el Godfather said:
Dear THR:
I would like to hear from those of you who have used the same semi auto for EDC for at least past 5 years.
A. Which semi auto?
B. Why this particular one?
-1. Is it because of caliber?
-2. Is it because of platform?
-3. Is it because the make?
C. Why you chose to use the same semi auto instead if rotating among a few? I would specially be interested in hearing about any tactical reason if you may have for this.
D. Has it ever malfunctioned?
E. Do you use the same magazines or you rotate them?
Thank you.
Well, for over 20 years I carried the same gun, a Browning Hi-Power. I don't carry it now for a variety of reasons. When I did it was because I wanted a 9mm for the economy of ammo and high mag capacity (13 rounds, a lot at the time). I also simply loved the make. The BHP has a very good trigger (once a little work is done) and the gun points and shoots very well.
At the time (and even today, I suppose) it's on the short list of Single Action Only 9mms. You can get a 1911 in 9mm from a number of makers but aside from the HK P7 and the old Star BM I can't think of any other ones off the top of my head. I'm a C1 kind of guy, so the BHP was an obvious choice.
Again, at the time I carried that one gun 98% of the time. One of the great virtues of the BHP is the thinness through the slide- it's extremely easy to carry and easy to conceal. It's one of the easiest full sized guns to CCW IMO.
Most of the time I carried with one of three mags that I knew worked. All of the mags I have are reliable but I have some marked for carry.
In 20+ years I could count all the issues on one had with a couple fingers left over. It digested thousands of rounds, probably tens of thousands, with almost zero problems. But earlier this year I had a case rupture and it seems to have dinged the extractor, and it doesn't run right at the moment. Gotta get it the gun doctor to be looked at.
By this time though it had already been supplanted as my main CCW for a few reasons. First, I got a Beretta Nano. While it's not as good a gun for fighting it's a bit easier to CCW. Ease of carry and light weight are points in favor of the Nano. Second, I developed a love of Garrett Industries holsters, and they don't make one for the BHP. Aside from my Miami Classic I don't have a holster I like for it anymore. I no longer care for shoulder rigs, in part because of changes in attire and the fact that I'm not as flexible as I was 20 years ago.
I suppose one of the main reasons I don't carry it now is that I'm happy with my HK USPf9s and HK P30S when I want a full sized gun. They aren't quite as thin as the BHP but they hold more rounds and shoot just as well. And I can find holsters that fit them from Garrett, too.