I’d like to hear from folks about their thoughts and experiences with the people engaged in genuine, no-joke, nearly 100% daily carry, and the guns involved.

I’m in my early 60s, have been a confirmed gun nut since I was 9, and have generally carried something nearly every day since I was 19.

My experience is that most people, even “gunny” people, don’t really carry on a true daily basis. Sure, they talk as if they do. They talk about what they could do—hypothetically—with their double stack all steel CZ-75 or custom 1911 .45, but they don’t actually have a gun within arm’s reach.

The more typical pattern is they get their CHL, and then maybe carry a gun on certain Saturday afternoons into town. It’s almost for show, like dressing up sometimes for a nice dinner in town, or wearing a fancy tie.

Or maybe they keep a pistol in the glovebox of their car. But not on their person, like a wristwatch.

From my experience, the people who truly carry a pistol nearly everyday are very unpretentious, and don’t really brag about their carry gear. Which is also unpretentious. But they actually have it on them. I’ve come to really respect that.

The genuine daily carry guns are not flashy. The most dedicated, 100% daily carriers I’ve known carried things like a Beretta 21 in .22 Long Rifle. A two shot derringer in .38. I’ve known a lot of true, daily, snub-nose revolver carriers. One guy I knew religiously carried a Walther PPK in .32.

I’ve only known one person who genuinely carries a high cap 9mm on a daily basis, a Glock 19. But he is a retired local “character,”
he carries OWB, and the Glock is only “loosely” concealed by an obvious gun vest. Everyone in town knows he carries, so it not exactly discreet. He’s an outlier, but I’ll admit I’m certain that if I see him, he’s armed. No matter what.

From my experience, certain women are *far* more likely to be no-joke, daily pistol carriers. They made the decision years ago to stick that .38 in their purse, the purse goes everywhere they go, and so they are armed all the time. But they could not tell you the type of ammo in the gun or the trigger weight.

From my experience, some of the more enthusiastic and knowledgeable gun guys are **less** likely to daily carry than more regular folks. I think the experienced gun nuts get it into their head that the best gun is their all steel, customized, target sighted 5” Kimber 1911 in .45 ACP. Which is a fantastic range gun, but one they don’t actually carry when they bop down to the movie theater or Wal-Mart. Mentally, they turn their noses down on the little .25 automatic with most of the bluing worn off (that other folks have literally had in their pants pockets for 50 years).

I’ve also seen a lot of what I call a yo-yo effect. A gunny type person who really does carry consistently, but not the same gun. The genuine baseline for this type is a .38 snub or .32 Seecamp. But because he’s a gun nut, he will also buy a big Browning HP, get the leather for it, carry it a while, then yo-yo back to a .38 snub a few months later. Then flits off on a 3” .45 of some type, gets the leather, etc. But then yo-yos back to the .38 snub a few months later. I plead guilty to this myself.

What has been your experience? As to both the real daily carry type person, and also the real life daily carry pistols?

Active LE and police firearms instructor. G17 comes off when I get home and either a G19 or a G43 goes on. I take it off to shower. It’s in a holster between the wall and the head if the bed at night. I’ve sent enough bad guys to prison in the last 15 years to know I can never be unarmed. They don’t keep them in n there for ever. I carry every day all day always.

I carry a firearm for protection whenever and wherever it's legal to do so. That's something I've been doing since 1997.

I would be wary of anecdotal assumptions on the daily habits of your fellow citizens. Some individuals may have a hidden agenda for implying that no-one ever really carries a gun.

So far as the chambering of my carry guns; that varies from day to day, depending on how I feel.

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Dave Brown
SWCA #3279

I think Smithswede is dead on the money. I here lots of guys “talk” of their big CCW, but the reality is most of them are in the area or back at home. Big guns are great, but they are heavy and hard to Comfortably conceal under normal clothes, so they don’t get carried much. A lot of true everyday carry guns are J frames or small autos.

