My work involves handguns, rifles, shotguns and occasionally fully automatic weapons, but most of my teaching and just about all my competition revolves around the former.  In classes, I demonstrate shooting.  Just before the students shoot their qualification, I and the rest of the teaching staff will demonstrate the course of fire for them.  The instructor is expected to shoot a perfect score, right?

Well, I usually do, but there are exceptions.  Last week in Texas, teaching for Eric Lamberson in greater San Antonio, I got sloppy and let one .45 bullet stray out of the center zone, finishing with a 299 out of 300 possible points.

I certainly can’t blame the gun. I was testing a new 1911 variation, the Springfield Armory RO-Target, for the online gun magazine thearmory-life.com.  Now, my lovely bride shoots with me a lot and will tell you the single pistol I shoot the best is the fore-runner of the RO-Target, the original Springfield Range Officer .45 that I’ve owned for a decade. I’ve been shooting 1911 .45s since 1960.  That didn’t keep a lapse of concentration from letting a bullet escape the “down-zero” zone.

One of my favorite pistols is the double action Beretta 92 9mm, and my shootin’ buddy John Strayer insists that I shoot it better than anything else.  Yet a few months ago in the same type of demonstration, I dropped a point with one of those.

I’ve won a bunch of prizes and guns with Glocks. In 2018 I came in High Lawman at the Polite Society shoot run every year at the Rangemaster Tactical Conference. Yet this year, I got careless with my pace of fire and lost two points with the same Glock 19 9mm in the photo above that had given me perfect scores there a couple of years in a row.

The bottom line is something I’ve told my students for decades: “It’s not about the gun so much as it’s about the shooter, and it’s not even as much about the shooter as it’s about consistent application of proven technique.”

But, hey, all this is about a sample of one.  I’d like to hear from you readers.  What firearm do YOU consistently shoot your best with?

69 COMMENTS

  2. I own Glock models 17, 19, and 45. I shoot the 17 and 45 better as I prefer the slightly longer grip. The 19 is my EDC pistol so I’ve been practicing with it more than the others. I’m still a novice at shooting, having only learned about proper grip and trigger control in the last year. I need, and am looking forward, to getting some good training under my belt to learn more about proper technique.

  3. The only one I carry and compete in IDPA with – my Sig P320c. My limitation is my eyesight more than my technique – although it’s not perfect either…

  4. My HK USP Compact. I tried every pistol I could get my hands on when shopping: Glock, Colt, Sig, S&W, Beretta, etc. The HK may be fat and chunky and kind of retro now, but it puts bullets where I point it.

      • Thanks. Now you got me wanting to try. How many shots at each distance and the time limit. I’m a 84 year old retired police lieutenant and have been a big fan of yours since your first articles in cop magazine in the early sixties. If, God forbid, I ever need an expert witness in a self-defense situation, your the man.

      • Jerry, it’s 6 shots in 8 seconds non-dominant hand only from 4 yards. Same dominant hand only. From 7 yards 6 shots, reload, 6 more in 25 seconds. From 15 yards 6 cover crouch, 6 high kneeling, 6 low kneeling in 75 seconds, with 2 mandatory reloads. From 15 yards 6 Classic Weaver stance, 6 Chapman stance, 6 Isosceles stance in 90 seconds.

      • Mas, what about that tuned up Glock 30 that you’ve often referred to in previous articles and been very pleased with for its accuracy?

      • A Colt Lightweight Officer’s model customized by Wilson Combat with their Stealth package, circa 1980.

  7. That would be the Glock 19 that I’ve owned and carried since the early 1990s. When my police department switched to Glock 23s, it was analogous to my 19, so the training and muscle memory were the same. Since my retirement from the PD, I’ve carried that same Glock 19 every single day. It still shoots as well as it did untold thousands of rounds ago, as long as I do my part, and is comfortable, and comforting, to me. It’s the one I shoot better than everything else I own, and the one I would choose if I could only own one handgun. Ironically, my department has since traded in their 23s for 19s.

