Ok, ugly interface aside, on to the main concept...
What, if you carry a gun, do you drag around with you? I'm not a cop, nor am I a mall ninja, nor do I have a desire to clank when I walk so my answers may be a bit different than other folks...
I face two carry scenarios in life on a regular basis, and being a bit of a recluse, a third rather more seldom.
Most of the time I carry a Glock 21 these days riding in a D&D Gunleather TBar II holster. 13+1 and I carry a couple of spare magazines (total, 40 rounds) based on the combined notions "two is one, one is none" and "if things are bad enough that I'm willing to draw in anger, it's best to be sure that I brought enough for everyone." Keeping all that from getting lonely is a Spyderco Delica knife, some small change, my wallet, card case, and random pocket clutter. An iPhone rides along to handle communications and entertainment needs.
A couple of days a week I enter zones where the local authorities haven't quite wrapped their heads around the notion that Chan V. Seattle applies to them, too. Given that I'm there on a mission, not to fight, I've chosen discretion - stepping down to the relatively unpleasant Keltec P3AT in a one-off pocket holster I picked up years ago from D&D Gunleather with but a single spare six round magazine wandering about my person.
Beyond that, on those unhappily near-naked days (after carrying a G21 mostly, the P3AT does feel rather puny), I carry the usual goodies. Knife, iPhone, change, pens...the clutter of modern life.
For me, there's something I want at that location that makes it worth putting up with a dinkier caliber (.380 v. .45) in a smaller package. The suburban locale is fairly safe, and the odds I'll need to engage in self-defense are substantially lower than if I were wandering around Capitol Hill in the wee hours.
Depressingly, despite evidence from multiple other states that it does not lead to blood in the streets, Washington holds onto its ban on bar carry. When the issue arises, I find myself securing my carry piece someplace appropriate and settling for the world of sharp'n'pointy as my primary defense option given that for me, the various pepper sprays and tear gas options work out to be counterproductive.
What do you carry? Why?
I float between three different pieces at present.
ReplyDeleteI like the CZ-75 because it feels substantial and I believe I shoot best with it.
But, it is a damn boat anchor, so I find myself wearing a M&P9c. It is small and light and yet carries enough fun for everyone. Just about disappears in a tuckable holster.
And finally, I have a knockoff p3at for when I cannot pull off one of the others.
Basically it comes down to maximizing the gun while minimizing the printing in what I am wearing. That means the M&P joins me at work, the CZ at play, with the .380 picking up the crumbs.
I wrote about the changing urban self-defense environment recently:
ReplyDeletehttp://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2011/09/changing-urban-self-defense-environment.html
I've switched to a high-capacity 9mm. pistol (usually a Glock 17) loaded with Winchester RA9TA +P+ ammo, which comes in at energy levels greater than .45 ACP at standard velocity (although not greater than .45 ACP +P, of course). Having 15-16 rounds on tap, plus a reload, makes me feel more comfortable in an era of flash mobs and home invasions.
P.S.: If you need another Glock 21, talk to me. E-mail addy's in my blog profile.
ReplyDelete;-)
Kahr CW9 and Taurus SLIM, mostly.
ReplyDeleteMostly either a Taurus 605 loaded with .38+p, and a pair each of speedloaders and speed strips, or an ATI Commander 1911 with a pair of 8 round mags spare (both giving me a nifty magic number of 25 rounds). My new Beretta Tomcat has been working its way in as my "pack of smokes" gun, to quote a mutual friend.
ReplyDelete1911, pretty much every day,
ReplyDeleteG20, or G21, when I visit your fair city, with a couple of extra magazines.
SP 101 with an extra speed loader for social occasions where the others wont conceal. During hunting season, I usually have a Redhawk in .41 mag because you just never know.
I've never been able to figure the no carry in bars either, as they say about our capitol, "It's the water." near as I can figure that's the best explanation going for the nonsense that comes out of Olympia.
I've gotten lazy. Depending on the size of my pocket, either a P3AT or a PF9. I'm unlikely to need a gun in the first place, even more unlikely to need more ammo, and if I do need more ammo, I'm unlikely to have the time available to use it effectively.
ReplyDeleteMy Keltecs are very shooter sensitive. The PF9 was meant for my wife, but she can rarely get through a magazine without a malfunction--meanwhile I've shot it much more than she has without any trouble.
My regular carry gun is a Ruger SR9 in an IWB tuckable holster, plus a spare mag. I normally use Speer Gold Dots in 124gr or 147gr for my carry ammo. When I first started carrying, the IWB position was very uncomfortable and constantly poked me in the side.
ReplyDeleteThen I lost 25 pounds and switched from jeans to tactical pants. Now it's comfortable for all day carry, and disappears under a tucked in polo or dress shirt.
I'm considering getting either a Ruger LCR or Smith & Wesson M&P Shield for a backup/pocket gun, but haven't done so yet.
My regular carry gun is a Ruger SR9 in an IWB tuckable holster, plus a spare mag. I normally use Speer Gold Dots in 124gr or 147gr for my carry ammo. When I first started carrying, the IWB position was very uncomfortable and constantly poked me in the side.
ReplyDeleteThen I lost 25 pounds and switched from jeans to tactical pants. Now it's comfortable for all day carry, and disappears under a tucked in polo or dress shirt.
I'm considering getting either a Ruger LCR or Smith & Wesson M&P Shield for a backup/pocket gun, but haven't done so yet.
Apologies for the double post. Apparently Blogger's comment system and my old Droid aren't getting along well this morning.
DeleteEither Combat Commander and spare mag, in a Don Hume IWB, or PF9 and spare mag in a pocket holster. Locking folder. I don't usually carry a tactical flashlight.
ReplyDeleteI've used a Serpa paddle holster, but not lately; not concerned about the issues with the locking mechanism so much as an OWB holster is harder to conceal.