Carry-Gun Selection

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Michael Tinker Pearce

Michael Tinker Pearce

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If I were going to be absolutely rational about it my carry guns would be a Glock 19, a Glock 43 and a Keltec P32. Maybe throw a lightweight J-Frame and a Freedom Arms Sidewinder .22 Magnum into the mix for special occasions.


Boring but effective, especially with the new Lehigh Extreme Cavitator ammo in .32 ACP.


But I am not rational about my carry choices. My only real criteria for a carry gun are a) It works and b) I like it. For me to like it does not really depend on the cartridge it fires or the mechanism; it's more a matter of how interesting it is. Sure, if modern, proven ammunition is available I'm going to use that. But I am not dismayed at the prospect of using a gun even if the only ammo I can lay hands on is round-nose lead.


I totally get that this is irrational of me, and I don't recommend my way of doing things to others. It's not smart, and I always recommend more mainstream choices. But I have had an interesting life filled with experiences that most people don't have. I have confidence (overconfidence perhaps) in myself, and as long as a gun functions I'm OK with it.


So- are you totally pragmatic in your choices for carry guns- or do other factors enter in to it?
 
Once upon a time, long before I entered my current line of work, I once for a time carried a Beretta 1935 (a post-war .32 ACP 1934, really), because it was (1) the smallest handgun I owned, and (2) seemed totally super-cool to me at the time ... I went through a stage of infatuation with small European pistols, particularly Berettas, Star and Astra, when I packed guns I thought of as exotic and interesting.

Real-life experiences occurred, and I quickly went to the 1911, later Commander-sized, loving the cachet of the "big American .45," but as I've aged, the eyesight started to go and arthritis took over, have mostly carried compact, high-capacity, high-quality 9mm pistols ... felt the need for lots of rounds and a soft-shooting pistol ... Is that pragmatic?
 
When I first started carrying, I'd carry a wild variety of things, including the P32 you mention, an FEG PA-64, a Tokarev, a Bersa 380CC, and a CZ-52. I gradually settled into a few years of what seemed most reliable to me (J-frames) and from there to what I shot best (1911s). I'll still carry something oddball if the mood strikes me, but not so often anymore. Despite thousands of rounds of practice, and plenty of dry-firing, I'm terrible with revolvers, so they mostly live in the cabinet nowadays.
 
Since I can remember, and I'm pushing 70, I've always liked American made large bore revolvers. A Colt, S&W or Ruger in .38 Sp. or larger has always been a comfort to me. Which one I carry, usually a snubbie J/L frame or similar, use to depend on what I was wearing, but since the introduction of the LCR in .327 Fed. Mag I find that has been my go to EDC for the past year. With the new six shot Colt Cobra coming out soon that may change.
In my old age I'm branching out a little and picked up a few auto loaders. Some I liked, FN Five-seveN, Yugo Tokarev 5.7, and some I didn't, Walther PPK/S. Don't have a 1911 yet but I am weighing my options. Kind of leaning towards the Springfield Compact.
 
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Tinker

So- are you totally pragmatic in your choices for carry guns- or do other factors enter in to it?​
Click to expand...

Yeah I would say pretty much so. When I was first starting out I didn't have much money so often times I had to make do with a very limited selection of carry guns to choose from. Like maybe one or two. Had an Astra Model 600 that I use to carry around in an M7 shoulder holster (cold weather months), and later a Charter Arms Undercover in a Bianchi 9R shoulder holster or one of their leather clip-on IWB models (warm weather months).

Nowadays I pretty much go with whatever I feel like carrying, typically small and lightweight, like a Kahr CM9, S&W Model 638, or a SIG P238. Might even go with a Ruger SR9c, CZ P01, or SIG P229 on occasion, just for something different.
​
 
I love shooting my DW VBOB. Totally reliable and I shoot it hands-down better than my other guns. It fits nicely in the waistband, but the weight tugs on my drawers all day. Yes, I have a good belt (TT Gunleather reinforced with a TT Slim Mike's), but I has no butt. I suffer through occasionally until I think it through more and ask myself....."are you carrying it for the cool factor or for the pragmatic factor?" Time and time again, I put the 1911 back in the drawer and pull out my lighter flavor of the day. Today, it happens to be my HK P30SK V1. Smaller, lighter by almost a pound, and holds three more rounds. Very shootable as well. I keep telling myself to just train my body to get comfortable with the VBOB, but again I ask myself "why?".
 
I'm pragmatic. I used to carry an SP101 in 357. I was content. Then I lost a bunch of weight and the gun felt like it was trying to bore a hole through my pelvis.

So I started carrying an XDs in 45. Much better.

Recent life circumstances and a potential different type of potential danger made me decide I wanted a gun that carried more ammo. So I added a HK P30SK to my collection.

I primarily carry the XDs and P30SK, but still carry the SP101 on occasion. In each case, I decided what cartridge and capacity I was looking for, and then went about finding a gun that fit me well. Pretty practical thinking I feel. I do however have to like a gun before I can bring myself to spend money on it. There are other models that would have filled the same roles for me, but the ones I chose fit me well, and I find them appealing for one reason or another.

First and foremost though, the gun must function reliably and exhibit reasonable accuracy.
 
