This post earlier from Tam over at View From The Porch hits on a subject I have disagreed with by others in the gun world as well, hers is just the latest. Massad Ayoob also wrote one a few months ago on the same subject and I have seen others I can't recall. That subject is having one dedicated carry gun, and no more. I am not a paid gun writer or any self-proclaimed expert that will ever tell others what they should do. If asked I will tell others what I do because it works for me. As they say "YMMV."
I have four (five if you count the Gen 3 Glock 21 on the nightstand) personal defense handguns, and I don't select my "CCW pistol every morning based on the color of one’s mood ring or whether its grips match one’s choice of socks that day." There are many more factors that come into play for me, and I always know EXACTLY which one I am carrying, how it operates, and practice with all of them. Here they are in no particular order:
Ruger GP-161 in .357 Magnum
When outdoors hiking, walking my dog, in the woods, or at the range. I open carry it on a dedicated gun belt in a Bianchi thumb-break holster with a pair of HKS 586-A speed-loaders in Bianchi dual speed-loader carrier. The cylinder and speed-loaders are fully loaded with Hornady Critical Defense .357 Magnums. Takes care of local 4-legged predators, bruins, or 2-legged predators.
Ruger SR9c in 9mm
In cooler weather under a flannel over shirt or coat and carried in an "On Your 6 Design" kydex OWB holster at my 3 o'clock. At my 7 o'clock is an On Your 6 Design dual mag carrier. Magazines are Kommiecticut legal 10 rounders loaded with Hornady Critical Defense, and all my semi-autos are carried in "Condition 1" with one in the pipe and safety ON for a total of 31 rounds. Depending on where I am going and for how long I will also include my SureFire Defender flashlight. A trip to the local store for example may mean I leave the spare mags at home. A day long shopping trip, out to a restaurant, or the rare outing to a theater is the full loadout.
S & W 45 Shield in .45ACP
This one is more year round and is probably carried more than the SR9c. I will carry it the same way as the SR9c in cooler weather. Also at my 3 o'clock but in a DeSantis friction fit OWB Speed Scabbard. In it I carry the extended 7 round magazine, and the same magazines in a DeSantis Dual Magazine carrier. All are loaded with Hornady Critical Defense 185 gr ammo, giving me a total of 22 rounds. My particular gun has NO manual safety and the Tritium Nite Sights. Yes... one definitely in the pipe on this one too.
Because of the slim profile, this is the gun I carry on my bike. It all disappears under my leather vest.
In warm weather wearing Duluth Trading cargo shorts, I will carry it in a DeSantis pocket holster with the 6-round flush fit magazine. It disappears in the right thigh pocket, and a single spare 7 round magazine is in the left thigh pocket in a divided pocket made for a knife. I carry just the gun in this manner every day to and from work in the right front pocket of my EMS trousers. At the firehouse it is placed in a gun safe locked container attached to the truck. When I get home in the evening, I change into my jeans and swap out the flush mag for the extended 7-round mag and slide the DeSantis Speed Scabbard holster onto my belt at 3 o'clock. This means I can be armed at home, but the gun and holster can be quickly removed and secured in case I need to respond to an after hours emergency.
Ruger LCP in .380 ACP
In really hot weather when EVERYONE is wearing light clothing, I carry the gun in a DeSantis "Nemesis" pocket holster with a spare mag on my belt in a carrier that looks like it is just a pocket knife. The .380 ACP Hornady Critical Defense is the minimum I will carry and it is loaded in the Ruger factory 7-round magazines for a total of 15 rounds.
After writing all of this, I realized I do something else Massad Ayoob has written about that he isn't a fan of; "Administrative Gun Handling." I regularly handle, load, unload, holster, swap out, and otherwise have my mitts on my guns every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. His theory is once its placed in the holster, it only comes out if needed for defense, or to put it away. I disagree completely. Always practicing Col. Cooper's 4 Rules of Gun Safety, becoming proficient in gun handling is as important as shooting. I had a negligent discharge in 1984 that luckily went harmlessly into the ground, but it was my "one" and it was totally my stupidity. By always and consciously following the 4 Rules of Gun Safety and constantly handling my firearms, has only improved my gun handling proficiency.
