Custom Carry Worth $ ?

This, and only this...

IF YOU EVER USE IT, YOU MIGHT NOT GET IT BACK.
At the very least it is held until the investigation/court case is complete.
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What you pay in legal/lawyer fees and time off work to defend your self from criminal charges (even if you are cleared) and possibly civil lawsuit will make the cost of a $2000 pistol feel like a pittance.
 
It's hard to put a dollar value on the price of your life or the life of your families. That's up for you to decide, but for me, yes it is worth the cost because I want the best. Myself and my family deserve that.
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So do you own only Rolls Royce automobiles? Do your children go to private schools with armed guards? Do you live in an gated community with armed guards and the entrance? Do you get your medical care at Mayo Clinic?
 
On needs to decide for themselves what works best for them for a carry pistol. I completely trust my Glock 19 and I don't want manual safety on my CCW pistol. In the extremely unlikely chance that one would need to use their carry pistol their training, skills, awareness, and mindset will by far be the biggest factors in surviving rather than their choice of a particular weapon among the best available combat pistols and IMO the Glock 19 is among the best.
 
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If as handgun is your only choice, more rounds out of a proven design is better in my book. This isn't a video game or a training exercise and volume is hugely important. A gunny said once, if you need to reload your sidearm, you need a rifle, if you need to reload your rifle, you need a squad, if your squad needs to rekoad, you need air support. He was right.
 
I don't think an expensive gun is going to protect you any better than a Glock.
Having said that I would love to have a pistol from Wilson .
You could also buy a lot of training ammo with that extra money and training is really the key to surviving a gun fight.
 
A lot of people (myself included) own $3,500.00 worth of 1911s, as opposed to a $3,500.00 1911. It all depends on how you want to spend your money. A 9mm Wilson Professional is a nice piece, I'd debate this point with anybody. But "IMHO" a Glock 19 is probably a better EDC.
 
I've carried Baer and Brown 1911s without hesitation (currently carrying Dan Wessons). For me, carrying 1911s comes down to concealability and, most importantly, what I shoot best. Once you decide a platform, there are some good mid-price range guns like Colt and Springfield Armory.

Going to a high end 1911 is like deciding to wear a Rolex when a Timex keeps just as good as time. Another analogy is driving a Ford F-150 King Ranch 4x4 pick-up with super crew cab and all the bells and whistles when a standard two-wheel F-150 without a crew cab does what you need it to do. Some folks will pay extra and others think it is a waste of money. Your decision.
 
It's too bad these kinds of threads always go down hill so fast.


So, longshank, what do you think of the responses you've gotten so far??
 
Longshank,

Higher end guns are a joy to shoot and can be very accurate and reliable. Will they really do a better job than your Glock 19? That is really questionable in a self defense situation. Most gun fights are more about getting lead quickly on target rather than shooting a bulls eye at a great distance.

Glocks are highly reliable, highly corrosion resistant, and offer a lot of firepower for the weight. You can spend a few bucks on your Glock 19 if you really want including adding night sights, larger mag well, larger slide release, and maybe a trigger job. I would skip the larger mag release as you don't want to risk accidentally dropping your mags.

I have my range toys including Les Baers and Sig P210s. I carry a Kahr PM9 because it is small enough and light enough to fit in my pocket, is corrosion resistant, and is very reliable. When it is all said and done, (hopefully) most of us will go through our lives without ever having to draw our guns in self-defense. Carry what you want.
 
I wouldn't want a carry gun I couldn't easily replace. If you are unfortunate enough to have to use it law enforcement will take it as evidence until your case is disposed of (they do this with their own weapons in officer involved shootings, don't blame the cops). Governments being what they are, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. You will have to bug the living hell out of them to get it back and it will take you probably well over a year if not two.

That said I don't carry a super cheap gun, my CZ75 SP01. But it wouldn't be as hard to replace as my Colt Rail Gun. And it's arguably a more logical choice for a defensive handgun. It would be difficult but I could replace it in about 6 months.
 
I love 1911's and I absolutely hate Glocks. Having said that, if I could choose only between the Glock 19 and a 1911 to carry, it would be the Glock 19. During the years I worked at my departments range and did CCW qualifications, I saw far too many 1911 issues to ever carry one.

I own a Wilson Combat Tactical Supergrade that has been 100% reliable. I would still choose the Glock any day of the week.

By the way, having a great trigger is all good and well, but if you are ever in a real shooting and have to pull the trigger you won't know the difference. Three shootings, three different guns and I don't remember the trigger pull on any of them.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
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This, and only this...

IF YOU EVER USE IT, YOU MIGHT NOT GET IT BACK.
At the very least it is held until the investigation/court case is complete.

So if you can afford to throw away a grand or two, feel free.
Otherwise, get some plastic fantastic, or some 3rd Gen S&W semi-auto for under $500,
and enjoy knowing you can quickly and easily replace either inexpensively
should you have to use them in defense of family or friend.
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While what you say is likely true I expect, in the case of needing to use a firearm lawfully against another individual, that a few thousand dollars on the firearm are going to be high on the list of concerns. The financial costs will likely make that few thousand seem minor.
 
