Views on Back up weapons.

How do you feel about carrying a back up gun?

  • I carry a back up gun!

    Votes: 28 31.8%

  • I carry 2 back up Guns!

    Votes: 3 3.4%

  • I only carry one gun and that's all I'll ever need.

    Votes: 23 26.1%

  • I think in theory back up guns are great but in practice it doesn't work for civilian use.

    Votes: 34 38.6%
  • Total voters
    88
  • Poll closed .
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I don't have a problem with people carrying back up guns but personally, I don't believe that I'll ever need one. If I do, that's on me but I while you can be prepared, you can't always be prepared for every possible scenario. I'll carry one gun, sometimes with a reload, sometimes without, and take my chances.
 
I've thought about getting a small .32acp or .380 for a back up. It would be something accessible on my weak side. That way if the strong arm is injured, or moving a loved one, I can still reach for a pistol. The chances I'll need it are slim enough that it hasn't been a priority.
 
It seems to me, that you don't have enough differentiation in the calibers. The .380 just isn't that much bigger than the .32.

And IMHO, the .380 is marginal for stopping. With the melange of hardware you have now, you could carry a 9mm or .40 S&W, plus two mags, and you'd have all the firepower you'd need.

Alternatively, you could go to a K frame .357 Magnum, plus three speed loaders, and have 24 rounds of real stopping power.

Or, you could carry a S&W 325NG. 6 rounds of 200gr STHP, and three extra moonclips, and you'd have another real stopper.

Or, you could find a S&W 696. 5 rounds of 200gr STHP, and three speed loaders, and you have 20 rounds of a real stopper.
 
JerryM, Mas Ayoob had an article about a jewelry store (I think in NC or VA) where the shop owners had prepositioned revolvers behind the counter, and ended up using several of them in a shootout with two armed robbers who had entered the store firing their weapons. So there's one, anyway.

My personal take on BUGs is, if you can reasonably carry one, there's no reason not to. Reasons for having one have already been listed. I may have missed this one, but it is another consideration of mine: It's nice to have one for those conditions where I know the primary will be harder to access.

For instance, it's winter in Missouri. On cold days, I wear a coat. A coat makes it a bit tougher to get to my IWB auto; the 442 in my outer pocket is much more readily accessible.

(Note: I usually keep it in the left coat pocket, my weak side, and I usually practice a lot of left hand shooting with the 442. That way, in the event my right arm is disabled or grabbed, my free hand has a gun available, and has a lot of muscle memory with that particular gun.)

Or my best friend, who is a lefty and usually carries a 9mm in left-hand appendix IWB. He spends a fair amount of time on the road, and realized that drawing from that position, in the event of a carjacker at the driver's door, would be virtually impossible. He carries an SP101 in a right ankle holster when driving.

Edit: He trains with his right (weak) hand with the SP101, primarily for the ability to shoot cross-body in the vehicle, instead of trying to wedge his left arm between his body and the door.
 
Views on Back up weapons

Personally, I don't carry a backup and can't say that I foresee ever needing to. My lifestyle/profession are pretty low risk. I'm not wealthy or a public figure, so I doubt that I generate any interest when I'm out in public. So, I'm just not in a position where a back-up would be worth lugging around.

That said, I think LEOs and folks whose job puts them in dicey locations/situations would be well-advised to carry a back-up.
 
pendennis, I understand where you are coming from and respect your opinion. I DID try looking for a 9mm and .40 the problem was I couldnt afford anything and to be honest I was already putting hundreds of rounds down range with my Dad's bersa. The gun fit my hand, I shot it well, and it was 100% reliable and still under $300! True .380 is not the best round but neither is a 9mm makarov which the soviet's Spetsnaz used with great efficiency! While stronger than .380 acp the 9mm makarov makes a VERY marginal difference in the ball park of no more than 15-30 ft lbs on average.

The .32 I had for a little while before and I liked it for when at work when I could not carry almost anything! It was flat, light, and had more capacity than anything else in it's class! Plus it was summer when I bought it. I wanted to get a Khar CW9 but even that was out of what I could afford. I mean I am on a serious budget like it would have taken me several months to save $150 and I refused to be unarmed any longer. I still dont regret my decision! Hornaday Critical Defense FTX .380 can still hit with a nasty surprise!
 
It isn't that you are in a risky profession, area or situation. That's a misunderstanding.

If you are in a gun fight - then you are in a risky situation. The extra gun is for when the gun fight you are in goes awry.

Your gun can malfunction wherever you are - from the worse neighborhoods to the fanciest. Why don't people understand it?

Are you not fastening your seat belt when driving through a nice neighborhood. I live in one and a guy crashed and burned to death at our corner.

Luckily most of us are never in a gun fight so that point is moot.

If I don't care a bug, it's because of laziness or convenience. I'm betting that I won't get into a gun fight period. Then I'm betting that my gun will work.