  8. Sig Sauer P226 Enhanced Elite 9mm or my P228 West German made. Highly accurate and reliable despite being a SOB to work on. I have three other P226 of which I often carry the Legion in 357 Sig. Second would be the Colt Competition 1911 in 38 Super Auto.

  9. I actually shoot best with my Kahr CW9. I have other guns I like better, and at heart I am a revolver guy, but the Kahr is what goes with me when I leave the house.

  11. For pistol, Springfield RO in 9 mm. Revolver my Colt 6″ Python and in rifle my put together AR platform PCC 9 mm

  12. Colt SS Officer that Randy Lee’s crew tuned up for me. I’m a fairly small woman and that pistol is a bit much to carry so #2 is a Kahn MK 9mm DA only. Very small accurate gun.

  13. I find I’m most accurate shooting a CZ / Vz. 82 in 9×18. It has a fixed barrel and Polygonal rifling and very, very little kickback. As I age, my hands don’t like the more powerful cartridges.

  14. I smartened up about 8 years ago and bought my first handguns. The Glock 19 is my more comfortable semi, but I shoot nearly as well with the 26 which I carry every day. MAG40 is the best class ever, BTW.

  15. For me, it’s a SIG P220 Combat TB. The gun just fits.
    Present it and everything just lines up even with my eyes
    closed. Second place would be my SIG 225 (new version)
    for the same exact reasons, it just fits. Third would go to
    a S&W m66 3inch. Even my wife prefers it to any other
    handgun we own. She took her CCW test with it back in
    the 90’s and claimed it as her own then.
    I have owned a Beretta M92 Mas and couldn’t hit the barn
    wall from the inside with it. It did Not fit. I wanted to like
    it real bad but just never could shoot it for crap no matter
    how I tried. Just shows that people are different and what
    works for one might not work for another. Something my
    last Department thankfully practiced.

  16. Still looking for that “magic gun”…. My eyes tell me I favor any gun with a red dot, though.

    I am getting somewhat better since Manhattan, KS. last October! I have your Stressfire Book #1 and #2. Are the Stressfire DVDs available?

    Thanks!
    Rich

  17. Does a football coach need to be the best player on the field?
    Does a tennis coach need to be able to win at Wimbledon?
    These are examples of the fallacy that a shooting coach or instructor must be the best shooter on the line.
    I never shoot with students during training.
    Its not about me.
    Plus, it is a no-win situation.
    Either I shoot a perfect score, which demoralizes some students because they can’t do as well as I can, or I don’t shoot a perfect score, which causes some students to doubt my qualifications.
    It is the quality of instruction and how it provides value to the student.

  18. I still shoot my Glock 23 the best. It’s the stock one that I scored 300 with at the mag 40 course I took in 2012 in Live Oak. It now has a Storm Lake barrel and Trijicon sights. My Les Baer is the same (trijicon front sight) but as you recently pointed out, arthritis prefers the 40 and soon likely a 9. In prep for that, my G19 also has trijicon sights and a KKM barrel.
    Look around, Be aware, Stay Safe

  19. My custom built Remington 700 220 SWIFT. Absolute tack driver. 5 rounds in the same hole at 100 yds every time. Favorite pistols are Smith 29 and Glock 17 and 21S. CC is Sig P938.

  20. I’m consistently inconsistent in my desire to achieve perfection. My Full size Sig P320 feels the best in my hand as it was my 1st handgun. I recently acquired a Glock 17 Gen 5 and have been training with it most recently. I’m finding I shoot both equally as well, or as poorly, as my concentration and focus will allow me.

  21. Glock 17 Gen5. The longer sight radius and grip plus no finger grooves makes this the most accurate firearm for me. The improved trigger also helps.

  22. As a former professional trumpet player I can tell you that to a large extent, it’s not the instrument, it’s the player. Give a trumpet – even one of the best brands and models – to a guy walking down the street, have him blow into it and you are NOT going to like the result. That said, I shoot my best with the 1911. I also do well with Glocks and with the nice and light “great revolver-like” double action feel of my Kahr PM9.

