Does anyone carry the least expensive gun?

I carry my Rock Island 38 snubby that I paid a little over $200 for, or some days I carry a 38 Davis derringer. Both are inexpensive and reliable. If I had to actually use one, it would be no great financial loss if confiscated.
 
I carry my Glock 23 when I expect to have to go somewhere that will force me to leave it in the truck where it could be stolen. Otherwise I carry my 1911.
 
Cost isn't a factor....I carry the gun I shoot the best ( so that is a Wilson Combat 1911 )...one of their mid range priced models ...so about $4k..

and if I lose it ...I lose it.../ but its insured if the authorities lose it ....and it'll give me an excuse to buy another Wilson until I get that one back.
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but in your example you said you shoot both of them equally well...so I guess it wouldn't matter.../ but it seems like your buddy is hung up on carrying a more expensive gun and his idea is to find the cheapest gun he can - and still be able to shoot it pretty well. I think that's a little backwards...
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I train tactically to a time standard....( primary target is center chest ).....draw and fire 1 shot in 2.0 sec / draw and fire 2 in 2.5 sec .....mix in a Draw and Fire 2 - Speed Reload - Fire 2 in 6 sec ( 2.5 for first 2 shots -- 3 sec for speed reload and 1 shot plus 0.5 sec for last shot )....its not a "master class" standard..../ its an old guy - Class C shooter standard...but its an effective way to evaluate a carry gun.

I think subtle issues will pop up ....in both of your buddies guns / if he feels the pressure of time ....and he won't really shoot both guns about the same.

As an example...I have a variety of 1911's...some 5", some 4"...mostly steel, one alloy frame....and both Wilson's I have 5" guns all steel, I shoot the best out of the mix....the other 5" guns I'm pretty close with ( but there is something a little different in the Wilsons ) ---- maybe its a little different mag well, a little different feel of trigger, a little different feel to the beavertail grip safety on some guns, or whatever....but I can't shoot the 4" guns nearly as well...and the alloy frame I'm the least successful with / now its only 0.1 or 0.2 sec here and there...but the Wilson's ( one is a 9mm / one is a .45 ) are consistently better for me ...( so that is what I carry ).

I can still meet the par times I listed above with the 5" .45 acp Wilson....but I'm just a touch slower on followup shots with the .45 acp than I am with the 9mm...( but they both meet my standards, so I will carry either of them ).../ I can't consistently meet that standard with a Sig 226 .../ or a Sig 239 ( primarily because of the hinged triggers on the Sigs vs the trigger on a 1911 )...I'm about 0.5 sec late using a Sig even in 9mm ....and I sure can't meet it with a revolver on the speed reload part....I'm ok out of holster and 2 shots with a revolver ( K, L or N frame S&W in full power .357 Mag )...but my reloads are way slower than my 1911's....
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But he says he shoots them about the same....get a timer, and push yourselves a little...and see how you stand up to the mental part of the time being an issue...and see if he really shoots both guns the same...or not. Maybe he does...
 
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None of my carry guns are what I would call ''expensive''. Expensive to one person isn't to another. I carry a couple different Sigs. Never gave it a thought.

That said, I still wouldn't think twice about grabbing either a $300 Taurus or a $2500 Wilson Combat. I don't let price dictate what I carry, as long as it works and I can shoot it well.
 
I am going to get laughed off the forum but most of the time I have a SCCY II with me. I tried to talk (shoot) myself out of it but it has fired everything that I have asked it to and shoots where I point it. I have fired cheap factory ammo to high dollars stuff without any problem. Even my reloads and some of them were not perfect. Not bad for a $250 gun.

When not carrying that, I will have an officer 1911-45, 642, Walther PPQ or Glock 30.
 
I think the cost of the gun would be the least of my worries if I was unfortunate enough to have to use my gun for self defense.
 
If I had 2 nearly identical guns with similarl carry comfort that I shot the same, I would carry the cheaper one.
 
I've only known 2 people in my lifetime of shooting and carrying a gun that ever had to use said gun for a justified self defense shooting. Neither of them had their guns taken (except while police were on scene ) no evidence locker etc... no arrests. I cant imagine a scenario that if one had a clear justification to shoot there would ever be a trial/indictment...seems to be indicted you made some pretty grievous errors.

