CCW without breaking the bank

[Trunk Monkey]

no one other than me is qualified to tell me differently.

This is really a sore spot for you isn't it?

 

[Styx]

.

 

[Spats McGee]

Enough of the squabbling.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

Ruger SR9C (my personal favorite)
View attachment 879633

Ruger lcp
View attachment 879632 his & hers.
I will shoot at least 25rds per gun, per month.
My practice is informal, and I mix it up:
Double taps
Reloads
Point shooting
Speed drills
Dark with weapon lights or flashlights.
Precision from rest

Not sure what the proper description of your training is called. I call it "Practical Training". My personal term after running and coaching runners over the years is "Frequent Moderate Workouts". One of the things I learned from a early age from my mentor and coach was what we called "Junk Miles". Running more than necessary to just rack up mileage. Every workout should have a intended purpose. Regardless, I need to take my own advice. I shoot way too much and spend way too much money. 80% of it has been nothing but a wanton waste.
Next year I am going back to my roots. Shoot Air Rifles and Pistols, and 22cal. and Practical shooting with my Powder Burners.

My son is starting out in life as a adult. I have trained him and given the advice of NOT doing some of the wasted things I have done over the years in this sport.. Also advise him not to go onto gun forums. They have a tendency to encourage a lot of frivolous spending. Fads, gimmicks, new model guns that you just have to have, snobbery, etc etc. Too easy to get caught up into it. Spend more time and invest it in "Situational awareness" safe driving etc.

 

[bdickens]

"Inexpensive" and "cheap" are not necessarily the same thing.

 

[Styx]

"Inexpensive" and "cheap" are not necessarily the same thing.

Some think both are one in the same.

 

[Thibaut]

I bought too much stuff when I started. It sits now gathering drawer dust. The holster for my ccw is a cheapie but seems to work okay. I don't expect it to last forever but at the same time, I will likely upgrade the ccw and the holster when the time comes. I am a leather person so that will probably happen holster-wise. I didn't spend top dollar on anything, including guns. Compared to the prices I see; anyway. More and more, I am thinking that I will probably go to one house gun and one carry gun and rotate the two at the range. Keeping-up with so many tangibles is not something I will tackle. The only person in my family even into guns other than me is a cousin. He has many, many and shoots few, few. His wife doesn't like them and if she knew what I know as to what he paid for them, she would either have a heart attack or get a lawyer; I imagine. He is a serious collector. I am not. I tend to look for quality wrapped in inexpensive. It is my nature.

 

[Garandimal]

Glock G36 6+1 .45 ACP/ Galco Stow-N-Go swede IWB holster.

​

- G36/ .45 ACP/ 230 gr. ball -
(10 yards/ 5 rounds/ 5 sec. from low ready/ Strong hand only)




​

GR

 

[Terry G]

LEOSA yearly qualification range fee is $20.00. Citizen here is $50.00 for five years. Hunter Safety or approved course. Cost varies, but Hunter's Safety is around $25.00. Handguns are a personal choice and the number of fine, solid handguns is by far to great to list here. You don't have to go broke arming yourself. The Taurus G2 and G2C are popular and I know several people who have shot hundreds of rounds without a single malfunction. I know two LEO's that spent close to $2,000.00 each on "Custom" .45 semi-automatics that won't go through a 8 round magazine without a malfunction. I like CZ's which are kind of middle ground leaning towards higher price. I also have a Glock 21 which I like and a Glock 17 I do not like. See if you can handle a lot of handguns and try to rent a few to see what fit's you. Good Luck!

 

[TikkaShooter]

Enough of the squabbling.

I wish the site could be updated so I could click the "like" button more than once as your post certainly earned more than one "like" from me.

Simply said, what works for one person doesn't work for another and everyone is strongly opinionated what works for them.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I don't insist on top dollar equipment. I do insist on top quality equipment.



Bianchi Accumold is reasonably priced and well built enough that I trusted it at work for years.

