What Do You Carry?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I carry a Polymer80, specifically a PF940v2 in 9mm. Unfortunately, I have to carry openly as Ohio law says I can't get a CHL until I turn 21.

And yes, I bought my PF940v2 to get around the purchase statute here (we don't have a statute for possession). If I had the required tools at the time, I would've just bought an 80% FCU for a P320 and the other necessary components.

ETA that Ohio law doesn't address when an assemblage of atoms becomes a firearm, so I keep the ATF determination letter from Polymer80 on me. Haven't had to put it to use so far.
 
Thanks for everyone's replies. I appreciate your candid insights and experience. So far the gun I have carried the most is a Beretta 950BS 25 auto. I can slip it in a pocket and forget its there. And I have no delusions about the lack of power compared to other rounds. But it fills the one requirement of "Always have a gun".

I made a new belt slide holster and have also been wearing the EC9s some. It sort of digs in my side a little when sitting. But walking around you can forget about it. And it tucks in real close to the body. And its so short the muzzle barely sticks below the belt slide so most would never figure out that it was a gun.
 
ThomasT said:
Thanks for everyone's replies. I appreciate your candid insights and experience. So far the gun I have carried the most is a Beretta 950BS 25 auto. I can slip it in a pocket and forget its there. And I have no delusions about the lack of power compared to other rounds. But it fills the one requirement of "Always have a gun".

I made a new belt slide holster and have also been wearing the EC9s some. It sort of digs in my side a little when sitting. But walking around you can forget about it. And it tucks in real close to the body. And its so short the muzzle barely sticks below the belt slide so most would never figure out that it was a gun.
Click to expand...

If you haven't already, google: On the .25ACP and "Stopping Power"
 
I’ve carried several different pistols over the years but have settled on a setup that has worked excellently for me.

Glock 26. 12 round mag with pinky extension. 15/17 round reload. Conveniently packaged all together in an aiwb holster.

It’s even tuckable. Which is great and I wear it daily from professional to casual environments.
 
unclenunzie said:
If you haven't already, google: On the .25ACP and "Stopping Power"
Click to expand...

You mean this story here? You are correct. The 25acp dropped the attacker and sent him to the morgue.

https://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-25acp-and-stopping-power.html

And just so you know my dad bought gas from a local gas station way back in the early 1970s before credit cards were common and we knew the owner well. We paid for gas at the end of the month. One day a knife carrying robber tried to hold up the station and the owner dropped him pretty much in his tracks right were he stood in front of the counter with a 25acp he carried in his pocket. So yes, the 25acp can be a stopping round. Thanks for your advice.
 
I have one of the 25acp 950bs, it's a really nice
pistol. It can be shot fast. Your post brought that story to mind, it stuck with me. It wasn't meant as advice. I bet that guy wished he remembered it in his pocket sooner.
 
unclenunzie said:
I have one of the 25acp 950bs, it's a really nice
pistol. It can be shot fast. Your post brought that story to mind, it stuck with me. It wasn't meant as advice. I bet that guy wished he remembered it in his pocket sooner.
Click to expand...

I bet he did too. But in the end the 25acp saved his bacon. I know they aren't much. But in a pinch they are still a gun and still able to blow a chunk of lead into a body. And do it 9 times as fast as you can pull the trigger.

Thats what the gas station owner did to the robber I wrote about. He did a mag dump into the robbers chest. And the rest of that story is that after he met with the Grand Jury and they No Billed him on the way home he stopped and bought a 357.

He opened a used car lot a couple of miles down the road and had to use that 357 twice on two other robbery attempts. He finally gave it up after the second time. His third kill in about 8 years.
 
Last edited:
ThomasT said:
Over the last week I have been trying several different guns for pocket carry. This is in honor of the new Texas constitutional carry law. So far from my selection I have carried a 442 in 38 special, a 431PD in 32 mag, Beretta 950 Jetfire 25acp and a Ruger EC9. Of all the Jetfire is hands down the easiest to carry. The EC9 is flat and fits well in a pocket but just doesn't slide in and out as slick as the snubby guns.

So I would like to hear what you guys have on you. Please don't turn this into a caliber war. Mention what caliber of your gun if you want but no put downs on others choices please.

