Durability of a everyday carry pistol/revolver ?

There is no way to keep a carry gun in mint condition.

While I don't really worry about my EDC (P3AT) being scratched or the finish wearing I certainly do not subject it to any abuse even though its an inexpensive handgun.

Putting dings and scratches in my Pythons and other nice Colts or s&W's would just be plain irresponsible. Don't really put them into the "basic tool" category and certainly don't carry them every day. Don't take to heart everything some yahoo puts on the internet. You have to use some common sense regarding the care of your belongings if you have any you really like for their craftsmanship, want to keep in fine condition and don't need to use for your livelihood or defense.

I've got queens that stay at home, including my first (a gift) and some other collector pieces. I don't shoot them, don't carry them. My carry sidearm is a tool. It is scratched, blue worn off the sharp edges, had 1000's of rounds through it, I know it like I know my own hands.

400!

A carry gun will wear. If you don't want it to show wear, don't carry it.

I am "twixt" the two. My carry gun is kept pretty as I can.

(I did not vote)

Honest carry wear, like any other honest wear a tool gets through proper (not neglectful or abusive) use, is nothing to be ashamed of. It can be beautiful even. In the west we don't really have a term for it and so often borrow the word "patina", but nowadays a trendier term is wabi-sabi.

http://www.nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm

The key is authenticity. A gun, whether it's a 1911 or an old smith or a kel-tec, that shows authentic wear is its own kind of beautiful. Some would argue that it's more beautiful than the same gun would be if it never served its purpose or left the safe.

Dropping a gun on concrete just to do it, or as "training" isn't authentic, it's abuse.

Now, does this trainer, teacher do what? Actually drop a pistol? Have students drop pistols or what?

If the instructor asked me to drop my gun, I would walk out of class.



Scratching fingernails on a blackboard does NOT bother me.

Seeing a firearm of any sort hit the ground and worse yet take s skid makes me cringe in pain.


That said, if any gun I own went through a drop, I would strip it and examine everything internally and externally. I trust my eye and experience to do this well.

I'd put it back together and test fire it well and with appropriate caution.

Then, I'd clean the marks up as well as I could.

I like a pretty gun as much as the next guy, and I have a few safe queens hanging around. In my opinion however a carry gun is first and foremost a tool.

I will maintain it as well as I can, and will avoid abusing it whenever possible, but in the the end it is a tool and sometimes tools show wear. Nature of the beast.

I hardly ever look at my carry gun it's so uglified.. it's a very good one and I got it new but they'll kinda get beat up with regular use.

I generally carry a polymer-framed pistol and the everyday grunge and wear doesn't bother me. Shoot them often and keep them clean.

A lot of guns are pre-uglified new. I still like to start out with a nice specimen.

I still hurts and saddens me though when the first scratches appears. But it is a tool so c'est la vie.

If the firearm is really for CCW it should be a working tool and not a showpiece.I have both.I have currently retired my classic pre-1999 S&W revolvers and purchased newer versions just for concealed carry. The BG38 was the only one that has given me trouble but S&W replaced that gun with a brand new one,so far so good(S&W FS M&P 9mm).

I still carry a Kahr K9/40 for a slim auto pistol from time to time. Occasionally a Walther PPK/s. A big gun for me now days is a HK P7 PSP or a BHP.

Certain gun are tools to me and other have a lot of history and sentimental value.

But if all you have is Grandpas Walther or Mauser bring back,go for it.

I guess I have never owned a safe queen. But I have worn, carried until the finish was gone, shot until parts broke, and gasp...even dropped, handguns that cost up to $4,000.00. They were primarily competition guns. If I choose to carry a Nighthawk, Wilson, or a custom build, why should anyone care? It's my money.

Edited to add: I personally wouldn't carry something that was not replaceable that has significant historical value, etc. But I really don't care what another does with his/her property.

tercel89 said:

lord forbid cracked if it is made of zinc/pot metal (yes some are made of this like the S&W Sigma 380) ?
I watched a video of a trainer that teaches this and yes it makes sense to me. I dont carry a safe queen nor believe in a safe queen.
How do you guys feel ?

Click to expand...

the Sigma was made of a polymer frame (thus Glock's patent infringement lawsuit against S&W) and steel slide and barrel.

"pot metal" is not a valid term to use for every material that isn't steel.
Heck, even the old Lorcin junkers weren't made of pot metal.