I can only speak for myself as most of the gun people I know (men) who are still alive don’t do much with handguns. I’d guess none of them, or maybe only one, wear a handgun in public. I’ve never known any woman who routinely, or even occasionally, carried a handgun.

When I was younger, a bit trimmer, and had “more to lose” than I do now, I would lug around a .45 Commander about 90% of the time, and the other 10% generally an S&W Chief’s Special of one model or another. As life moved along, I gradually carried a weapon less, but nevertheless tended to have one within reach. I still do. (I also realize the likely futility of the “in reach” scenario if a weapon is desperately needed.)

Every now and then I’ve caught myself wondering why this change has taken place, and I can only think of laziness. I live in a pretty peaceful environment, but I do think the odds of needing a weapon urgently are greater now than they were, say, 30 years ago… maybe? How much greater, I don’t know. Maybe none at all? I have several pistol/holster combinations I could press into service if I decided to regularly wear a gun these days. Most likely the old standbys would stay home and I would take my P365.

I've had some form of LTC or CCW since turning 18 in 1976. Back then MA issued LTC "for all lawful purposes" to 18 yr olds, although getting handgun ammo was a challenge.

I ran the gamut of big guns over the years. Started with a Colt Commander and a Smith Model 28. My first downsize was to a Detonics, which I still have but seldom carry. Too heavy. The alloy framed short barreled 1911s are too long in the grip for me.

I've settled on 3 guns for carrying. A Kahr PM40, a Smith 638 and a Bernardelli VP22 in 22 Long.

I use the PM40 most often. I like the long DA type trigger pull and the fact that the firing pin spring is at full rest, unlike most of the modern striker fired types. I get that all have a FP block, but carrying fully loaded I'm more comfortable with the Kahr set up. The PM comes in 9mm and 45 ACP (I also have the 45) and the same applies to them re trigger action.

I use the Smith 638 simply because I'm familiar with and do pretty well with a short barreled 38. It's light, I like the DA/SA capability. I have stock wood grips and a BK grip adapter. I swapped out the smaller "kidney style" cylinder thumb latch with an old style K frame - easier to hit to open.

I have a few Beretta pistols in 25 ACP and 22 Short, LR but the gun I stick in my back pocket is a Bernardelli VP22 in 22 Long. It's smaller than a Baby Browning and goes "bang" every time I pull the trigger. Being a 22 rimfire I've practiced enough to use it well.

I've had a bit of history with a few "active shooter" types - the 1st "going postal" shooter in OK, 101 Cal in 1993 and Sandy Hook. A few weeks back PD with ARs responded to our office at the same time I was on the phone with a co-worker dealing with the UNLV shooting. Things happen, best to always be able to be your own"1st responder".

I started being armed with a sidearm as much as possible starting at age 14 in 1990. I have been a Colorado CCW permit holder for 20 years this June. Nowadays, the number of hours per week I am disarmed is extremely limited, usually only related to work travel in anti-2A states or school functions. I don't follow "policy" restrictions promoted by open to the public facilities such as malls or movie theaters. In urban threat areas, I pocket carry 95+% of the time, usually something in the NAA Mini/Beretta 950 through K-frame snub/P239 size range. I also usually have a NAA Mini for a BUG.

I carry everywhere all the time. I have carried various guns over the last 50 years, carried a 950 Beretta .25 ACP for years , changed to a S&W model 37 for years, to a Ruger LCP .380 and more recently a Glock 42.380. There have been others briefly, Beretta 1935. 32ACP and 1934 .380 ACP. Colt series 70 .45 ACP. Model 60 S&W. My thoughts are that my right to SD trumps signs that other people put up to override my rights. I have at times been very discrete and pulled the 950 Beretta out of the safe for those occasions.

P365 every day. Except for occasional model 36 2”. No reloads no lights just a handgun in pocket. Sometimes no pocket holster. It is what it is.

The only people that I know that carry a full sized gun daily are cops and security guards. They do so in hip holsters (a couple with shoulder holsters) that are not really conceable. Most of the folks that I know who carry a concealed weapons daily do so in a pocket. Not many IWB or OWB here. Dress code here is way to casual.......