  23. Any make or model that reliably goes bang each time, .22LR up to .45ACP.

    In our Harrisburg MAG80 class, I had two FTF and one FTE during our final qualification, “round counted and timed”, perhaps you’ll recall? Using the Ruger SR1911 Commander. You told me to get the gun checked by the manufacturer. Magazine maintenance was the culprit. Live and learn, but I still accepted the “THIRD BEST SHOT” in the class. That was one HOT summer.

    Today I would place my bet on the Kimber Custom, 1911 in 9mm-stock, right outta the box, (knock wood) 100% reliable and accurate.

    Hello to the Evil Princess. Be safe.

  24. 1975 model Colt Combat Commander .45
    BarSto barrel, Hoag Natl. Match sites, G.I. long 1911 trigger.

  25. I too shoot Beretta 92s. I have a full size that I let Wilson Combat have their way with and I consistently shoot tight groups with it. I also have the 92 Compact which is a close second.

  26. Three to 15 yards, Glock 30, my EDC and the one I practice with the most.
    25 meters, Colt Government Model, because single action.
    40 to 100 meters (IHMSA), Ruger Mark IV, because .22LR and target model.

  27. This will get laughs but I shoot my 2″ barrel Rossi 462 Stainless .357 revolver the best.
    I have a Beretta 92S (one of those Italian police trade ins you could pick up cheap a few years back) and a Norinco 1911 as well. I like both guns, particularly the Beretta but I just don’t shoot them well.

    I tend to do better with a shorter barrel. I am told that makes no sense becase a longer barrel gives you increased sight radius. All I know is I do better (less awful to be honest) with the shorter barrel resolvers and pistols so that is what I carry.

    If I live long enough to see ammo prices come back down (that is a pretty big if considering the clowns that are in the Big Top in D.C.) I will continue to practice with the longer, heavier guns and try to become proficient with them. The current ammo situation being what it is, I spend my limited range time and increased ammo budget working to maintain my limited proficiency with the snub nose shooting .38.

    • Might be a vision thing. For a lot of near-sighted folks, shorter sight radius can actually work better.

    • I have a Rossi Model 877 Stainless .357 Mag with a 2″ barrel which (surprisingly) is every bit as good as a Smith & Wesson. The trigger pull is exceptionally smooth & light, & it shoots to point of aim at 25 yds. with fixed sights! All I did to it is change the grips to Pachmayr because the original ones were too small. It’s one of the best purchases that I’ve ever made.

  30. Mas,

    That cursed 300 is to me what the Red Baron was to Snoopie… or maybe what the football was to Charlie Brown. That being said, it is always an honor surrendering custody of my dollar bills to you after the pacesetters!

    As for my best shooting gun, like many others I have probably shot Glocks more than any others, but in recent years I have developed a close bond with the CZ Shadow SP01 slightly tuned by CZ Custom shop. Although I may be shooting a 1911 in October. Who knows?

  31. That’s amazing shooting, hoping the stars will align so I can take your class soon
    I’d love to practice that drill if you could share the details…..

  32. Sig P220 SAO or my Coonan .357 Magnum.

    Changes from Day to Day…

    But always best with my Noveske Infidel

  33. I have a lot of favorites, but the semi-auto handgun that I have always shot the best with is an early Sig Sauer P226 (marked Herndon, VA) that I bought back in the late 1980’s. The original grips fit my hand perfectly & the trigger pull (both single & double action) is so smooth & light that it seems like it’s almost impossible to miss. Every time I take it to the range it reminds me why it’s such a pleasure to shoot with it. I also have a couple of Walther P99’s (9mm & 40 S&W) that are extremely accurate & fun to shoot. I guess I should also mention that I still have a Glock 19 which I shot a perfect score with several years ago at an LFI-1 class you taught in Connecticut (it rained the whole time we were there), although you beat me on the size of our groups.