My 9mm carry is a Colt Commander . Wilson a dream gun for me . Colt will work fine for a SD carry gun . With lots of money left over for practice ammo and gear .
My most expensive 1911 is a Dan Wesson. My carry 1911 are all Colts
 
"While a Glock 19 will probably do, you'll never have the same reliability or accuracy as a Wilson or Nighthawk."

Probably so.

But a good revolver will be more reliable and can be just as accurate as a Wilson or Nighthawk Custom. So it's all relative.
 
"If you've got the money honey, I got the time..." (thanks Lefty)

Love reading the logix and rationales behind each either or dis or dat positions...

It's only your money, not mine. It's only your life, not mine.

Sometimes I'm worth a buckfiddy. Sometimes a G, but never yet have I been worth 2G+.

sigh

I'm just not THAT worthy.

YMMV

Here's my take. If you're a newbie, buy a good 500-800 gun, spend 2.5 on ammo and classes initial 12 months. Maybe more classes and more ammo the next 12 months. Serious money and serious time investment.

When you hit "that place", you'll know. You Are A Serious Student.

Once you analyze where you're at "studying" and when your finances are right, you'll make your decisions, do what you want, with a lot more of life experience under your belt worth protecting, be it a J-frame 38 or a custom one of a kind Korth/Sphynx GyroJet

It's the Indian, not the arrow. But some of the expensive arrows are oh so sweet, are they not?
 
I have long believed and said never to carry a gun you can't afford to lose. If you have to use the gun, you will almost certainly lose it, probably forever. Even if you come off clean, the chances of getting the gun back are slim to none in most jurisdictions. To put it simply, the best carry gun is a plain gun, reliable but not anything especially desirable.

Jim
 
Going to a high end 1911 is like deciding to wear a Rolex when a Timex keeps just as good as time.
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Going a little off topic here. A watch ain't a gun & vice-versa. There are other reasons to own a Rolex than to be able to tell time accurately. My cellphone keeps much better time than my Rolex Submariner or my Seiko. I have turned down twice what I originally paid for my Rolex when it was new 18-1/2 years ago. Having something of value I can pass along to my Son when it's time is the "important" reason I still have that Sub.

Back on subject now. The only gun you should ever carry is the one that works best for you. My Walther PPS M2 9mm is one of the best EDC pistols I have found so far. It is reliable and accurate and carries nicely with every type of holster I have tried with it. With 2 extra 8rd. mags in addition to the 6 & 7 rd. mags that came in the box, I'm all in for way less than a new Glock 19 or 26. I have (4) 1911's and (2) Glocks and they are all great and work well for their intended purpose. But that Walther is what I'm packing!
 
It is reliable and accurate and carries nicely with every type of holster I have tried with it. With 2 extra 8rd. mags in addition to the 6 & 7 rd. mags that came in the box, I'm all in for way less than a new Glock 19 or 26.
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Before the mags you're talking a $100 difference between those pistols. I'm not sure that's "way less". Compact or subcompact pistols usually go for more money than single stacks, the same is true for Walther if you look at the price of a P99/P99c vs. the PPS. For that matter, it seems weird to me to own and value a Rolex and worry about $100. One advantage of Glocks is, like those watches, it's very easy to resell them (though Walther isn't exactly hard to resell to be fair). If you like the Walther rock on, I have nothing against it. But I do think $100 difference is a different ballpark that the potentially $3000 different possible with the pistols the OP mentions.
 
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A watch ain't a gun & vice-versa. There are other reasons to own a Rolex than to be able to tell time accurately. My cellphone keeps much better time than my Rolex Submariner or my Seiko. I have turned down twice what I originally paid for my Rolex when it was new 18-1/2 years ago. Having something of value I can pass along to my Son when it's time is the "important" reason I still have that Sub.
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You've missed the point entirely. There ARE other reasons to carry a certain kind of gun than simple functionality -- like pride in ownership and passing down a fine instrument (just like the Rolex).

Personally, a Rolex would be wasted on me but I understand why others would want to own and wear one. Others think a high end 1911 is a waste, and that's okay with me. BTW, I'm not a gun snob. I own a Bersa Thunder .380 and a police surplus S&W Model 10, among other handguns.

I do believe what James K said is true: "I have long believed and said never to carry a gun you can't afford to lose." I wouldn't like losing one of my Browns but I wouldn't lose sleep over it either.
 
This is a great question, but it has IMHO an easy answer. You should buy what you like and can afford. I have 2 main carry guns... A Clark Meltdown based on a Springfield Trophy Match, it took 8 months to get. Also a very fine 1943 Colt Civilian to Military Transfer M1911A1. In 43 Colt shut down tg civilian M1911A1 production line and moved the partially completed pistols to the military line. These have a mix of civilian and military markings. The weapon is worth $6000 - $7000. I carry both weapons in custom sharkskin holsters, belts and mag carriers. My favorite watch is a $4000 Omega Chronometer, not a Rolex fan. Although I have been kicking around the idea of getting a Patek Philippe. Which would make the Omega seem cheap!

Folks don't buy expensive things mainly for two reasons...

- They do not appreciate them.

- They cannot afford them.

They are of course a few that do not want something that is "ostentatious", how CENSORED-ing boring is that!

I love capitalism.
 
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