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.