Is it the gun or skill that really matters?

[darinb]

I guess this is my first rant.Heres the way I see it. Your carry gun doesnt run itself you run it regardless of the brand/model/capacity/etc it is. I currently carry a Hi point JHP45. Its big its heavy but it is mine and I put training in everyday with it. It requires me to adjust my handling techniques with it due to its design but adapting to it to me is the fun part. I get alot of crap for carrying it instead of a more popular brand but reality is I dont have any of those said guns nor can I afford them now.I am confident and proficent with it so isnt that what matters?


P.S I am not ashamed for carrying a Hi Point

 

[cedartop]

Both matter, but individual skill, proficiency, and mindset trump gear. This is not an excuse to carry junk though. The gear still has to be up to the task.

 

[Jackson]

The gun in your hand is always going to be better than one on the shelf you couldn't afford. That being said, you need to go out and run it hard (and I don't mean 200 rounds on the weekend) and see how it stands up. At the same time, you should save up for a better gun and a good holster. You should consider taking it to a good two-day training class and see how it holds up to the drills and work you put in there. You will build a lot of skill and test your gear at the same time.

 

[Josh Ward]

Both matter, but individual skill, proficiency, and mindset trump gear. This is not an excuse to carry junk though. The gear still has to be up to the task.

This ^^^^^

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Dale sells the crap out of those hi-points.

The simple answer is...both.

Everyone is held back by one of two things, skill or gear. Cheap guns with design flaws that limit their ergonomics will hit gear limitation earlier than quality ergonomic guns. Hi points have many design flaws so that they can be cheaply produced. That doesn't mean you can't save your life with one, it doesn't mean its not "good enough", it just means it will limit a shooter more than a better gun will. In the same way, just because you don't have formal training or have limited training doesn't mean you can't save your life or you aren't "good enough", it just means you will hit your skill limit earlier than someone with those advantages.

Quality gear can be easier to train with, though, and will lead to being a better shooter. Reloads are easier with a properly designed magazine well and funnel. A large ambi safety on a 1911 is easier to deactivate under stress than the tiny safety on the frame. Better quality sights and trigger make learning the fundamentals simpler, etc.

 

[BJones]

Skill is very important. Without skill the most expensive gun you can buy will not be very effective and may you killed or injured. Train and practice with whatever you have decided to carry. There are lot of good guns out there, some expensive and some not. Make sure the gun works for you and you are comfortable and confident with it.

 

[lucky4034]

If I was stuck in a bad situation where I was in need of some help... I'd rather have a guy with a Hi-Point who was has thousands of rounds behind the trigger back me up than a guy with a Wilson Combat who only has a couple of hundred rounds of experience....

Well... until they go down that is. Then I'd rather pick up the Wilson Combat .

As long as its reliable and you can shoot it well.... The gun can't shoot itself. I used to have a HiPoint Carbine and I shot fine. I would have been happy to use it to protect my house.

 

[Leo]

If it goes bang when you pull the trigger and you can hit with it, you have the tool you need. That is a good thing. If you have the money for a finer grade, more purpose designed handgun that goes bang and you can hit with it, that's a good thing and you get the benefit of more convenience, pride and style.

While accuracy is an issue, in most practical uses, a pistol that shoots 4 inches at 50 yards from a Ransom rest is not really a lot of disadvantage against a high end pistol that shoots 1 inch at 50 yards out of a ransom rest.

In the gun games world, I have seen more breakdowns and malfunctions from custom tuned firearms than plain Jane quality rugged models.

 

[possum_128]

Just kidding, as long as it works for you why care what anyone else thinks?

 

[esrice]

Unskilled shooter with a high-quality reliable gun = bad

Skilled shooter with an unreliable gun = bad

Unskilled shooter with an unreliable gun = bad

Skilled shooter with a high-quality reliable gun = better

Fighting mindset + sound tactics + good skills + quality reliable equipment = best

You gotta train on it all. Develop the mindset, learn and practice good tactics, become skilled, use good equipment. Don't bank on luck.

 

[shockabookoo]

Both matter, but individual skill, proficiency, and mindset trump gear. This is not an excuse to carry junk though. The gear still has to be up to the task.

Yes sir!!

 

[halfmileharry]

"IF you can shoot pool you can use a broomstick"

 

[x10]

Both matter, but individual skill, proficiency, and mindset trump gear. This is not an excuse to carry junk though. The gear still has to be up to the task.

Why is this so hard to get?

 

[HavokCycle]

the only question about a firearm, is does it go bang every time. the rest of it is inconsequential. my glocks don't hit where i point, but i know where to point them. that part is familiarity and training. what i can say tho, is the only time one has failed is when i filled it with a dud reload.

that isn't an advertisement for glock or fan-boyness, just stating i know i can rely upon them to mechanically function.

 

[Jackson]

my glocks don't hit where i point, but i know where to point them. that part is familiarity and training.

I'm going to disagree with this statement. It hits right where you point it. All of my Glocks have sights. When those sights are properly aligned, they hit where the sights are pointing. If you are not "hitting where you are pointing", I would say the gun is not pointing where you think it is when the bullet exits the barrel. Having to change point of aim to achieve accuracy means there is either a problem with marksmanship, or a problem with equipment. It might be familiarity, but it is not adequate training.

 

[bwframe]

...I currently carry a Hi point JHP45. Its big its heavy but it is mine and I put training in everyday with it...

Put training in everyday?

 

[Trigger Time]

Op I'm sure the hi-point will fill all your level of needs just fine. Carry on with your door stop.

 

[maxmayhem]

i have to be honest here...hi points, ket-tecs, and taurus are said to be good by the people who OWN them. It is better to talk to people who used to own them...they stink....pot metal mags that will not stand the test of time...their owners are always quick to forget the failures when the go to the range or chock it up to ammo or limp wristing....blah blah blah... i really wanted to like the pf9 but had some kind of problem with all three of them....taurus is hit or miss...i know some dude is gonna pipe up and say he put 10,000 rounds through it this weekend but i want to see the movie....if thats all you can afford fine then i call bullcrap....get a second job and get a good pistol that your family can trust...m and p, glock , 1911, cz, ruger, colt, h and k, xd,..all these are good but hi point is not synonymous with quality and reliability no matter how much anybody wants to bullcrap me--period.

 

[Glock21]

I guess this is my first rant.Heres the way I see it. Your carry gun doesnt run itself you run it regardless of the brand/model/capacity/etc it is. I currently carry a Hi point JHP45. Its big its heavy but it is mine and I put training in everyday with it. It requires me to adjust my handling techniques with it due to its design but adapting to it to me is the fun part. I get alot of crap for carrying it instead of a more popular brand but reality is I dont have any of those said guns nor can I afford them now.I am confident and proficent with it so isnt that what matters?



P.S I am not ashamed for carrying a Hi Point

I wouldn't stand in front of it.

 

[Glock21]

I'm going to disagree with this statement. It hits right where you point it. All of my Glocks have sights. When those sights are properly aligned, they hit where the sights are pointing. If you are not "hitting where you are pointing", I would say the gun is not pointing where you think it is when the bullet exits the barrel. Having to change point of aim to achieve accuracy means there is either a problem with marksmanship, or a problem with equipment. It might be familiarity, but it is not adequate training.

Yep.