Strive to carry the handgun you would want anywhere, everywhere.

AK103K said:

Never, but thats not the point.

Unless you have that crystal ball, you can never know. Might be never, might be tonight.

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It's just not something I'm going to spend a lot of time worrying about. I'm literally more likely to walk out my front door and run into a bear. I have walked out the door (at work) and ran into a bear, I've even been caught in the middle of someone else's gunfight (more than once) but it was never a lawful concealed carrier.

Kleanbore said:

No.

My point was that some of what some people say they like to carry might indicate that that kind of thing may be among their fantasies,

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I carried an M&P 9 and two reloads for several years. That's exactly what CSPD carries (in terms of firearms) I carried a S&W model 4006 that actually was a CSP trade in. It never once occurred to me to chase and apprehend criminals.

I used to own a 1911 and an M1 carbine I never wanted to invade Normandy.

Ive run into a number of bears at work and out in the yard over the years, but the bears around here would rather run off than deal with you, most of the time anyway.

Some of the people Ive had to deal with in the inner cities and some of the rural areas, were always a lot more sketchy than the bears.

Ive lived, worked, and played in good and bad places, and I always carried the gun I always carry, sometimes two. If I go someplace where I think its going to be "scary", bring an extra or two that are appropriate.

Odds are though, the gun I normally have on me, is the gun I'll need if I need one, and luckily, I always have it on me. Now, if I can get me one of those crystal balls.......

Kleanbore said:

No, of course not.

You are one of the members who know what they are doing.

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I'm one of the members who is painfully aware of how much I don't know.

Our EDC is a S&W 9X19mm Shield which is there for when all else fails. Our residence is rural adjacent to a recreation area thus the city dwellers descend upon us. Incidents are the exception rather than the rule. Viewing the counties weekly Sherriff Department report we have drug related issues and property theft issues. Shootings simply put are an exception rather than the rule. Black Bears not much of an issue thou the State Park is home to a population of Black Bears along with some that are released after being problematic in other areas of the state.

As I've written numerous times on this forum; avoidance of stupid people, places, and things is our life style along with when the Sun goes down and the Moon comes up we are at our residence thus not out wondering around or going to convenience stores at zero dark thirty.

My last shooting incidence was in my Marine Corps days, thus I have absolutely no want to participate in shootings instances at this point of my life.

Trunk Monkey said:

When I was in the Army they actually issued our track drivers M3s. Everyone I spoke to that got to fire them so they were horribly inaccurate. If I remember right they didn't even have sights on them.

We had a guy in our unit who was a Welder /Machinist. I don't remember what his actual MOS designation was but the Army trained him to be a welder and to be a machinist (he's probably a retired millionaire now) but he said he could make an M3 for about 40 bucks

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I, and I’m certain many others would be happy to pay the man ten times the quoted price today if he was able to do so. I can dream, right?

RevolvingGarbage said:

I, and I’m certain many others would be happy to pay the man ten times the quoted price today if he was able to do so. I can dream, right?

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I think he meant the material would cost him forty bucks.

I seem to remember reading somewher that M3s cost $13 a piece to make during World War II

In all honesty I do not always have a gun handy when I am at home or in the yard. Sometimes I do sometimes I do not but this article could be used to make an argument for doing exactly that. https://www.ajc.com/news/gbi-man-wh...osives-in-trailer/PEFYLGXCEFBXTPWJDNVQ563LYE/

Condensed version for those who don't want to go to the link. A fugitive that had shot a sheriff's deputy turned up in a mans yard. The man that was feeding animals in his backyard was shot in the back twice IIRC (doesn't say in that article but I read elsewhere). He drew his .40 caliber pistol & returned fire grazing his attackers head which ended the confrontation.

People posting about bears and non human threats. The non human threat that concerns me the most around my home does not require a firearm to deal with a hoe works fine. The thing is snakes can be really hard to see. So far the score is me 6 copperheads 0 but if I get careless that could change.

Yup, a lot of things were fairly inexpensive way back then.

Even back in the 70's, you could buy a "surplus" M1 Thompson from the government, for $70.

10-15 years later, they were around $800.

