Is enjoyment a reason to carry a specific CCW?

[Jim K]

I guess I have been missing out on the fun. I have always carried a gun because I wanted to protect myself and my family, or because it was my job. In neither case did enjoyment or fun enter into it. Fun shooting is fine on the range or when rolling cans on a friend's farm. Carrying a gun is for serious and maybe deadly reality.

Jim

 

[MyGreenGuns]

OP Do you ever carry a specific handgun or caliber simply because you "enjoy" it even if you believe there are better options available for CCW?

Absolutely!

My XD9 is my best CCW option. It holds the most ammo and I shoot it very well. I've carried it for years.

But lately, my new .45 is getting carried a lot. Simply because I enjoy carrying this particular weapon. Not because .45 is better than 9mm.

 

[CZ223]

Great question-Yes absolutely

I once started a thread asking why I would ever carry my 1911 instead of my Glock 23. My Glock 23 loaded with 14 rounds of 165 grain hollow points weighs exactly 16 ounces less than my full sized Government model loaded with 9 rounds of 185 grain hollow points. I consider the Glock 23 to be the perfect combination of size, weight, capacity and firepower. It may be the perfect carry gun. What do I carry every day? I carry my Kimber Eclipse with 2 spare mags. Why? Because I just like it better and I can shoot it a little more accurately. Even though it is a 4 inch gun it still weighs more than the Glock with 9/14ths the capacity, 64%. I love my glocks but I love my 1911's just a little bit more.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Licenses/permits....

So, if you were in a permit office & a applicant comes in with some off-the-wall or bizarre excuse(s), you'd say; sure, here ya go, here's your CCW, have a nice day."
Say what you choose, I stand by my remarks.

 

[Old Dog]

Perhaps some of the posters here need to re-read the OP? If one goes back and reads the OP, he's saying only that he enjoys packing his .45 over his 9mm; nowhere did he say that the purpose for which he got his concealed handgun license was because "he enjoys packing the .45." Rusty, he seems to be stating simply that he prefers one gun over another ... Most of us know that we might own a handgun that would be a more logical choice to carry daily but we still may choose to carry something different out of a sentimental preference. For example, my 15+1 Glock 19 is a far more logical choice to pack than my ol' S&W Model 66 snubby, bigger and far heavier with only six rounds, but for some reason, I shoot and like my 66 much better ...

 

[herrwalther]

So, if you were in a permit office & a applicant comes in with some off-the-wall or bizarre excuse(s), you'd say; sure, here ya go, here's your CCW, have a nice day."
Say what you choose, I stand by my remarks.

With your logic, every state would be may issue. To review, NY and NJ are may issue states because they are allowed to deny applications if they don't like your "reason" for application. Or they just don't like you. I prefer living in a shall issue state as long as I have a clean record.

Back on topic, again. Yes. There is nothing wrong carrying a .45 over a 9mm. If you are concerned about capacity, carry a reload or two and practice.

 

[Ed Ames]

So, if you were in a permit office & a applicant comes in with some off-the-wall or bizarre excuse(s), you'd say; sure, here ya go, here's your CCW, have a nice day."

If I was in a permit office I wouldn't ask why. Why is never appropriate.

I can see Rusty in a permits office....

"Hi, I need a permit to build a fence." "Why?" "Because I enjoy privacy. " "DENIED!"

"Hi, I need a permit for a concert at the park." "Why?" "Because people enjoy music." "DENIED!"

"Hi, I need a permit to demolish the BoFA building." "Why?" "Because self defense is a serious responsibility, which I take seriously, and I am a serious person." "No problem at all sir that will be $10, and if I can just say on a personal note I love your seriousness you are my kind of person!"

 

[ArchAngelCD]

So, if you were in a permit office & a applicant comes in with some off-the-wall or bizarre excuse(s), you'd say; sure, here ya go, here's your CCW, have a nice day."
Say what you choose, I stand by my remarks.

You Sir are more dangerous than the all out anti-gun folks. At least you know what you're dealing with when the the anti-gun guys are around. You make believe you are pro-gun but like said above, only when they think like you.

Thank goodness PA is shall-issue and not may-issue but it sounds like if legislation changing that comes along you would vote for it. I hope you forget to vote that day because you can effect my rights given to me by God since we live in the same Commonwealth. What God give us can not be taken away by man even though people who think like you do keep trying.

I will stop posting in this thread since I think I'm getting close to breaking the TOS.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I have carried my Colt '51 Navy in .36 cap and ball a time or to in a shoulder rig during the colder months. I hit best with it out of all my handguns, and it's plenty powerful to do the job. I seal the caps and the balls with beeswax to keep out any moisture, and the gun has never failed to go bang.

