SocialAnarchist
Moderator
XDs in .45acp. Usually carry a 7 round spare mag too. When do I carry? Every where I legally can. I do not carry at work, either job, because it is against policy.
How much gun?
- Thread starter OhioGuy
- Start date
JoeSixpack
New member
I try to stay consistent so my carry weapon and method does not really change.
If you need deep concealment then I guess I could see pocket gun only.
Most of the time that's not really necessary.
If I was going in to the woods here In Ohio I don't think we have any bears.. I could be wrong.. I have some 357's but no holsters for them.. I'd probably stick with my 9mm, Im sure it would dispatch most critters if needed.
I assume by stealth you mean concealment?
Depends.. I carry OWB, fullsize, it will print with just a t-shirt, darker colors do better.. general public is oblivious even so.
with a light cover garment like a wind breaker even this sub optimal concealment becomes pretty difficult to tell.
I've seen people completely conceal full size 1911's IWB, infact they do quite well in so much as 1911's while large are actually quite thin.
It really depends on what you're going for.
As far as convenience, man nothing beats OWB carry imo.. it's comfortable and fast to get to.. at least in my experience.
Just further along the scale then you.. to some people you're nuts to start with for carrying a gun, any gun.
He's clearly carrying more then avg but I would not call him nuts.
As for changing up to 45 for a "unsavory" part of town? no sir I carry as much gun as I need to feel comfortable in all situations.
If I was expecting trouble I'd either take a rifle or better yet not go.
Besides that I already settled the internal 9mm vs 45 debate, 9mm won.. 45 is clearly more powerful but especially with the latest generation of SD ammo, 9mm is quite the performer these days and has other desirable qualities to boot.
9mm Is my caliber of choice and it does not change just because the "perceived" probability of something happening went up a notch.
What am I expecting that would happen that would/could not happen elsewhere?
If it's not good enough for hood rats then it's probably not good enough for random thug somewhere on the other side of town.
I will tell you though having lived in some less then "savory" areas my self, Crime is usually fairly localized and usually involves drugs some where along the line, if you're not into drugs your chances have having issues even on the wrong side of the tracks goes down greatly.
Last place we lived we had police helicopters nightly 2 blocks away.. always 2 blocks away.. my street was usually pretty quiet, but it's all the same area so it gets a bad wrap.
I can't argue with deaf, but can't follow his advice, either. I don't think that packing more "firepower" into the field is likely to save lives. Every police agency that I know of diversifies, rather that taking a "one basket" approach. Rather than five magazines and .45s, they save weight and space for mace, a tazer, baton, etc. They passed off the ammo stockpile war decades ago, even before they started filling the belt. For that matter, rather than putting even greater burdens on a beat cop, we've created special units to replace the extra firepower.
Rather than adding to extra magazines and heavier rounds, I have tried to get my wife to carry. She refuses. Her only use is as a human shield.
Lohmann, I can expect that my buddy who spits when he talks, shakes when he gets excited, hates the government and fears the greys will leave a metric fartload of holes in the walls if he hears a transformer blow outside. I see fearless fosdick.
Benny d prinnin Com
Animation resources . Org
Rather than adding to extra magazines and heavier rounds, I have tried to get my wife to carry. She refuses. Her only use is as a human shield.
Lohmann, I can expect that my buddy who spits when he talks, shakes when he gets excited, hates the government and fears the greys will leave a metric fartload of holes in the walls if he hears a transformer blow outside. I see fearless fosdick.
Benny d prinnin Com
Animation resources . Org
I like to have a selection to cover different needs, but that is more theoretical. Since I don't live in a shall-issue state and don't have a permit for MD, I only carry a few days a month when in DE, WV or VA. Given that, I'm usually dressed for vacation, shopping, maybe a date, or whatever brought me there. It is rare that I can't carry my usual, so I usually just have one or two guns I actually choose from. I do like to have a small .380 (currently an LCP, but soon to be replaced) which will mostly be used as a backup (in theory, I haven't actually carried a backup in years), a single stack micro-9 or subcompact (SIG P290rs soon to be either replaced or complimented by an Officer sized 1911), a double stack subcompact (S&W M&P40c), and a compact (a CZ P01, a .45ACP SIG P250 Compact, and the P250 will soon be replaced by my S&W 1911SC). I also occasionally carry a revolver (when the mood strikes in the winter, and for camping), currently a S&W 625MG. When I do/can carry, over the past few years about 90% of the time it has been the P250 or P290. With the switch back to 1911s, the 1911SC is replacing the P250. I don't know how much the Officer 1911 and new M&P40c will be carried instead of the P290, and I don't know how much the CZ P01 will be carried instead of the 1911SC. We'll see if it is still one or two guns the vast majority of the time, if the gun I pick is based on where I'm going, or if I switch between them more.
