Trapped into a mouse gun

B

BfloBill

New member
When I first started carrying, size of the gun did not bother me at all. Even for summer carry I would often carry my Glock 23 IWB with a loose shirt and conceal it easily, despite my small frame.
As the kids got older and I started coaching various sports (usually hockey) I carried less frequently for obvious reasons. (Picture a Glock sliding across the ice among 17 kids with horrified parents looking on!!!)
What happened was that I got out of the habit of carrying regularly and the guns I used to carry every day suddenly seemed too big and cumbersome, so I resorted to carrying a .22 Beretta and it has gradually become my main carry gun.
My solution is to get a Glock 22 and 2 good holsters (one IWB and one OWB) and make myself carry it until my mid sized pistols feel like my .22.

Has anyone else out there looked down at your small carry gun and wondered "How did I get to this point?"

If so, what did you do about it, or do you still carry a mouse gun?
 
I picked up a .32ACP NAA Guardian a while back, thinking I'd carry it when other guns seemed impractical. Honestly, though, I usually just tote my normal carry gun instead, or find myself not carrying at all. The .32 was nice, but I found it wasn't hard to stuff my Glock 36 or Sp101 in my IWB holster and go 9 times out of 10. However, due to my daily activities, including taking classes at a local college again, I can't even carry the mouse gun, as its against the rules. :(


Now and again I'll tote the mouse gun, but I rarely find myself in a place where I can carry it and not a larger gun. Still, I don't mind having it as an option.
 
Any mouse gun will make you feel under gunned. They won't replace your .40 cal Glock. But sometimes a full or mid-size gun just won't work, as in your coaching situation. There are a bunch of pocket size .380's priced at about $300. that would be just a easy to conceal as your Beretta. I suggest you upgrade. The lite weight revolvers work well too, but are not as flat as the little .380's slab side, and cost a little more. If your the main concern with your Glock is it falling out of the holster, maybe you just need to switch to a retention style holster.
 
Concealed carry is a trade off between gun size and the ability to carry it. Small pocket guns are a pretty good working trade off but I understand your point.

With that said, instead of forcing yourself to carry a brick like the Glock 22, why not carry a smaller gun like a snub nose .38 or .357. Powerful yet still small enough to carry daily. That would be a good middle ground between too small for SD and too big to carry daily.
 
I've seen the see-saw effect,,,

People start with a huge caliber handgun,,,
Then progress to a medium caliber,,,
Then to a mouse gun,,,
Then cycle back.

I've also seen it go the other way,,,
They start with a mouse gun,,,
Then upgrade to a .45.

Maybe these folk simply read too much,,,
A past girl-friend of mine was perfectly happy with her .380,,,
Then she joined a gun range and kept listening to other folk with .45's,,,
Now she carries a handgun whose recoil is so bad she will not practice with it.

A lot is that they don't sit down and evaluate,,,
What they really need for their situation.

They go by what Uncle Bob has,,,
Or that guy in the forum,,,
Or whoever.

Aarond
 
I started concealing with a medium frame semi-auto, steel frame and slide, and finally decided it was too heavy for all day, every day.

Then I went to a Glock 27. Great little carry gun, but I hated the grip and finally swapped it out for a J-frame S&W in .38 special. That's as small as I've gone, and I still carry it when appropriate for the occasion (as you mentioned, some events require more discrete carry than others).

I also regularly carry a Glock 23. It's not uncomfortable at all, and it's a lot lighter than that first Star "Firestar" in .40 that I carried. It's nothing compared to a full size Ruger SA, and I carry one of those when out in the hills during hunting season.

So, I haven't really "graduated" to small guns only. I just carry what seems appropriate for what I'm doing that day. A J-frame doesn't seem like enough when roaming the southern Az desert where drug smugglers roam (but then, what is? The G23 seems "better"), but is perfectly adequate for going to town running errands.
 
I always carry a .45, though a smaller one with an alloy frame, S&W CS45. I have a Walther TPH, PPK, & PPK/S, they are carried for a backup gun. I have no faith in any caliber but a .45, just too old and on the job too long I guess.:)
 
WOW!

