carry expensive gun?

VictorLouis said:
Consider:

Should the law roll-up on you with your assailant at gunpoint.
They shout for YOU to DROP THE GUN! Can you? Will you? Without hesitation of scarring up
your pricey-piece? Let's say you do comply .
What if the LEO flat kicks your piece out of your reach,
Hollywood-style. Can you stomach THAT happening?

Ok, so you've holstered your piece when the Law rolls-up. It ends-up bagged and tagged into evidence as a matter of routine. If it's got blood, or bodily matter on it (bio), it goes into a sealed paper-bag. IF nothing on it, other than your perspiration, it goes into a sealed plastic pouch. Either way, the gun is going to sit for DAYs, if not weeks, if you're not charged.
The finish will likely be jacked-up. Can you stomach that result?

IF so....rock-on. :D
Click to expand...

Both times I did not have any issues on its return. It is a tool that will save your life, Just an FYI.
 
I have regularly carried $200 guns for SD (Ruger LCP), as well as $2000 1911's. I tend to pick the right handgun for the situation based on my needs and opinion, and don't really worry about the value if it is seized by LE if it has to be used.

I tend to get in few gunfights, so.....

Larry
 
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The old saying goes "you'll live to regret it". In this case if I live, I won't regret it. I retired my old carry gun from use a few years ago for just the reasons mentioned here - damage, loss - because it has sentimental value and I have a half dozen alternatives that work just as well. (In this area I know of one licensed security officer whose duty gun was wrongly seized and when he went to reclaim it "oops - we destroyed it already"). Ironically, the sentimental value was that it was an engagement gift from my wife, who wanted me to be well armed. I never gave the possibility of loss or damage a thought on the job.
 
Give no thought to it at all.

I like to carry nice guns. Probably like some guys like to wear a high end watch or drive an expensive car. Or dress sharp. Sure, maybe you'll lose the watch, or have it stolen, or get in a wreck or have the car stolen, but, if you enjoy it, makes daily life more enjoyable, easily seems a risk worth taking to me, especially given the unlikelihood of an SD shooting occurring to any one individual.

On the other hand, I have been considering CCW insurance. If it were to happen, regardless of the circumstances, one would be in a world of hurt. Sure, need is slight, but ditto a lot of insurance I carry. Personal indemnity, for example. I've looked into it a bit. Maybe we should have a thread on that. I'm seriously considering CCW insurance.
 
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My approach to selecting a gun for self-defense is somewhat different than the views made so far. I take in consideration the total overall cost of owning a gun for self-defense.

First of all I am a believer of “3 is 2, 2 is 1 and 1 is None” with self-defense guns. In the event my primary gun was to break or taken by the Police I want to be able to go to the gun vault, pull out a second one that is the same model and has the same features or extras, load and slip it into my holster. So if I was to change to a new carry gun the cost will be double.

Another big factor for me when shopping for a semi-automatic is availability and cost of reliable extra magazines. My preferred number of extra magazines is 10 per gun. No real reason other than isn’t 10 the perfect time number? (I do have some semi-auto’s with only two or three magazines but they are not used for self-defense or carry). So before buying I research what the availability of extra’s are and the cost. Generally I prefer factory oem but I also buy Mecgar because of their quality (in fact they supply the magazines as oem for some companies), availability and cost.

Another thing is finding the kind of holster(s) I like. Holster selections can be tough because of the cost of high quality leather and the quality of it’s stitching.

Revolvers simplify things a bit as they don’t need a magazine.
 
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For much of my 36+ years in LE I carried a very expensive custom 1911 of one variety or another and actually thought about this situation and how I would feel about it. I didn't fret over it all that much because I felt comfortable with that platform and could shoot it well. Now in retirement, I carry either a 649, or one of several Plastic guns that I own most of the time. I have two very nice 1911's and two BHP's that I carry sometimes as well as my several S&W's. I don't really worry about it all that much in spite of the fact that I was in a situation a few years ago where my AR was taken by the Sheriff's Dept. and held for 8 months until the case was disposed of. It can and will happen so be prepared if and when it does!
 
Heck, in NY the authorities might go to your home and seize every single firearm and firearm related item you possess.
NY also has a law that they can destroy your firearm if they have possession of it for more than a year.
 