How much gun? Always an interesting question and resulting discussion.
Most always brings feelings into the discussion, too.
Well, I'm no different. I've developed some personal opinions which have resulted from having carried a badge of one sort or another (full-time & reserve) for 35 years, and for 26 of those years I trained and worked as a LE firearms instructor.
In my case, although I initially carried an issued .357 Magnum service revolver, and either a Colt Combat Commander, one of my own .357 or .44 Magnum revolvers off-duty ... for me, being "well armed" began when I reached for the Remington 870, when working in a patrol car.
A handgun? Well, as much as I was an enthusiast of .45 ACP, .357 & .44 Magnum handguns, they were still just handguns. I was certainly armed, but I didn't exactly consider myself "well armed".
Nowadays?
I'm retired. I'm no longer being sent to, or seeking out, active situations involving crimes and suspected or known danger. Trouble is going to have make the effort to come find me.
Sure, a career's worth of developing the habit of doing risk assessment resulted in it being ingrained, and I always give some thought to where I'm going, what I'm going, what's happening around me, etc. That extends to decisions regarding the carrying of a retirement CCW weapon (or weapons).
Sometimes I'll still break out one of the many 9's, .40's or .45's (or even a .357 Magnum), but mostly I'm choosing to slip one of my many 5--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED- snubs or pair of LCP's into a pocket holster. Sometimes I'll even pocket holster one of my NAA .22LR or Mag mini revolvers (mostly as an Onion Field type backup).
Continuing to maintain a working skillset is more important to me than the particular handgun(s) and caliber(s) I may select.
I seldom shill particular guns, calibers or ammunition to folks with whom I work. Their choice, their business.
What does matter to me is whether or not they can safely, comfortably and effectively handle, carry, use and operate whatever it is they've chosen. If they can't demonstrate being able to use it in a safe, controllable, accurate and effective manner, what good are they doing for themselves?
Like a cool looking big name gun? Popular, respectable caliber? Pretty finish? Cool holster? Lots of magazines festooned around a belt, with more in pockets?
Okay, that's fine (as long as it's within policy or not against local law).
However, if we go downrange and set up some difficult threat (and non-threat) targets, and introduce some difficulties and normal range stress conditions, and require some thinking, decision-making and multi-tasking ... will the shots fired be on the intended threat target, in an acceptable timely manner, accurately? Or, will they be somewhere else that not intended, or too slowly fired to meet even generously "acceptable" standards of competency for training drills, quals , etc.
In other words, can the owner/user actually use whatever equipment is being carried? If not, is it an equipment problem, or a user problem?
Caliber? Sure, if that tickles your fancy?
Capacity? Sure, if that's a personal concern.
Misses are a problem. Hits on the intended target matter.
Often when someone asks if I think they have "enough gun", I ask them if they've already addressed the questions of, "Do I have enough knowledge? Enough, training? Enough understanding of laws & tactics (and policies)? Can I actually use my choice?"
I'm more concerned about the equipment user, than the particular equipment.
Kind of like back in the days of my early martial arts interest, when someone would expound upon how they were practitioners of some particular art or style, and the brand of gi they wore, and I'd ask them if they could really use their training? Or even defend themselves and fight using it, for that matter?
Most always brings feelings into the discussion, too.
Well, I'm no different. I've developed some personal opinions which have resulted from having carried a badge of one sort or another (full-time & reserve) for 35 years, and for 26 of those years I trained and worked as a LE firearms instructor.
In my case, although I initially carried an issued .357 Magnum service revolver, and either a Colt Combat Commander, one of my own .357 or .44 Magnum revolvers off-duty ... for me, being "well armed" began when I reached for the Remington 870, when working in a patrol car.
A handgun? Well, as much as I was an enthusiast of .45 ACP, .357 & .44 Magnum handguns, they were still just handguns. I was certainly armed, but I didn't exactly consider myself "well armed".
Nowadays?
I'm retired. I'm no longer being sent to, or seeking out, active situations involving crimes and suspected or known danger. Trouble is going to have make the effort to come find me.
Sure, a career's worth of developing the habit of doing risk assessment resulted in it being ingrained, and I always give some thought to where I'm going, what I'm going, what's happening around me, etc. That extends to decisions regarding the carrying of a retirement CCW weapon (or weapons).