 

[94045]

There are generally items that work at most price points (and others that don't). That's why I belong to forums like this. It's nice to find out about $20 items that have worked for people but I really want to know about $100 items that didn't.

 

[tomrkba]

First, you should be paying cash. This means having the discipline to save. It also means not spending all your money every month. If you're in debt, then work on getting rid of the debt. You may as well acquire a lower cost gun.

For example, right now grabagun has LEO trade-in Glock 22 pistols with night sights on sale for $279. The night sights will be dim, but they likely have white outlines, are made from metal, and therefore are superior to Glock's plastic sights. Acquire four new magazines and replace the follower, base, and spring on the old ones. Now you have six working mags. Buy 100 rounds in JHP ammo and shoot 50 out of the mags mixed with ball ammo (two jhp on the bottom, several mixed in and the first three seems to work well). Shoot the gun to make sure it works and familiarize yourself with the gun. Buy a low cost kydex holster off Amazon, making sure it has retention, fully covers the trigger, and is well formed. Add a cheap $25 mag holder, cheap nylon belt and you're in business. Total cost should be under $600. Then go on the Dave Ramsey or equivalent program to get out of debt.

 

[tomrkba]

As for training, it is important to do. However, many people successfully defend themselves with barely any training at all. The purpose of training is to MAXIMIZE your odds of winning the fight and staying out of jail. There is at least one case every year where it's clear the guy talked himself into jail. Don't be that guy.

Never discount local trainers. I see many local courses that look decent at a reasonable price.

 

[Styx]

I don't insist on top dollar equipment. I do insist on top quality equipment.

View attachment 880778

Bianchi Accumold is reasonably priced and well built enough that I trusted it at work for years.

I agree my friend.

 

[John Joseph]

Uncle Mikes have never appealed to me, Bianchis do.
I wore a Bianchi rig for 18 years, bought while at the Academy because that was what everyone there used. Very well made.
But new shooters may well not have that kind of experience to draw from (pun intended)
Obviously we should want a good, safe holster, sort of like a photographer wants a good camera or a tennis player wants a good racket or a musician wants a good instrument. The problem is not knowing enough to know what good is..
In my CCW class our instructor went over some basic requirements and comparisons (leather vs kydex vs nylon) which I thought was an excellent idea.
Lacking such an advantage, a new CCW holder is back to square one---not knowing enough to know what good is.
For the scope of this post, this is significant. $100 spent on a parade of useless holsters is $100 not spent on range time, ammo, or instruction and the poor guy still doesn't have a quality holster.

 

[tomrkba]

"What matters to you? How much do you budget to do what you do with your CCW piece to keep competent in your shooting skills?
How's it working out for you?"

First, I dry fire constantly. If I am watching TV, I am dry firing. If I am working from home, I'm practicing my draw to first shot.

Try the dry fire program from Claude Werner. I like it.

After that, look for directed 100 round practice sessions. Thunder Ranch has a 100 round session that covers all necessary skills. You should shoot at least 100 rounds a month to maintain skills. With semi-autos, you can use 22 Long Rifle for most of it, but you still need to practice with a centerfire gun.

22 LR practice does NOT count toward centerfire revolver shooting at all. I tried this for a year during the first Obama ammo draught where I couldn't get 38 or 357. I definitely lost proficiency with revolvers during that time.

 

[John Joseph]

"What matters to you? How much do you budget to do what you do with your CCW piece to keep competent in your shooting skills?
How's it working out for you?"

First, I dry fire constantly. If I am watching TV, I am dry firing. If I am working from home, I'm practicing my draw to first shot.

Try the dry fire program from Claude Werner. I like it.

After that, look for directed 100 round practice sessions. Thunder Ranch has a 100 round session that covers all necessary skills. You should shoot at least 100 rounds a month to maintain skills. With semi-autos, you can use 22 Long Rifle for most of it, but you still need to practice with a centerfire gun.

22 LR practice does NOT count toward centerfire revolver shooting at all. I tried this for a year during the first Obama ammo draught where I couldn't get 38 or 357. I definitely lost proficiency with revolvers during that time.

