how common do you think this mind-set is?

[grumpyvette]

my brother-in-law picked up a really nice condition smith ,mod 39 9mm , he ordered a holster for it and carries it as his inside the waist band concealed carry handgun,
when I asked him how much he paid,
and how well does it shoot, his response was,
I got it from some retired cops wife , who my wife knows,
who sold it to me for $450, I have not yet,
gotten to shoot it yet, but the cops wife says he used it to win several pistol matches in his department!

I was amazed and shocked... why would anyone trust a pistol they had yet too fire even once as their concealed carry handgun, to me the idea is incredulous/ absurd!

I know I've shot at least 5-6 boxes of ammo through any handgun I've carried before I even considered carrying it, and in most cases far more, the 1006 I generally carry has been used for decades, Ive yet to have a mis feed or other issue, and gets cleaned, lubed and shot every few weeks, its never given me any issues.
I'm wondering how many people carry a handgun that they have rarely shot?
I asked several people I know and it seems like its just not that rare, several people , when I asked..said they had only fired a box or two, before carrying their CCW handguns, to me that's absurd
your thoughts guys?
one guy even said, "its a brand new glock 17",
what could go wrong?

 

[Scharfschuetzer]

I agree with your summation.

My CCW weapons have all been in use for a minimum of 22 years and a maximum of over 40 years and they have been truly tried and tested over thousands of rounds and duty as an LEO.

A quick story to support your thread: I bought one of the new Model 66 dash something or other with the new 2.75" barrel and the ball crane lock last year. In testing after purchase, it jammed after just a few rounds of 357 ammo. Yes... a revolver jammed believe it or not. The only way to clear it was to open the cylinder, reclose and then fire a few more rounds before the DA and SA operation froze again.

A trip to the gunsmith fixed it, but I totally lost confidence and any desire to own the revolver. It went down the road on a trade at the gun store where I bought it. The gunsmith told be that it was a problem with the fitting of the hand. I had assumed that it was the Hillary lock, but it was not the problem.

 

[armorer951]

More common than you might think

This won't provide any solace I'm afraid, but many people legally carry loaded firearms on their person and in their vehicles without ever receiving any familiarization training or firearms training with the gun at all. Many do not know the first thing about the guns they are carrying.

Today, this is not rare....it's the norm. These kinds of folks constitute a very real danger not only to themselves, their families and neighbors, but to those of us around them.

 

[stansdds]

I won't carry a firearm until I have put at least 100 and preferably 200 rounds through it. Not just for the sake of determining reliability, but for becoming familiar with the firearms characteristics.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Don't need to limit it to people who carry. There are probably way more people who have bought home defense firearms and ammo, but have yet to shoot the purchase.

For protection, my in-law's neighbors had bought a new J-frame .38 and a .380 Bodyguard, with hollow points for each. They forgot where each was stored. They thought each was put away loaded. They were not. They'd forgotten the manual of arms of each, if they ever knew it at all.



Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[Redcoat3340]

Every time I go to the range (which I wish I could do more often) I carry one of my self-defense pistols and shoot no less than 3 mags with it. I can't imagine carrying anything, even a knife, without being 100% sure it works as it should.

 

[sigp220.45]

I think most people buy a gun, maybe shoot a few rounds, load it up, and call it good. It was probably more common in years past, which accounts for all the sock-drawer guns we covet.

 

[smoothshooter]

With a revolver, There is no need to put hundreds of rounds thru it for testing.
Autos should get more, using ALL the magazines you have for it.
Keep in mind a lot of people do not have access or at least easy access to a place to shoot, so that has an effect on testing and practice. Most are not shooting enthusiasts either, and know that the chances they will ever have to shoot in a SD situation are pretty slim.
Even in America from coast to coast in the 1800’s most people did not shoot their handguns unless they had to either.
Then there are the current ammo availability and cost issues.

It has always been a pretty common situation. Especially now.

 

[BC38]

my brother-in-law picked up a really nice condition smith ,mod 39 9mm , he ordered a holster for it and carries it as his inside the waist band concealed carry handgun,
when I asked him how much he paid,
and how well does it shoot, his response was,
I got it from some retired cops wife , who my wife knows,
who sold it to me for $450, I have not yet,
gotten to shoot it yet, but the cops wife says he used it to win several pistol matches in his department!

I was amazed and shocked... why would anyone trust a pistol they had yet too fire even once as their concealed carry handgun, to me the idea is incredulous/ absurd!

I know I've shot at least 5-6 boxes of ammo through any handgun I've carried before I even considered carrying it, and in most cases far more, the 1006 I generally carry has been used for decades, Ive yet to have a mis feed or other issue, and gets cleaned, lubed and shot every few weeks, its never given me any issues.
I'm wondering how many people carry a handgun that they have rarely shot?
I asked several people I know and it seems like its just not that rare, several people , when I asked..said they had only fired a box or two, before carrying their CCW handguns, to me that's absurd
your thoughts guys?

I do pretty much just the opposite. I take my 2 most frequently carried EDC guns to the range and put a couple of mags full through them just about every trip.