 

[Vetteran84]

Of course, this and the fact that I am accurate as hell with my 1911A1 are why I carry it. Chances are 99% of us are never going to "need" the firearm for self defense. So IMHO the 1% that will, being armed at all plays a huge part in the outcome being in your favor. I think the firearm choice having an effect on the outcome is pretty negligible so long as it goes bang. Sure there's horror stories where Joe D. ran out of ammunition, but that's more likely because he wasn't taking well aimed shots, and or was faced with multiple attackers. In which case anything short of a rifle may not have had much effect on the outcome.

That said, heck sometimes I carry my Ruger LCP, just because it's so much lighter and smaller (to much imo, I forget I have it at times). But that only gives me 6+1 of .380auto. But you know, that is a lot better than nothing. And when someone is shooting at you. I doubt they care what caliber it is, or is going to stick around to I.D. the firearm and count how many rounds you should have.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Permits & licenses....

If I worked in a permits & zoning office and some wing nut came in & said; i need a new fence because the aliens are coming soon & Im cooking meth in my back yard, Id go out & ask my co-workers if they are pulling my leg, .
It does matter in a critical incident when you use lethal force & need to go to court or justify your actions.
What would you say to a defendant or in a jury if they told you under oath; "oh I enjoy having my .45acp with me all the time, if any big meanies come near me I can just go pew pew pew.
You may be Joe NRA but do you think the judge, prosecutors & other jurors would be so lax or forgiving?
I highly doubt it.

 

[Old Dog]

Uh, Rusty? I was trying to be tactful before, but now I'll come out and say it: you seriously need to re-read the original post. Nothing to do with CCW licenses/CHLs/CPLs ...

 

[Ed Ames]

If I worked in a permits & zoning office and some wing nut came in & said; i need a new fence because the aliens are coming soon & Im cooking meth in my back yard, Id go out & ask my co-workers if they are pulling my leg,

So saying you enjoy carrying a glock compared to a S&W is analogous to committing a crime ("cooking meth")? That saying you enjoy carrying a .45 vs a 9mm should be treated like an admission of intent to commit a felony?

Sorry, that just doesn't sound rational of you.

As for aliens, it is absolutely 0% your business whether a fence is to keep out aliens or citizens or dogs for that matter. If it meets code, your opinion of the project has less than zero value. Just like the opinion of the bureaucrats who process CHL applications.

.
It does matter in a critical incident when you use lethal force & need to go to court or justify your actions.
What would you say to a defendant or in a jury if they told you under oath; "oh I enjoy having my .45acp with me all the time, if any big meanies come near me I can just go pew pew pew.

What does your " pew pew" fantasy straw man have to do with anything? It has zero bearing on this thread or anything anyone but you has said.

 

[Onward Allusion]

<SNIP>
Question:

Do you ever carry a specific handgun or caliber simply because you "enjoy" it even if you believe there are better options available for CCW?

Getting back to the OP's question... Yes. That is why I carry my lopped off 3" Taurus 608. I modified it to my liking by chopping an inch off the barrel; filing down the front sight and removing the rear; replacing the grips with boot grips; and adding a LaserLyte side-plate laser sight. I choose to carry it over my KT or Sig that both have higher capacity - like 5 more rounds...

So, yes - I enjoy carrying my build even though I could have went out and picked up a 627 or 327. It wasn't about affording the money 'cause I could have skipped buying a different toy to get the S&W. It was about not paying $1,200 for something that I could do myself, and now I "own" it. As an added benefit, I am good throwing 158 grains downrange with it, too.

 

[ljnowell]

I carry several different guns, usually dependent on my moods. Sometimes I just enjoy having that big 1911 on my hip. Other times I REALLY enjoy that Airweight j -frame there, lol.

 

[bannockburn]

Go back and read Jim K's Post No. 26. That's what it's all about to my way of thinking as well.

 

[mavracer]

Do you ever carry a specific handgun or caliber simply because you "enjoy" it even if you believe there are better options available for CCW?

Absolutely

 

[Sav .250]

Carrying something that you feel will do the job if needed ........... is foremost.

" Enjoy "...................does not get the job done.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Post #37.....

I agree with #37....
I did re-read the first post & it is in fact, meaning to enjoy carrying one type of gun over another not if "enjoyment" is the purpose of a CCW.

It puts things into context better.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by Jim K: Fun shooting is fine on the range or when rolling cans on a friend's farm. Carrying a gun is for serious and maybe deadly reality.

Well put.

Posted by Vetteran84: Chances are 99% of us are never going to "need" the firearm for self defense.

The chances of anyone being attacked on any one day are less than remote. The chances of someone being attacked at least once during one's lifetime, however, are much higher.

So IMHO the 1% that will, being armed at all plays a huge part in the outcome being in your favor. I think the firearm choice having an effect on the outcome is pretty negligible so long as it goes bang.

