As strange as the world is getting... I may need more gun???

M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
so I live a low risk life, work in a small town, live on the farm...

I normally carry a compact revolver ( just bought an LCR-X in 38 Special +P ) that I was going to try to work into the carry rotation... my current daily carry is a TCP, & I love it...

but with the political ( ISIS or ??? ) promoting internal terrorism, & the big Waco biker shoot out in a restarant... & civil unrest for what ever reason

has me wondering if something full sized ( reads really more "shootable" ) might be something to think about???

I'm not stupid, ( they show the "family" caught in the middle of the Waco shooting... I keep wondering, why dad had his 2-3 year old kid at bike night at what is basically a Hooters ) I'm not likely to have been there in the 1st place, let alone with my small kids... but with one or two shooters in a terrorist situation, a medium / full sized revolver or duty sized auto, while a lot more inconvient to carry, might be really nice to have, if you were in a situation where you felt the need to shoot back, rather than run or hide...

curious if any of you compact gun carriers have also been thinking along those lines???

I have a 396 ( air weight L frame 5 shot 44 special ) that I probasbly would shoot better than the LCR... the gun is worth a lot of money, but I'm wondering if it might be the best alternative for light weight, stopping powder & shootability???
 
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Honestly. If you dont know "ISIS" and youre worried about them. Id say youre acting purely out of fear. You should research then fear as necessary.
 
Here is the way I see things (and I carry a subcompact too). Anyone so unlucky as to find themselves in a Waco type shootout isn't going to be "better off" simply because he has more firepower. The ONLY sensible thing to do in that situation is to separate yourself from the danger - by getting out if possible or seeking shelter if you can't get out.
 
I'm not one of the "afraid" just looking at all that is going on...

I started carrying ( going on 15 years now ) to defend against a couple scum bags & muggings, that kind of thing short range shooting

seems more power & control might be more important the way the world is going lately

DOYLE... I agree... as I said, I'd likely have not been there in the 1st place... & in that type of situation, avoiding the shooting ( staying away from people being shot ) would be my 1st though, not returning fire...
 
While I can not make your choices for you and tell you what to carry or if your fear is justifued, if capacity and "shootability" are your concerns, have you ever considered moving away from a revolver?

For example, if you go to the L Frame 44 it holds 5 rounds. For the same size, you can carry a compact semi-auto which will hold 13+1 of 40 S&W or 10+1 of 45 ACP.

Just food for thought if you do decide you need more firepower on a daily basis.
 
I'm not going to suggest a firearm. But I am going to suggest a slight modification of your worst case scenario.

I tend to think that the probability of ISIS (or other offshore terrorist organization) storming your farm to be sufficiently remote as not to worry about. And, should I be wrong, it is doubtful that any firearm(s) you might acquire would make a difference.

The more likely scenario involves a civil unrest (however triggered) the result of which is that the police you rely upon won't be able or willing to respond to your call. Think of the small business owners in Watts or Baltimore. Within reason (as to the scenario), having and employing some firearms might turn that tide. However, assuming such a scenario, having equipment by itself will do little; you will need to have invested the time, energy, expense and commitment to train yourself and those around you with respect to scenarios and responses. Not a small undertaking.
 
I’ll admit to thinking sort of the same thing as we see more news reports of riots, domestic terrorist, carjackings and assorted crazies. I suspect the risk have not increased as much as the media might lead us to believe, but it does seems like a different kind of risk and much less predictable.

As for changing my carry choice I’m not sure these events really have. I generally carry the largest gun that the situation allows which could vary between SIG P229, GLOCK G26, S&W 442 or LCP. The reality is that most situations I find myself in don’t really lend themselves to the open carry of a full-size handgun, so I have to consider my dress and the specific event.
 
I'm totally not concerned about some foriegn group invading the farm... I generally had not been thinking about increasing fire power as I'm totally not of the "spray & pray" mind set... but civil unrest might definately warrent higher capacity...

BTW... I am a revolver guy at heart & generally shoot them better than a semi auto... but my daily right now is a compact auto... & it is good with me shooting at closer distances but it is a 380, has limited capacity, & just how far would I feel confident shooting with the lil TCP or with my new LCR-X
 
Avoidance is your friend.

However, to answer gun questions - always fun - the upgunned choice for the cognoscenti :D - is a Glock 19 or 26 with an extra mag. Or a similar set up 9mm (SW, XDs, etc.) Then a good concealment garment.

While avoidance is your friend - there is a small chance you might run into a Mumbai or Kenya mall scenario. Then more boolits - :D - are nice to have.
 
I think the issue isn’t so much “normal” crime, but terrorist acts. We can sort of anticipate the risk of crime and take steps to avoid it. However, to anticipate when a terrorist is going to shoot up a mall food court is much more difficult to predict. While I hope incidents like this don’t occur the risk appears to be growing and it makes sense to at least consider them.
 