Here is the thing...
If you have to shoot, and the local PD decides to take your gun as evidence, don't you want the intake officer tagging the gun to go "niiiice!" when he sees it?
Thats part of the draw to nice guns.
If I have to use a gun to defend myself, I want the best gun I can afford. Does that mean most expensive? Not really. But I often carry a $3k+ pistol, or a $500 pistol, and do not spend a moment thinking about the cost. I think instead about having the best tool for the job.
 
Until I had previously seen this question come up on this forum, it had never entered my mind.

My EDC has one job; protection from imminent deadly threats. Obviously that means myself and my bride, but also third persons. The closest I ever came to drawing my off-duty revolver during my working days was to defend a third person whom I had never seen prior to the incident. Regardless of the intended victim, the mission is always protection.

For that mission I want whatever is most reliable. As the saying goes, the scariest sound in the jungle is 'click'.

I am willing to pay a premium for this if necessary. Fortunately it is not necessary. The Glocks, for all their detractors, do carry the reputation of extreme reliability. Arguably there are others with the same level of reliability. But I have yet to see a case made proving that something else is even more reliable than a Glock.

Based on the criterion alone, I choose to carry a Glock 26.

Fortunately it is not costly, thus expendable and replaceable.

Whatever it takes to never hear 'click'.
 
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I’d rather not be dead than mar scratch or get my gun confiscated, and I’ll carry the gun that I have the most trust and confidence in regardless of the cost.
 
Rustyt1953 said:
Maybe we should all be like Minnie Pearl and leave the price tag on.
Click to expand...

Seriously! Yes! :D

Who really cares when your life is at stake? :rolleyes:

As noted above, I never think about it.

Interestingly, there is a world of difference between "expensive" guns and our usual carry guns. Expensive guns are collectibles, engraved, or otherwise rare. Okay, there are Korths and other guns we can buy at retail that cost considerably more than average. Some folks above have identified the fact that they have expensive carry guns. Fine, but how many people own really expensive guns and actually carry them? Maybe a few, sure, but the rest of us buy practical handguns designed for protecting ourselves and loved ones. So that basically suggests that the question is irrelevant.

And how do you define expensive?

A $500 Glock might be expensive to one buyer and less than the cost of a night out to another buyer. But they'll both be well armed (okay, I used that as an example and I admit I don't like Glocks but I often carry a used, polymer Walther CCP that was unlikely even $500 new and certainly not worth more than half of that presently).

More to the point, I can't remember when I last purchased a brand new handgun. 2018 methinks, and that gun is already sold and gone. All of my carry guns are used, my M649 has been with me since the 1990s, it could be argued to be a sentimental favorite but who cares? Replaceable in a heartbeat if it should be confiscated.

Let's discuss other items brought up above:

Even a justified good shooting will cause you to rack up thousands of dollars in attorney fees.
Click to expand...

That's not necessarily true. Most of the justifiable shootings don't make it to court. The police hear the story from the survivng victim, maybe they take his gun, maybe they don't, and all that's left is testifying aganst the miscreant that he shot, assuming said miscreant survived. No legal fees of any kind.


A civil suit by the family of the shootee will cost even more. Could be tens or hundreds of thousands of thousands.
Click to expand...

Also not necessarily true. If the police record shows a justifiable shooting it is unlikely that the surviving victim is going to be sued. Self defense strongly mitigates against a wrongful death lawsuit.

But myths abound.............. :rolleyes:
 
Carry what you feel comfortable with, can shoot well, and can replace if needed.
That might be a $500 Glock or a $4,000 Ed Brown.

Probably shouldn't carry your Grandfather's 1911 he used in the Battle of the Somme...
 
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While I agree with the premise of most here that your life is more valuable than any gun, I would caution buying the most expensive gun though as others have mentioned that is not really necessary. Glocks are great defensive guns that are usually found under 500$. Would a staccato 2011 run better? Maybe. Would it be enough to justify spending several thousand dollars more? Only you can decide that, but in my opinion that would be a hard no.

In short, I wouldn't concern myself with it being taken as much as I'd worry about surviving the incident, but I also wouldn't be carrying a 10,000+ registered magnum. The answer is somewhere in between and only you can ultimately answer where that is.
 
should your prized or otherwise pistol be sacrificed on the alter of self defense, look at it as a good friend that jumped on a grenade to save your life... gone but not forgotten... function is the priority, not price... how much are you and your loved ones worth anyway.
 
I carry for reliability and accuracy, regardless of the price. Yes, there are several in my vault I won't carry because they are too nice/valuable, but I have plenty to choose from and usually it amounts to about three which are my favorites.
 
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