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Lots of guys here mention the Beretta 950. Love mine. Used to carry it often. Tomcat as well.

I carry a Glock 19 OWB or Glock 26 IWB for 9–5. 19 is very comfortable on the hip. Glock 26 is 4-5 o’clock carry and is uncomfortable and a hard draw.

Outside of 9-5 is a Glock 43xMos with a TLR-7 sub light and no optic. Generally carried appendix. Comfortable and easy draw.

Recently got a model 60 pro series and have been carrying that IWB at 2/3 oclock. It is very comfortable. Never gave revolver carry a chance but I enjoy the model 60.

Sometimes I Throw a 442 in my pocket if I don’t want to wear a belt or put on a Glock.

I would say most carry options are annoying or uncomfortable at first but you will get used to it with time. The hardest comfort level for me is driving and learning to draw in a vehicle when carrying IWB and NOT appendix.

I don’t carry daily but when I do, it’s either a Colt Commander or a M38, depending on the circumstances.

Clothing requirements can dictate the choice.

Original post is fat loaded with judgemental dreck dumped like a front end loader. I carried a Glock 29 daily for 7 years from 2008 to 2015, been carrying a Walther PPQ and S&W 469 since that time.

Espousing the virtues of guys carrying derringers and rimfires while assuming the unwashed masses only talk about carry and don’t. PLEASE.

Waste of bandwidth.

I carry a M442 daily. Haven't missed since my knee replacement surgery.
Used to carry OWB in Lobo Original Pancake holster, but these days I wear coveralls, and have to pocket carry in a Mika holster. Have had my Washington CCL permit for 30 years. Started carrying full time in 2009.

73,
Rick

642 - Everyday where legal. I am of the opinion that most folks who always carry do opt for small revolvers and pistols for obvious reasons.

Big guns are heavy and hard to conceal. I never carried a large revolver or semi auto even as a young man. But I am sure some folks do.

On this board we talk about what we carry but outside of here except for family and trusted friends it makes no sense to discuss carry with anyone.

I started carrying concealed off duty in 1980 when I started into LE. Over several years, my choice of firearm varied quite a bit. I finally landed on a customized full sized 1911 in .45ACP until I found a Colt 1911 in .40 S&W and used it as the basis for a fully customized build. I carried that full sized SS .40 S&W 1911 until I retired in 2006. I carried everywhere, even around the house. Once I retired, I also retired my full sized 1911's (due to severe lower back issues) and when I found a Springfield Armory Micro Compact 1911 in .45 ACP. I carry under the federal LEOSA requirements but I also carry my states CCW permit. (I'm a belt & suspenders kind of guy.) The SA Micro 1911 was always on my hip even at home. The only time I was without my beloved 1911, were the times I was in the hospital after surgeries. I still carry, every day, everywhere, except in government buildings that have metal detectors or in to medical appointments where I know I am going to be required to "drop my drawers". I recently transitioned to a S&W CSX for its even smaller size and increased number of rounds immediately on hand without requiring a reload. It is a very short list of folks who actually know that I am always armed.

^^^^THIS^^^^

Everywhere legal, all day every day and effectively concealed. Winter carry rotation is now a G23 in front overall pocket. Summer carry is 3 in 1911 iwb. Most people i know that carry do so all the time, and rarely talk about it or how others decide to. Only know one that carries a snub 38, and none that only carry a micro. But then again, it is a very rare subject of conversation.

I hardly ever carry. When I do it’s because there is good chance I will need it. I have never carried since it’s been legal. I was working around Cleveland in 80 and living in motels. I carried a 357 in shoulder holster every day. From what I hear today would require a Thompson to survive in same area. Now if I have to go into questionable places a 38 snub does it.

