If you carry a gun on a daily basis, outside of a uniformed position, I have a question for you: Do you carry the gun you shoot the most? Being a competitive shooter myself I find that I am often lacking in practice time for my real gun.
For many years I have shot a Glock 17 in IDPA. This gun has had untold thousands of rounds put through it, but my S&W J-frame has not had even 1,000 rounds sent out of it. Obviously this presents a problem with proficiency. I am much better with the Glock 17 than any other gun that own, but I don’t want to carry a full size gun all the time.
This leads me to a thought that isn’t perfect, but it makes sense especially if you find yourself shooting one system a lot. If you are a twice a year shooter, you can’t hit anything anyway (want to find out how good you are? go to a local IDPA, IPSC, GSSF match. very humbling for me). I propose that you take a smaller gun in the same family. If you like the 1911, try the officers model. If you like the Glock 17 try the 26.
The reason that this could save your life is repittion. You will default to habits from the range whenever you find yourself in a stresfful situation. By having the a gun that has the same controls in a familiar place, you will give yourself a much greater chance of a successful outcome. You will also be a better shot.
If you think about it, it would be like Kobe practicing with a Nerf ball all week and playing with a regulation ball on Sunday. Doesn’t translate to success. The Nerf ball might be more fun, more forgiving and generally easier to manipulate, but it won’t make you a better player. Practice like you plan to play.