EDC gun and rig continuity

W

WvHiker

Moderator
I was just reading an old thread about how many holsters people have for their carry guns, and it struck me again how many people have many different guns that they carry on a regular basis. A lot of guys call it their EDC rotation. Now, there's certainly nothing wrong with variety, but I seem to remember the instructor when I took my course for my ccw stressing the importance of carrying the same gun in the same place every day. His reasoning was that if you don't change around you would be quicker on the draw and less likely to fumble with your weapon in an emergency.

This makes good sense to me...but sometimes I get tired of lugging a G19 around all day. I look at those little Kel Tecs and LCPs and think about the ease of carrying around a thin light gun in my pocket. They aren't expensive or even particularly hard to find here in WV.

So here's (finally) the thing; what do you guys think? I know a lot of you carry different guns, and I'm not saying this is a mistake; carry whatever you like, so long as you carry. And don't think that the G19 gets left behind; I lug it around all the time and don't have a problem concealing it in shorts and a tshirt. But do you think there is anything to be said for consistency in a carry setup?

Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to buy another gun...
 
WvHiker,

I too "lug" a Glock 19 around everyday IWB at 4:00. It is uncomfortable, heavy, cumbersome. I would not feel that if I carried another weapon, possibly in a different location, that it would be a detriment to my self defense capabilities. I train daily with my draw and fire. 2 to 3 times when I put on my weapon in the morning, I sweep-draw-aim-fire. Then I load my gun and go about my business.

I do not anticipate that this would change with the incorporation of a new firearm, and it does wonders to "Prime" you for the correct location and draw for that day. My next gun purchase will be either a Springfield Mil-Spec 1911 for "winter carry" or a Kel-Tec PF-9 for "summer carry". The Glock 19 for its size and capacity is a jack of all trades for me when it comes to EDC. But I really wouldn't mind some more options when its 103 degrees or I have 3 extra layers on in winter.

So to answer your question, I personally don't think this would be a problem for consistent draws, as long as you train accordingly and daily. And I don't think with how often you have to adjust your Glock 19 getting in and out of the car/diner booth/bathroom stall/motorcycle sidecar/circus cannon, that you are going to forget for a minute where your firearm is when the colors on your threat-o-meter start to run.

Just one Daily Carrier to another.
YMMV,
~LT
 
I have no problem carrying a variety if guns. Practice with them all. By all means get a more comfortable ccw weapon. Try a Kahr, J-frame or LCP. I have and carry all of them in a regular rotation. I leave the XD9 at home except for range trips. A little gun in your pocket is better than a big one in the safe.
 
I only carry S&W autos....talk about luggin...Dont matter to me that they are a lil on the heavy side.. I have 4006, 4046, and 5906...I rotate carry between the three...but all three are the same dimension/weight.
 
I only use two guns as an EDC... which one depends on the season.

For spring/summer I carry an SP101 DAO 2.25" and a speed strip.
For fall/winter I carry a 4" Security Six and a speedloader.
 
I carry a full size 1911 10 hours a day, year round. A good belt and holster go a long way toward mitigating any trouble carrying a full size weapon. I do think there is some value in maintaining consistency with your method of carry. If you're going to carry different weapon systems, you just need to train that much more to maintain proficiency.
 
I have no problem carrying a variety if guns. Practice with them all. By all means get a more comfortable ccw weapon. Try a Kahr, J-frame or LCP. I have and carry all of them in a regular rotation. I leave the XD9 at home except for range trips. A little gun in your pocket is better than a big one in the safe.
Click to expand...

YEP!!

pocketpistolsnemesisuse.jpg
 
Honestly i have been shooting (and carrying.) a variety of guns for my entire life. If i was restricted to one type of firing mechanism i would be so disappointed..
 
I presently have 2 guns which I rotate for carry duty. A Ruger Sp101 and Glock 36. Fortunately both operate much the same, in that there are no safeties and you can just pull the trigger to have access to 6 rounds.


