Do You Carry a Backup or Just a Primary?

[spwenger]

There Are None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See

If everyone agrees that their primary carry is reliable or it wouldn't be in their holster, why in the world do you need two? Especially when so many carry a spare mag. It appears to me that some have an over-compensation factor or lack of confidence in their primary weapon with all the "what-ifs" scenarios...

You have been furnished (often more than once) with tactical examples of where an additional handgun may either be more accessible (e.g., your right hand is occupied deflecting or controlling assailant's knife so you draw gun on left-hand side of body with left hand) or doubling the number of armed good guys on the scene (e.g., a companion knows how to shoot but is not carrying so you lend him a second gun).

Statistics? I've had to draw a gun once on a hostile adversary. As luck would have it, it was my left hand that was checking his knife hand so I was able to draw with my right (primary) hand. However, had it been my right hand that had first been committed, I would have been as prepared to draw the gun behind my left hip, with my left hand. Do I care if this is a statistcally significant sample? No, the lesson was well enough taught with one occurrence.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

P32 is backup unless there is no primary. Then it serves as primary.

 

[Rexster]

If we simply used stats to judge whether we should carry a second weapon, we might just learn that we need not bother carrying any weapons at all. Most people carry no weapons, and the human population keeps increasing. Let's just ban handguns.

 

[Rexster]

No, let's not ban handguns; just seeing if y'all were paying attention.

 

[Stars and Stripes]

Backup Gun Vest Holster

Anyone looking for an on duty concealed vest holster checkout www.bugpocket.com. Out of all the holsters and different locations of carrying I've tried, this holster meets my needs and my partners' needs...comfort, security, accessibility and concealment. It also comes with a ballistic fragmentation plate that covers your gun to minimize the possibilities of injury from ricochets or bullet fragments.

 

[c919]

No BUGs for me. I see no problem with carrying a BUG if one so chose, however I just don't feel the nee for one. Plus, I'm a pretty lanky guy (6'1" and 160lbs) so simply concealing my primary can even be a challenge sometimes.

I feel comfortably armed with either of my primary EDCs (Ruger SP101 2 1/4" .357 or Walther PPS 9mm).

I do plan on buying a NAA mini .22 mag with the "clip grip" at some point in the near future to serve as a "go anywhere gun" and there's a pretty good possibility that I will carry that as BUG. Though I will be carrying both, it's main purpose will be just case I have to leave my primary in my car or elsewhere (at work, etc...).

 

[RetDep310]

Since retiring a couple of years ago, and no longer driving the company vehicle off-duty, I only carry either my Ruger LCP or one of my snubbies. My Glock 19 may be with me in my vehicle depending if I go out of town. For the most part, it stays home when not at the range. Guess I just got used to not carrying all that equipment around anymore and got lazy.

 

[Nick5182]

Right now I just carry Glock 22 with 2 spare mags. I want to carry a backup but just haven't had the money for one yet. When I do get a back up, I want it to be a Ruger SP101 or maybe a small frame .357 taurus. Just a small pocket-stuffer wheel gun.

 

[Topspeed]

Primary, no back up.

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

i haven't carried a gun yet since i'm just 17 but i have thought of carrying two primarys, like the SIG 250 with one left handed and the other right handed, both being open carried and and each hip. I think that one primary and a small backup would be fine with me. its personal preferance.

 

[S&W-Keeper]

Only one.Never felt the need to carry more.

 

[smoothdraw]

If i'll go to war i'll carry 2. I might in the future but i'm only carrying one now, with a knife and a tactical light. I might carry a S&W airweight snubby as back up to my 1911 carry but for day to day...hmmm i really don't know. I subscribe to the idea of "1 is none, 2 is one" But i want to be practical as well.

 

[The Tennessean]

If I knew I was going to be in some kind of sustained fighting I would like to have more than one pistol, probably two, maybe three and of course a rifle of some kind...

Then again, if I knew there was going to be a big fight I wouldn't go.

 

[khegglie]

Yes BACKUP........ mechanics can fail.