Why would I carry anything else??

[Doc1500]

I have a CZ P-07 , P-09, S&W 4006 TSW CHP, & 4516-1.. the CZ P-07 was my first carry pistol then the CZ P-09 was my carry gun until I got the S&W 4516-1
I love to carry an shoot the 45 and I shoot it very well.
Why would I carry anything else but the 45 if I shoot that the best ???
I know that many guys carry different calibers at different times according to how they dress, summer, winter. whaaaa what ??
Why wouldn't you carry what you shoot the best and dress around it ???
I'm sorry but I just don't understand carry rotation..

[sigp220.45]

I carried what the bosses said to for 33 years. I have plenty of guns that I bought and told myself: I’ll carry this when I retire.

Now I’m retired. I have some favorites but I’ll give them all a chance to get out of the safe. It just depends on how I feel that day.

The chances of me getting into a shootout now are so remote as to be inconsequential. And the idea that I’ll forget how the gun works doesn’t even make it onto the list of the top 500 things to worry about.

I’m sure some of the Deadly Serious Gunfighters on the forum will disagree. That also doesn’t make the list.

[quikdraw67]

I also have a 4516-1, and it is an excellent shooter, accurate, great gun.

But, it is not a carry gun for me. My EDC is a 442-1 NL. I like a pocket pistol.

But that's also why Baskin Robbins makes 31 flavors. Something for everyone.

[racoonbeast]

Originally Posted by sigp220.45

The chances of me getting into a shootout now are so remote as to be inconsequential. And the idea that I’ll forget how the gun works doesn’t even make it onto the list of the top 500 things to worry about.

I’m sure some of the Deadly Serious Gunfighters on the forum will disagree. That also doesn’t make the list.

I agree. I live in a rural Northern New England small town. I know that the local Junior G Men and Armchair Commandos will disagree, but I don't see any reason to take the time and effort to "gear-up" before I walk down the street to get my daily newspaper. There is a greater chance that I will be killed or injured by lightning. I don't wear a tin hat that drags a ground-wire either.

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Originally Posted by Doc1500

Why would I carry anything else but the 45 if I shoot that the best ???

You probably wouldn't.

I know that many guys carry different calibers at different times according to how they dress, summer, winter. whaaaa what ??
Why wouldn't you carry what you shoot the best and dress around it ???

Easier said than done (Essex, 1963). Not always possible.

I'm sorry but I just don't understand carry rotation..

With the possible exception of seasonal rotation, there is nothing there to understand. You are already doing what's best, and may not ever be able to understand someone else's errors, or perhaps his different circumstances. Some people on this forum use the word "rotation" when they mean something else. I think that maybe some use it without thinking about what it implies. And, of course, some don't consider choice of weapon as all that critical.

C'est la vie.

P.S. Some people don't even carry weapons. Try explaining that one!

[HOUSTON RICK]

I like the 340 PD as it is also hard to print and ridiculously easy to carry. If I were in a firefight (God Forbid) I would like the battleship Missouri around me, but we all have to choose our trade-offs. God bless all here.

[skwchock]

I agree that you should carry what you feel comfortable with. I guess that is the same reason that some people buy lots of watches. Circumstances dictate. Some days, you can't carry that 1911 -- and you may have to carry something more concealable. Just saying...

[Mike, SC Hunter]

Here in SC we have open carry........SO you could carry a mare's leg open if you want to.........Me I carry different stuff.......In public I usually carry something plastic so if I use and they take it no big loss. Home/farm/fishing and hunting I carry a real pistol. Usually a Smith revolver or a steel 1911 in a caliber that starts with 4. I always in public carry concealed cuz I want the element of surprise on my side.

[walter o]

Dock ,i think you are correct carry the firearm thay you feel most comfortable with and shoot the best . Remember that YOU own the bullet after it is fired ,SO hit what you shoot at

[smoothshooter]

I have to carry the lightest guns I can find to keep my pants from slowly coming down. I wear suspenders and a belt most of the time, but sometimes I leave off the suspenders when they don’t look appropriate for where I am going or what I am doing.
Even my lightweight Commander-sized .45 with one loaded magazine in the gun and another magazine on a belt or in a hip pocket are way too heavy to wear and keep my pants up.
If I carried them on a separate gun belt, there is not much of a weight problem, but then concealment is a problem.

So I carry an auto or small revolver in .22 LR or a small .380 in my right front pocket.
If a gun won’t fit in my pocket, I ‘ain’t carryin’ it for CCW.
I do not see caliber as important for self defense. They all work about the same, if you can get one or two hits.
Nobody wants to get shot with anything.

The main thing is TO HAVE A GUN WHEN YOU NEED IT.

[ISCS Yoda]

I'm sorry but I just don't understand carry rotation..