I carry whenever I leave the house and I have for years. These days in the summer under light clothing I carry a 640 Pro Series, in the spring and fall under a light jacket it's a M19 Carry Comp that I had cut for moonclips. Right now under heavy winter clothing it's a PC M629 2-5/8 cut for moonclips with a .44 special load. Leather is all Kramer horsehide Belt Scabbards with Versa Carry belts.

With a good holster and belt I don't even know the 629 is there.

When I do carry it is a mouse gun in my right front pocket. I don't give it much thought after it disappears into said pocket. I certainly don't fantasize about hypothetical scenarios that the odds of happening are far beyond remote.

I stopped thinking about caliber and capacity many years ago.


PS: it was worth the price of admission to this thread just to see the word "dreck". It is a woody word. Not tinny at all.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

All light carry for me. One of these(or two!) is always SMITH 340PD, 351PD, 432, Seecamp 32, old Charter 44 w/ semi bobbed hammer, and the biggest option, Colt COO. Always 100% concealed if I'm not in the sticks. I'm in Arizona so tough to hide a bigger rig without heavy clothing which is rare for me.

Wish Smith made a titanium/scandium centennial in 44 or 45! I have a Taurus titanium in 45 Colt but has a hammer and is ported(why???) from factory. Good enough to travel many trails though.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas,

Fred

I carry every day wherever I legally can, usually a G19 or a Walther P99c if I need something smaller. I’m also comfortable carrying a 3-4” K frame or a J frame. I carry IWB at about 3:30. I’m retired so I don’t have a dress code to worry about. It’s just not that hard once you make the decision to do it.

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Regards,

Chuck

The weather tends to dictate how I dress, and how I dress tends to dictate what I carry. I do try to “dress around the gun” as much as reasonably possible. The guns in the rotation most often are a 5” 1911, a 3” 1911, J frame .38, very slim .380. I’ve recently started training with a CZ P01 as well. Pocket carry, IWB, OWB, ankle, and shoulder rigs all get used. “Terrain dictates “ as they say. Concealed means concealed, in my book.

I really don't care who believes me but I dont leave the apartment complex I live in without a gun. Unless I'm going someplace (The VA) where it's illegal for me to even have a gun in the car.

I've talked about this before. in 2016(ish) two guys tried to mug me while I was putting my stuff in my car and leaving for work. I was working armed at the time and because I had a gun I was able to prevent the mugging.

A month or two later there was a shooting in an alley at the far end of the same parking lot.

The attempted mugging got my attention and the shooting reinforced it.

After that I don't so much as go to the mail box unarmed.

If I'm in Gym clothes I have a Glock 26 in the pocket of my hoodie.

If I'm in street clothes I have a Glock 19 in a Kramer Leather OWB holster.

At home I wear sweats and my gun sits on the end table next to the chair me and the cat sit on.

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Retired Career Security Guard

90% of the time it is either my 632-2 Pro in a DeSantis Softuk or a Ruger LCP Max in my pocket in an Alabama holster. If it's cold out and I am in the mountains it's one of my 44 magnums. I don't enter the post office armed and I don't spend one dime in an establishment that doesn't allow firearms. Oh, and I left them home while on jury duty.

I pocket carry every day. My carry for the last couple of years is my little Taurus (dirty word around here for some of ya'll) GX4.

Always in a pocket holster.

No reload.

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Or something like that . . .

I carry every day. The vast majority of the time it's a 3" 65-3. If I'm in the woods, it's probably my Ruger SRH.

When I put my pants on in the morning, there's a holster on my belt. If and when I leave the house, there's a gun in it. I don't carry one around inside, but I've always got one handy.

Everyday! What i carry depends on my mood and where I'm going. For "dress up" times it's usually a 642 or 9mm shield in right front pocket.

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S&W Accumulator

I carry a Sig P365 in a DeSantis OWB holster nearly 100%. The only time it's not on me is in prohibited places. Whether you're a Sig guy or not, for me the P365 is perfect. Easy to shoot well, adequate firepower and simple - pull the trigger and it goes bang. Small and light enough to be unobtrusive. I think it's best to have 11 shots of 9mm on me than 17+ rounds in a gun at home.

