Do You Have an Expendable Gun?

[SharpsDressedMan]

I'm not talking "throw down weapon", like in the old days of the police (to put on a guy you shot "in the line of duty" but later found he didn't have a weapon), but rather a gun that if you lost it, had it stolen, or had it seized by the police after a self defense shooting, you wouldn't miss it that much. I think some people like Glocks, for instance, because they can be replaced by another one that looks just like the one that is now gone. They all pretty much feel the same, and perform to similar levels. I recently came into a very inexpensive S&W Model 10 snubnose that shoots very well, but would not be my first choice for CCW or home defense, but fills the bill for a backup weapon stored in a hiding place at home, in a vehicle, or just along for the ride. If I had to surrender it after a shooting, it wouldn't bother me as much as one of my higher dollar guns. Do any of you keep or rely on something you consider "expendable"?

 

[2wheels]

I more or less feel that way about my S&W 442. I didn't pay much for it to begin with, and it's not as if J-frames are difficult to find. So if it were lost/damaged/seized as evidence I wouldn't cry about it.

On the opposite end, I'd be very unhappy if I lost my TALO edition Colt CCO. Colt doesn't even make CCOs now as a regular production item... Not the easiest gun to replace.

 

[Hanzo581]

Aren't all guns that are still in production and/or not custom jobs pretty much expendable?

 

[MrDig]

I bought a Kel-Tec P11 because if I had an SD/HD situation I did not want my Browning HiPower to bounce around and get treated poorly in a Police Evidence Locker form months/years while the veracity of my case was decided.

 

[Jim Watson]

"If I had to surrender it after a shooting, it wouldn't bother me as much as one of my higher dollar guns."


At least it is a S&W, assuring you of reliability.
I know and have read of numbers of people carrying cheap guns for self defense because they worry more about getting their nice gun seized for evidence than getting hits on an assailant.

 

[Hanzo581]

If I ever had to use my gun to fire on another human they absolute last thing I would worry about is when/if I was getting it back and in what condition it was kept in.

Some of you are way too serious about the tools you use.

 

[MrDig]

I shoot as well with the P11 as I do with my 4 inch Bbl Model 10 and I paid about the same price for them. The P11 is a regular carry and the Model 10 is a night stand gun.
So far the P11 is pretty reliable and light to holster so I'm ok with it. Sorry you guys seem to have a problem with it.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

642 and XDs, cuz they could both be replaced easily.

 

[USAF_Vet]

All my guns are expendable, my life is not.

 

[481]

In agreement with USAF Vet on this- all of my guns, even the "high dollar" ones, are "expendable" where the defense of "me and mine" is concerned.

While I'd just as soon not lose the P210 to the evidence room at the local PD, if it was all that I had to protect myself I'd use it and not think twice about it. It would be unpleasant to lose it in such a manner, but I can buy another one new, or used, if it is discontinued.

 

[TarDevil]

My apologies to the OP, but the premise makes no sense to me whatsoever. The gun I would use will be the gun I practice and carry regularly. In such a circumstance, what happens to it later is of lesser concern.

 

[MagnunJoe]

Hell yes, I have a CZ 75B that sees nothing but dirty, old, steel-cased, steel jacketed, inferior, cheap Russian Wolf ammo. Guess what? shoots like a dream. Over 4K shots without a problem. Nothing replaced, no wear & tear anywhere.

 

[jimbo555]

All the handguns in my rotation can be replaced easy enough. The most difficult would be my beretta 84bb. My normal everyday carry is a xds 45.

 

[Fryerpower]

Family Heirloom

If I ever had to use my gun to fire on another human they absolute last thing I would worry about is when/if I was getting it back and in what condition it was kept in.

Some of you are way too serious about the tools you use.

While I agree with what you said, I did change my house gun because of this reason. My previous house gun was a family heirloom. A perfectly serviceable & dependable handgun, but not something I would want to lose. I replaced it with a much newer handgun in the same caliber, but one without a story attached to it.

Jim

 

[MedWheeler]

I'd hate to lose my dad's old Service Six or his Undercover .38, for sentimental purposes.

Other than those two, all of my defensive guns are probably valued at or under $350 each. I don't own any "safe queens", and they're all relatively expendable.

As a related twist, I asked once what forum members would switch to right away (from ther then-current collections) should their carry piece be so lost. That thread can be perused here: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=685371

 

[wally]

I've several that see use for car carry or to have at hand when working in the yard/garage. They are reliable, but I wouldn't really miss them. They are pistols I shoot well enough but either just don't feel great in the hand and I quickly tire of them at the range.

Sigma 40VE, Charter Arms Bulldog .357, EAA Witness polymer frame, FEG RP9K.

 

[41magsnub]

Replacing your carry gun after a shooting is going to be the cheapest of the expenses you just incurred.

My EDC gun is a very holster worn, yet perfectly serviceable S&W 438. It would be super easy to replace and while I'd want it back, I'd be ok either way.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Designated home defense guns at our home are standard .38 Spl revolvers and a pump 12ga shotgun. Nothing fancy, but tried and tested true at the range and on the mountain. Not a gift, not an inheritance, not a keepsake, not a collectible, no personal story behind them. Just purpose-bought reliable tools that we would not shed a tear if they were gone.

 

[TestPilot]

If the gun is not good enough for me to miss it when it is taken from me or lost, I would not be using it to protect my life in the first place,at least by choice.

 

[X-Rap]

I don't see me using my Reg Magnum for HD nor others passed down with some sentimental value. Now I would be in a bit of a crisis if I used one of my guns to effectively save my or a loved ones life since it would then have quite a bit of sentimental and heirloom value but would also be one of few that actually performed in the face of evil and prevailed.
My old G19 or M66 would have a whole new meaning to value.

 

[improperlyaged]

My carry gun is a FEG PA 63 that I paid 140 out the door for. If it has to go with the police or gets lost or even stolen, I can replace it for not much more money nowadays. There still going around 200 here.

 

[tarosean]

rather a gun that if you lost it, had it stolen, or had it seized by the police after a self defense shooting, you wouldn't miss it that much.

The Glocks that are taking up valuable real estate in my safe... I could care less if they ended up MIA and they wouldnt be replaced.

 

[Sam Cade]

Any firearm I carry is expendable.

In general I don't get emotionally attached to firearms anymore than I would the tires on my truck.

 

[JShirley]

They're all expendable compared to me.

Still, I'd hate to lose a few firearms I got from friends.

John

 

[bigride]

A gun at any price point is too expensive to be "expendable."
A gun at any price point is never more valuable than life.