Carrying! A personal thing!

JunyTuck

New member
We live in Texas and both my wife and I have CCL's. We are in our 60's so no commando aspirations, just want to protect ourselves. Tried S&W snubbies,the semi-auto's in various caliber's designed for concealed carry, and a variety of holsters that can be attached to the torso in every way imaginal. Everything we tried made us feel uncomfortable in daily life or too conspicuous for our lifestyle.
Then I found the Seecamp 32 and the NAA 32. Both are perfect for us. Easily fits in a purse or pants pocket. May not meet the ballistic's criteria for many, but gives us the peace of mind that we have a way to defend ourselves. Isn't that what it's all about?
 
I CC in Texas too and carry a Seecamp .32. My wife will get the .32 when my ordered Seecamp .380 comes in. She shoots it now and is her bedside defense.

I do carry a .45 in the truck and it also sits on my bedside. The great thing about the Seecamp is I now carry full time where I didn't always with the .45.

We both have a much better peace of mind.

Good shooting
 
Then I found the Seecamp 32 and the NAA 32. Both are perfect for us. Easily fits in a purse or pants pocket. May not meet the ballistic's criteria for many, but gives us the peace of mind that we have a way to defend ourselves. Isn't that what it's all about?
As far as alot of people in here are concenrned, you are preaching to the chior about the Seecamps and NAA Guardians. :)

I know some people would never consider carrying anything less than a .45acp but I always wonder what kind of trouble are these people planning on being in anyway? Especially when they get into carrying extra mags, accuracy at long distances, etc. Are they planning to ward of a personal attack by a common thug or have a stand off at the mall with a terrorist cell or something? :)
 
For me the .32 ACP would make a third or fourth gun. No disrespect meant, and it's your decision on what to carry. It's better to carry the little "mousegun" than nothing, and I wouldn't want to be shot with it.

Having been in two "Armed Encounters" I can personally testify to the fact that no gun, designed for CCW/Self Defense, is too big when the fecal matter hits the rotating oscilliator.

I carry an N-Frame Revolver with a 4" Barrel and a J-Frame as a BUG. To me a gun carried for self defense "should be comforting, not necessarilly comfortable." I think it was Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch that said that. If I don't have the wheelie on me it's a Glock 19 and the J-Frame and maybe a Kahr PM9 too.

Good luck and carry what you are comfortable with. We each have to make our own choices.

Biker
 
If a .32 pocket gun gives you piece of mind, then you must live in a really safe place or expect your attackers to be hemophiliacs. A .32 may beat a sharp stick, or maybe not, but you probably won't be fighting sharp sticks. The question you may want to ask is whether or not you can handle a more significant caliber for concealed carry.

Carrying for piece of mind is a bit of an illusion as piece of mind won't trump reality.
 
D N Spy ... really? I don't think so. I stated what is right for me and I did not in any way belittle anyone else for their choice of caliber when it comes to CC.

I did notice that you did not provide your own background or experience when it comes to CC. I would be interested in your opinion based upon your own experience.

Care to enlighten us?
 
Yes, . . . carrying is totally a personal thing.

Sometimes I only carry a Bersa .380, . . . or a Colt .38 Det Spec, . . . instead of my 1911. And yes, . . . I do feel a bit better when I have my 1911, 8+1 and two spare mags, . . . but push-come-shove, . . . my son's Browning Buckmark with 10+1 and a backup mag is in itself a formidable weapon system in the right hands.

Carry what you can use comfortably, . . . what you WILL CARRY, . . . and hit what you shoot at. That is the bottom line, I believe.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
May not meet the ballistic's criteria for many, but gives us the peace of mind that we have a way to defend ourselves. Isn't that what it's all about?

Yeah, feeling warm and fuzzy is what its all about................
 
Xrocket, If trouble was coming at you right now. No way to escape or defuse. It is either stop the threat or be stopped. You have your seecamp .32 or a 9mm of your choice sitting in front of you. What are you going to grab and why?

The answer to that question is why folks seem hostile when caliber wars start. We all know that the number one way to end a threat with a handgun is through blood loss. The larger and deeper the hole generally the more blood loss. Still many carry backup calibers as primary and they feel safe. Others simply want to remind them that their choice is puny compared to other calibers. Handgun calibers are not effective man stoppers so why go to the weaker side of the already weak caliber spectrum? Either way don't get upset we are only debating.
 
Spy, I'm not upset .... I just don't care your your belittling attitude. Besides, you ducked answering my question. You took your shot in an ambiguous manner and I'm interested in you clarifying your position. So tell us...

I would like to here more about your personal experience with sharp sticks and hemophiliacs Spy. Should be real interesting...
 
We all know that the number one way to end a threat with a handgun is through blood loss.
I will respectfully have to disagree with that statement (even though it does have some merit).

During all of my experiences as a soldier and an LEO I have never seen an advancing enemy stopped by "blood loss". I have seen many stopped by debilitaty and/or deadly wounds.

