[TonyB]

I just dropped off my SP101 carry gun at the gunsmith for a trigger job and some cosmetic work,and now I don't have a carry gun for like a week.Now granted I didn't carry for 34 years ,but now I feel like I'm naked!I think I need another carry gun.Maybe just something cheap as a back up,in cases like this.
I tried to carry my PT99 but it just felt huge and I printed like crazy.So I guess I'll need another gun.......OH DARN:D

[tlhelmer]

I carry a Glock 27 as my back-up on duty. I am a plainclothes detective so I wear soft clothes, but it is quite concealable.

[El Tejon]

"Soft clothes"? So, you use Snuggle?:D

Another argument for multiple copies of the same weapon. Whack, whack, [dead horse], whack, whack.

[Edward429451]

Beware the man who only owns one gun, he might not be backup cause his guns in the shop!

[22luvr]

Your PT99 is too big to carry? Yikes, a Ruger SP101 is not exactly a puny lightweight! Do you carry IWB? Belt holster? Pocket?

I'd opt for a P32, which you can get fairly inexpensively and it just disappears in a pocket. An NAA mini-revolver in .22 mag is also another good back-up choice.

You could even go for an inexpensive used snubby in .38 spcl for all that matter.

I'd love to get a used Ruger SP101 with a 3" barrel but they must be popular because I never see a used one in any of the local gun shops.

[Logistar]

I'll second the P32. It would be nice to have even when you get your regular carry back. There are occasions when I simply cannot carry anything except my P32.

Also makes a nice BUG.

Logistar

[10-Ring]

Darn, to find an excuse....errrrr...need to buy a new gun! If you're happy w/ the SP, maybe picking up a second one would be cool. As an alternative, I'd recommend a S&W 640 in a wheelgun or a SIG 239 in a caliber of your preference in a semi.
Have fun shopping :D

[DeltaElite]

Hold on, some of you guys only carry one gun at a time?? :neener:

[Blackhawk]

Gotta sympathize, Tony.

Been trying to imagine what it would be like to have just one gun, and it's not a comfortable thought -- sort of like being broke and hungry. :(

[Skunkabilly]

"Access with either hand is straight trippin', gee dawg." --El Tejon on a second gun :D

[AK103K]

Hold on, some of you guys only carry one gun at a time?? :neener:
Yea? whats up with that?:)

[MJRW]

Oooh, so many possibilities:

1. Do you get another revolver for this purpose? How about a 629 4" or a 396 or 696? Might be small enough to conceal for you and it gets a .44 in your hands.

2. Do you go with the mouse gun like a Kel-Tec P32 or P3AT (when it comes out)? You can almost definitely find a use for this.

3. Maybe its time for a similar if not the same revolver. Perhaps an airweight or airlight.

I love questions like this.

[skippie]

I guess all I can say is two is one and one is none, so I carry three.....:D

[Brian Williams]

A former thread on The Firing Line was you need 4 copies of you carry piece
1 for carry
1 for back up if first one is confiscated or broken
1 at the gunsmith for a action job
1 kept at an offsite location for emergencies

C.R. Sam would say carry 2 any way
N frames that is
Suspenders necessary

[MrAcheson]

If you like the SP101 then buy another one. It is never a bad idea to have two copies of your carry gun in case one is out of commission for some reason.

[DonGlock26]

The cheap option is buying a used snubbie S&W .38spl.

[gbran]

My state allows 3 guns on my permit and I've listed 3.

[TonyB]

I usually carry in a belt holster.The pt99 is just bulkier than the SP,the weight doesn't bother me,but when I had it on it was defenately printing.
I've been considering a s/w lightweight 38(I shouldn't have traded my mod.38).There's a couple of used ones around for $250 or so.
Right now I'm just waiting till my SP is done.......
Money's an issue for now so I'll just have make due.:(

[Flashpoint]

I have a gun I can carry as back up, but It's a little bigger than I would like the carry. I been thinking of getting a Bersa Thunder (.380) for when I would like to carry somthing a little smaller. Good excuse huh :p . I have surfed all over the web and could not find one critical remark. If I put the Bersa in an ankle holster and wore shorts do you think a tube sock would conceal it or would it print? :D ;) :scrutiny:

[MJRW]

I think a tube sock would be pretty blatant over an ankle holster.

[Country Boy]

two is one and one is none
Isn't that a Clint Smith quote?

I don't carry two guns at the same time, mostly because I haven't scraped together the funds for a smaller frame handgun (all mine are full-size). Although, I wouldn't mind the option of doing a "New York Reload" by just pulling another gun. :D

[Onslaught]

I'd opt for a P32, which you can get fairly inexpensively and it just disappears in a pocket. An NAA mini-revolver in .22 mag is also another good back-up choice.

I can't see TomB buying a P32 for "interim" carry. If he carries a big ole' Ruger most of the time, he'd still feel quite naked with something that small, light, and puny. (No offense, I used to own 2). A 640, 642, etc... would probably be enough to put your clothes back on, and still be available as backup once you get "ole' faithful" back.

P.S. I used to think that the P32 was great for "when I couldn't carry anything else", but once I stopped carrying anything else because it was so easy to carry, I sold it. I have since learned that I can carry a S&W 642 absolutely anywhere that I need to carry. I used to wear the P32 in a DeSantis ankle holster at work, but honestly, the rounded shape of the 642 doesn't print any more obviously than the P32, who's squared-off shape was much more obvious if the wind blew my pantsleg tight.

[Island Beretta]

Reasons? Main carry broken, taken by bad guy, handed to bad guy (he asks for it..whilst having a gun to my head), taken by police because I gave the bad guy what he asked for, falls, lost, malfunctions...

A word of advise to single gun carriers like myself.. get a gun that is 100% reliable because with 1 carry gun, reliability is not an option.. that is why I carry a Beretta.:what: Regularly cleaned, fired and function checked..

If I was to go to 2 carry guns, I would have to go over to the Dark side and carry Glocks because of their weight advantage..the 2 Glocks would be a little heavier than the 1 Beretta..:D

[wun_8_seven]

blackhawk, i'm broke & hungry. 187

[Traithe]

I carry my P32 only when I absolutely can't carry anything else, and I still feel half-naked just carrying it. The rest of the time I carry a 9MM minimum, but prefer to carry a 45.

I'g go with what your most familier with as second carry gun, a small to medium sized revolver. Stick with what you know best and feel comfortable with.

[RustyHammer]

What about your truck gun or drawer gun or nightstand gun or tackle box gun or garage gun .... ?

[Meow]

how about carrying three guns?:) oh how would you carry them?:(

[Sgt]

This is why I own (4) 1911's......They are all different makes, with different barrel lengths, but they all fit in the same holsters....

It's so simple, it's scary!!!

Semper Fi, Sgt