Kind of pointless to worry about all that now though.

What is it with people and snakes and bears?

AK103K said:

What is it with people and snakes and bears?

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The last bear I came across while out walking ran away when my girlfriend screamed.

mokin said:

The last bear I came across while out walking ran away when my girlfriend screamed.

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Good thing you weren't carrying a pizza

mokin said:

The last bear I came across while out walking ran away when my girlfriend screamed.

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My buddy at work came out onto his back porch one morning with a cup of coffee. Just made it out the door and stopped, when he heard a noise at the blind end of the porch where his birdfeeders are. Turned to see what it was and a bear came tearing by headed for the steps off the porch, pissing all the way as she ran. Ran right down the steps and off into the woods.

He said it happened so fast, that he handnt moved and just watched the show as she ran by.

Trunk Monkey said:

That is can of worms all by itself. Suffice it to say more people than you would think notice.

Bears are a thing

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I still don't think most people would notice even when I only have a t-shirt as cover garment. People in general are pretty oblivious to their surroundings, and lots of people have things other than guns hanging from their belt. But in the end all that really matters is that I'm not doing anything illegal so if they do notice and figure out that it's actually a gun, so what? Maybe that wouldn't be the case is some areas but around here there are lots of hunters and guns aren't seen as evil by most.

I have little fear of running into a bear at the Weis market, and the only bears in PA are black bears which aren't nearly the same level of threat as some of the more aggressive bears. The only place I go that is wooded and might be home to bears is the range and when I'm there I always have multiple defensive options with me besides my carry gun.

jmohme said:

I have always felt that one should become intimately familiar with their defensive weapon and stick with it in all situations.
I never want to have to think about differences in this weapon or the other when I really need to use it.

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This is my thought process as well. I have far more rounds through my carry gun than any other firearm I own. If the need to use it ever arises I don't want to have to think about anything except should I fire. If I decide that I should I want the process to be automatic.

AK103K said:

What is it with people and snakes and bears?

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The vast majority of folks don't live and work in areas where bears or (poisonous) snakes are an issue.

Play? Well that's a different story.

Since I moved back to the lower 48 I don't worry about bears anymore. Sure we had one in our yard once but the dogs run it off quick. I'd be content with my 9mm CCW in the woods around here, even the bears we do have are pretty skiddish and puny.

Since this is the bi-weekly thread where everyone chimes in with their carry theories and many a panty shall become betwixt between forefinger and thumb and rolled uncomfortably, I'll chime in with my very wrong method of carry.

I'm not dressing around a gun. Im happy that many of you do. My edc gun is a pocket variety most of the time. Yes I realize that their are 9mm pistols that will fit in pockets, but my pockets aren't big enough. Im a 40 year old professional contractor who wears boot cut jeans (for my boots) and tucks in his shirt because I have been able (so far) to fight off the muffin top of creeping middle age. I do not wear a vest or a sport jacket or smoking pajamas or the three piece suit of an antebellum era property baron. Boots, jeans, polo/flannel (based on the time of year), and that's it. I have tried carrying iwb many times (including blousing my shirt around my gun which, frankly, looks stupid on my frame). It does not work. I work literally 7 days a week, because I run the show. My EDC, generally, doesn't change. Back when ammo was available, I would usually hit the range and run through 50-200 rounds of ammo once or twice a month at ranges from 5-15 yards through my carry piece.

I carry a pocket .380 most of the time along with a spare mag in my fifth pocket. Its the biggest gun that will not print that I can actually draw. When I am wearing a jacket or coat in the cooler months, I will usually toss in a NY reload of the .38 j frame variety to go along with my pistol (offsets the weight of my phone in my other pocket). I almost always have a NAA blackwidow on my person as well, mostly because I forget its in my pocket and it automatically gets packed everything I switch out my jeans.

I realize I could untuck my shirt or wear a floral beach print or dress like I'm going to a state dignitary's funeral and carry a larger gun. Im very broad in the shoulders and thick in my back and have a cavernous space to hide a hand cannon, but it does not fit my lifestyle and it pinches a nerve in my back. Yes, I could probably get used to it. I could probably get used to jamming a straight pin into the nail bed of my thumb too.

