I like pretty much all guns. I like to shoot pretty much all guns. I, like you, only have 24 hours in a day, and often it seems like I have a lot less. As much as having a lot of guns is cool, and having experience shooting a lot of guns is cooler, it doesn’t really help you if you are trying to get to the next level with your shooting ability.
I know this has been said on this site many times, but I think it bears repeating again. Pick a gun and work with it exclusively for a long time. That might be a year or it might be several years, but the more you jump around the slower your progress will be. I have been bad about this for some time now but have corrected it (to some extent) as of late. I am fortunate though, in that my core shooting ability was honed on one gun over many years, many years ago. This has given me a base to work from and fall back on and has been invaluable in my training.
I’m talking here about duty type guns. Something like a G19 sized gun or bigger. Find one that fits your hand or can be made to easily enough. It doesn’t matter which gun it is. ALL of them do basically the same thing, with very small differences that don’t usually matter. Pick the one you like for whatever reason and go train. Practice mostly from concealment, and throw in whatever amount of duty or race rig use you need to be effective. It doesn’t take much. Spend most of your time dry-firing – once a day for 20 minutes is great, but smaller sessions multiple times a day is also great. Get to the range when you can. Once a week is ideal for most people, but may not be possible so simply go as often as you can, even if that is only once a month. If you can go everyday like I often can, that may not be the best way to spend your time. I’m currently trying to dial back my live fire and increase my dry fire. We will talk more about that in the future.
“I have been bad about this for some time now but have corrected it (to some extent) as of late.”
Are you referencing handguns or an AA meeting? 🙂
Most people who shoot regularly are guilty of “gun porn” – myself included – but I understand and agree with your point. It may be useful to get some time in with alternate firearms/platforms (DA/SA vs 1911 vs striker fired) for several reasons.
At a certain level, it does not hurt to try other guns, but if you are not yet there, and most are not, it is not helpful. A gun is a gun is a gun and they all fill the same role. Just pick one and use it.
I have a brace of iron sighted, Gen 3 Glock 17s cut to 19 grip length that I been shooting as my primary carry guns since 2012. They have received regular recoil spring and trigger return spring replacement.
One of my dilemmas is whether to have their slides cut for a PMO or to buy a newer generation pistol with the slide already cut.
A few months ago I modified my morning routine by getting up 15 minutes earlier than I needed to and adding in a 10 minute dry fire session.
The session is meant to get hands on the gun before heading out the door; almost as a warmup because we never know what the day will bring.
That is a great way to start the day. As for the guns, a 19L is a great carry setup, but with the improvements made in the last few years (which matter a lot to me and may not matter to you) I would get a Gen6 19, put an optic on it and call it a day. If you prefer your gen3’s, I would cut one for an optic and train a lot with it. Then cut the other to match, or keep it as an iron gun. A gun is a gun is a gun and correct technique allows you to switch between irons and optics without issue.