Not new to guns, but pretty new to concealed carry

A

Alexander

New member
I'm sorry to bother you all with amateur CCW questions but I'm just wondering what exactly you do with your CCW guns at the end of every day. So far I carry either a Walther PPS or a Kahr PM9, usually the PM9 because of the smaller size.

I have reservations about unloading the gun every day and loading the same rounds over and over again. Isn't bullet setback a concern when you do this? On the other hand it's not good to leave the gun sitting overnight in a holster you've been sweating against all day (I live in the South). Would you feel safe leaving the gun loaded and transferring it from the holster to another storage place where it can "breathe" overnight?

Thanks for any help.
 
Would you feel safe leaving the gun loaded and transferring it from the holster to another storage place where it can "breathe" overnight?
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Yes I would. Maybe get a cheaper holster to put it in while at home. My Kahr stays in it's holster but its dryier here in Co., and I don't always get to carry due to my job. I think your concern about constantly loading and unloading the same rounds is a valid concern.
 
dont bother loading and unloading unless its for maintenance....and a good magazine can be left loaded for a LONG time before spring wears down...

My carry guns ride with me until i drop my drawers and hit the sac and then it dont matter cuz i'm in a locked room with loaded pistols on my headboard :)
 
Isn't bullet setback a concern when you do this?
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Yes, it is a very real and valid concern. Better to avoid this practice.

On the other hand it's not good to leave the gun sitting overnight in a holster you've been sweating against all day (I live in the South). Would you feel safe leaving the gun loaded and transferring it from the holster to another storage place where it can "breathe" overnight?
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Good idea to remove it from a leather holster and allow both to "breathe"/dry out overnight. Also a good idea to make sure that your gun is keep slightly oiled to prevent rust from forming especially if you are sweating a fair amount and/or you live in a humid/wet environment. Some folks prefer kydex/plastic holsters due to lack of moisture holding as opposed to leather.

Desiccant (which can come in "rechargeable" baggies/boxes) might be a good idea in your "storage place" to help dry out the entire gun. Not knowing your household (kids? guests?) you might want to consider some sort of small safe or lock box.
 
Unloading/loading every day? Huh? That would drive me kinda crazy... don't see the point. BTW, I'm no expert but I've read some testimony from science/engineering types who say that (long-term constantly compressed) "spring fatigue" in auto mags is basically a myth.
 
I used to unload my guns when I took them off, but I don't anymore, unless its for longer-term storage. I found my auto's were really marking up rounds that would be chambered several times, and I guess I just got used to the idea of keeping them loaded/chambered.

I store mine in a quick-access safe, outside of their holsters. Alternatively, I might just leave it on my desk or dresser with my wallet for a quick-overnight until I put it on again in the morning. I can't carry all the time, due to my schedule taking me to "gun-free zones" so I lock it up some nights, not others. I live alone, though, so I needn't worry about others getting to it while its off of my person.

When its not on my person, it may or may not be in the holster. If I'm wearing a holster that comes off easily, I usually just remove it with the gun still inside. If I have a holster where I have to take my belt off, I take the gun out and set it down, then take the belt & holster off and set it next to it. If I'm worried about moisture, I'll wipe the gun down and make sure its not in the holster. Most of the time, I don't worry much about that.
 
As has been said you can keep a semi-auto mag full for a very long time.

If you have a problem with moisture, drop the mag, clear the chamber and wipe the gun down. Otherwise just leave it on the night stand.
 
Alexander said:
I have reservations about unloading the gun every day and loading the same rounds over and over again.
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Your instincts serve you well. Don't unload just to unload, but only if you need to for some reason.

Alexander said:
Isn't bullet setback a concern when you do this?
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Yes, bullet setback is most certainly a concern, albeit only with the poor round that keeps getting chambered repeatedly. Because I seldom unload my defensive pistol, whenever I do I play it ultra-safe and put aside the once-chambered round for use at the range next time. Because I occasionally rotate and shoot some of my defensive ammo anyway, this is as good a way as any of killing two birds with one bullet. You could probably chamber any given round several times with virtually no risk, and maybe even dozens of times with low risk, but I don't like taking unnecessary risks when I can avoid them instead.

If you really want to keep chambering the same round a bunch of times, then you could try riding the slide gently back into battery instead of letting it slam forward when you reload (making sure that the extractor engages the rim properly).

Alexander said:
On the other hand it's not good to leave the gun sitting overnight in a holster you've been sweating against all day (I live in the South). Would you feel safe leaving the gun loaded and transferring it from the holster to another storage place where it can "breathe" overnight?
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Yes, it should be perfectly safe to do so as long as you can control access to the gun (don't you have any home defense weapons?).

My defensive pistol, for instance, is kept in a locked box shaped like a coffin with the inscription "The Holy Handgun of Antioch" and a lead cross on the lid. And when you open it, the underside of the lid says "You will fear no evil for I am with you." No, not really. ;) However, it is kept in a small pistol safe so that my young nephew who lives with me can't get into serious trouble with it.
 
I carry an XDm 9mm and a P3AT. Both stay in a drawer when I'm not wearing them. I never unload them unless I'm going to shoot practice ammo through them.