I am also considering getting a Ruger LCP II in 22lr. I admit to being a fan of the 22lr for civilian use.

I am trying to stay away from belt carry and IWB. There is enough in my waistband now without shoehorning a gun in there too.
Click to expand...
If I am just out forest walking, admireing nature as is, I always carry two 1911'S in shoulder holsters, one loaded mild, one loaded 100 fps under maximum, other days if during hunting seasons I usually carry 41 mag left, 44 Magnum right always in shoulder holsters, warm weather, big baggy shirt, cool not cold vest is added to wear, cold weather Carhartt coat is worn half unzipped. Replace buttons on shirt with Velcro short strips, have met, passed by 100'S of people, even several LEOS, never paid any mind at all, would say hello and smile, always carried a Vine Maple head high walking stick as well, on occasion have even gone shopping dressed the same way, no one even noticed.
 
A little Ruger LCP (original) in the pocket. Or if I'm wearing proper clothes with a belt I like to pocket carry a CZ82. I've got a jillion holsters and I've carried about every type of gun you can carry in every type of rig you can carry in, but the older I get the more I appreciate something that's just.... as ubiquitous as my car keys. It's just there if I need it, all the rest of the debate is fluff.
 
wally said:
Rule one of the gun fight: Have a gun!

Second. if it comes down to quick draw, concealed carry will loose every time. Having a gun and situational awareness so you have the gun in hand when needed is your only real option if you can't open carry, and open carry has the "shoot me first!" problem when SHTF.
Click to expand...
Oh, wow, you are batting 1000 % how very very right you are, experienced and witnessed that exact same thing, it was the other guy that time, lesson learned, open carry NO THANK YOU!!!!!
 
I downsized my pistol accumulation because I wanted to focus on just one platform. Really I'd only been shooting one platform for years anyway so I just cemented it. Anyway, I carry a 1911 in a Crossbreed Supertuck. I'll rotate which 1911 it is but they are all setup the same and I don't have that many. I just this year got a lightweight aluminum one and am trying that out but I find myself a little stuck in my ways and mainly stick to my steel fullsize guns. Either 45, 38 Super, or sometimes 9mm.
 
Some may frown but i dont care.

I usually carry a 1911, but most of the time i carry both of my 1851 navy in 44cal with all 6 loaded. And two spare cylinders. Frown all you want for open carry, and for black powder.. but ive had 0 jams and cap malfunctions on a clean black powder revolver. The jamming happens on a fouled out gun shot 24 times. In fact ive dozens of malfunctions with my 1911 and a glock. And none with my 1851s when theyre clean

Single action or not. The guns are light to me and the hammer spring is easy to cock. I can fire 12 shots from both guns in each hand in seconds.. and i hit center mass near bullseye at 15 yards out just fine with fast shooting.. i dont need to sit there abd aim for 5 seconds like most people do.. 15 yards may not seem far on a shooting range but it is in person for most altercations.. in fact 7 is probably more realistic.

I shoot these guns so much ive become extremely accurate and quick at firing them. And reloading takes less than 6 seconds for me. Thats slow compared to a magazine.. sure but still all together i have 24 shots on me. But 6-12 shots id say is plenty.

Open carry having a shoot me first thing.. hasnt been proven. Nore CAN it be proven that it deters anything because well it detered things and it never happened to be documented. Hense the word deter.

Maybe one day ill buy a small pocket autoloader and do conceal carry.. but i like my 1851s.

ONLY downside is the attention due to the size and them being (shiney) people arent used to brass. But in the end i still feel completetly safe in my ability to use them and carry them. Bash me all you want. All i gatta say is focus on yourself and worry less about what i do if you have something negative to say
 
Last edited:
candymancan said:
Some may frown but i dont care.

I usually carry a 1911, but most of the time i carry both of my 1851 navy in 44cal with all 6 loaded. And two spare cylinders. Frown all you want for open carry, and for black powder.. but ive had 0 jams and cap malfunctions on a clean black powder revolver. The jamming happens on a fouled out gun shot 24 times. In fact ive dozens of malfunctions with my 1911 and a glock. And none with my 1851s when theyre clean

Single action or not. The guns are light to me and the hammer spring is easy to cock. I can fire 12 shots from both guns in each hand in seconds.. and i hit center mass near bullseye at 15 yards out just fine with fast shooting.. i dont need to sit there abd aim for 5 seconds like most people do.. 15 yards may not seem far on a shooting range but it is in person for most altercations.. in fact 7 is probably more realistic.