My daily carry gun is a Glock....

Further, I don't own it, the department does.

As for my little off-duty revolver... It looks pretty much the same as it did 30 years ago.

I watched a video of a trainer that teaches this

Click to expand...

And, they are a Lots of folks teaching classes that are rowing the boat with only one oar in the water. Just because they hang out a shingle doesn't necessarily make them credible or good. We had a guy a couple of years ago in our area who would stand next to the targets and have his students shoot - NUTTS. I heard later he had an AD and shot a finger off. Despite his record, the guy is still teaching. They're a lot of folks trying to make a living in the firearms arena that should be avoided. Don't believe it - look at the threads on stuff overheard in gun stores.

This is why I like to carry Glocks. They look pretty with or without the enhancing marks. Kinda like me...the older I get, the more scuffed-up I get. Just goes to show daily use.

Geno

tercel89
Durability of a everyday carry pistol/revolver ?
I have always thought this way and believe in it. How many of you believe in your handgun so much that you could drop it at head level on concrete and still be comfortable with it even though it is scared and scratched , and , lord forbid cracked if it is made of zinc/pot metal (yes some are made of this like the S&W Sigma 380) ?
I watched a video of a trainer that teaches this and yes it makes sense to me. I dont carry a safe queen nor believe in a safe queen.
How do you guys feel ?

Click to expand...

It's an EDC. If it was a Safe-Queen, it wouldn't be an EDC. The two terms are mutually exclusive.

Second, if I dropped ANY gun, I would inspect it thoroughly regardless of whether it suffered any immediate visible physical damage. Even a very short drop can mess things up, especially the way the cartridges are set in the magazine. Doubly true for any cartridge with a rim or semi-rim.

Oh, BTW, the S&W Sigma 380 wasn't pot metal. Actually a far cry from it. Polymer with a steel slide. It had what some would consider a bad trigger. Personally, I thought they were ahead of their time for a 380.

Stainless steel and plastic are your friends where it comes to concealed carry and the enevitable finish wear.

Blued/oxided regular old steel guns and wood grips will be subject to substantial finish-wear/corrosion...and wood grips will literaly wear away.

Stainless and plastic wear too...but are usually homogenous all the way through and stay the same color. Stainless isn't completly rust-proof..but will resist corrosion from sweat well enough.

That said..I've about wore the finish off a Remington 1911R1 I've been carrying...and it's just a couple years old!!....I've pulled it from my waistband rusting from a hot afternoons carry a few times...the wood grips(walnut I think) are holding up decent though..I have managed not to drag the checkering off rubbing/bumping up against stuff. However I'm not too impressed with with the 'black oxide' finish on the steel parts..it's pretty thin and minimal rust-resistant.

I also have a carry a little Beretta Tomcat that's carbon steel with plastic grips. Now this little pistol's finish is much better than the big Remington 1911 pistols. It has seen about as much carry as the Remington and has some edge-wear on the metal..but still looks good. The grips are worn a bit..and I've banged the plastic's checkering some as well..I think beretta uses some black finish called 'bruenting' or some-such. Seems a good factory finish.

Lots of custom gun-steel finishes/platings too..Robar comes to mind. And where handgun finishes are concerned...forget nickel!!!...It ain't worth a hoot for a carry gun.

As far as dropping a gun and not damaging it...maybe in dirt or sand..concrete is a different story...prolly won't 'break' anything(hopefuly!)..but it ain't good for any sort of handgun!

That's the only criteria? Functions after a six foot fall on concrete?

Every gun I own better be able to survive that test.

TTF thinking about it, other than a cracked wooden grip, I can't see why they would not.

Maybe I don't understand the totality of the question.

Dropping a gun is a BAD thing. I do expect it to still work, but I'll try my darnedest to avoid any such stupid blunder.

A few scratches and honest wear don't bother me at all. I use my guns HARD in competition very regularly and if they couldn't handle the use I'd get ones that could.

However...I full expect my car to still be basically functional even if I back into a utility pole or slide into a tree. But I'm going to avoid those things at almost all costs.

Wear =/= abuse.

I own no safe queens, and I have no compunctions about cosmetic wear on my firearms. The only yield I make in that regard, is that I will carry a melonite/polymer pistol during the summer because of increased potential for exposure to sweat and salt. I keep the blued carry pistols for cooler weather.