I wasn't always this diligent. I figured it was best to just avoid areas where I thought I might need a gun. I still think that avoidance is wise, but in today's environment it seems there are many places violence occurs in the last place you'd expect it. The times we live in.

A full size handgun most days, ie Beretta 92, PX4, or, lately, a Combat Masterpiece. A model 36 iwb when I want to conceal carry. A Beretta 21 in .25 ACP in the pocket when I need to deep conceal carry like in business/formal attire. I carry everyday, usually open carry. I think we should normalize firearms in society.

Sad about the VA's no guns on premises.
Leave the LCP and mags in the vehicle 'cause
their stupid ain't mine.
Last time I drove to the Miami VA, there was
a naked man swimming on the dry street's asphalt.
Head far West on the North side of the River,
third world.

LCP great for wet chores around the house.
Stainless S&Walther PPKs/380 in the pocket
most often when local.
Mrs always asks, got your wallet and gun?
Been that way since '79. Various guns.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

I don’t leave home without it. My carry gun is a Kimber Ultra CDP in 45ACP which I have carried for so long I don’t remember when I started. Before that it was a Model 59 with a shortened barrel and a bobbed hammer. Since retiring my usual dress is blue jeans and a baggy t-shirt so concealment is not a problem with a IWB holster.

I started to conceal carry in '86 but at the age of 21 I bought my first 1911 . CC'n in florida I started with a with a colt officers acp and added a SA 40sw to my carry options in '90 . Been those two cartridges ever since but handguns have changed . Today I carry a lw commander in 45 or a m&p full size in 40sw and I carry every day every time I go out the door. I do not carry a 9mm but picked up a m&p compact optic ready 4" 9mm a year or so back to practice with on occasion but no idea if or when I may CC it .

What, Me Carry?

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IMHO the OP has a point.

Unless I'm in the shower or bed I have a gun on my person.
When I leave the house, since 2015 it has been a full size first gen M&P with a lot of custom work done to it and a minimum of one spare mag, plus a j-frame BUG.
Around the house it might be a j-frame or shield, but........ at the house there are also many other security measures in place.

The OP is making some really broad generalizations about a broad range of folks he doesn't know! Been here 18 years but has contributed less than 100 posts???

This post and thread seems to be trolling.

I've had my Pa licence/permit since 1978, my primary "Everyday Carry" has been some version of the S&W Model 39xx since 1990. If I'm away from home I usually up gun to a 12+1 Model 69xx or Beretta 92 Compact.

What the OP "thinks" is of no concern to me, he doesn't know me or 99.999% of us here, but based on his "experience" in a Texas town I've never heard of , he feels he can draw conclusions about how/when we, a large group of enthusiastic gun owners, exercise our Second Amendment rights.

Most folks here aren't "bragging" about their guns...this is a firearms Forum, what does he think we will be posting about... our lawnmowers?

I don't know anyone who carries a derringer or .25 acp..... a lot have gone to the new generation small autos like the Sig 365 or CSX. 9mm good capacity and easy to conceal.

Me, I'm still happy with my "EDC" 8+1 3913 in an IWB Sparks Summer Special and a spare magazine or two!

Rant over

The answer may not be a gun. It might be moving to different neighborhood. There’s a lot going on around you. Yikes

Would concur with that. Unless unable to do so for other reasons,

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

While I 'fess up to throwing a 380 Kel-Tec in my pocket during the summer at times. I usually try to carry the most effective pistol I can, comfortably.
These days, it's a SIG 365, before that, a 3rd Gen 3914.
I could carry something larger, with more capacity and a more powerful round, but not without sacrificing the comfort those smaller autos afford.
It's all about compromise when it comes to CCW, or we'd all be toting Desert Eagles and AutoMags.

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Because of the metric system?

