Does your "go to war" carry differ from your EDC? Why??

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Wethepeople01

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Think about it.. Many of us often deliberate what the ultimate carry weapon or weapons for ourselves. We make that decision based on a variety of factors: caliber, size, shoot ability, reliability, 'cool factor', etc. But, often do we stop and consider the fact that our EDC is the ultimate last resort option when confronted with a deadly treat or threats. Combat, in any setting, is as unpredictable as it is ugly. Is your 5 or 6 round semi-auto 'enough gun' to take into combat? What would you change about your EDC of you knew that 'today was the day' Would you size up in caliber, capacity or ease of shoot ability?? Think Bout it... :)
 
I don't plan ever "going to war" which would be a whole different scenario than everyday life CCW. Concealabilty is a big factor for every day CCW for vast majority of us. Those in the military or LEOs don't typically conceal their weapons. When one does not worry about CCW then they can open carry OWB or over their shoulder and limitations of concealed carry no longer apply resulting in much larger and heavier weapons being a possibility.

But for "real life" CCW I feel for me my Walther PPS is perfectly adequate.
 
I initiated this thread because it's a different approach to an ultimate decision: what should I realistically carry? We will never know the day and time that we will need to use our EDC to defend our lives. But, if we are committed to carrying legally and for the right reasons, our EDC must be 'gun enough' to meet any potential threat. That changes things in my opinion. For instance, entering into combat I'm more interested in capacity, shoot ability and total reliability. I tend to favor .40's because this is what I carried on/off duty as a LEO for many years. However, if I can squeeze in a few more rounds of 9mm in a compact size combat pistol - then I feel that I would be better off. This same weapon would need a grip long enough to fill the hand - no less and no more. It would also need to be highly reliable, have a consistent trigger pull and reset, and NOT HAVE an external flip safety. WHAT ARE YOUR PARTICULAR NEEDS/WANTS?
 
If they start using us sixty year old gents to 'go to war' then we have lost.

With that said, my CCW Glock 26 will do fine, war or not.

Deaf
 
But, if we are committed to carrying legally and for the right reasons, our EDC must be 'gun enough' to meet any potential threat.
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Any potential threat? What if you're attacked by 30 people? At some point "within reason" comes into play. This is true whether you carry a pistol with 7 rds because in your judgement you don't need 15 or if you carry 15 rds because in your judgement you don't need to open carry a semiautomatic rifle. We all make that call, but we fall in different spots on the spectrum.

That changes things in my opinion. For instance, entering into combat I'm more interested in capacity, shoot ability and total reliability.
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Idk about you, but those sound like some of the same factors that come into play in my mind when I consider concealed carry. I imagine you mean those factors above say ease of carry or "concealability", but still I like to think most people still consider those same factors.
 
It isn't the same thing.

Firstly I don't have much of a choice. In the military they gave me an M4 and an M9. No other options. My current agency dictates guns now even if we buy our own. So my "go to war load" is/was dictated.

In the military I knew I was going into combat or at the very least faced a high likelihood of it. As a LEO the odds of needing a gun are much higher than me just wandering around doing "normal" activities. In fact without one, in the US the job becomes very difficult.

The threat level changes considerably so the needs changes. It is fatuous for me to carry an M4 to the grocery store unless the grocery is located in Fallujah.
 
Life is a series of trade off choices. If we know our chance of conflict is high we make diffirent choices.

Put another way, I own 2 trucks; both have 4wd. If It's snowing or predicted to snow I take the jeep. If I get caught at work in the snow in my pickup I don't stay there I drive home.

Building your edc around any possible threat would quickly cause us all to be carrying stupid big, stupid heavy loads. Would be like feeling the need to own and drive a hummer in case of blizzard, flood or mudslide. If that floats your boat fine but we all have trade offs to make in life.

I have carried many tools in life, on my person, in my truck and in my pack. The essential stay, the seldom used or seemed like a good idea get elinateded. Compare a novice hiker to a pro and you will see one has less that does more and the other just has more.

pick what you shoot well and can carry. More than anything use your brain to make good choices about everything up to and including the moment the hammer falls if it ever comes to that
 
As far as "go to war", who would send us to war? Unless the US government has been overthrown we are still obligated by laws including we have the right to defend ourselves but that does not mean go on the offensive, only to attempt to repel imminent deadly threat and then best flee to safety.