In NJ you need a specific reason, or a reason describing a specific threat to even be considered for being approved to carry a handgun.


"...but with the political ( ISIS or ??? ) promoting internal terrorism, & the big Waco biker shoot out in a restarant... & civil unrest for what ever reason"

I've lately thought about listing those very same reasons and giving it a try. probably all for naught, but maybe if there's enough of us, the NRA or Alan Gura will take note and make a case. That's wishful thinking, I know, but at least I tried.
 
good luck in your attempt... perhaps those excuses would work???

FIL was one of the 1st to get one in MN ( a long time ago ) back then you had to have a "good" excuse or carry $500.00 in cash or jewlery on your person at all times... he went out & bought a mens diamond ring showing he had at least $500.00 on his person at all times :)
 
I don't view this subject as an unfounded fear.

After I retired from my PD in '99, I reverted to a Ruger 3-inch GP for personal carry.
I was quite comfortable with it.
Till 9-11.

After which I got back into an auto, for its higher capacity & faster reload.
I live 20 miles from one military base, 40 miles from another.
30 miles away, at the time (until they finished the burn program), was the nation's largest chemical weapons storage facility.
All three were potential terrorist targets.
If someone had detonated a bomb in the CWS, it could have killed thousands with the population & wind patterns of the area.

My decision was based on possibilities, not fear.

On occasion, such as one day that included a haircut after a DR visit, I will venture out & about with only a .38 snub in pocket.
I was using a shop whose manager's brother (I found out) was a member of the local Bandidos chapter.

She was cutting my hair, the brother was in hanging around, and my wife said after we left that the entire time I was in the chair he was glaring at the back of my head behind me.

Small incident, nothing came of it, but it did leave me thinking five shots in a hard-to-access-while-sitting-down-pocket was not the best way to travel.
No idea what drew his attention. He may have recognized me from uniform days in a neighboring town.

I've dealt with area clubs in the past. They generally try not to draw LE attention, but they are what they are & they do what they do.

Turned out his & his sister's father had actually founded the local Bandido's chapter originally.

This may sound like a nothing, but such things can frequently become a something.
I mention the incident to illustrate that even in a relatively small town, on routine business, you never know what's out & about with you.

Almost every time I drop down to a pocket .38, I feel quite undergunned.

Moving on-
Today, we have an obviously increased vulnerability to civil unrest.
Baltimore & Ferguson may be a thousand miles away from you in both distance and political ideology, but there's more than a fair chance we may see some degree of rioting or unrest in other cities where previously the thought was unthinkable.

The biker thing is most likely to remain an isolated incident, in terms of scope.
There will be minor skirmishes between clubs, but those are typically few & far between.

An emerging threat, and a very real one, is ISIS.
Something on the nature of a 9-11 scale is hard to pull off.
Far easier, and far more "terror" involved, to turn individuals loose randomly across the nation, to hit individual citizens in tiny unheard of places where everybody feels comfortable & safe because "We're not New York, that CAN'T happen here!"
Government warnings in the past week or so have indicated that threat is a very real possibility.

A religious fanatic with no fear of death, operating alone, and killing till he or she is killed, is undetectable and unstoppable in advance.

All of this in addition to the sporadic mall & school shootings.

Bottom line- You do not know where or when, even in the most unlikely out-of-the-way places.

Make your decisions to carry or not, and what, based on that.
It isn't fear, it's a spare tire and a flotation life vest.
You'd want a spare tire with enough tread left to get you home, and if you put any thought into it all you don't buy the cheapest life vest you can find.

Your carry gun should be the most effective one you can afford or manage.
That doesn't mean it should be the most "comfortable" one you can carry.

Years ago in my Mother's small farm town of 300 people, an elderly lady was killed in her home.
Tiny town, few in my state have heard of.
Remains unsolved.
You never know where or when.

Denis
 
Let's avoid back and forth on various political topics. The question is that given the chance (perhaps small) of a very intense critical incident, what would be a reasonable carry choice.

I deleted some irrelevant posts.
 
It has been in my thoughts lately as well. I have felt quite confident with Else a Pea in my pocket most of the time. Particularly in the warmer months. Thinking that situational awareness, coupled with avoidance would be my first defense against a "normal" violent, criminal attack. But thinking about a few things happening now, Boston, Garland Texas, Baltimore, Ferguson, knock out games, and a general increase in unprovoked attacks, I have been carrying my Springer XD40 Subcompact a lot more. Also, with the full sized mag as well. Where it isn't a full sized pistol, 13 rounds of 40S&W provides a lot more firepower than 7 rounds of 380 acp.
But those seven 380 rounds are still in my pocket as well.
 