I'm sure it can happen in some cases but I think the actual numbers are so small as to be statistically irrelevant. (one of the cases I mentioned was in MA, so the anti gun state thing is probably more hype than not as well.)

before anyone brings up the Zimmerman case, I live in florida and had to listen to that fiasco for months. the local pd, the county and state refused to prosecute. It wasn't until the fed stepped in with the race card garbage that the nonissue was forced.
not even close to a self defense case, it was the furthering of a political agenda.

back on topic, carry what you want. between the extremely small chance we will ever need to defend ourselves with a gun and the even smaller chance of any legal issues stemming from a truly justified shooting its really just hyperbole.
 
Any handgun bought for carry must be expected to experience the consequential holster wear and grip dings and scratches, but, for me, it's hard to contemplate the idea of a nice new sidearm (or any tool for that matter) being marred until it finally happens, then it becomes easy to accept. After that point, if it's a cherished tool, one can fantasize about how to refinish it and what grips to dress it with, a fantasy that can realistically come true, because refinishing isn't prohibitively expensive (gold plating aside).

As to the thought of losing one's sidearm to the authorities in the aftermath of a shooting incident, I think the only reasonable course of action is to own at least two carry handguns, one of which is kept at home in case the carried piece is confiscated. That way you always have a gun to carry, which may well be more important after a shooting where you might be in further danger from revenge seekers.
 
Neither of them had their guns taken (except while police were on scene ) no evidence locker etc... no arrests. I cant imagine a scenario that if one had a clear justification to shoot there would ever be a trial/indictment...seems to be indicted you made some pretty grievous errors.
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The problem arises when things aren't so clear-cut. We've gone over the myth of the "clean shoot" elsewhere.

If I could predict how a shooting will go down, I could simply avoid it altogether. At the root of it, most of us who carry do so because violence is not always predictable or avoidable.

Evidence could be murky to investigators. Witness statements (if there are any) might be contradictory. I could get a hostile investigator or a prosecutor with an ax to grind. None of us will know until we're in that position.
 
My EDC is the least expensive gun I own. But it also is the best gun I own for EDC. I'm a revolver guy and don't feel I need anything more than a J-Frame Smith. As with any firearm for SD/HD, one needs to use what they are proficient with, feel comfortable with and are confident in. Same goes for the ammo they use in it. It's your life and the lives of folks around you you are trying to save, cost really should have nuttin' to do with it. Unless you are one that feels the need to brag about how much or how little your EDC costs.
 
out of my rotation 2 are the most inexpensive guns i have, ketec 32 (which i pretty much pocket carry all the time) and a keltec pf9 which carry time to time. Also carry a g27 and a jframe style 38 snub.
 
My CCW choices run in price from about $300 to $450. They are chosen because they are 100% reliable, and I shoot them well. There are probably many more just as well suited for even less. I don't think spending more money provides any advantages over other reliable, and accurate guns.
 
An expensive gun you don't carry is nothing more than a nice paper weight that you take to the range. If you have a low cost gun that goes bang every time and you will actually carry, what does it matter what brand it is if it saves your life or someone you care about?
 
LOL I carry my COP 357. Beings they go for over $1000 now days I guess mine is an expensive gun.
 
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Interesting topic, this.
I don't carry the cheapest. When I went to buy my carry gun I narrowed it down to the LCP and the TCP. I'd done my research knew in my head that the TCP was a fine gun and probably just as reliable, but I ended up going with the LCP Custom.

Part of it was the more visible sights, but if I'm honest, I think I paid an extra hundred bucks or so for the name, which in some (probably incorrect way) is just another way of saying a bit of peace of mind.

You all have got me thinking about the potential for "loss" by the law if I ever have to use it. I was considering carrying my Cheetah in the wintertime, but it falls into the irreplaceable camp as it was my grandfathers so I may not go that way, even though it's one of the most well-made and ridiculously reliable guns I've ever fired.
 
In a way, yes. When I was in the market for a full sized 9mm, I was on a budget. I could have gotten an M&P for around $525 or the base model, an SD9VE for about $350. I opted for the base model. Granted I could have gotten a decent used M&P for just a bit more, but it would have been used and W/O a warranty.

It has been a great pistol, I smile at its holster wear. Over 2k rounds through it and not a single malfunction that I can recall, seriously. I have done a couple upgrades (sights, springs, guide rod) and if I had to do it again, I wouldn't change a thing.
 
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