At the end of the day, a carry gun is an insurance policy. I get that. Many of you have a Lloyd's of London, and I'm glad you feel well protected and respect that as your minimum. Personally, im good with switching and saving on my Geico.

I do switch up my gun depending on what I am doing. Driving from my home to my office to a upperclass customer's house, I dont feel too threatened with just my .380. A .357 goes with me into the woods (no bears here, just cats, coyotes, and meth farmers), and I do carry a bit more when I go to diner downtown, because like most downtowns there is only about a block between high end fancy and cracktown. I feel that I would be way more likely to run into crime near the places that have crime than the places that generally do not have crime. Plus, I will be wearing one of those fancy sport coats then and I usually bring along a 1911 because it packs flat and shoots nice.

TL;DR
Everyone has their reasons to carry what they carry. Everyone pays their moneys and takes their chances. Threads like this never result in education, because the NEED for a personal protection gun is so statistically insignificant that all points of data are anecdotal and not empirical thus breaking down into a "yeah, but what IF?!" scenario. You carry around something "big enough" until it isn't and you get killed by 4 armed thugs with Glock 17s. You pack around a full size steel 9mm and 4 spare mags every day for 20 years and get nothing for it besides some nerve damage. You step out of the downstairs half bath half asleep at 3:43am after taking a leak and find an intruder with a sawn off 12 gauge leveled at your guts...BLAM.

There is always so much right/wrong posturing in these sorts of threads. Im pretty sure people that take the time to post on a gun forum are gun savvy enough to make personal calculations that fit them best. The audience isn't exactly the ignorant masses that buy a gun, shoot six rounds through it, and then leave it unloaded in the glove box for 15 years.

mmb617 said:

I still don't think most people would notice even when I only have a t-shirt as cover garment. People in general are pretty oblivious to their surroundings, and lots of people have things other than guns hanging from their belt. But in the end all that really matters is that I'm not doing anything illegal so if they do notice and figure out that it's actually a gun, so what?

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You are absolutely right. Most people don't notice but some of them do. And not all of those who do are good, honest, citizens.

Gun grabs are a real thing that happens. It's a rarity but it's a reality and it seems to be becoming more prevalent.

So what? So what are you do when you're walking through Walmart and somebody punches you in the back of the head and reaches for your gun?

mmb617 said:

I have little fear of running into a bear at the Weis market, and the only bears in PA are black bears which aren't nearly the same level of threat as some of the more aggressive bears. The only place I go that is wooded and might be home to bears is the range and when I'm there I always have multiple defensive options with me besides my carry gun.

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There were two women that were attacked by bears in town here last summer. Every once in awhile there's a story on the news about a bear breaking into someone's home or wandering into a pizzeria down town. I ran into a bear at work one night and a friend of mine who was stupid enough to take a tuna fish sandwich hiking got stalked by one.

Bears are a thing

Trunk Monkey said:

Bears are a thing

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A lot of things are a "thing". The main question is, did you bring enough gun, and realistic skills/experience along, to deal with "things"?

A lot of people seem to want to be cool and carry a gun, beyond that, you dont hear too much discussion about what they do to continually learn, improve, maintain their skills.

Sounds like many seem to think, "I have a gun" covers things, and even makes up for other things they are lacking at, like hands on martial and grappling type skills, maybe staying in reasonable shape, etc.

LOOK! BIGFOOT!

Bigfoot's a thing.

CDW4ME said:

View attachment 951627

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Seems like maybe becoming an concealed carry instructor would be a good gig for you to get into since you're retired. You could "reach" your students directly, probably much better than you could compared to anonymous strangers on the 'net.

Well I have to say that after reading all these post, which the same topic seems to be almost weekly now, have done one thing for me. They have embolden and substantiated my decision so many years ago to become proficient with the Pocket Pistol, Mircro 9mm's and the Snubby.. It was one of the best decisions I ever made in the world of EDC and well worth all the training, time and ammo I have put into this. Carrying every day, every single day, day in and day out, the Pocket gun and Micro pistols have been my friend. What a pleasant feeling to have had so many years ago to let go of the burden I had of having to lug a heavy piece of metal and lead around for years. Yes, I moved down in size to a level where I know I could carry with absoutly no inconvenience to what I was wearing. I also learned so many different skills and benefits to these fine engineered small barrel weapons. For me they represent a better defense in many ways that larger guns do not have. Like walking to my car at night, with a weapon actually concealed in my hand, ready to protect me. And it is hard to beat a gun already in the hand.