You said something about cost in one response...and personally I'd ignore the cost of the gun as an issue....the question is "what do you shoot the best"...and can you effectively reload it if necessary - and how quickly.
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I like K frame S&W revolvers in .357 Mag...( 6 shots ) ...in a 4" ( model 19 or 66 both fit that bill )...and I shoot them a lot better than the 2 1/2". I'm ok with the 2 1/2" out to about 21 Feet...but from 7 - 10 yds I like the 4" a lot more. The longer sight plane and weight of the 4", in my hands, mean I can shoot it much better.

Capacity in a semi-auto is not the issue to me, I train for a reload...so even something like a 1911 in 9mm with 10 + 1 is enough with a spare mag or two especially. Today's modern defensive ammo in 9mm...gives us a lot of good effective choices / but I tend to prefer a .40 S&W or .45 acp over the 9mm. To me, I prefer to stay away from all the double stacks...but that still gives you lots of options ...1911's, some Sig's, etc...

IWB leather holster ..and a good belt ...make a K frame in a 4" or a 1911 my go to choices personally. I don't feel "out-gunned" with either one - but I do like the reload speed with the 1911 over my revolvers.
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Train with both ...run some tactical drills drawing from a holster - with some reloads...and then make your choice.

I developed a drill recently where shooters draw from concealment - start at 3 Yds...draw and fire 1 shot in under 2.7 seconds / then go to 5 yds - 1 shot in 2.7 sec / then 7 yds - 1 shot in 2.7 sec / at 8 Yds - 2 shots in 2.7 sec.

5 shots total ...target is center chest area ( about 8 1/2" wide and 11" long / a rectangle - nipple to nipple and down toward belly button area). If a guy can't run it at 2.7 sec ...start at 4 sec --- and train, and improve from there 0.5 sec less at a time....../ if you hit the primary area the shot is 1 point. Expand that primary area to 11" wide by 15" long ...and if you hit in that area its a minus 1. You need 3 points to pass ! So one primary rectangle / one secondary rectangle a little wider and a little longer ...but If you miss those two areas of the silhouette entirely ...its an automatic fail. If you hit the head...its an automatic fail....
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Some speed reload drills....start at 5 yds ( same silhouette target area 8 1/2" X 11" ).... Draw and fire 3 - Speed Reload - Fire 3.../ goal is under 7 sec. Draw to 1st shot on target is ( 2 sec ) ...split for next 2 shots is (0.5 each)...speed reload to one shot is (3 sec) ..and next 2 shots is (0.5 each) = 7 sec..../ run it twice at each yardage -- at 5 yds, 6, 7 and 8 yds... ( 48 rds ). The 7 sec goal represents a class C or a low class B shooter...its adequate ..but not especially fast. With a revolver you might train to a 12 sec standard...
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Evaluate !! ....what can you do with a revolver and a speed loader....what can you do with a semi auto of choice...Can I run it with a 9mm, a .40 S&W, a .45 acp...can I run it with a sub-compact, a compact, a full sized gun....and why, what works for you and what doesn't...
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Then pick your carry gun...with confidence...( is how I look at all this ) .
 
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so I live a low risk life, work in a small town, live on the farm...

I normally carry a compact revolver
Click to expand...

Mmmhmmm.

but with the political ( ISIS or ??? ) promoting internal terrorism, & the big Waco biker shoot out in a restarant... & civil unrest for what ever reason

has me wondering if something full sized ( reads really more "shootable" ) might be something to think about???

curious if any of you compact gun carriers have also been thinking along those lines??
Click to expand...

ISIS or other local instance of Sudden Jihad Syndrome? It's unlikely any of us will run into it.

I'm only contemplating changes because my neighborhood in general has been taking a turn for the worse in recent years.
 
I have a 396 ( air weight L frame 5 shot 44 special ) that I probasbly would shoot better than the LCR... the gun is worth a lot of money, but I'm wondering if it might be the best alternative for light weight, stopping powder & shootability???
Click to expand...

Magnum Man, first, how much is your life worth? I generally carry a K frame and one reload, and feel as well armed as I can be or need to be. You have to remember that the odds of an armed citizen ending up in a protracted shoot-out are perhaps a million to one. If you had been in the area of the Waco shoot and pulled a gun, the odds of your being shot or arrested would have been very high.

So stay with what works best for you.
 
yep... best weapon we have is our brain ( as long as we use it :) ) in a situation like Waco... my gun would have only come out to the ground, we while I explain to law enforcement that I have a gun concealed, that I have a license, & would it be OK if I put it on the ground in front of me :o

remember the guy a week or so ago, that was shot by the police he called because of a breakin, because ( for what ever reason, he wouldn't put his gun down )

so in reality, I'm not looking for trouble, any more than I did before... just starting to think more about carrying a "fighting" gun, rather than a self defence compact, because of the "bigger" types of incedents that have been happening lately...
 
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