I myself have never bought into the only one gun rule, either. But myself I only have 2 carry guns that I rotate between. I also have a Ruger SR9c, the striker fired design, with a small safety, unlike the Glock design, that I just never could trust.
ReplyDeleteThen I have a very nice S&W 3913, one of the first police semi autos that replaced the revolvers. A traditional SA/DA, in 9mm, with what I think is a brushed nickel plated finish, it is a beauty that I bought from my son, who got it as the result of the death of his MIL. I doubt that it had 100 rounds through it in it's lifetime.
2 totally different type of actions, with safeties that require a swipe in the opposite direction, I could see why some might not like to go between the two. But the thing is, I always know which gun I have, and am always aware of how to use them in the case of that awful day comes and I need to defend myself.
It is similar to when I was an athlete in high school, and I would run through the game in my mind, before we played it, so that when the actual game came, I had done it not just in physical practice, but also in my mental practice. Don't underestimate the value of mental preparation. And the same thing applies to carrying a gun. I not only physically practice with my guns, but I mentally run scenarios in my head, to be prepared in case of that day the balloon goes up.
I don't pretend to have the experience of Mas Ayoob or Tam, both respected firearms people. But I do have my own opinions, and have been ridiculed by people who are experienced gun people, in the past, for just asking questions about things that go against the rules of gun safety, and yet are taught and accepted as a good thing in the gun world.
I am speaking of course about AIWB carry. Never point a gun at something you are not willing to destroy, and be certain of your target and what is behind it. I asked in a forum about how this could be considered an accepted practice, and was ridiculed, being told that I did not know what I did not know.
I still don't know what that is, I guess, because I am still not comfortable with pointing any gun at my groin, shall we say, or my femoral artery, on purpose. Of course I know that guns do not go off on their own. Except that the only ND I ever had was a shotgun that did just that. It had a mechanical failure, and fired a shot, while I had it on my front hip, pointed towards the sky. I thought that my hunting buddy had shot me at first, until I figured things out. I am glad that I was not carrying that in an AIWB.
@pigpen51: I too stay away from IWB carry, and especially the AIWB. I have tried it, but as a chubby fella, it is super uncomfortable standing up and walking, and sitting is next to impossible. Then there is the issue of using the bathroom. For me, OWB on my right hip allows me to unzip, let `er rip, and walk away without having to deal with my firearm. Since my carry guns are mostly compact, they are not too heavy to stay on my pants when I drop trou for #2 either. Have you ever seen "Band Of Brothers?" In the episode where they first arrive in Bastogne, Corporal Donald "Hoob" Hoobler accidentally shot himself in the femoral artery with a Luger he picked off a dead German. He bled to death. As an EMT, I know a severed femoral artery not stopped like with a tourniquet, means death in a couple of minutes. The pocket holsters I use from DeSantis protect the trigger, because they are firearm specific.
DeleteI make no claim to be a firearms expert. Heck, I wouldn't call myself an "expert" at anything. But, because of 42 years of personal hands-on firearms experience, I think I know a little bit, and I certainly know what works for me.
What works for some people doesn't work for others. All that matters is what works for you. And that you are capable of using the tool you select.
ReplyDeleteHey Glypto;
ReplyDeleteI have a Glock 19 and a Ruger Shield in .40 cal that I carry in IAWB and when I ride I will carry it outside because it is uncomfortable to ride long distance IWB. I also have a Springfield Range Officer .45 that I call my BBQ or "Sunday Go To Meeting" pistol, I do respect the mess out of Mossad and Tam, but they are them and I am me. You do whats works for you that fits the framework of the law.
I learned about the Glock 21 a couple a weeks ago, if you don't know it's history look into it.
ReplyDelete