I shoot these guns so much ive become extremely accurate and quick at firing them. And reloading takes less than 6 seconds for me. Thats slow compared to a magazine.. sure but still all together i have 24 shots on me. But 6-12 shots id say is plenty.

Open carry having a shoot me first thing.. hasnt been proven. Nore CAN it be proven that it deters anything because well it detered things and it never happened to be documented. Hense the word deter.

Maybe one day ill buy a small pocket autoloader and do conceal carry.. but i like my 1851s.

ONLY downside is the attention due to the size and them being (shiney) people arent used to brass. But in the end i still feel completetly safe in my ability to use them and carry them. Bash me all you want. All i gatta say is focus on yourself and worry less about what i do if you have something negative to say
Click to expand...
I personally like your choice
 
Kleanbore said:
Is that not self contradictory?

Do you know how many seconds?
Click to expand...


Maybe 1 second per shot i didnt time myself all i know is all 12 via both hands can be unloaded fairly easily. Or pull one revolver fire 6 and if you need more switch your 2nd. The spring tention on the 1851s isnt that much so its fairly easy to fire all 6 in each gun without moving the revolver much and throwing off your aim.

There isa guy on youtube named hrfunk and paul harrel. . A single action revolver is no slower than a modern pocket double action revolver if your skilled in using them.. im not comparing it to an autoloader but i am compating it to a normal revolver people carry today.
 
candymancan said:
I usually carry a 1911, but most of the time i carry both of my 1851 navy in 44cal with all 6 loaded. And two spare cylinders. Frown all you want for open carry, and for black powder.. but ive had 0 jams and cap malfunctions on a clean black powder revolver. The jamming happens on a fouled out gun shot 24 times. In fact ive dozens of malfunctions with my 1911 and a glock. And none with my 1851s when theyre clean
Click to expand...

Your choice of a couple of 1851s would not be my first or second or even third choice but I am not here to criticize or question your choice. I will leave that to the resident self styled experts. So thank you for responding with an honest answer. I would like to see a picture of your 1851s if you get a chance to post one. I am sort of looking for an 1851 myself and started a thread in the BP forum on just such a gun. Have a look if you get a chance.
 
ThomasT said:
Your choice of a couple of 1851s would not be my first or second or even third choice but I am not here to criticize or question your choice. I will leave that to the resident self styled experts. So thank you for responding with an honest answer. I would like to see a picture of your 1851s if you get a chance to post one. I am sort of looking for an 1851 myself and started a thread in the BP forum on just such a gun. Have a look if you get a chance.
Click to expand...

No i get it i totally do.. its not a great choice in 2021 lol... But i do ask whats the diff between them and a modern revolver ? Mine are reliable. Theyre just bigger.. You could also go to a sheriff version with a 5.5 inch barrel so it isnt as obnoxious in size. The 1851 navy are also smaller and weighs less than the larger framed remington 1858 and the 1860 army.

All im saying is as much as i like my 1911. And i do not deny its a better choice if you plan to unload the mag in 2 seconds.. or do a mag dump on a glock. Im just saying 6 is plenty for me. And my 6 so far hasnt had 1 issue. I am not lying when i say this but i havent had a cap jam or missfire or chain fire or anything yet in probably 2000 rounds fired.

The only time this does happen is when the guns foul out. I had a big thread like 30 pages long on people discussing this when i asked.. so i dont want this thread to turn into that as its been beaten to death.

Im just answering this threads question on what do you carry and why. And no i dont do it to show off.. i do it to make sure ppl stay the f away from me. And its worked beautifully so far. Been around many cops in places that ban guns but dont have the signs on the doors.. and the cops never even looked or gave a sh. Dress nicely.. be polite.. dont be a bum and you wont be stereotyped

20210710_141512.jpg
 
Last edited:
candymancan said:
Maybe 1 second per shot i didnt time myself all i know is all 12 via both hands can be unloaded fairly easily. Or pull one revolver fire 6 and if you need more switch your 2nd. The spring tention on the 1851s isnt that much so its fairly easy to fire all 6 in each gun without moving the revolver much and throwing off your aim.