They say beware the one gun man so good for you on that score but my "rotation" depends on where I plan to be. In most circumstances a M649 suits me just fine. If I'm going to a target rich environment (malls, houses of worship, etc.) I switch to a very concealable 9mm pistol, of which I have a few. I could elect to carry a CS-45 that I shoot very well but it's just too large and I'm not afraid to carry a .38 or a 9mm.

The main thing is TO HAVE A GUN WHEN YOU NEED IT.

Caliber is very secondary.

And, of course, some don't consider choice of weapon as all that critical

Correct - see "the main thing".

And my two favorite quotes here:

The chances of me getting into a shootout now are so remote as to be inconsequential. And the idea that I’ll forget how the gun works doesn’t even make it onto the list of the top 500 things to worry about.

I’m sure some of the Deadly Serious Gunfighters on the forum will disagree. That also doesn’t make the list.

Excellent!

[pawncop]

I also do not support a rotation. I have qualified with two (2) I carried off duty and that’s sufficient.

I agree, since I have retired the chance of me needing to use deadly force has diminished significantly, but I maintain that evil is alive and well, and in fact thriving. I pray it stays away but am prepared if not.

[CajunBass]

I've never had a "carry rotation" but I have carried various and sundry guns over the years. Recently, I've started to narrow it down to just two and I switch them up for no particular reason. Just what I feel like doing that day. I figured I've got about as much chance of needing a gun as I do of being abducted by aliens, but then there was Barney and Betty Hill.

[Shark Bait]

With all the current craziness I have started carrying a high capacity .40 S&W when I go to heavily populated areas. When hiking, hunting, or fishing I prefer a revolver in .357 or .44 caliber.

[Rlg#17]

IMHO, I wouldn’t carry anything but the favorite that you shoot best. Carry rotating is a thing that seems foolish to me. Your mind isn’t going to be able to differentiate between a 642 in the pocket, and something larger, carried at 4 o’clock that has the spare mag on the opposite side. Add safeties, reloading methods, etc into the mix and you are setting yourself up for failure in the oooops situation!

Different calibers? Grab the speed strip in 9mm for that revolver, instead of 38 special etc. Recipes for disaster.

4516 is a good choice. I carried one for many years. Now it’s a G brand, maybe a different frame size, but in the same spot, reload in the same spot. Same caliber. Wife does the same.

But that is just us! You do you, boo!

Regards, Rick Gibbs

[Doc1500]

Originally Posted by Rlg#17

IMHO, I wouldn’t carry anything but the favorite that you shoot best. Carry rotating is a thing that seems foolish to me. Your mind isn’t going to be able to differentiate between a 642 in the pocket, and something larger, carried at 4 o’clock that has the spare mag on the opposite side. Add safeties, reloading methods, etc into the mix and you are setting yourself up for failure in the oooops situation!

Different calibers? Grab the speed strip in 9mm for that revolver, instead of 38 special etc. Recipes for disaster.

4516 is a good choice. I carried one for many years. Now it’s a G brand, maybe a different frame size, but in the same spot, reload in the same spot. Same caliber. Wife does the same.

But that is just us! You do you, boo!

Regards, Rick Gibbs

My thoughts exactly !!!

[BAM-BAM]

Originally Posted by Shark Bait

With all the current craziness I have started carrying a high capacity .40 S&W when I go to heavily populated areas. When hiking, hunting, or fishing I prefer a revolver in .357 or .44 caliber.

I still "mostly" carry the same 3913 (8+1 w/ full hammer) or 3913 NL (7+1) with one or two extra 8rd mags that I've carried since 1990. Further from home I tend to go with a hi-cap PC Shorty-9 or Beretta 92 Compact at 15+1 with newer Mec-gar mags.

I do prefer a 3" (60 or 66) .357 revolver for woods carry.

[Redcoat3340]

My "carry rotation" varies by the actual gun, but not by the type of gun -- all are 3rd gen S&Ws: CS9, 3914, 6906, CS 45 and 4513TSW. All have been "worked on" by a member here; all have the same manual of arms; and they only differ by caliber and capacity (which translates to size and weight).
The 3914 fits in my jeans pocket, so that gets carried there; the others in an IWB holster with a shirt worn outside.
(I also recently picked up a 3953 which is DAO and different than my others. I've turned that into a bit of a frankengun by replacing the slide with one from a 3913, which gives me an operable safety I can engage as well as the longer, stiffer trigger of DAO. (And yes, I too wear a belt and suspenders, which perhaps is also a philosophy of life as well as a way to dress. And perhaps explains why I won't use a SAO, ala a 1911 in any size, as a carry gun.) I would like to get a bit of smoothing out, etc. on that gun before I begin to carry it. And a bunch of practice using it.)
I keep looking at a 4013TSW as a potential addition to what I might carry, but still have trouble justifying it -- there's simply not enough difference in effectiveness (I too live in an area where an encounter would be rare) compared to the 9 and 45 to justify the expense. (Of course if I see a "bargain" I'll be over it like a cold sweat.)
Everybody stay safe.