I only own a few handguns. I would trust my life on the reliability on any of them, otherwise they would be gone. All three fit my hand, and I shoot them well (enough for me). Springfield XD-S in .40, S&W M&P FS in .40, Ruger SR1911 Commander in .45. Which one gets picked usually depends on nothing more than my mood, though that 15+1 rounds of .40 suits my mood more days than not... So, I am pragmatic about what I own, but not so much about which I carry on a given day.
 
Carry as many as you are comofortable with and as many magazines as reasonably possible. I dont remember ever hearing of someone in a firefight with too many guns or too much ammo that was complaining about having too many, too or too much. It is my hope that carrying is a total waste of my time and effort. I like to have options instead of the last resort. More guns = more options
 
My carry guns are chosen because I'm proficient with them and they're comfortable enough that I carry religiously. I own a couple of "fun" guns that have the emotional intangibles attached to them, but I don't need to justify their ownership by using for CC.
 
I carry every day. Mostly because I like guns. Most days I don't leave my barn lot. I spend my hours working on machinery in my shop. Not much threat there.
My carry gun is the lightest, smallest, most reliable gun that i can shoot well.(LCP).
It is always in my waistband for an absolute last resort.
If I am traveling, I have another weapon, and the LCP becomes a bug.
 
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Hi...
Been carrying a handgun for 40 years.
Started with a Springfield Armory 1911 in .45ACP, some years later I added a 1911 Colt Combat Commander in . 45ACP and then a .44Spl revolver to my carry guns.
A few years ago I started carrying Colt Trooper on .357Mag in cold weather.
As crime has gotten worse in this area, I am working with a hi-capacity M&P .40S&W that may get added to the rotation.
My son carries one of a couple different 9mm autoloaders most days. Some times he carries a 10mm Glock.
 
I'm 2/3 on the first guns you mention, carrying either of the Glocks most days. For the smaller pocket pistol I carry an LCP. Practical is nice, I find, for carry guns, daily driver cars, and the like.

Michael Tinker Pearce said:
Boring but effective, especially with the new Lehigh Extreme Cavitator ammo in .32 ACP.
Click to expand...

Extreme Cavitator sounds like a newly developed breed of potato loaded down with excess sugar.
 
Kel-Tec PF9, or vintage stainless Charter Arms Undercover, or Bulgarian Makarov, or 3-inch stainless Taurus 85, or Bersa Thunder 380, or...


Backed by a NAA mini-.22LR revolver, or a Kel-Tec P32, or a Bauer .25..
 
I just carry what I have!

I have never gotten a gun "just" to carry (although that might change relatively soon), although the ones I carry seem to work okay for carry. If I know it works, I am comfortable with it. If I know it is unreliable, I just keep my pepper spray with me, and leave the gun out of it. This isn't a good option, I know, but with the illegalization of firearm access in many places (like schools, airports, California, etc.) when I am there I can't carry a gun anyway! As a side note, California will let you carry a fixed blade of any size you feel like as long as it is open. I always wanted an excuse to get a claymore... (with only one sharp edge).
 
I have things I really like, and still carry when out where the bears live, but I also have fallen to the sheer practicality of a gun that weighs like a steel J frame but holds 3x the ammo, and ups the power factor over 38 +P. Yes, its part plastic, but Ive managed to get over that part. I can carry the practical, highly functional, soul-less Austrian invention (or, in classic terms, the Glocks patent light weight self loading army pistol of navy caliber), and admire and shoot my classics when I want to. So, some of both.

Another crossover practical and highly functional would be an alloy frame Colt 2" 38. They still have a little panache and class.
 
20170119_210934.jpg 20170119_210756.jpg 20170119_210915.jpg 20170119_211119.jpg
I will use these pics to illustrate how a revolver guy switched to an autoloader.
The sp101 was my first ccw. My experiences with .357 vs deer caused me to rethink my caliber choice. My LGS had a used 1911 compact so I bought it to see if I liked it.
I did.

The 1911 is actually thinner than the revolver
It has better sights
Longer sight radius
Longer barrel
Higher capacity
Basically the same length overall
The same height
Simplicity of reloads
Easy to carry spare ammo
Better trigger
Bigger bore
I shoot it better than the revolver.
Since this is a carry choice thread, I thought it was relevant.
 
Rational? I carry S&W .38 Special/.357 Magnum revolvers. Everything works the same way all the time.

In uniform: 4 inch Model 686 (duty), 2 inch Model 12 (BUG), 1⅞ inch Model 642 (BUGBUG)
Soft clothes: 3 inch Model 13 (primary), 2 inch Model 12 (BUG), 1⅞ inch Model 642 (BUGBUG)
Off duty: 2 inch Model 12 (primary), 1⅞ inch Model 642 (BUG)

None of my officers have outshot this old man on the CLEET qualification course yet.

Rational.

If bears :scrutiny: are the driving force behind carry, I'll carry an appropriate long gun.
 
A Colt SAA in the 50's when a deputy and since then a 1911 with a NAA Black Widow as bug. Never changed but might go to a Glock 30s if time does not catch up with me.
 
I'm generally pragmatic, but 'liking it' factors into that because I'm likely to carry it more.
Currently my only carry gun is a Taurus M85. I like it (at that price) and it works and is easy to carry.
When I had the choice, it was a CZ PCR. I mean, a used Glock would probably work just as well, but the CZ just felt so much better to me.
 
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