Sometimes I'll still break out one of the many 9's, .40's or .45's (or even a .357 Magnum), but mostly I'm choosing to slip one of my many 5--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED--CENSORED- snubs or pair of LCP's into a pocket holster. Sometimes I'll even pocket holster one of my NAA .22LR or Mag mini revolvers (mostly as an Onion Field type backup).
Continuing to maintain a working skillset is more important to me than the particular handgun(s) and caliber(s) I may select.
I seldom shill particular guns, calibers or ammunition to folks with whom I work. Their choice, their business.
What does matter to me is whether or not they can safely, comfortably and effectively handle, carry, use and operate whatever it is they've chosen. If they can't demonstrate being able to use it in a safe, controllable, accurate and effective manner, what good are they doing for themselves?
Like a cool looking big name gun? Popular, respectable caliber? Pretty finish? Cool holster? Lots of magazines festooned around a belt, with more in pockets?
Okay, that's fine (as long as it's within policy or not against local law).
However, if we go downrange and set up some difficult threat (and non-threat) targets, and introduce some difficulties and normal range stress conditions, and require some thinking, decision-making and multi-tasking ... will the shots fired be on the intended threat target, in an acceptable timely manner, accurately? Or, will they be somewhere else that not intended, or too slowly fired to meet even generously "acceptable" standards of competency for training drills, quals , etc.
In other words, can the owner/user actually use whatever equipment is being carried? If not, is it an equipment problem, or a user problem?
Caliber? Sure, if that tickles your fancy?
Capacity? Sure, if that's a personal concern.
Misses are a problem. Hits on the intended target matter.
Often when someone asks if I think they have "enough gun", I ask them if they've already addressed the questions of, "Do I have enough knowledge? Enough, training? Enough understanding of laws & tactics (and policies)? Can I actually use my choice?"
I'm more concerned about the equipment user, than the particular equipment.
Kind of like back in the days of my early martial arts interest, when someone would expound upon how they were practitioners of some particular art or style, and the brand of gi they wore, and I'd ask them if they could really use their training? Or even defend themselves and fight using it, for that matter?
JoeSixpack
New member
ROFL, Oh man I hope you're joking.. just never tell her this.. she might take it the wrong way.. or the right way for that matter
BTW Where can I find that full comic you posted, that's hilarious.
ammo.crafter
New member
How much?
I thought my .380 was sufficient for my ccw needs.
I shoot competitively and met a fellow shooter that really opened my eyes.
He placed a 3" x 4" card at 3yds; 5yds; 7yds; 10yds and 15yds.
Using my ccw weapon I had to fire in the shortest amount of time and yet hitting the 3x4's each time; we used 5-round drills.
I have since switched to carrying my Hi-Power!
I thought my .380 was sufficient for my ccw needs.
I shoot competitively and met a fellow shooter that really opened my eyes.
He placed a 3" x 4" card at 3yds; 5yds; 7yds; 10yds and 15yds.
Using my ccw weapon I had to fire in the shortest amount of time and yet hitting the 3x4's each time; we used 5-round drills.
I have since switched to carrying my Hi-Power!
From Benin d prinnin. Fearless Fosdick.
http://bennypdrinnon.blogspot.com/2015/07/fearless-fosdick-meets-atom-bum.html
Written by all capp, part of the dogpatch stories. He was loosely based on dick Tracy. Fosdick usually ended every story with a hail of bullets that left a thousand holes in Albert hall. Every episode left dead people everywhere with head shots. Even at the time I knew people who fit that description too well.
http://bennypdrinnon.blogspot.com/2015/07/fearless-fosdick-meets-atom-bum.html
Written by all capp, part of the dogpatch stories. He was loosely based on dick Tracy. Fosdick usually ended every story with a hail of bullets that left a thousand holes in Albert hall. Every episode left dead people everywhere with head shots. Even at the time I knew people who fit that description too well.
Don Fischer
New member
I've only had a carry licence for abut a year and a half also but, I always carried when I worked for a living. Drove trucks 48 states and Canada. Illegal but then the people that made up that rule never went into a produce or meat district at 3 am! They are the nastiest of nasty places. The thing I learned that was most help to me was to learn to spot a bad situation and avoid it. Never had to pull a gun out but two time's in close to 30 yrs and never fired a shot.