[Redcoat3340]

My "carry rotation" varies by the actual gun, but not by the type of gun -- all are 3rd gen S&Ws: CS9, 3914, 6906, CS 45 and 4513TSW. All have been "worked on" by a member here; all have the same manual of arms; and they only differ by caliber and capacity (which translates to size and weight).
The 3914 fits in my jeans pocket, so that gets carried there; the others in an IWB holster with a shirt worn outside.
(I also recently picked up a 3953 which is DAO and different than my others. I've turned that into a bit of a frankengun by replacing the slide with one from a 3913, which gives me an operable safety I can engage as well as the longer, stiffer trigger of DAO. (And yes, I too wear a belt and suspenders, which perhaps is also a philosophy of life as well as a way to dress. And perhaps explains why I won't use a SAO, ala a 1911 in any size, as a carry gun.) I would like to get a bit of smoothing out, etc. on that gun before I begin to carry it. And a bunch of practice using it.)
I keep looking at a 4013TSW as a potential addition to what I might carry, but still have trouble justifying it -- there's simply not enough difference in effectiveness (I too live in an area where an encounter would be rare) compared to the 9 and 45 to justify the expense. (Of course if I see a "bargain" I'll be over it like a cold sweat.)
Everybody stay safe.

[Mike, SC Hunter]

I would get very bored carrying the same gun all the time. So I carry lots of different ones.........I don't believe in the non rotation baloney. I am proficient with all........When I go from my John Deere to my truck to my car to my riding lawn mower. I don't have to learn to operate each one over again. Same way with guns or fly rods........Don't over think it.

[Doc1500]

Originally Posted by Mike, SC Hunter

I would get very bored carrying the same gun all the time. So I carry lots of different ones.........I don't believe in the non rotation baloney. I am proficient with all........When I go from my John Deere to my truck to my car to my riding lawn mower. I don't have to learn to operate each one over again. Same way with guns or fly rods........Don't over think it.

When you're using different fly rods you don't have to worry about your life being in danger and somebody threatening it.
When the SHTF , I honestly can't tell you what I'm going to be capable of doing cuz my brain is going to be scrambled, my heart is going to be pounding and the adrenaline is going to be immense. I just hope I do the right thing for self-defense.

[Mike, SC Hunter]

Originally Posted by Doc1500

When you're using different fly rods you don't have to worry about your life being in danger and somebody threatening it.
When the SHTF , I honestly can't tell you what I'm going to be capable of doing cuz my brain is going to be scrambled, my heart is going to be pounding and the adrenaline is going to be immense. I just hope I do the right thing for self-defense.

I stand by buy my post and analogy.........Maybe you need to train or go to school more.

Ever shot quail on the flush?.........NO time to think........NO time to ponder.......You do what you do quick or you go home empty handed.
Bottom line.....You play your game and I'll play mine. Good Luck and Good Day.

[Doc1500]

Originally Posted by Mike, SC Hunter

I stand by buy my post and analogy.........Maybe you need to train or go to school more.

Ever shot quail on the flush?.........NO time to think........NO time to ponder.......You do what you do quick or you go home empty handed.
Bottom line.....You play your game and I'll play mine. Good Luck and Good Day.

Even the top of the class at the academy, FREEZE at their first oh sh#$ moment.
I'M DONE.

[kbm6893]

I used to carry exclusively 3rd Gen Smith’s. 3913, 6906, CS9. My other home and range guns were Beretta 92’s. Same manual of arms. Or I’d carry a J frame.

Time went on and size and weight began to matter more. I like a safety on a semi auto, so I bought a Ruger LC9 and then an LC9S. Over 15 years of slide mounted safety and up to fire, and the Ruger took some getting used to. My thumb would automatically go to flick up to fire like on my 3rd Gen guns. A few weeks of nightly practice and now the motion is automatic. So much so that when I shoot my 3rd Gen guns at the range I flick down to fire like I do with my Ruger. No big deal. They’re range use only now.

I also like M&P pistols so a Shield and then a Shield Plus came into the fold. Same basic manual of arms.

But even the Ruger or the Shield feel a bit bulky in the summer with shorts, so it’s the Bodyguard .380. That gets pocket carried but the safety is off. Such a long trigger I’m not worried about it.

I just can’t get hung up on the “what if the **** hits the fan”. I refuse to live in fear and worry about situational awareness and extra mags. I slip whatever gun I am carrying that day into my waistband or pocket and go about my business.