If a man charges at you with a bat and you give him a bloody wound he may well bleed out in a few moments but probably not before adrenaline allows him to beat your brains out. And when you get hit by a bat in the head it is not "blood loss" that you will die from either. Shoot that same attacker through his right eye or blow out his knees and he willbe more likely to stop.

It all comes down once again to shot placement.
 
My $.02,

I have had this debate w/myself. I have resisted getting something like the .32s or other mouseguns. The smallest I've gone is an Airweight .38 S&W. for pocket carry. I do get intrigued at times with the Seecamp .380 (Rob Leatham carries one, I've heard, but haven't verified).

What I have learned is this: If I have an excuse to carry something smaller than my regular carry gun, the Glock 19 (or 1911 sometimes), I've copped out (i.e., gotten lazy) and resorted to the smaller gun. Then, I feel undergunned and guilty. I have never needed my G19, so in reality it's theoretical anyway. I compete in USPSA/IDPA with the G19 though, and I know what it will do in my hands.

The rule I use for the smaller or mouse guns and calibers is carry them when you don't think you'll need a gun. But who knows when that is? I have a great u/c shoulder rig for my Airweight that I can wear under a dress shirt and go undetected. Or, a pocket holster, for around the house and yard.

For that reason, I've disciplined myself to carry the Glock most of the time. Not that 9mm, or any handgun caliber short of 44 mag and up, is a real stopping caliber. In fact, I realize that 9mm is the conventionally accepted minimum for defensive calibers, but with my ability, premium ammo, and 14+16 rounds available, I am comfortable.

I wouldn't be comfortable making the .32 or .380 my main CCW caliber. The guns are too small for me to achieve what I consider proficient ability also. YMMV...your mileage may vary. It is better than nothing, a sharp stick, or even a knife (which I always have also), but I prefer something stronger, and the general belief is that the bigger the hole--and the more of them, well placed--the better. I feel best with my .45acp 1911, but it's the G19 that usually gets the call.

Be safe.
 
Ive said it before and I'll say it again.

The average armed citizen under average circs doesnt need more.

and if you think a 32 wont hurt....

WildletmeshootyouinthefacewithoneAlaska
 
If that is your purpose and it works - that's fine. I carry from a NAA 22 Mag to a 45 ACP. I accept that the former is less powerful than the latter. Dress determines what I can carry.

The hi cap gun vs. the little one - again this argument is trying to make a dichotomy out of a probability continuum.

Modal interactions are handled with the need for the hicap gun. So you carry the day most of the time. However, do you plan to meet the extreme end of the distribution as the mall shooter or a Columbine incident?

You choose your cut off vs. convenience of carry.
 
Glenn,

I hear you, re: mode of dress.

It's hard to conceal in business dress, for example. My low profile shoulder rig works, as does pocket carry. The UCH from Blade-Tech, allowing you to tuck your shirt around the IWB rig, works too.

I have resorted in summer to a fanny pack for the G19 (Tommy's Original Gun Pack) which to the initiated might say "gun" but I've decided I don't care. I almost never see any doubletakes, and when I have, it's from cops. I'm legal so I don't worry...never even been asked but it's fine if I am. Some people might disagree with that strategy.

I AM intrigued by the Rohrbach 9mm (cq?), but they're pricey and maybe heavy in the recoil dept.
 
Playboypenguin:

I can't speak for threegun but I don't think he meant that causing blood loss is necessarily the BEST way to stop someone who's attacking you. Obviously CNS/brain shots would be more effective, but those are going to be less common and a lot harder to pull off consistently. Especially with handgun rounds which cause relatively little damage to the body, it's going to be hard to achieve rapid incapacitation unless you do get in a lucky/sk1lled CNS shot. Your most reliable avenue is going to be via blood loss by shots to vital areas.


Wildalaska:

I wouldn't want you to shoot me in the face with a BB gun precisely because it would hurt, but that doesn't make it a good self defense weapon.


There's obviously a continuum here on the scale of force and we all draw our own lines, but at some point there is a pretty big jump in effectiveness of the most commonly available calibers. IMO that line is around .38 Spl/9x19, but you are of course free to draw it for yourself wherever you want.
 
Gunmetal, Thanks for clarifying for me. What I meant is that with a handgun round (very weak compared to rifles) most people secum due to blood loss. Its hard to hit the central nervous system and hits to the hip or knees won't stop a man from shooting back. The easiest thus most likely area to hit (torso) generally incapacitates by pain and blood loss. Only blood loss can be counted on however.

Covert Mission, I have been carrying in a fanny pack for over a decade. In that time only one person has made my gun pack. That was a security guard (believe it or not) in a drivers license office. I had removed the gun though (left it in the car). He said to me is that a gun pack. I said yes sir it is. He said you can't have that in here. I said I can't have a gun pack with no gun in here. He said OH I'm sorry. I said its not legal to have a gun in here sir. He mumbled and walked away. Never asked to check nothing.

Now I have taken my pack to schools and many events were guns are not allowed and no officer has ever asked if I had a gun in it. They do check the pack at the door often during events but before going in no one notices. I was shocked. It has been a blessing especially in Florida's weather.
 
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