Echo40
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I've always had a sort of thing for fancy or otherwise flashy guns, to the point that for a time, I actually would opt to carry something that wasn't necessarily the best option, merely because I liked the look of it better.
From 2015 to 2019 my primary carry gun was a Walther PPK/S, a classy little carry piece made almost entirely of Stainless Steel with a lovely pair of aftermarket Altamont Rosewood Grips.
However, over that course of time, I began to consider other options, and began to desire something smaller and lighter, which ultimately lead me to the Ruger LCP. Sure, there were fancier options on the market of similar size/weight such as the SIG P238 and the Remington RM380, but I liked the Ruger LCP for its track record for reliability, and to suit my desire for a bit of flair, I opted for the 10th Anniversary Edition with an Engraved Stainless Steel Slide, but for all intents and purposes, it was still a budget pistol.
A few months later that same year, due to a number of reports of wild predatory animals coming out of the woods surrounding my residential area, I decided that I wanted to carry something with a bit more oomph than .380 ACP, just incase I were to have to defend myself against something like a hog, but I didn't have any money to spend on yet another new carry gun after buying the LCP. However, one day when I stopped into my favorite gunshop to buy a couple boxes of ammo, I saw a Smith & Wesson SW40VE in the case, Like New for just $199, so I put it on layaway and paid it off the next month.
For those who aren't familiar with it, the SW40VE is a 3rd Generation variant of Smith & Wesson's Sigma Series of pistols which had in recent years become their budget line of pistols compared to the higher end Smith & Walther SW99 collaboration and later the M&P Series.
Well, early this year I decided to get something a bit nicer, but since I was concerned over the possibility of future Gun Control legislation and because I wanted something smaller and lighter than the SW40VE, (which is a Compact Pistol similar in size to the Glock 23) I ultimately ended up with a Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P40 Shield 1.0 which I had found a really good deal for online.
I love the Shield, and I've carried it all year long with confidence, but today since the weather was too cold for shorts and I could easily carry a bigger gun, I decided to carry my trusty SW40VE again, and that's most likely what I'm goung to do clear into next Summer when it gets warm enough for shorts again. Because while the SW40VE isn't as fancy a gun as my Performance Center M&P40 Shield, and although the trigger isn't as nice, it holds more ammo, is easy to carry in colder weather, feels great in my hand, and is plenty accurate/reliable, so I see no reason to carry the lower capacity Shield. Both are carried concealed anyway, so it's not like I gain anything by carrying the fancier Shield, and besides, they're both just utilitarian polymer framed guns to begin with, so I wouldn't be wearing either to a Barbecue regardless.
I'm curious if anyone else here has been in the same position, and went back to carrying what is generally regarded as a lower quality firearm after a time carrying something of higher quality. What's your story?
From 2015 to 2019 my primary carry gun was a Walther PPK/S, a classy little carry piece made almost entirely of Stainless Steel with a lovely pair of aftermarket Altamont Rosewood Grips.
However, over that course of time, I began to consider other options, and began to desire something smaller and lighter, which ultimately lead me to the Ruger LCP. Sure, there were fancier options on the market of similar size/weight such as the SIG P238 and the Remington RM380, but I liked the Ruger LCP for its track record for reliability, and to suit my desire for a bit of flair, I opted for the 10th Anniversary Edition with an Engraved Stainless Steel Slide, but for all intents and purposes, it was still a budget pistol.
A few months later that same year, due to a number of reports of wild predatory animals coming out of the woods surrounding my residential area, I decided that I wanted to carry something with a bit more oomph than .380 ACP, just incase I were to have to defend myself against something like a hog, but I didn't have any money to spend on yet another new carry gun after buying the LCP. However, one day when I stopped into my favorite gunshop to buy a couple boxes of ammo, I saw a Smith & Wesson SW40VE in the case, Like New for just $199, so I put it on layaway and paid it off the next month.
For those who aren't familiar with it, the SW40VE is a 3rd Generation variant of Smith & Wesson's Sigma Series of pistols which had in recent years become their budget line of pistols compared to the higher end Smith & Walther SW99 collaboration and later the M&P Series.
Well, early this year I decided to get something a bit nicer, but since I was concerned over the possibility of future Gun Control legislation and because I wanted something smaller and lighter than the SW40VE, (which is a Compact Pistol similar in size to the Glock 23) I ultimately ended up with a Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P40 Shield 1.0 which I had found a really good deal for online.
I love the Shield, and I've carried it all year long with confidence, but today since the weather was too cold for shorts and I could easily carry a bigger gun, I decided to carry my trusty SW40VE again, and that's most likely what I'm goung to do clear into next Summer when it gets warm enough for shorts again. Because while the SW40VE isn't as fancy a gun as my Performance Center M&P40 Shield, and although the trigger isn't as nice, it holds more ammo, is easy to carry in colder weather, feels great in my hand, and is plenty accurate/reliable, so I see no reason to carry the lower capacity Shield. Both are carried concealed anyway, so it's not like I gain anything by carrying the fancier Shield, and besides, they're both just utilitarian polymer framed guns to begin with, so I wouldn't be wearing either to a Barbecue regardless.
I'm curious if anyone else here has been in the same position, and went back to carrying what is generally regarded as a lower quality firearm after a time carrying something of higher quality. What's your story?
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, but these compact guns work for me so they lead the carry list. I don't worry about how they look because nobody sees them!