I've coached two seasons of Little League with a Glock 19 or 26 carried appendix IWB under a slightly oversized t-shirt. I won't own anything smaller so I won't even be tempted to leave the house with a mouse gun.

I think you can carry a larger gun if you really want to.
 
I assume your talking the Bobcat. I carry mine (Bobcat) sometimes to WalMart or the store, and I could carry full size guns if I wanted to. But I normally carry a S&W 638 Airweight snub .38.
 
For me, it's just a matter of how I usually dress and what fits my lifestyle. I shoot regularly with my carry weapons and have confidence they will do the job.

I alternate between a Taurus M85UL and now a Kahr CW9. I prefer pocket carry, love snub nosed revolvers and now single stack 9mms.

Carrying a bigger gun, for me, would be impractical right now.
 
When I decided to start carrying, I bought my first automatic pistol - a Taurus PT140 Millennium Pro. I wanted capacity and power and it's not a bad size at all for carrying, but with certain dress it felt too chunky - so I bought an M-85UL snubby revolver. Not exactly a mouse gun but pretty small and light. It's so comfortable that it's become my main piece 90% of the time, and it feels easier to conceal because of the more rounded shape.
 
Last summer I mostly carried a Ruger LCP in my pocket. When cool weather came, I went back to my 1911s pretty much full time. It took a little time to adjust to the extra size and weight. I'll probably end up doing pretty much the same thing this summer.
 
Ruger LCP here. Just so easy to slip into the pocket, no fear anyone will know it's there. This is especially good during Phoenix summers.

There is a site called pistolwear.com, the holsters are designed for those who want to carry and yet do active sports like running, etc. The gun is completely encased in what looks like a soft, but protective, neoprene like material, but the details are on the site. Looks promising for hiking, running, even maybe hockey practice. Like a belly band, but better.
 
WOW!

I've coached two seasons of Little League with a Glock 19 or 26 carried appendix IWB under a slightly oversized t-shirt. I won't own anything smaller so I won't even be tempted to leave the house with a mouse gun.

I think you can carry a larger gun if you really want to.
Click to expand...

Of course you can, but some occasions don't allow for a loose fitting t-shirt. I normally dress in blue jeans and a tucked in western shirt, and being thin, things tend to "print". It's not that big of a deal, since I also open carry much of the time, but when I conceal, I want it concealed.

Here in southern Az, in close proximity to Tombstone, vests are pretty common, and folks don't think much of them. It's a good way to conceal a larger firearm.

But I'll guarantee you, if I stick a G23 (same size as your 19) under a tucked in shirt and head to a formal type occasion, it's going to print...badly. If I stick a J-frame under that same shirt, it won't print at all. I've done it many times.

I would feel pretty limited if I only had large guns, and also if I only had small guns. There's occasions for each, and I use them appropriately.

:)

Daryl
 
I got a Beretta mod.21a Bobcat over twenty years ago and still have it. It can be carried about anywhere and I think it's a lot better than a sharp stick. I have a S&W 638 for pocket carry now and it can be used about 90% of the time . I think a J-frame sized 38 would do you just fine and keep that 22 company. I still enjoy shooting the Bobcat in fact I used it to get my CCW permit.
 
Semi mouse here....

Although I have several full size pistols, I find myself carrying my PPK 380 75% of the time as I have to dress in slacks (the lightweight fabric does not conceal well) and it is just dang warm here most of the year. Add that to not being able to take it into work (so I have to remove it when I get here and leave it in the car) and it is just too easy to drop it in a coat pocket, IWB, etc. During winter months when I wear a coat instead of lightweight clothes, the HiPower or P7 make their 25% contribution.

J
 
I have always prefered lightweight carry guns. They always seemed more practical than lugging a heavy gun around all day. My favorite carry guns are a 442, CW9 and LCP. The .380 LCP is the smallest size gun I like to carry. It's kind of a gun to carry when you don't/can't carry another gun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top