame me if you wish. 
I’ve been all over the map when it comes to various handguns and calibers, now I’m sticking to 9mm Glocks and I may test out a M&P 9mm with thumb safety when they are released to the public (Todd has some influence in this)
My experience has sort of been the opposite. For years and years I would only shoot the latest and greatest. It was a sound plan. If a reputable company like H&K or SIG or Glock put it out, it was probably what I needed. I could easily confirm my choice by looking and seeing what various spec-ops groups were carrying, and basically be satisfied. And although this method is mocked by many, it really didn’t steer me wrong. The guns I selected were all excellent.
As I have gotten older, and become less enamored of what “the big dogs” thought, and I have started drifting towards the 1911. What I like about the 1911 is how thoroughly developed it is. If you buy an H&K45 or an M&P a Glock 21, you are basically going to have to conform yourself to the gun. Sure you can have somebody stipple the grip, or tinker with your trigger, but your options are pretty limited. If I was about to be dropped into a zombie/road warrior movie would I choose the HK45 over the 1911? absolutely! But I am a regular civilian shooter who carries his firearms for personal defense and hobby shooting. If the zombies attack, I have my HK45. But the 1911, for me at least, is easier for me to shoot well than any other combat handgun (or as Bob says, shoot less bad).
And you know what? I don’t think of my guns like I think of my lawnmower (to cannibalize one of Ken Hackathorn’s gems). I enjoy customizing and making a gun “mine.” Does that make me less high-speed low drag? I am sure it does, but I was already pretty slow and draggy to begin with. I like being able to tune the trigger. I like being able to select the grip width, texture, composition, etc. I like having literally 10s of thousands of choices. I like having the wealth of knowledge that comes from using a gun that has 100 years of development.
And I have noticed something else. I have become much less absolute in my gun choices over the years. 10 years ago, I detested the 1911 because of its limited capacity and its reliability issues. Why someone would carry a heavy low cap gun that may or may not run out of the box befuddled me. But as I have gotten older, I have become more of a fan of firearms in general. You really won’t hear me say much bad about a gun unless someone goes out of their way to proclaim its greatness over another gun. I love guns.
Who cares what anyone else thinks if you have made a sound choice for yourself?
All of the common service pistol calibers work well when fed quality ammunition, be it 9mm, 357 Sig, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP
If you are issued your equipment and have no choice in the selection, learn to use it well and train hard.
If you get to choose your personal gear, then pick what works best for you and then train hard.
For a variety of reasons, I prefer 9 mm Glocks, M&P’s, and 1911’s. YMMV…
Gun magazines!? Go outside and kick your own ass. Right now.
I had a twenty some year love affair with the 1911 and enjoyed every minute of it, well mostly. In the last several years however I have gravitated to polymer pistols; glock and M&P. Lighter, more capacity and easier to replace in the event you actually have to use it. I have come to the conclusion that for me, the 9mm works as well as a .45.
Well, I did get an M&P due to this forum. Did I succumb?
Only thing I know is my SW5903TSW gets odd looks at the LEO compitions I have been to this year and yes it is in stainless. It is a blast from the past but for some odd reason I like it better than my Glock 19 that I carry on a daily basis because my wife also carries a Glock 19. When I am around the house my belt holster is for my 5903 and I wish they made more of these.
Now if I could just do better in those shotgun courses I would do alot better than I do now and maybe win some better prizes. I hate shotguns but that is because I use a pump and will not buy something just for a compition. My Agency uses that dang sigma and when we get new stuff it will be a M&P in 40 so I will probally buy one.
I had a couple of 5904’s and 5906’s back during the 80’s-90’s. I was never into the “Don Johnson look”, but I did like the look and feel of these guns. Mine were after the square trigger guard was replaced with the rounded, and had the level dust shroud. With the stock Novak sights, the guns had a certain robust look to them. I liked their appearance a lot better then some of the other Smith autos, such as some of the compact models having ramped dust shrouds.
Many of the early Smith autos were complained of being too blocky, and although mine did protrude from the hip quite a bit, they actually fit my hand very well. At the time I had no complaints with the DA/SA action, slide-mounted safety, and mag-drop safety, but I wouldn’t like those features today.
The all-stainless 5906’s were as heavy to carry as any 1911, but the alloy 5904’s weren’t any worse than a Sig. Like most DA/SA guns though, they were internally complicated with lots of little pins and springs to wear out and break (although I never had any problem with any of mine). I’ve since become a lot more used to 1911’s and Glocks for simplicity of both design and function.