 

[hkcavalier]

It's very common. We're firearms enthusiasts here. For most people, the gun is just another tool. I don't run classes anymore, but there were some really eye-popping things we ran across, sometimes more than once. I very rarely disparaged a gun choice right out of the gate, but the problems usually became evident pretty quick, and embarrassment is a great teacher. You bring a Lorcin or Jimenez to a handgun class, good luck. You bring your granddad's gun you inherited but don't know how to shoot, that we could help with (provided it wasn't a Ring of Fire gun, Rohm, etc). And sure, lots of folks would leave with their gun loaded up with range ammo because they didn't know better or (rarely) had some irrational fear of defensive ammo.

 

[Dave Lively]

I will not carry a gun until I have put a few hundred rounds through it with at least 50 - 75 of those rounds being the defensive ammo I will be using if I do carry it.

But realistically, it is so uncommon for a good quality striker fired 9mm like a M&P Compact or Glock 19 to fail someone carrying one without test firing it isn't completely irrational. As long as they have shot a similar gun and are familiar with how to use it. Same goes for most revolvers.

Small guns are a different story. I bought a P365 a couple of years after they came out and after all the initial problems were supposedly resolved. But right of the box I had some failures to go completely into battery. After it broke in those quit happening but I started to get failures to eject. The empties would stay in the chamber like the gun had no extractor. Sig fixed the gun and it has not failed in over 1000 rounds since but I am glad I tested it before I started carrying it. Guns that push the limit of how small and light a gun can be for a particular caliber are always going to be less reliable than guns that don't. People that aren't gun enthusiasts will not know that and might be carrying an untested gun with a problem.

 

[Dave Lively]

And sure, lots of folks would leave with their gun loaded up with range ammo because they didn't know better or (rarely) had some irrational fear of defensive ammo.

I have known a few people that did that. It wasn't so much an irrational fear of defensive ammo as it was not wanting to spend $25 for a 20 round box of ammo. When I tried to point out the advantages of HP ammo they shrugged and said it wasn't worth it.

 

[Baxter6551]

I recently bought a well used 686-4 2.5 inch that had the smoothest action dry firing. Like others above I fully shoot anything before carrying it. First range trip I had an experience like Sharf - locked up and had to open and close cylinder to resume firing. It’s fixed now after gunsmith replaced hammer and trigger (bubba had bobbed and thinned trigger) and did action job. I shot a qual course with it yesterday no issues.

 

[WR Moore]

Depressingly common. He's depending upon a tool he likely doesn't know how to use to save life.

Maybe 20 years ago, the local center for socialist indoctrination (college labeled "university") got a new Campus Police Chief. One of his first acts was to buy ARs. When defending the purchase he noted that he'd been issued one in his previous job and had deployed with it at incidents several times. BUT HAD NEVER FIRED IT!

 

[lkabug]

I know several folks who has a gun in the nightstand that has never fired. Loaded the Mag and in the nightstand. They say they just don't have the time to visit the range, or " I've shot a gun before".
Not me 300-400 rounds through any gun before I carry. Just makes sense!

 

[GaryS]

Any gun I buy, new or used, gets field stripped, cleaned, lubed as soon as I get it home.

Any gun I might have to use for self defense goes to the range for a function test before I carry it.

Others are not so diligent, but that's their problem.

 

[murphydog]

I suspect many see a firearm as an emergency tool, like a fire extinguisher or flashlight, that just needs to be used as needed and instinctively. Unfortunately, guns are a little more complex and difficult to manage.

 

[hkcavalier]

I have known a few people that did that. It wasn't so much an irrational fear of defensive ammo as it was not wanting to spend $25 for a 20 round box of ammo. When I tried to point out the advantages of HP ammo they shrugged and said it wasn't worth it.

I'm sure that's a factor too. But I've heard it out of people's own mouths; they're scared of litigation e.g. their brother's neighbor who's a lawyer sez they get people in hot water for using those evil dum dum boolits all the time. OK no one actually said that specific story, but (shocking, I know) there is still a lot of ignorant fear out there.

From reading LTC Grossman's On Killing, I'm also convinced that a large percentage of people who want a gun for defensive purposes want it to go bang and make noise, but taking out a threat is not something they wish to think about or consider. Grossman calls it posturing and firearms are great for that. It doesn't mean the rest of us are bloodthirsty psychopaths, but that we've mentally and psychologically conditioned ourselves for a defense encounter (or, if your profession requires it, an offensive encounter).

 

[upcountry]

I was in my LGS about 6 months ago when a guy was buying a .410/.45LC derringer. First thing he did was snap at another customer without a mask that "he was too close", but I digress.
He was trying to open it, couldn't so the sales guy showed him, to which he replied "can you write that down for me?"
He then asked if he could shoot .38 spl with it.
Told "no", he moved on to ask if he could get a shoulder holster for it.
I'm thinking, "for a small 2 barrel derringer?"
He then asked about ammo, was told where he could find some, and went off and came back with a small box of 5 rounds of .410.
Clearly, if he remembers how to open it, he'll load 2 rounds and think he's good to go.
I'm thinking he'll never practice with it, and if he ever has to pull the trigger, he'll miss and scare the hell out of himself in the process.
Thought it would be good for the LGS to have someone (like me) to coach him a bit about what he should do, as well as sell him a gun.

 

[Dave Baird]

Thank goodness the CCW hero who took-out the mall shooter in Indiana a couple weeks ago knew what he was doing and was not one of these negligent idiots who carry but do not practice.