CCW options ... One, two, or more?

[getoff]

G17 is about 80% of the time, primary. my 442 or lcp in front pocket. every once in a while one of my 1911's, or Hi-powers. i do practice so much with the 1911 and HPs, that when i do go to the G17, i still reach for the manual thumbie thingy... when i must, the old 337 comes out of the bowels of my safe to ride in a galco combat master, with the 442 as back up. it is a rare and glorious day when i can carry 2 guns, 2 reloads, and still be under 2 lbs. of stuff.

 

[Smoke]

Smoke. It has to do with training. You need to train more with no round in yhe chamber to remember. I remember when i started doing patrol exercise in my m16. Kept forgetting to swithc safety off. Took a few times but yhen jt became automatic

Not sure how many different ways I can say this, anything I can do to simplify the self defense process is good. You may have heard the saying “In a crisis people don’t rise to the occasion they default to their level of training”? It’s not entirely true what people default to is their level of mastered training. The fewer things I have to master the better chance I have of surviving.

The decisions I’ve made are the result of training, a lot of it. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to participate in professional training classes about once every three months. Each time I go I learn something new and I find that each time I go I end up cutting something out that I was doing before.

A safety is a mechanical device and mechanical devices can malfunction. The last time I went to a class I watched a woman that could not get a shot off with a Springfield XD because she couldn’t get her hands on it just right. I don’t care what caused the malfunction if it had happened in a fight she’d be dead.

It’s been said but I’ve forgot to disengage the safety on a gun just standing on a square range. If that happened in a real incident again it likely would have cost me my life.

 

[tyusclan]

I only carry one, a full-size M&P45.

 

[JFrameshooter]

ccw...

Glock19 is my main carry, though I will carry a second on my ankle periodically either a Jframe or a .380 Glock. I may opt for either the Jframe or .380 occasionally. Love the Jframe...

 

[JayAychOh]

Listed by frequency of carry:

Glock 19 Gen 3 (Primary EDC)
S&W 2.5" 66 (when I'm in a revolver mood)
Sig 226 or M11A1 (when the Sig nostalgia overtakes me)

The common denominator with the handguns I use for concealed carry is that they all lack an external manually operated safety. I agree that sights are sights, etc. but I had a personal experience with an armed encounter in 1983-ish that I was blessed to be able to walk away from uninjured. I had switched from a 1911 to a Beretta 92SB for on-duty carry and had not yet done sufficient transition training. That incident taught me in a compelling way that no matter what I "know" or how well I know it, what I will do in a combat stress situation is what I've practiced.

 

[DEG]

My goal is to carry the most gun I can comfortably while hardly noticing it is there. People who post to these kind of forums seem to be a little more dedicated with it comes to ccw, but I know many with ccw's who purchase firearms with very little consideration to what they will realistically carry at all times. They end up carrying on "special" occasions, but most the time the gun stays in the glove box becasue it is just too uncomfortable to carry given the clothing they are wearing. I realize some people might be perfectly comfortable concealing a 2lb 1911 in the waste-band of their shorts while wearing a t-shirt. That's just not me.

Regardless of caliber or size, the most effective ccw firearm is the one you will have with you when you need it even if it's a 22 LR derringer. To ensure that is the case you need a firearm that you will have with you at all time; even when mowing the backyard.

My goals when purchasing a ccw firearm was to purchase the most gun (e.g. range, accuracy and stopping power) that I could comfortably carry given where I was going and the clothing I was wearing. Since conditions change, I have yet to find a single firearm that meets both conditions.

My preferred carry gun is an SA XDS-45 and I carry it with a hybrid IWB holster whenever possible. However, there are many occasions where it is too heavy or prone to printing or exposure for me to comfortably carry it. The gun I carry 80% of the time is a Kahr CM9; it's in my waste-band now even thought I'm sitting in my home. If I'm wearing extreme light clothing or going to be somewhere where it is ESSENTIAL that there is no possibility of even the most alert knowing I have a firearm; I will carry my Kel-Tec P3AT. I also have a S&W 340 PD but I don't carry it much since getting the Kahr.

 

[Grayfox]

Primary is a Colt Commander in .45acp. My usual other carry gun is a 3" Model 13.
However, I marked the four or more choice because at any given time I just might feel a special need or even just get a wild hair and carry anything from a .25 acp to a 4" N-frame.
Variety is the spice of life.

 

[Smoke]

There are a couple of variations on this thread going on at other forums right now. I’ve read through a couple of them and the people in them have made some really good points.

(IMO) Having different guns for different circumstances is not the same as “rotating” your carry guns. As I’ve stated before I switch off between one of two guns depending on circumstances and my concealment needs.

90% of the time based on my circumstance I can dress in a way that that accommodates a full sized gun so I carry the M&P9. When I have to dress differently or I’m sitting around the house and I don’t want to carry a full sized gun I carry my Shield but in either case I’m carrying two almost identical guns.

One of the reasons I made this decision is because I don’t feel like I get to the range all that often so I want to maximize the time I’m there and I feel like getting myself up to speed on various platforms takes away from that so I stick with the one.

To me “rotating” your carry guns is a mood thing. Like “I’m bored with my 1911 so today I’m going to carry my GLOCK” and for me mood has nothing to do with carrying a gun.

My guns aren’t an expression of my individual style. They’re tools and that’s how they get treated, like tools.

I worked in a machine shop for several years. I had 2 sets of 6 inch calipers one in inches and one in millimeters. I never once went to work and said “I’m bored with my English standard calipers so I’m going to use the metrics today.” I used which ever set circumstances dictated with no regard for “style”.

I also don’t switch based on any threat assessment. If things are so tense that I’m questioning if I have enough gun I don’t go. Of course the exception would be that I probably wouldn’t carry a 9mm if I were going into the mountains where I literally might encounter a bear.

 

[Ogandydancer]

My carry rotation consists of the following:
1-H&K P30 V3 9mm
2- Sig P229R 40 S&W
3-FNP 40 40 S&W.
4-Sig P6 9mm
5-Beretta 92fs Centurion 9mm
6-rarely S&W 5903 TSW 9mm.

The first three will all fit the same custom holster so they are my main three.

 

[badge 851]

I carry two J frame 1⅞" barrel 5 shot 38 Specials daily with two speed loaders & speed strips.