When I leave the house, and if I'm not headed somewhere that would compel me to carry a high capacity polymer firearm this trusty old M38 is in my left front pocket (I'm right handed).
If I truly thought there was a need for more, the carry piece of choice is a Gen3 Glock 19, carried strongside in an IWB Crossbreed holster. If that "need" was taking me to a large city location, I'd leave the M38 in my left pocket for a "just in case" scenario, following the old statement that "two is one, one is none"

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.............SmithNut

I have carried virtually every day of the past almost two decades, except when it wasn't possible at all (think international travel).

When I started carrying, I would yo-yo around, everything from a 5" 1911 (first pistol I bought), down to a Kahr Pm9 or a 638 thrown in the pocket.

Except for where deep concealment is needed, for several years regular daily carry was a Gen 1 Shield OWB at 3:00, easy to do with my style of dress and untucked shirts. A couple of years ago I switched to a Glock 48 MOS OWB at 3:00, again, very doable with the right holster and attire.

I think the current generation of slim polymer 9mm pistols (P365, Glock 43x/48, Shield Plus, Hellcat) hit the right balance for most civilians between small size/lightweight/capacity/still being easy to shoot.

Model 67.
Yes, people really do.

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To answer your question, SmithSwede, my experience has been that I have no idea whether folks are all talk and no action. I am a little curious why you brought this topic up? But since I don’t know whether others just like to “talk” or are serious about protecting themselves and their loved ones, I have no idea what the serious folks have on their person and would never ask them. How did you come up with your opinion?

TwoShoes, this could have been written by me. I've carried since 1975 with IWB, appendix carry, jeans and T-Shirt, never leave home without it. Currently carrying a Kimber Ultra Raptor which has been my carry weapon for the past 15 years. Prior to that was S&W 4513 TSW for about 10 years.

For years I carried a 1911 in a Milt Sparks holster. Cop buddies finally convinced me about 12-13 years ago to go Glock 19 with the Trijicon RMR. Been carrying that daily since, with a spare 19 frame cut to 26 dimensions for summer carry. Honestly, I don't even notice. And none of my pants fit without an inside the waistband holster to shim them up! Also, before someone throws the BS Flag, I am in a college town. Cargo pants and an untucked shirt is the uniform of the day down here, so carrying concealed is pretty easy.

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And if the person concealed carrying has selected his or her weapon well and is good at concealing it, no one will ever know, to even ask.

Working at gun shops and a range, I think I’ve gotten good at spotting printing guns, which I try to do for education and entertainment. But I know I can’t spot every concealed gun. I can say with certainty that the smaller and lighter the gun the harder to see printing or to see carrier tell tales like hiking a belt.

Working at a gun shop or range it’s natural to ask a customer looking at guns, magazines or sometimes ammo, “What are you carrying now?” without seeming to be prying. The same with “where” and IWB or OWB at times. Even what holster they’re using. It’s educational and once in a while I’m surprised.

ETA after reading some later posts: Most normal, ordinary people don’t look for printing guns, holsters sticking out below shirts or jackets or tell tales like hiking a belt.

I often open carry a revolver OWB at work. Through this winter, while it’s been cool, I’ve been wearing a fleece to and from work. The holsters stick out below the bungeed lower end of the fleece. If I remember I pull the fleece below the holster and the bungee will keep it there. Despite stops to and or from work every day I know of one person who noticed, he was a clerk at a 7-11, who would have a reason to be looking.

If I’m dressed, I’m carrying…been that way since the mid-1970’s.

Since I found the 640 Pro a couple of years ago, it’s my EDC 90% of the time; IWB or OWB depending on mood and dress. Other 10% is my trusty Kimber Ultra Carry (Series I) carried IWB in a Milt Sparks VMII.

I keep toying with the idea of a Sig P365 but am heavily invested in S&W J and K-frames (no-IL’s) and am fortunate to have a “sufficient” supply of .38 Spl and .357 to keep these fed as well as .45 ACP for the Kimber.

At this point in my life (69 next month), I don’t see the need from either a technology or financial standpoint to make any changes.