I tend to prefer revolvers for carry. My Sp101 is my main choice, but gets left behind for the Glock from time to time. The Glock is just a bit easier to conceal, since it rides higher on the belt than the 3" Sp101, leaving less to hang below my cover garment. However, I find the blockiness of the Glock to be easier to print than the smooth curves of the Ruger, so I guess there's a bit of a trade off there, too. Both guns are carried in the same place, same style, and with their similar action, function the same way, too.

Another reason I prefer the revolver is for extra ammo. I find a speed-strip with 8 extra rounds much more convenient to carry than a 36-mag, which is heavy and overly-bulky for the 6 rounds of 45acp.

I am considering a new 1911 for carry, which would have smaller, more convenient mags to lug around. Then again, I am also considering an LCP or some such to pocket carry.

Consistancy is nice, but its more important to be well practiced with whatever it is you decide to carry.
 
I guess when the "colors...start to run" (thanks LT for that image), self-defense suddenly becomes The Most Important Reason for carrying a gun.

Until then…

I like guns.

I enjoy carrying one (or more).

I find it a lot of fun and I always have (since about age 8 or 9 when I walked barefoot down a dirt road with a Winchester 62 on my shoulder).

I recently acquired a new-to-me Ruger Alaskan .44 Magnum (Thanks, Huntergirl!).

Will it be in my regular EDC rotation? Not likely.

Will I carry it at all?

You’re durn tootin’, I will.

We get our panties in a wad frequently about our Rights (as we should) and get all serious over this business of carrying a weapon (as we should) but let’s never forget that, for most of us, it’s also simply a lot of fun.

My own current EDC "rotation": SP101 3" in .357 or Para Slim Hawg .45ACP.

Best,

Will
 
My answer is a bit different. For me, a carry gun is a tool. It will get worn, sweated on, banged around and covered in lint.

But I love my firearms and I wouldn't want to willfully treat my lifelong prized handguns in that manner. So that's one of the reasons that I chose a Glock for my EDC. It's durable and ugly as a pile of black vomit so the fact that it gets worn, sweated on, banged around and covered in lint is fine because that is it's role in life.

I could never imagine myself carrying a 1911 and subjecting such a fine handgun to such lousy treatment. Understand: I'm not saying a handgun should never be used or treated as such, just that I don't EVER want to do it. You want to do that -- have at it.

So when I'm staring down the choice between buying a nice handgun for me to use, own and play with on the range -- or buying a tool to drag around, ding up, sweat on and pound the snot out of... well, I'd rather have another fine life long handgun... something I can imagine my Grandkids using and marveling at.

I don't want to spend the cash on another carry gun. I've got one, after all, and it works great in it's role. Doesn't mean I won't... just means that I really would rather not.
 
I have 2 carry guns (Ruger SP101 .357 and Walther PPS 9mm). The SP101 gets carried a bit more, but I still carry the PPS often. They are both carried in Supertucks at 4:00.

Honestly, the only reason I switch between them is my moods. Sometimes when I get dressed I feel like it's an autoloader kind of day, sometimes it's a wheelgun kind of day.

Thankfully, I've never had to use either, but I don't think that the rotation would be a hindrance in an SD situation. I always know which one I have. They actually feel quite different even though I use the exact same holster for both.
 
I have five or six different guns that I carry for SD. I will usually carry the same gun for a minimum of two weeks but will sometimes carry something for a month or more. For me variety is the spice of life. Right now it's a CZ 2075 Rami with a 16 round extra magazine. Gives me 27 rounds of 9mm. I feel very well armed with this little gun. You wouldn't think something with this short of a barrel would be very accurate but it's a tack driver.
 
I don't think there is anything wrong with a rotation if you are comfortable with it. Myself, I like to have one companion in the same place, day in and day out. Just my preference. I tried the rotation by adding a 442 to my M&P9FS but I honestly don't like the feel of "not" having that "cumbersome" weight on my hip. I'm so used to that damned thing it's a reassuring inconvenience. I feel naked without it.
 