    The most accurate revolver that I have is an early Smith & Wesson Model 586 with a 6″ barrel. Again, it’s just a pleasure to shoot using .357 Mag 125 gr. JHP ammo, whether it’s for group size or for combat style shooting. I like it even better than my Python, which is also a pleasure to shoot.

    The most accurate rifle that I have is a Browning A-Bolt II in .300 Win Mag that consistently shoots 1/2″ groups at 100 yds. from a shooting bench using sandbags.

    Even though my eyesight is not as good as it used to be, these are the guns that I take to the range when I want to feel good about my shooting ability.

  34. It’s a toss up between my SIG Legion 320 X5, and P365/365XL. I am always amazed at how easy the little pistols are to shoot accurately, compared to the much larger X5.

  35. Glock 23 is my EDC, I also shoot Glock 17 and Colt Series 70 well. I was trained by Captain Chuck Taylor and Kent Turnipseed so I shoot all 3 weapons very good.

  36. I have an older stainless Springfield Armory 1911A1 I got used that somebody did a very nice job of putting Bo-Mar sights (jen-you-wine Bo-Mar, from back in the day). I put on different grips and a lighter spring and used it for NRA Bullseye competition with ammo consisting of 200 grain semi-wadcutters over a light charge, just enough to reliably cycle it.

    On a really good day when I was in the zone (“sight alignment, sight picture, move the trigger back”) I could put a 4″ group onto the target at 25 yards. I never managed to do that in competition though, with the stress/excitement I never got into the necessary zen state.

    My eyes are now toast after 15 years of uveitis, and I find that black-on-black sights on a black target is unseeable. Sigh. Still my favorite pistol to shoot, though.

  37. In December I saw Mas shoot a perfect 300 at double speed (half the time allowances) on the same course of fire, when a two-time national champ dropped one round for a 299. This speaks to Mas’ consistency and to point out that even the best are still human and can suffer a momentary lack of focus.
    My favorite for years was the 1911. But in the past 4 years has been the Sig P229 DA/SA. However, the past few months I have found a Sig P229 SAO shoots even better. For EDC, I favor the Sig P365 for its concealability—and find it only a tiny bit less precise (5” groups @ 15 yards compared to 3.5-4.5” for the larger gun). Neither pose a threat at Camp Perry, but both are sufficient to highly discourage an assailant with felonious intentions.

    • Addendum: the groups referred to above are 60 rounds, like the course of fire Mas described, not the standard 5 shots.

  38. Does a M2 HB count?

    I have shot some satisfactory groups with my Citadel Compact in .45acp.

    If we take it back to 25 yards I have a pair of .44s that can’t be beat.

  39. For me it is 4” Smith & Wesson K & L frame revolvers. Not the fastest or always the tightest groups but definitely the most consistent, with few dropped shots. Maybe it’s the long trigger pull and the harder required hold but the bullets go where I want them. Maybe it’s being an old fart that grew up with revolvers.

  41. I shoot my Sig P220 in .45ACP the best, followed closely by my Sig P239 in 9mm. I carry the P239 more often due to it’s smaller size.

  42. I won’t specify a particular firearm, but I will make a couple of general remarks. I started shooting as a sport shooter/hunter. Then I ended up spending something over 30 years carrying a gun for a living and 20 some years as a certified law enforcement firearms instructor in handgun, shotgun and patrol rifle. This provided a rather different emphasis on shooting.

    I’ve found most people shoot a pivoted trigger better than sliding triggers. I also don’t like the idea of light, short travel triggers on firearms intended for defensive use. (No, I don’t believe that either you -or I -are exceptions!) Along the way I discovered that, with practice, it’s quite surprising what can be done with stock triggers. Smooth trigger travel is much more important than weight-within reason. Many revolvers leave the factory with triggers that are far stouter than necessary, but they’re that way for a reason. After breakin, some springs can be optimized-if necessary-to manufacturers specifications and that can produce much nicer results. Simply shooting them a lot can often produce similar results.

