What to carry, new or old?

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I recently read a thread where a gentleman just received his gun back from a shooting he was involved in three years before. It's understandable the police would confiscate a gun that was involved in a shooting, and it's not unreasonable to expect it could take a while to be cleared.

I carry a Colt Detective Special that is in 95%+ condition. I would not like for it to be mistreated or casually treated or left in an evidence locker in a damp basement or whatever. Don't take these scenarios literally, you get what I'm suggesting.

So, this got me to thinking maybe it would be better to carry more of a beater, assuming said beater is in perfect mechanical condition and is accurate, reliable and safe. Does this make sense to anyone?

Any thoughts or comments?
 
this is going to be something you are (hopefully never) going to depend your life upon, you should carry the best shooting gun you can get your hands on.....period.


dont give any thought to what will happen to the gun after the shooting....because honestly that is going to be the least of your concerns.

you should carry the gun you shoot best and are most comfortable with, if that gun is a $4000 one of a kind heirloom, so be it.
 
My carry guns have never (at least at the time) been collectibles. A few I've carried: S&W Model 27 6", Model 66 2.5", Colt Series 70 and 80 in several variations, Glock 30 and Ruger LC9.
I prefer carry guns that are utilitarian. They are going to get wear and tear, and may get scratched, submerged, sweaty, or otherwise abused.
Carrying a gun that has collector's or sentimental value makes no sense to me. I can afford dedicated carry guns, so that's what I do. It makes sense to me to have as few distractions as possible with regards to defending my life, so I buy carry guns that I shoot often and carry as much as possible. I don't have to concern myself with the guns future - just mine!
 
This is one of the reasons I frequently carry a stock Glocl 19. If it get confiscated in a SD shooting, I am, at worst, only out $450. I can also go buy anyother one off the shelf at any store and know that it will be almost exactly the same as the old one. It also holds up to abuse/storage better than some other choices.
 
While they don't make them any more unless the Colt DT is NIB and never shot there's no reason to stop carrying it. Carry the gun you are most comfortable carrying and the one you have confidence in.
 
Yes and no. You don't have to spend a lot of money on a good carry gun. A used G-19 or J-frame will do the job every time.

But if a gun saves your life, and you lose it to the police indefinitely, it was worth it no matter what it costs.
 
I don't shoot my "collector" guns enough to have the confidence in them that I have in my main carry guns, and as such don't carry them too often.

When my grandfather passed a month ago, he left me his Colt Combat Commander. That gun is the most valuable one that I own (not based on money). Even with that, I do still carry it. It served my grandfather well and if I ever have to use it to defend myself I know it will serve me well too. I will live with being separated from it for a little bit.

Carry the gun that you are most confident with, if you do have it confiscated for evidence for one reason or another, buy a replacement. Don't put a price on your life.
 
Whatever you carry, PRACTICE with it. I carried 1911s for a long time, but found the Glock 30 to meet my needs better. It took some practice and experimentation to leard to shoot Glocks well - I was fluent in S&W and 1911, and trained to hate Glock.

If you are sentimental about your DS and can afford to buy another carry gun, there are lots of alternatives - some very similar to your DS, some very different.

I've made it a point to not carry any gun that I can't replace. Accidents happen.
 
Every aspect of concelaed carry requires compromise. In this case, if you are involved in a self defense shooting and standing over a concrete sidewalk when a nearby officer steps onto the scene and tells you to "Drop It!" then you need to be willing to live with those consequences, including the inevitable scratches.

Note: relavent answer given with no meniton of unrelated gun manufacturer. "That was easy". :neener:
 
Not something to loose sleep over, nor really even give it a second thought... As long as myself and <insert firearm> does its job, it will be worth every cent.
 
If the gun has more value to you other than as a self-defense tool then I suggest you choose a different one for defense purposes.
 
Shawn Dodson said:
If the gun has more value to you other than as a self-defense tool then I suggest you choose a different one for defense purposes.
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Exactly. If you use it for self defense figure on it being gone for quite some time. Any blood or anything else on it will stay on it until you get it back. They won't care if it rusts away after they've snapped their evidence pictures and done their forensics testing.

Of course, if you believe the TV shows, they will swab a lot of the blood off checking DNA and dip the thing in acid looking for markings you may have tried to file off. Then they'll dismantle it completely looking for the bit of fingernail clipping that flew into it when you were planning the dastardly deed with your accomplice. :)
 
So, this got me to thinking maybe it would be better to carry more of a beater, assuming said beater is in perfect mechanical condition and is accurate, reliable and safe. Does this make sense to anyone?
Click to expand...