I want to thank all that keep bringing this subject up. I know many cannot shoot a small gun with proficiency and I understand this. And anyone who feels they need bigger and more, then my hat is off to them. I will not try and force my views on them. They have chosen what they believe to be the best for them. What they carry is their business and myself and all others have a freedom to carry what we feel is best for each us personally. It is sad to see that respect of what others carry, gone by the wayside by some folks.
I say, spend more time with the weapon you do own, you feel comfortable with and stop trying to force your beliefs down on others. And smarmy cartoons, intimidation quotes insinuating all types of danger do nothing but show a insecurity to your own beliefs.

CDW4ME said:

Of the concealable handguns owned, strive to carry the one you would want anywhere, everywhere.
Whatever is carried where "anticipated threat" is greater, carry that; yes, even for a quick trip to the store.
This is the way.
You're welcome.

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It's A way.

It's apparently Your way.

It's not THE way.

You're welcome.

I once believed that way, myself, as a young man. After having carried either a .357MAG service revolver or a Combat Commander on my own time, everywhere, I thought about what I'd want to have in the worst situations ... and began carrying a .44MAG everywhere, because a .357MAG is just a .357MAG, and ditto a .45ACP. Might as well carry a respectable caliber and powerful handgun, right? (It was an approved duty & off-duty caliber for my agency at that time.) Well, a large caliber Magnum caliber revolver (which a .357MAG isn't) is fine for more rural threats and environments, but in crowded urban and suburban environments it can present a risk of excessive perforation. Needs a respectable backstop.

FWIW, I got over that whole "The Way" thing in the first decade of my martial arts pursuit. It was distracting and often served as an impediment to further learning and development, even back then. The first real test is realizing it.

Ernie Bass said:

Well I have to say that after reading all these post, which the same topic seems to be almost weekly now, have done one thing for me. They have embolden and substantiated my decision so many years ago to become proficient with the Pocket Pistol, Mircro 9mm's and the Snubby.. It was one of the best decisions I ever made in the world of EDC and well worth all the training, time and ammo I have put into this. Carrying every day, every single day, day in and day out, the Pocket gun and Micro pistols have been my friend. What a pleasant feeling to have had so many years ago to let go of the burden I had of having to lug a heavy piece of metal and lead around for years. Yes, I moved down in size to a level where I know I could carry with absoutly no inconvenience to what I was wearing. I also learned so many different skills and benefits to these fine engineered small barrel weapons. For me they represent a better defense in many ways that larger guns do not have. Like walking to my car at night, with a weapon actually concealed in my hand, ready to protect me. And it is hard to beat a gun already in the hand.

I want to thank all that keep bringing this subject up. I know many cannot shoot a small gun with proficiency and I understand this. And anyone who feels they need bigger and more, then my hat is off to them. I will not try and force my views on them. They have chosen what they believe to be the best for them. What they carry is their business and myself and all others have a freedom to carry what we feel is best for each us personally. It is sad to see that respect of what others carry, gone by the wayside by some folks.
I say, spend more time with the weapon you do own, you feel comfortable with and stop trying to force your beliefs down on others. And smarmy cartoons, intimidation quotes insinuating all types of danger do nothing but show a insecurity to your own beliefs.

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The whole point here, is to be as realistic as possible in your choice, and as proficient as possible with whatever that is, and keep as current as possible with it as you can.

If youre doing that with one of the back up guns, and you understand, and are comfortable with their short comings, great, more power to you. Youre way ahead of the curve and what Id say is the norm.

Id be willing to bet, most really dont do it, no matter what the size of the gun is.

To each his own. When it comes down to it, most importantly, we all need to be as honest as possible with ourselves as to what our skills really are, as we are the ones who will have to deal with it, should something unfortunate happen.