My Walther PPS 9MM is perfect for my needs as it conceals extremely well and comfortably. I can get a full grip with the 7 round magazine, for me it shoots as well as my compact size pistols, has been totally reliable, and I trust it to continue to do so. I can easily carry additional magazines if I feel the need to.

I personally would not want to carry anything smaller but reality is that the vast majority of civilian/non LEO defensive shootings are at bad breath distance so even those that do carry the smaller pocket size pistols most likely will do OK with them if they are able to get off a shot in direction of attacker center of mass.
 
For CCW, I pick something that is practical for that use. Meaning a balance of small enough to conceal and carry well, but not too small to be limiting.

So I have an M&P9c, and a Shield... The Shield is for times when extra trim size is needed, but it has few rounds.


If it got to the point that the practical needs of CCW went out the window, I would choose something larger... Because it holds more ammo, and it would be easier to use. Something like my M&P9FS or other full size pistol.

That would be in a holster open carry, with a rifle slung over my shoulder. Because if its gotten so bad that I'm open carrying a full size pistol in preparation of trouble... I'm bringing a rifle.

Preferably, I would be sitting at home with my doors locked and my rifle at my side.
 
If I was "going to war", I'd have a rifle and the pistol would be a rarely used backup on par with an emergency parachute. I'd also be carrying a lot more heavy gear and less inclined to spend much weight on a pistol and ammo for it. If anything,

I'd probably feel more comfortable with a small, compact pistol in that scenario than in every day carry where a pistol is going to be the primary weapon and potential threats could run to anything from a mugging at close range to riots to an active shooter.

However, in both cases, since it is just me without a maneuver element, avoidance will be a lot more important than what weapon I engage the zombie biker hordes with.
 
Wethepeople01 said:
I initiated this thread because it's a different approach to an ultimate decision: what should I realistically carry?
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How is asking about a totally different scenario taking a "different approach" to deciding anything? For EDC, I am preparing to potentially engage one or two, maybe three, adversaries -- maximum. The fight will be over with one (or maybe two) magazine(s), after which I sit (if I have prevailed) and wait for the police to arrive and start interviewing witnesses.

In a "war" situation, I have to prepare to engage at least a full squad of the enemy, if not a platoon, and I have to carry as much ammunition as I can realistically haul around. Concealability and considerations such as does the pistol interfere with wearing my seatbelt do not apply. There is no comparison between EDC and war.

As a Vietnam veteran, I agree with Jim Watson that if I were prepping for war I'd be carrying a rifle.
 
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Jim Watson said:
If I knew that I would go to war, I would stay home... with a rifle.
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Aguila Blanca said:
. . . . As a Vietnam veteran, I agree with Jim Watson that if I were prepping for war I'd be carrying a rifle.
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Bartholomew Roberts said:
If I was "going to war", I'd have a rifle . . . .
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Not just a rifle. I'd invite friends . . . who have rifles.

In all seriousness, though, I'm in the "carry as much gun as can reasonably conceal" camp, but I'm not "going to war." I'm going to the store, or walking 4 blocks from my parking lot to work, in downtown areas. I'm not in a war zone. That said, I wear a suit to my job in a gun-free zone, so a Desert Eagle in a drop-leg holster with a bandolier of ammo across my chest just isn't going to work. It has to be something that fits either under a suit coat, or in a pocket when it's too hot to wear a coat from the car to the office.
 
My go to war weapon is a Springfield Armory Scout rifle in .308. In war, handguns are last ditch tools when the rifle goes down or runs dry of ammo.
 
I just have to change my holster and mags to larger.

I think I am past the 'going to war' stage and into the WCS staying at war stage of my life, even if prematurely. My current go to long gun is a... ... ... I guess hipoint 995. If ISIS/ISIL is expected to be walking down my street I guess I'll look for something else though.
 
One is a compact sidearm. The other is a pickup and a map and "a lot of stuff" in the back going to the hinterland. As noted above surviving to 60 imparts knowledge on fight vs. flight and when each is appropriate.
 
For war - Glock 17;

For EDC - Diamondback DB9

The difference? One is easy to carry concealed; the other doesn't have to be concealed. Why 9mm? Capacity!
 
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