What is the difference between sight acquisition and trigger control between RF and CF?

 

[Terry G]

What is the difference between sight acquisition and trigger control between RF and CF?

None. Some disagree, but using a .22 similar to the CCW hand gun or a .22 unit on the gun can save you hours of instruction. It will help trigger control by reducing the "Flinch" reaction to the gun. A .22 handgun is a great starting point.

 

[John Joseph]

None. Some disagree, but using a .22 similar to the CCW hand gun or a .22 unit on the gun can save you hours of instruction. It will help trigger control by reducing the "Flinch" reaction to the gun. A .22 handgun is a great starting point.

That's what I was thinking.

 

[94045]

$249.99 Shield M1.0 9mm - LGS

$26.11 Desantis E25 Econobelt - Amazon

$19.95 Blade Tech Klipt Kydex IWB Shield - Amazon

$59 99 350 Rounds of Gold Dot 124 +P (Cosmetic Blems) - LGS

29.74 Tax

$385 78 Total
.
That's what I would do with $400.
It's your money. Make your own choice.

 

[John Joseph]

Guns are like horses. The cheap part is the buying (consider amortising a 1911 over 109 years) The expensive part is the feeding.

The best I ever shot was when I was hitting the range 2- 3 times a week. When that dropped to twice a month my overall scores dropped slightly, but by then it was like riding a bicycle, I knew how to shoot that old gun.

Lately I've noticed age creeping in, mostly with reaction times and perhaps before too long, I don't know--arthritis? Cataracts?
I'm finding I really need to shoot more---once a month isn't near enough.
Fortunately I'm set up for hand loading, which really cuts ammo costs if I don't get crazy shooting multiple boxes of ammo at a time.
Reinforcing mistakes is counter productive---50 satisfying shots in various drills beats 60 satisfying shots followed by 40 poor shots to my way of thinking,

 

[jstert]

before getting a ccw i would focus on situational awareness and sound decisionmaking that will probably keep most normal persons safer than a ccw.

next isn’t a ccw. get something, anything, that you can afford, financially and physically, to learn how to shoot comfortably, safely and well. if your limit is a cheap 22 then buy a $120 new heritage roughrider single action revolver, some ammo and a shooting range membership. along the way you will likely meet, in person or online, some nice folks who can offer sound advice on firearms and their proper handling. if you stop here you are ahead of most people, and a heritage loaded with six stingers beats sharp words or a golf club if the stuff hits your fan.

finally get a proper ccw, knowing full well that it isn’t a magic amulet but a properly selected tool for a dangerous job. for me a used s&w or new taurus, $250, 38sp, 2” steel, not airweight, revolver, with a hammer, easily and capably fills many roles.

 

[John Joseph]

The continuing costs---range time, ammo---both practice and carry, maybe additional instruction, any required fees & classes, cleaning supplies, and time.
Of all these, time is the most expensive. You only have so much time in your life and you can allocate what time you have, but you can't buy any more of it.

You may be able to meld your training time with other shooting sports if you're fortunate, or you may need to train with your CC firearm exclusively.
How do you make that happen?
On dark winter evenings I find it easy---I actually look forward to--- some time away from home, spent at an indoor range. I wish I knew friends with CCWs as I'd enjoy a little camaraderie.
Like going to the gym, establishing a routine is helpful.

 

[bluejeans]

Ccw (and I do carry every day) is such a small part of my gun/ shooting enthusiasm that I’ve never given it much thought... I have my own range, load my own defense ammo, buy 9mm fmj only in bulk, wear my normal everyday belt... and I live in a constitutional carry state and make my own holsters. The only expense that comes to mind as pertains to ccw is The ammo that I lose to bullet set back in loading and unloading every day. Just last week I shot off my years collection of discards ... It was 70-80 rounds for the year.
That said. I DO spend a couple thousand per year on ammo attend rigorous training... but not for ccw purposes. My edc/ccw is merely an overflow of my other training/interests.