Most of my "carry guns" were purchased decades ago, and while they are in perfect mechanical condition with bright chambers and bore, and are accurate, reliable and safe (as well as having smooth actions that come with being well beoken in), the finish is understandably worn. But the condition of the finish has absolutely nothing too do with how well a gun works.

I have also on occasionally purchased top-quality used guns that meet the above description, at very attractive prices - because they were "cosmetically distressed." In they're present condition they are not particularly collector's items, they don't have any exceptionally high value, and my personal safety has not been compromised in the least.

Others may see things differently, but it's worked fine for me.
 
Consider the gun as part of your legal expenses. Everything in my carry rotation is disposable. I may really like the gun, but I can always buy a new one. I do not carry "collectables", but I'll use just about any other current production gun.
 
When the smoke clears, and I'm still alive, my gun has done all I could ask for it. I'd a lot rather have my gun sitting in an evidence room for a few years than have my carcass sitting in a coffin forever.
 
When the smoke clears, and I'm still alive, my gun has done all I could ask for it.
Click to expand...

True. or maybe a combination of the user and the weapon.

I'd a lot rather have my gun sitting in an evidence room for a few years than have my carcass sitting in a coffin forever.
Click to expand...

Well ya' - I wouldn't have it otherwise. But I will point out that it isn't how expensive the gun was, but how well the user employed it. Cosmetics, no mater how fine, seldom if ever make any difference, and in terms of best quality old vs. new can cut both ways.

Courage, training and skill are the primary elements when it comes to winning, not fancy tools.
 
If an heirloom gun was all I had, I'd carry it - until I could afford a dedicated carry gun. It makes no sense to carry a Walker Colt if I can afford to buy a gun that fills the SD as well or better and is replaceable. If the need to defend myself arises and all I have is the Walker, that's unfortunate but acceptable. If, however, I choose to carry the Walker instead of a Bud's Model 10, S&W snubbie, Ganything, etc - well, that's not real smart.
 
There is something else to consider.

My (deceased) grandfather's old M-1 carbine is under the bed, it's my wife's main HD gun. Now, imagine for a second, there was an incident where she COULD have used it to save her life, and she didn't, and got herself killed, because she (or I) was worried about losing an heirloom to evidence. The question is; What would my grandfather say about that idea, were he here to comment? would he say; "I know your wife is dead, but I'm SO glad you made sure you held onto a 60 year-old obsolete dead-man's relic instead!" No, my grandfather would slap the white off me. It's just STUFF. Go to the gun show and buy another one.
 
When I was looking for a carry gun, I had a few different people suggest thay I buy a relatively inexpensive gun that's known for reliability. The reason was, if I were ever to use the gun in a self defense shooting, it would obviously be confiscated by the police, and it would be a long time before I got it back, if ever. That made a lot of sense to me, and was a major factor in my choice to buy a Glock. The fact that I shoot the Glock 19 well definitely made that choice easier to make. I hate to call myself a fanboy of anything, but the truth is I'm convinced that Glocks are hands down 1 of the best guns to own if you plan to carry. Of course that's subjective, but it is how I feel.

I can definitely stay, it would be quite a blow if I were carrying thousand dollar gun, and had it taken as evidence if I had to use it. If my gun had any additional sentimental value, I would be devastated to lose it, even if the actual monetary value was less than my Glock. I certainly wouldn't carry anything that fits in that category.
 
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If I ever have to use my gun to save a life, it will have paid for itself an infinite number of times over and I won't care about the expense. Guns can be replaced. People cannot.
 
Ah, but the Old Fuff does not propose to arm himself with a family heirloom or a big-bucks collector's classic. What he has tried to point out is that large amounts of money don't necessarily buy a better weapon for the purpose.

It is very seldom that the survivor in a shooting comes out of it alive because they had an extraordinary expensive weapon. It is because of (as he as pointed out before) a combination of personal courage, training and skill - to which you might add luck. It is a serious mistake to believe that the price tag on a weapon-of-choice will give one a meaningful edge, in and of itself.

Who is most likely to be involved in a shooting? Easy answer is those who work as law enforcement agents or officers. You very seldom find them carrying extra-expensive or tricked-out handguns.
 
Hardware can be replaced, precious hardware can be replaced with new but you loose the sentimental value. Squishyware cannot be easily replaced.
If it has sentimental value, get something else.
 
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