The carry gun first off should be something you like to shoot. You don't care for your gun, get ride of it and get a different one. For me it has to be light and concealable. My P89 is heavy, long and wide. Very nice gun but I seldom ever carry it. Long because of the long barrel, heavy because no plastic and carry's to many rounds. I put it on, and I do sometime's, and I'm always aware of it. It also bother's me the bottom of the holster show's up under my shirt. Carry's 15 rds in the mag and one in the chamber plus and extra magazine add's another 15 rds of ammo. It's nice to have an extra magazine maybe bur if you need more than a few shot's to stop a target you either are not close enough or not practiced enough. About 7 yds is as far away as I ever practice and I shoot at rather large target's and taught myself to point and shoot. I do not believe if push come's to shove, I'm gonna have time to carefully aim and shoot and still get off a shot before the problem shoot's me first. I do carry an extra magazine, 8 rounds. It is not heavy and don't bother me at all. And if I ever had to break into that extra magazine, I've got myself in over my head!
I carry every where I go, even at home and to card game one night a week. No one knows I carry, n need for them to know and you will run into people that the sight of a gun really does bother them. Conceal the gun well and simply avoid the problem with those people and especially anti gun people. What they don't know won 't hurt them.
Where I live I doubt I'll ever need a gun. My son tried talking me into it for years before I finely got my licence. Now my mind is a bit changed. I still believe I'll never need it but, what if the One in a million problem show's up? It is possible it could show up anywhere, even where I live, cops are min 30 minute's away from the nearest police. Then to, even if the bad guy's shows up in a bad place and you need your gun, hard to believe the bad guy will give you time to run home and get it off the headboard of the bed. Because I do carry as much as I do, I need a gun that I don't notice but still fit's my hand and that is fairly easy for me to shoot and low on recoil so I will practice with it. But the best advice I can give you based on my driving experience is learn to recognize bad situation and avoid them. If you feel you don't need to you just may run into the guy that's better or luckier than you, bad spot to be in!
Auto loaders, in my experience are softer recoiling than revolver's. Less recoil and you'll practice more. They are normally easier to conceal if they are single stack magazine's and short barrel's. They carry more round's when loaded that suitable revolver's do and are faster to reload. When firing the auto will normally have the easiest trigger to manipulate, revolver either need cocked for every shot or in double ction you always hve to pull the DA trigger, it's fairly heavy.
The gun can be an object you really don't pay attention to or it can be a slow burden that your always aware of. Anything with more than a single stack magazine and 1" barrel becomes a pain to carry around all the time and will be more difficult to hide to hide. Learn to recognize and avoid bad situation's because safe as you feel with your gun, most people will never have fired at another human being and especially if they are firing back.
Just my opinion. Probably worth everything you paid for it!
The carry gun first off should be something you like to shoot. You don't care for your gun, get ride of it and get a different one. For me it has to be light and concealable. My P89 is heavy, long and wide. Very nice gun but I seldom ever carry it. Long because of the long barrel, heavy because no plastic and carry's to many rounds. I put it on, and I do sometime's, and I'm always aware of it. It also bother's me the bottom of the holster show's up under my shirt. Carry's 15 rds in the mag and one in the chamber plus and extra magazine add's another 15 rds of ammo. It's nice to have an extra magazine maybe bur if you need more than a few shot's to stop a target you either are not close enough or not practiced enough. About 7 yds is as far away as I ever practice and I shoot at rather large target's and taught myself to point and shoot. I do not believe if push come's to shove, I'm gonna have time to carefully aim and shoot and still get off a shot before the problem shoot's me first. I do carry an extra magazine, 8 rounds. It is not heavy and don't bother me at all. And if I ever had to break into that extra magazine, I've got myself in over my head!
I carry every where I go, even at home and to card game one night a week. No one knows I carry, n need for them to know and you will run into people that the sight of a gun really does bother them. Conceal the gun well and simply avoid the problem with those people and especially anti gun people. What they don't know won 't hurt them.
Where I live I doubt I'll ever need a gun. My son tried talking me into it for years before I finely got my licence. Now my mind is a bit changed. I still believe I'll never need it but, what if the One in a million problem show's up? It is possible it could show up anywhere, even where I live, cops are min 30 minute's away from the nearest police. Then to, even if the bad guy's shows up in a bad place and you need your gun, hard to believe the bad guy will give you time to run home and get it off the headboard of the bed. Because I do carry as much as I do, I need a gun that I don't notice but still fit's my hand and that is fairly easy for me to shoot and low on recoil so I will practice with it. But the best advice I can give you based on my driving experience is learn to recognize bad situation and avoid them. If you feel you don't need to you just may run into the guy that's better or luckier than you, bad spot to be in!
Auto loaders, in my experience are softer recoiling than revolver's. Less recoil and you'll practice more. They are normally easier to conceal if they are single stack magazine's and short barrel's. They carry more round's when loaded that suitable revolver's do and are faster to reload. When firing the auto will normally have the easiest trigger to manipulate, revolver either need cocked for every shot or in double ction you always hve to pull the DA trigger, it's fairly heavy.
