SmithSwede
Member
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?
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?