Too much at stake to assume that, IMHO.

One should always base one's assessment on what one should have at hand in the unlikely event that it is needed, and not on the basis of the low likelihood of ever needing it in the first place. That applies in the selection of firearms, fire extinguishers, surge protectors ,and just about everything else on can think of.

Sure there's horror stories where Joe D. ran out of ammunition, but that's more likely because he wasn't taking well aimed shots, and or was faced with multiple attackers.

In the statistics we've seen on this board, chances are greater than even that if one is attacked, one will face two or more attackers.

Posted by Sav .250: Carrying something that you feel will do the job if needed ........... is foremost.

I believe that carrying something that you have reason to believe will get the job done, knowing how to use it, and trying to avoid the event in the first place combine to take the position of "first and foremost."

I started out carrying a particular gun because I assumed it should do the job. It is one of the most popular firearms at the time, and still is.

But then I learned a little about self defense encounters, and I availed myself of some training. That first gun now serves for backup. I carried something much better that I could use more proficiently--in a better holster.

Another excellent, intensive, and realistic training class under a great instructor highlighted a few additional shortcomings I am not willing to accept. Technique was part of it, and a different gun and entirely different holster took the place of the old ones.

" Enjoy "...................does not get the job done.

True fact.

For enjoyment, I would like to shoot my old .22 Colt Woodsman, a .45 Single Action Army revolver if I still had one, and a medium frame swing-out DA revolver. I'd like to try a Schofield, too, but I never have.

I carry none of those.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by Ed Ames: So saying you enjoy carrying a glock compared to a S&W is analogous to committing a crime ("cooking meth")? That saying you enjoy carrying a .45 vs a 9mm should be treated like an admission of intent to commit a felony?

Not at all.

BUT--having said, after pointing out hat there are better choices for self preservation, " I just really "enjoy" carrying the 45. The pistol feels great and there's something thrilling to me about throwing 230 grains of lead downrange with each trigger press" could prove damaging in a case in which the evidence available after that fact--and that's all there ever is--is ambiguous.

Goes to state of mind.

 

[BSA1]

Generally speaking I enjoy shooting full size guns the most. I greatly enjoy shooting 230 gr. pumpkin balls from my 1911's and do not feel under armed if I was too carry it loaded with them. But everything with handguns is a trade off. While my SIG 239 is a better gun for self-defense my 5 shot J-Frame often calls my name. A couple of years ago I brought a S&W Model 10 and I was instantly reintroduced to a old friend. Fact is that Model 10 can easily be my first choice for self-defense.

 

[jimbo555]

"Better options" " Better Choices" In your opinion! Or in someone else's opinion. No one can say what the best option is for the attack that may come. If we knew the best option for all scenarios we would all be carrying the same handgun, caliber , load etc. I carry what I shoot best and what I can carry all the time and most important to me reliability under all conditions. To the op, I would check the glock 36 firing weak handed and under less than ideal conditions. It failed those tests for me.

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by jimbo555: "Better options" " Better Choices" In your opinion!

The question was whether one would carry what one "enjoyed", and for that reason, in lieu of what that person considered a better choice.

The OP believes that for him, a Taurus is a better choice than a .45 Glock, but he says he 'enjoys" the latter more.

Neither would be my choice, but to him, what I can use most proficiently does not matter.

No one can say what the best option is for the attack that may come.

One can certainly make a reasoned assessment of the gun's reliability; determine whether the gun fits one's hands; see how quickly and effectively one can draw, present and shoot the gun; and consider carry options for a usual dress mode.

For that person, the gun and holster that best meet the requirements of each of those aspects is the "best option for the attack that may come".

 

[Ed Ames]

Not at all.

Not sure you can say that. Rusty analogized choosing a LCP over a P3AT because you enjoy carrying the more finely finished gun as the equivalent of saying you want to build a fence to conceal the fact that you are cooking meth. That wasn't my analogy, it was Rusty's. To me it says that Rusty thinks choosing a gun due to enjoyment is equivalent to admitting to a crime.

BUT--having said, after pointing out hat there are better choices for self preservation, " I just really "enjoy" carrying the 45. The pistol feels great and there's something thrilling to me about throwing 230 grains of lead downrange with each trigger press" could prove damaging in a case in which the evidence available after that fact--and that's all there ever is--is ambiguous.

Goes to state of mind.

"Could" being the operative word. It is possible that the jury will draw conclusions from just about anything. What types of books are in your library? What color is your car? What have you watched on NetFlix recently? Do you play video games? If yes, that could indicate you act out violent actions. If no, that could indicate you lack a socially acceptable release for your emotions. On and on, there is literally no set limit as to what could be used against you.

Couldn't you as easily argue that coaching others in how to cloak their state of mind by avoiding certain words could be used against you and those you have coached?