See, my gun knows whether it is in a good neighborhood.
 
i voted yes...

BUT i dont always carry a backup.

but when i do its usually in combination of my Colt New Agent 1911 and i carry a s&w m60 357 on my ankle - which i might buy a LCR or the similar smith (in 357)

but since i normally wear boots, i dont usually carry on the ankle. though i have pocket carried it.
 
The term "BUG" is in my opinion limit's the role of a second gun. There are times when I will carry a second gun. Usually when working at night, or in a errrr challenged area. Normally I carry a 5 shot .38 and two speed strips. In the case I carry a second gun it's always a larger gun. Pistolor or revolver. Partially for the greater intimidation factor, partially for the ammo boost, partially for the failure/loss factor in a more likely than usual possible armed confrontation situation. IMO while larger service sized handguns are fighting pistols, and revolvers. Smaller "belly" guns are more desperation guns. Kind of a "Get off me!" gun. While I can have my hand on the smaller gun in my pocket... I'd rather have a larger fighting gun on my hip when going into a property where doodoo happens more often.
 
Carrying 2 guns seams a bit paranoid to me. Why get out of bed you might fall down the stairs. I live in Northern Ireland where terrorist organizations have have murdered hundreds of police and army on and of duty. In day to day policing the police and army carry 1 firearm no back up. You can see why feeling the need to carry 2 pistols on your to the supermarket seams paranoid.

The police here have came up against RPG-S. 50 cal Russian mg-s. m60 mg-s plus all other small arms you care to mention a lot supplied by Americans i might add. A lot more danger (real not perceived) than most are lightly to meet in every day life.

What does it say when soldiers can go to war with one firearm. But some can't make it to walmart with one firearm.
 
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totally honest

I wear guns based on perceived threat level.

So, my 'always' is a NAA mini. Its back-ups (at ready, with gear choices, in my with-me-always manpurse) at this time are a Taurus PT22 and a 9x19 EAA Witness (custom gun).

I admit my location AND behavior adjust my on-me choices.


I wear all my guns at one time or another, just so I remember.....
 
I wear guns based on perceived threat level.
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How do you perceive threat level? Heard it said before. But how do you know your perceived level will be higher ? Why not just prepare for the worst then you don't have to perceive .
 
fair question

So I moved to someplace where street crime is virtually non-exsistent; I maintain Condition Oh-$hit; I quit drinking (in 1987); I remain in conditional awareness at all times.
 
My theory is people don't incorporate body armor into their strategy because guns are fun, exciting and ego-gratifying, body armor is not - like firearms, body armor is expensive, but you don't have any fun with it.
Click to expand...

Not something I would want to wear in July-August here in FLA. Been there, done that, and it truly sucks, but if I was shot and killed while at work the wife would have been $250,000 richer:eek:
 
I carry my S&W 38 Spl 642 as a backup gun. My reasons are not those listed by GlenMeyer. I carry mine more for two reasons, (1) I can reach for the S&W 38 Spl (which is light weight 15 oz stainless), in my pocket holster and be ready to pull it out without actually drawing, and (2) it is faster than me loading from a speedloader.

So maybe I should call it a second gun instead of a backup gun?

:cool:
 
I'd like to carry a back up but it just becomes to cumbersome. About the only practical way that I could do it would be pocket carrying a second one and I only have so many pockets and I need them for everything else. My pepper spray in my pocket is my "primary" for (hopefully) any close in SD situation. My actual gun is then my backup if things get too dicey. Between where I live, the hours I keep, my pentient for virtually never going to the places where people seem to get themselves into trouble and (hopefully) common sense and awareness, I just can't justify a second gun. It's a trade-off which I am willing to make and I realize bad luck can catch up to anyone. It's more likely to happen from a drunk on the road or falling down some steps. If I was in some kind of security or LE role, I would definitley carry a BUG.
 
I don't expect it to save my life but in most cases it will help put me into a better situation where I can save my life and keep myself out of a lot of potential legal trouble as well as avoid having someone's friends and family feel a need for some revenge. I'm sorry but there are more important considerations in my life than trying to be ready for the worst case scenario. I'm just not willing to go through every day thinking like that and turn my back yard into some kind of military zone I have to prepare for. We all die some day - I'd like to enjoy the good things in the world while I can. In my neck of the woods it really isn't that bad. Maybe someday it will be that way seeing how the world is trending. I'll pack something a little more hefty when I feel I need it. And yeah, maybe that will be too late - ces le vie. Uh Oh, that was french :).
 
Different when I was in LE.

But now, the cloest I come to carrying a back up is when I'm hunting. That's not because I need a revolver to back up my rifle, its just I don't see no reason to ditch my pocket revolver when I'm hunting.
 
I caution folks against saying an action is paranoid or stupid.

Discuss the pros and cons without personal insults. If you don't agree, fine.
 
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