I see no reason to unload a self defense gun. If you have kids in the house, use a trigger lock or a safe you can get into in a hurry.

Leaving your magazines loaded won't hurt them. I have GI 1911 mags that have been loaded constantly since 1972 and they work fine. Sometimes I don't use them for years at a time. They always work and I always reload them and put them away.

I collect vintage trumpets and cornets. Some of my horns are 90-110 years old. The valve springs on the professional models have been cycled, literally, hundreds of thousands of times. One trumpet, a 1908 King "Master", was owned by a professional jazz player who wore the valves to the point where the horn leaked badly. When I bought it from him, he told me he'd replaced the felt and cork spacers several times, but the springs were original.

If they made springs that good over a century ago, I wouldn't worry about your magazine springs. Leave your gun loaded.
 
CWKahrFan said:
BTW, I'm no expert but I've read some testimony from science/engineering types who say that (long-term constantly compressed) "spring fatigue" in auto mags is basically a myth.
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I didn't want to go into this because it's SUCH an involved, controversial, often heated topic (there's another thread about it raging right now as we speak, I think), but basically fatigue or weakening from staying compressed is a myth unless the spring is compressed too tightly, as it may be in some magazine designs (particularly some high-capacity magazines). While it is difficult to determine exactly when this is true (unless your magazines are failing on you regularly), a good rule of thumb to follow, I think, is that if after at least several loadings and unloadings (starting from a new magazine spring) it is still really hard to squeeze the last round or two in, then to be safe it would probably be best to skip the last round or two. Without getting all technical, it seems reasonable that if the spring is placing a lot of strain on your fingers as you try to insert another round (I mean significantly more than usual ;)), then a lot of strain is therefore being placed on the spring as well.

Note that this is a conservative suggestion. The only other practical way to know without sacrificing ammo capacity would be to experiment with each type of magazine you use, and see how long it takes for the springs to fail when loaded at full capacity. Obviously for defensive purposes you'll want to stick with magazines from reputable manufacturers such as Mec-Gar (which produces OEM magazines for many firearms manufacturers)--that should give you a little more confidence, at least (if you're worried at all--I just load my magazines up full and keep them that way, and none of them have failed from staying compressed yet).

Marlin009 said:
"The Holy Handgun of Antioch"
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Consult the book of armaments. Chapter 2, verses 9 to 21 I believe. :D
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That's for the hand grenade. For the handgun it's chapter .357, verses 9mm to .45. ;)

It was either that or "The Sacred Sidearm Sepulchre." :rolleyes::)
 
Thanks for all the helpful answers.

I should've been more clear that I meant only clearing the chamber, not unloading the mag. I have never liked the idea of chambering a round repeatedly. I've been around guns long enough not to worry about leaving mags loaded. I'm just a CCW newbie.

Yes, it should be perfectly safe to do so as long as you can control access to the gun (don't you have any home defense weapons?).
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I do. I know it seems like a silly question but it has more to do with moving the unholstered loaded gun around every day than it does about access. I'm just a little OCD about it. I'll get over it.
 
Well, I guess there are a few variables to consider.
--Do you have children or other unauthorized individuals in close proximity?
--Do you have more than one carry gun?
--Do you have a safe or other lockable storage?

I have no little ones in the house.
I have multiple carry guns.
I have a safe.

Whatever I carry during the day rests on my nightstand at night. When I decide to swap it for another, it goes into the safe. No unloading, no "administrative handling" (do a search :))
 
^^^ Looking for one right now. :D

Another stupid question: Does the shaking and jostling of the gunpowder in your carry ammo that comes from walking and constant movement degrade the powder over time, like what would happen to your Corn Flakes if you shook the box for a while?

Are there other good reasons to change out your carry ammo at certain intervals? What is the most time that you should go before changing out the rounds in your CCW? Thanks again.
 
Does the shaking and jostling of the gunpowder in your carry ammo that comes from walking and constant movement degrade the powder over time, like what would happen to your Corn Flakes if you shook the box for a while?
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Nope, at least not in your life time.

Are there other good reasons to change out your carry ammo at certain intervals? What is the most time that you should go before changing out the rounds in your CCW? Thanks again.
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Not really. Most time? never. I do change carry ammo when I go to the range and empty the gun into a target.

Although I should add I don't carry any more.
 
Are there other good reasons to change out your carry ammo at certain intervals? What is the most time that you should go before changing out the rounds in your CCW? Thanks again.
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Ammo will last decades if it is kept at a relatively consistant temperature and relatively consistant humidity. However if say you leave your weapon in your car during the day and it gets up to say 110+ degrees (ps. don't leave ammo in direct sunlight). Then you take it home and you leave it in your house and it gets back to 68*. And if you do that every day than that will take it's toll on your ammo. I would probably want to shoot it off every 3 months. Otherwise once a year is more than enough and it gives you that warm fuzzy fealing that your defensive loads still work great.
 
Then you take it home and you leave it in your house and it gets back to 68*. And if you do that every day than that will take it's toll on your ammo. I would probably want to shoot it off every 3 months. Otherwise once a year is more than enough and it gives you that warm fuzzy fealing that your defensive loads still work great.

+1 words of wisdom
 
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