There isa guy on youtube named hrfunk and paul harrel. . A single action revolver is no slower than a modern pocket double action revolver if your skilled in using them.. im not comparing it to an autoloader but i am compating it to a normal revolver people carry today.
Click to expand...
I would say for the average revolver shooter, the DA gun would be faster and easier to gain the skills needed to be effective with them than the SA.

Im not seeing the point of putting in the time and effort to try and match that with a SA either, although it might be fun side gig. Not saying maybe a person who made that their lifetime goal couldnt, Im just not seeing your normal Joe doing it though. Most dont seem to want to get realistically proficient with more current things that are easier to shoot and generally more effective.

The more you hear what some people carry and their reasoning why, it is pretty amazing sometimes. And then you have those who take it a step further, and add the "gun of the day" thing to it. Not sure what they are thinking, but whatever. We all chose what we feel is appropriate I guess.

One other thing that doesnt seem to come up much in these kinds of threads and I think is actually even more important is, what do you do in regular practice to gain and maintain your skills (beyond basic target practice) with what you carry?

"Carrying" is the easy part of this equation, and choice of gun, can make your life a lot less difficult, or a lot more difficult, in the important part of it.
 
trackskippy said:
I would say for the average revolver shooter, the DA gun would be faster and easier to gain the skills needed to be effective with them than the SA.

Im not seeing the point of putting in the time and effort to try and match that with a SA either, although it might be fun side gig. Not saying maybe a person who made that their lifetime goal couldnt, Im just not seeing your normal Joe doing it though. Most dont seem to want to get realistically proficient with more current things that are easier to shoot and generally more effective.

The more you hear what some people carry and their reasoning why, it is pretty amazing sometimes. And then you have those who take it a step further, and add the "gun of the day" thing to it. Not sure what they are thinking, but whatever. We all chose what we feel is appropriate I guess.

One other thing that doesnt seem to come up much in these kinds of threads and I think is actually even more important is, what do you do in regular practice to gain and maintain your skills (beyond basic target practice) with what you carry?

"Carrying" is the easy part of this equation, and choice of gun, can make your life a lot less difficult, or a lot more difficult, in the important part of it.
Click to expand...
Daily drawstroke and target acquisition practice.
 
candymancan said:
No i get it i totally do.. its not a great choice in 2021 lol... But i do ask whats the diff between them and a modern revolver ? Mine are reliable. Theyre just bigger.. You could also go to a sheriff version with a 5.5 inch barrel so it isnt as obnoxious in size. The 1851 navy are also smaller and weighs less than the larger framed remington 1858 and the 1860 army.

All im saying is as much as i like my 1911. And i do not deny its a better choice if you plan to unload the mag in 2 seconds.. or do a mag dump on a glock. Im just saying 6 is plenty for me. And my 6 so far hasnt had 1 issue. I am not lying when i say this but i havent had a cap jam or missfire or chain fire or anything yet in probably 2000 rounds fired.

The only time this does happen is when the guns foul out. I had a big thread like 30 pages long on people discussing this when i asked.. so i dont want this thread to turn into that as its been beaten to death.

Im just answering this threads question on what do you carry and why. And no i dont do it to show off.. i do it to make sure ppl stay the f away from me. And its worked beautifully so far. Been around many cops in places that ban guns but dont have the signs on the doors.. and the cops never even looked or gave a sh. Dress nicely.. be polite.. dont be a bum and you wont be stereotyped

View attachment 1027230
Click to expand...
If you felt obliged, you could chop the barrel at the ramrod pivot, right where it 90’s down, mount a front sight, and have an Avenging Angel.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

M
  • Locked
Who carries a pocket pistol?
2 3 4 5
Replies
115
Views
7K
Stevie-Ray
Stevie-Ray
cdahl383
  • Locked
New to holsters and carrying
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
Father Goose
Father Goose
F
  • Locked
Single action pocket guns, what condition do you carry in?
Replies
7
Views
1K
10-Ring
1
David4516
  • Locked
  • Poll
.38 Super vs .357 Mag
2 3 4
Replies
76
Views
20K
tipoc
tipoc
V
  • Locked
What do you carry?
2 3
Replies
51
Views
2K
jmace57
jmace57
Back
Top