The gun can be an object you really don't pay attention to or it can be a slow burden that your always aware of. Anything with more than a single stack magazine and 1" barrel becomes a pain to carry around all the time and will be more difficult to hide to hide. Learn to recognize and avoid bad situation's because safe as you feel with your gun, most people will never have fired at another human being and especially if they are firing back.
Just my opinion. Probably worth everything you paid for it!
Last edited:
Don Fischer
New member
I am not a big time fan of semi auto handguns but, that's what I carry, I have two, a Ruger P89 that I seldom carry and a Shield 9c that I carry 99.9% of the time. I think I'm like most other people, I don't believe my time of needing it will come. But at the same time should it come, I'd feel pretty stupid leaving it at home! I don't like recoil in a handgun so for carry my choice is smaller cartridge, lighter gun and thinner gun, help's conceal it and easier to carry. Added benefit of my gun it a bit more fire power, single stack 7+1 I think. If I carried a revolver, love DA revolver's, I'd only carry 5 shots. Granted it the fight last's longer than that, you have a serious problem. Well my shield gives me 7 or 8+ one in the chamber. I also carry one extra loaded magazine! Will I need it? If I do then I;m in serious trouble! I am very much a rifle shooter when I'm really serious and love my DA's for fooling around. But personal defense makes a whole different case of it. My DA's loose this bet for me. Not as easy to conceal, don't carry as much ammo and harder to hide. I only use reloaded cast bullet's in all my handguns, inexpensive and keep's recoil down. If I can't hit the bad guy, I can't stop him! I never worry about recoil getting in the way! I'm sure I might have a better edge with the right DA, I'd love a Colt in 38 with a 4" barrel but, doesn't carry enough rounds and to slow to reload! I think let the situation make the rules of what you carry! Then learn to use what you have.
At one time, I was in a position that demanded I be armed much of the time. But, this was before Concealed Carry was as widespread as it is now, so concealability was paramount and I carried an RG-25, 25 ACP pistol.
Today, I rarely carry. When I do, I carry as much gun as I feel I need. Often this is still the RG-25 or the S&W 38 Special I inherited from my grandmother.
Or, just lots of personal opinions and preferences. While lots of folks like to discuss and talk about training, it's a lot less common to find people seeking it out. It costs money and time (and no small amount of interest), and in many cases it's no doubt more than a little inconvenient.
So, if not having much in the way of formal (let alone recurrent) training exposure, it's not surprising a lot of folks default to feelings and personal opinions based upon reading, DVD's, etc.
I just noticed that the description of my J-frame 5 shot snubs in my first post was censored. Weird. Didn't know the word "shot" was a bad word. Left out the hyphenation in this post, to see if it made a difference to the software.
Opinions and preferences are often based on mispreceptions and misconceptions.
Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
No argument from me.
However, some folks can also take a solid fact and apply it incorrectly, or use it to support some cherished opinion in some highly imaginative or alternative manner.
As an instructor, I've seen some folks come through the range now and again who I was able to help train to perform competently, if not greatly ... but they still walked off the range with many of the same misconceptions and highly biased opinions they walked on with when they'd arrived.
I wasn't there to change their world view or thinking, but just to refresh their grasp and understanding of existing policy, grasp of the relevant laws, appropriate use-of-force, the exercise of good judgment in decision-making, and the ability to demonstrate the required competency of skills in safely handling, and the use of, their weapons.
What's said on public internet forums? Yeah, sometimes it can be mind-boggling, and definitely make you wonder.
Then, I pull out on one of our roads or highways, occupied by all the licensed and unlicensed drivers, and then the internet sometimes doesn't seem so strange ...
Kevin Rohrer
New member
I carry the minimum defensive caliber or better, as I don't trust anything smaller: .40S&W or .45ACP.
Glenn E. Meyer
New member
We are starting to wander into silliness. That's a hint.
1. Caliber wars - boring, already well discussed that modern 9mm works just fine.
2. Car gun - if you need more and go to your car - drive away.
3. Number of rounds vs. not understanding statistical decision making a cutoff in the more extreme cases.
More silliness to be posted or is it time to end this?
1. Caliber wars - boring, already well discussed that modern 9mm works just fine.
2. Car gun - if you need more and go to your car - drive away.
3. Number of rounds vs. not understanding statistical decision making a cutoff in the more extreme cases.
More silliness to be posted or is it time to end this?