But I love my firearms and I wouldn't want to willfully treat my lifelong prized handguns in that manner. So that's one of the reasons that I chose a Glock for my EDC. It's durable and ugly as a pile of black vomit so the fact that it gets worn, sweated on, banged around and covered in lint is fine because that is it's role in life.

I could never imagine myself carrying a 1911 and subjecting such a fine handgun to such lousy treatment. Understand: I'm not saying a handgun should never be used or treated as such, just that I don't EVER want to do it. You want to do that -- have at it.

So when I'm staring down the choice between buying a nice handgun for me to use, own and play with on the range -- or buying a tool to drag around, ding up, sweat on and pound the snot out of... well, I'd rather have another fine life long handgun... something I can imagine my Grandkids using and marveling at.
Click to expand...

Sevens--
I have read a ton of your posts and this is the first time I will take exception to one of them.
I have owned and carried a multitude of 1911s, S&W revolvers, Glocks, Kel-Tecs, and so on.

I can shoot a Glock well. I enjoy shooting a 1911 far more. If I have to send a 1911 in for refinishing every now and then, that is the price I will pay. I no longer own a Glock, or a Kel-Tec, or a lot of other things.

I will carry (and re-finish, from time to time, if necessary) my 1911s and S&W reviolvers.

From my perspective, life is too short to carry something I really do not enjoy shooting. Glocks and Kel-Tecs (and others) fall into that category.

My safe and my budget only have room for a limited number of firearms. Every one of them has an appeal and a purpose. None of them is reduced to simple tool staus, although each performs as such.
 
My EDC is a rotation of a Colt Agent, Smith 37 or OM CA Undercover SS, all in .38s and in a pocket holster. I may supplement this carry, but the pocket revolver is always there.
 
This is a timely question and one that applies equally to same gun, different holster as it does to different gun, different holster.

My usual carry is my S&W model 36. More often than not, it gets carried in a simple open-top IWB holster, especially this time of the year. But, if I'm going on a long walk/short hike, or if I'm going to be getting in and out of the car a lot, I carry it in a nylon Uncle Mike's pancake holster because it's more comfortable and because it has a thumbsnap retainer to keep the gun where it belongs.

But wouldn't you know when I went to unholster after a nice long walk today, I forgot about the thumbsnap with cartoonish results. I pretty much gave myself a wedgie. The amount of time it took me to realize YOU'RE WEARING A DIFFERENT HOLSTER, STUPID was anything but funny. Without any possible stressor, alone in my own bedroom, my reaction wasn't, "thumbsnap," it was "pull harder."

I haven't decided whether or not to just pull the thumbsnap retainers out or to come up with a training fix, but until then, this holster has been benched.
 
I mainly carry the same gun day after day in a Don Hume JIT Slide. (Kimber Ultra CDP) When I carry something different it's up north on my property and farther north, or down south in the mountains, and that's for the possibility of larger mammals with 4 legs. In this case it's a Glock 29 in a Galco Matrix MX7. In any case, it's backed up with the same KelTec P32. (First rule of gunfighting: Have a gun)
 
I'm with you, orionengnr. A couple of my carry guns (1911's) were (are?) very attractive but have gained a bit of character after years of holster duty. My Kel-Tec was never a pretty new gun but years of pocket polishing has somehow made it more attractive, but that may just be me. Have a couple of J-Frames that only I and their mother could love and I even carried a Glock for a few years and it somehow got better with age.
I'm betting Sevens' EDC gun is not as ugly as he wants us to think. EDC guns ideally get carried a lot, shot as necessary and get all the TLC a tool like that needs. There's something comforting about having an old friend nearby, patiently waiting even if you never need it.
Worn and banged up doesn't make it ugly to me. As long as it's properly maintained my EDC's get better looking all the time, I could care less what other folks think because unless they're fatally stupid or very close to me they'll never see them.
 
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