The 4516 would be an absolute brick for me to carry and I wouldn’t do it. I’d sure like to own one. I love my 4566. But carry? No way. I used to carry a Glock 19 back in the day and it feels like a brick now, too.

[sipowicz]

Originally Posted by Doc1500

I have a CZ P-07 , P-09, S&W 4006 TSW CHP, & 4516-1.. the CZ P-07 was my first carry pistol then the CZ P-09 was my carry gun until I got the S&W 4516-1
I love to carry an shoot the 45 and I shoot it very well.
Why would I carry anything else but the 45 if I shoot that the best ???
I know that many guys carry different calibers at different times according to how they dress, summer, winter. whaaaa what ??
Why wouldn't you carry what you shoot the best and dress around it ???
I'm sorry but I just don't understand carry rotation..

Simple. People who love guns have more than one and want to switch off and show off. Just think of yourself as a woman and your guns as a closet full of different clothes. Hope that helps.

[Mike, SC Hunter]

Originally Posted by kbm6893

I used to carry exclusively 3rd Gen Smith’s. 3913, 6906, CS9. My other home and range guns were Beretta 92’s. Same manual of arms. Or I’d carry a J frame.

Time went on and size and weight began to matter more. I like a safety on a semi auto, so I bought a Ruger LC9 and then an LC9S. Over 15 years of slide mounted safety and up to fire, and the Ruger took some getting used to. My thumb would automatically go to flick up to fire like on my 3rd Gen guns. A few weeks of nightly practice and now the motion is automatic. So much so that when I shoot my 3rd Gen guns at the range I flick down to fire like I do with my Ruger. No big deal. They’re range use only now.

I also like M&P pistols so a Shield and then a Shield Plus came into the fold. Same basic manual of arms.

But even the Ruger or the Shield feel a bit bulky in the summer with shorts, so it’s the Bodyguard .380. That gets pocket carried but the safety is off. Such a long trigger I’m not worried about it.

I just can’t get hung up on the “what if the **** hits the fan”. I refuse to live in fear and worry about situational awareness and extra mags. I slip whatever gun I am carrying that day into my waistband or pocket and go about my business.

The 4516 would be an absolute brick for me to carry and I wouldn’t do it. I’d sure like to own one. I love my 4566. But carry? No way. I used to carry a Glock 19 back in the day and it feels like a brick now, too.

Your next to last paragraph SAYS IT ALL.....I'm with ya on that.

[pasound]

Choices, 637 or 60-15 in a locally made IWB kydex, or in a Blackhawk CQC kydex. Smaller, my 365XL in an IWB locally made kydex.

[Sheepdogged]

Originally Posted by Doc1500

I have a CZ P-07 , P-09, S&W 4006 TSW CHP, & 4516-1.. the CZ P-07 was my first carry pistol then the CZ P-09 was my carry gun until I got the S&W 4516-1
I love to carry an shoot the 45 and I shoot it very well.
Why would I carry anything else but the 45 if I shoot that the best ???
I know that many guys carry different calibers at different times according to how they dress, summer, winter. whaaaa what ??
Why wouldn't you carry what you shoot the best and dress around it ???
I'm sorry but I just don't understand carry rotation..

First, I just say rock the gun you have. If you don't have a problem with it and you shoot it well, I don't think anyone has a leg to stand on to tell you otherwise.

That said, I can play devil's advocate. First, you might sometimes like to carry something smaller & lighter if you're running, riding a bike or otherwise doing something active.

Second, the accuracy advantage of .45 ACP, while a real thing, offers absolutely no advantage on average in a gunfight. For example, compare the failure to incapacitation and accuracy rates in this study between .45 and 9mm (An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power | Buckeye Firearms Association). The 9mm technically beat .45 ACP and it is less accurate (though it is arguably within the margin of error).

Furthermore, some clothing is more forgiving than others (especially when it's just more comfortable sometimes to carry OWB). Small/thin pistols often help out in these situations, and pocket pistols are particularly helpful for when deep concealment is a must.

Moreover, if you're in a car all day, sometimes different methods of carry and firearms lend themselves better in that situation. A shoulder holster or ankle holster, for example, can be much more comfortable and easier from which to draw a pistol.

Some people also struggle with weight (and weight fluctuation). Having different size/shaped pistols can often help with this.

There may be times when you want to carry more than one gun, and having appropriate size guns and carry rigs can be the difference between being able to carry a second gun or not.

Because of these issues I have five carry options. I hesitate to call them a "rotation" because I am not a gun reviewer and don't need to do that. I generally carry the largest most powerful gun I can conceal and carry comfortably depending on the situation. While some people don't need to carry more than one type, I am not one of those people.