The SIMP principal and how it applies to me

[rob_s]

I figured out a few years ago that I'm not smart enough and don't shoot enough to be proficient (for me) with more than one platform at a time. I find that I can keep the same level of skill with two platforms if I alternate with them, but that I'll be at about 75% of proficient with either gun.

It took me all of 2008 and 4k+/- rounds with the AK to finally feel like I "get it" in an EAG class in December of that year. It took me at least two months and 500 rounds or so to get back to feeling up to speed with my "native" AR.

In a match setting, we have very few shooters that come out with more than one gun month to month that are also good at shooting any of them. I watch them snatch the trigger, forget how to chamber a round, bumble their reloads, etc.

Good point about the holster/carry locations too. I once worked with a guy that would carry on his ankle, in a pocket, strong side, cross draw, SOB, and in a shoulder holster, with the pistol in a different place on any given day. I always joked with him that he'd look like he was having a seizure if he ever really needed to draw the gun.

[rob_s]

7GN, there's nothing wrong with collecting. I don't get it, but there's nothing wrong with it. If you don't need the cash to pay bills those old friends in the safe certainly aren't hurting anything.

Some of the guys I know that train/compete/carry with one gun will make sure they always end a range session with that gun but can be seen at the range from time to time plinking away with one of their old favorites. They just always go back to the carry gun before they leave and retrain the finger (or so the theory goes).

[sigmundsauer]

Some of the guys I know that train/compete/carry with one gun will make sure they always end a range session with that gun but can be seen at the range from time to time plinking away with one of their old favorites. They just always go back to the carry gun before they leave and retrain the finger (or so the theory goes).

You have described me.

Back when I had the time to compete regularly in IDPA I would ensure that I spent extra time practicing with the gun I would compete with prior to a match (which is the same gun that I carry), but most of my range sessions included time with at least one or two other pistols that I simply enjoy shooting or am constantly evaluating their relative merits against my preferred weapon.

I shoot, first, because I enjoy it. Second, because it is a survival skill. And lastly, I compete because I feel that it reinforces conditions that I cannot replicate on the range....and I like to win from time to time.

I am exposed to a variety of weapons and feel that there is value in being proficient on all of them. Don't make the mistake of defining proficiency as having to be a master class competitor on any particular pistol. I feel that I am proficient on many different weapons as a result and can transition relatively seamlessly. I definitely have my favorites, though. I don't really have the luxury (or the resources) of only mastering one pistol at the exclusion of others.

So, what kind of SIMP is it when you shoot the piss out of one gun (say, 50-60,000 rounds) until it nearly self destructs and then change to something else every six months? T&E-SIMP?

Tim

[ToddG]

So, what kind of SIMP is it when you shoot the piss out of one gun (say, 50-60,000 rounds) until it nearly self destructs and then change to something else every six months?

The kind everyone wishes they could be.

[Saginaw79]

The kind everyone wishes they could be.

+1

[S500N]

In the context of the SIMP principle, what do you think of utilizing different models within the same weapon system as well as different weapon systems that have the same basic manual of arms although different grip angles, triggers, etc? Specifically, I am thinking of a S&W M&P45 for use in cold Midwestern winters, a Glock 19 the majority of the rest of the time, and occasionally a Glock 26 when clothing/circumstances dictate?

[John_Wayne777]

I'm at a bit of a crossroads though, because there are handguns I really like such as my S&W 686, or my Sig 228, but don't really have a need for...not quite sure what to do with them.

What I do...keep them, shoot them for fun occasionally. Spend most of your time (in the 95% range) on your carry guns. When I carried my 1911 I shot that more than any other handgun I had. Now that I don't carry it often, it spends most of it's time put away. I have to dig it out of mothballs (along with mags and other stuff) to get ready for the Vickers 1911 class in a couple of weeks.

Nothing wrong with having lots of guns...but I make a distinction between guns I own for serious social purposes and guns I own for collector's interest or fun. The vast majority of my trigger time is on the serious social purposes guns. The fun guns get pulled out every now and then when I head up to a buddy's farm for some R&R.

[John_Wayne777]

In the context of the SIMP principle, what do you think of utilizing different models within the same weapon system as well as different weapon systems that have the same basic manual of arms although different grip angles, triggers, etc? Specifically, I am thinking of a S&W M&P45 for use in cold Midwestern winters, a Glock 19 the majority of the rest of the time, and occasionally a Glock 26 when clothing/circumstances dictate?

Keeping your carry guns within the same family is a good way to maximize the value of training you have on a particular platform. If, for instance, you have a lot of trigger time on say a G17 because it's an issue gun, a G26 as a BUG or CC piece will help take advantage of the Glock-fu you've learned by training with the G17. It's also a good way to save some money on carry equipment and accessories.

[John_Wayne777]

So, what kind of SIMP is it when you shoot the piss out of one gun (say, 50-60,000 rounds) until it nearly self destructs and then change to something else every six months? T&E-SIMP?

Tim

Obsessive Compulsive Attention Deficit SIMP.

Gotta shoot the M&P. Yeah. Gotta shoot the M&P. Yeah. 60,000 rounds. Yeah. Definitely 60,000 rounds. Yeah. 2:00, time for more M&P forum. Yeah.

***Someone enters stage left and hands Rainman a new gun***

Gotta shoot the HK. Yeah. 50,000 rounds. Yeah. Definitely 50,000 rounds. Yeah. UPS driver outside with more ammo. Yeah. Gotta register at HKPro. Yeah.

[ToddG]

***Someone enters stage left and hands Rainman a new gun***

If you spill a case of ammo on the ground, with just one glance I can tell you how long it will take me to shoot it all.