    • Some specifics: age/eyesight plays a factor on the “at what range” issue. Corrective lenses can give you sharp sight alignment, but the sight picture can get fuzzier than optimal. Going with distance vision for acceptable (not necessarily optimal) sight picture and accepting fuzzy sight alignment has limits too.

      Zero to maybe 15 yards-rehabbed DAO S&W 64-5 with a butter smooth 8 lb DA trigger.
      Zero to whatever- M&P9 1.0 with the spare slide assembly with a RMR red dot sight. It’s magical.

  43. My first pistol is still my most accurate for me, Glock 26. These days, I’m working on improving with a new Glock 19 and a Sig P365XL.

  44. I prefer my Browning Baby with Trijicon RMR backed up by a set of low mounted Bo-Mar sights. Fast magazine changes are a little tricky though.

    Honestly, in pistols, I do best with my Springfield 1911s in .45 ACP, Browning MK III High Power and SIG 210. In revolvers, I prefer my tuned S&W 29-2 with 6 1/2 inch barrel and older S&W 586 with 6″ barrel. Currently I’m enjoying my recently acquired Springfield Armory Hellcat.

  45. Hi Mas,

    One more question. Which targets do prefer to use for the MAG qualification courses, the USPSA, IPSC, or IPDA? Or does it matter, or is if whatever is available?

  46. The biggest lesson I learned in the search for the “best” gun is that it may NOT be the one that feels the best at the gun shop. I’ve owned and shot best sometimes with relatively uncomfortable feeling guns, perhaps they caused me to focus even better on technique. It’s all about what happens downrange.

  47. If I do my part pretty much all my guns shoot well. I am a big fan of red dot sights which allow me to be more accurate, especially at distance. As far as guns, Springfield Loaded 1911 and H&K P7.

  48. My daily sidekick is a 1964 Browning High Power that’s pretty ugly but that’s how it came to me so cheap I could not leave it on the table at the gun show some years back Apparently it somehow got wet, and the bluing is more browning in some places. But it ALWAYS behaves itself if I do my part. Easy to shoot, as far as I know its dead stock (it feels just like my other “pretty” ones).). These days I;m not blowing through much ammo, but when I DO fire that thing it is smooth, easy to shoot, and far more accurate than I’ll ever be. Firs my hadperfectly (I can NOT hold the Glocks….) and points naturally. I also really like my Smith 586 .357 six inch. It came to me from a friend/FFL who;s buddy and fellow target comoetition shooter had it for years, took many awards, and passed on a few years back. My friend was selling it for his Widow. Firing .38 Spl that thing is amazing.

    Long guns, out to 100 yards y Ruger 10/.22 rifle length stainless barrel mounting a Nikon 4 x fixed scope will put a round wherever I tell it to. It happens to have some with a very pretty wooden stock. My favourite CF long gun is a dead stock matching numbers Husqvarna 6.5 Swede military rifle dating 1942. Out to 400 yards it does very well. Beyond that, well its not bad, but does need quite a large come-up beyond the 400 yard mark.

  49. The range of my shooting performance is, um, somewhat wider than that shown in the article. However, the gun I am using doesn’t seem to make much difference. I have no custom triggers installed on any gun but a wide range of trigger pulls is seen. While I normally shoot Glocks, I did take a class with a Ruger SP101. The DA action seemed to make no difference in accuracy or speed. Reloading time was an issue but that is something different than shooting. Comment is confined to pistols suitable to self-defense as I do shoot a Ruger Mark II better than anything else as someone above noted.

  50. The one I shoot best is the 75bd. I have taken 2 MAG 40s with it and the trouble I had is with the idiot behind the trigger. I am looking at the target now where I shot a 286 in June of 2018 in Nebraska. Mas shot his 300 while sipping water between shots. I have started carrying a smaller XDS now because it is concealable. Before I didn’t carry much but now I do every chance I can. I owe it all to Mas and his organization and training.
    Thank you for your help Mas.
    Larry Cunningham

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