Oddball CHL Carry Guns ?

[petepeterson]

A couple of times when I was the Town Marshal, I dressed up in old western garb for Halloween and strapped on my 2nd Gen Colt Single Action .357 but I backed it up with something a bit better in case something happened while so dressed.

Wait....there's something better?

 

[robertrwalsh]

I knew a woman who regularly carried a Desert Eagle .44. She was not tiny. I OWN a Lebel 8mm and a Russian Nagant. I would not carry them except under some bizarre emergency. I have qualified with (but not carried) a couple of odd weapons including a .30 Luger and a Colt 1902 Military.

 

[Heinz]

Sauer

I sometimes carry my Sauer 38H. My late wife used it to qualify for her CCW. It is a 32 Auto, I like the cocking and decocking lever, a neat feature. It has a concealed hammer, not a striker.

 

[SAFireman]

I have some different ones over the years....

AMT backup 45acp
S&W 657 4"
S&W Mdl 58
HK p7m13

I don't know how 'odd' they are, but not they aren't often seen in the CHL roles.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

A 629-10 PC 2 5/8" OWB make you a belt & suspenders kind of guy! (don't ask me how I know)

Ivan

 

[oink]

I've carried my 3" 629 Trail Boss AISWB. Very doable but I carry my Hellcat mostly. I did have one of my previous carrys out the other day and might carry it again. A Springfield XDs in .45acp. I've always liked shooting 45acp. I suppose it has more recoil than a 9mm but it's a different kind and doesn't bother me. I enjoy shooting the XDs. I use one of the +1 mags that I ground the mag extension down on so it doesn't print so that gives me 7 rounds with one in the pipe. That and a spare mage seems sufficient. Of course I really like my officers model size 1911s too.

I really can't think of anything I've carried thats all that strange.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

How about a Hi-Point ? From what I have read they are extremely reliable and if your handgun has to be taken as "evidence" it won'[t set you back that much.

 

[growr]

My CZ 82 until it was stolen....My Star Firestar M45 of recent times

Randy

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Oddball.

When I was a cop working in the Housing Projects the criminals had various third rate handguns and of course the "Saturday Night Specials" they carried so I always relate those to the criminal element.

When I was a young serviceman with a family I could afford a used S&W revolver for Mobile Home protection.

 

[hkcavalier]

Nothing too weird. I did a long hike with a 629-3 5" Classic in a shoulder holster, then we decided to get burgers in a suburban WA sit down kind of place, so I hid it under my vest. Biggest gun I technically used as a CCW, even for only 30 minutes or so.

Lots of friends CCWed the Makarovs circa 2000 when they were dirt cheap. I was too snobby for that and carried a SIG P220 during this time. Never carried my CZ-52 as I had little trust in the safety and I don't believe in carrying with an empty chamber, but it's probably the oddest handgun I've owned.

 

[TST]

SmithSwede, how did you carry the French 1935A? I can't tell from internet pictures if it has a safety. Did you carry it empty chamber?

 

[Buick]

I sometimes carry my Sauer 38H. My late wife used it to qualify for her CCW. It is a 32 Auto, I like the cocking and decocking lever, a neat feature. It has a concealed hammer, not a striker.

Regarding the 38H....a friend's mother worked the counter at an old country store. One afternoon a drunk came into the store and demanded cash from the till. She told him to leave, and he turned around and grabbed a wooden case of empty soda bottles and turned it at her. She ducked it and came up with a Sauer 38H and put 5 bullets in him before he made it out the door. The law blood trailed him to where he was laid up very sick under a nearby bridge. Thus began his new prison career.

 

[robvious]

my "Oddball" carry is a FEG PA-63 in 9x18MAK.. inexpensive, dependable and accurate. Everything you want in a carry gun..and I had spares.. lol

 

[Bald1]

.22 mag mini revolver and baby Browning .25

 

[SmithSwede]

SmithSwede, how did you carry the French 1935A? I can't tell from internet pictures if it has a safety. Did you carry it empty chamber?

No, always had a round in the chamber. I don't like empty chamber carry.

The French 1935A does have a thumb safety, but it is an odd one. The safety is mounted on the left side of the slide next to the rear sight. When the safety is pointing up, dead vertical, that is SAFE. And you can easily tell the pistol is on safe when looking at the sights because it is sticking right up and dead obvious.

You rotate it clockwise 90 degrees to get into the FIRE position. The safety moves a drum in front of the hammer so the hammer cannot contact the firing pin. But it does not automatically drop the hammer like a Walther PP. Pulling the trigger in SAFE mode drops the hammer.

Another weird fact. This arrangement of the safety is a bit awkward, since your thumb needs to reach way up to rotate the vertical safety. It is harder to do that in "Condition 1," with the hammer already cocked and the safety applied, because the cocked hammer gets in the way of your thumb. But if the hammer is down with safety on, it is easy to reach the vertical safety. The process of rotating the safety puts your thumb on the hammer. So in one easy motion, you can rotate the safety to FIRE and also cock the hammer.

It is so easy to do this that I'm wondering if this was an intentional part of the design. Alas there is little information about these superb pistols, and I don't speak French, so I'm just speculating on that.


The pistol was designed by Charles Petter, a brilliant Swiss engineer. It has an easily detachable trigger/hammer group. The Swiss studied the 1935A long and hard when developing the P-210. The grip shape is even better than a Browning High Power.

You can probably tell I really like the 1935A, hence my carry attempts.

 

[45Smashemflat]

I knew a guy who carried a C96 Red 9 in a shoulder rig. Pretty sure it was the only gun he had/wanted to be Han Solo…

 

[ADAMOCOK]

Astra 600/43, 9x19 mm

This handgun required that I learn how to make holsters for practical carry.

The Astra was a heavyweight with a heavy trigger pull but was streamlined and non snag.

 

[Chubbs103]

My 657 Mountain Gun is on my permit. It is not uncommon for me to carry it in cooler weather in bear areas.

I've been tempted to qualify with my Browning Buckmark and get it added to my permit. Sometimes a .22 just makes sense in either the desert or the woods, and there are times I don't like open carry, even when legal.

 

[mic214]

Back in the late 70's I carried a MAB PA-15 for about two years. At the time it had the largest magazine capacity (15+1) of any other pistol. Finding proper holsters was a chore. I ended up using a Roy Baker pancake rig for a BHP and that worked out ok:



After I retired and moved to the mountains of New Mexico, I carried a 3" S&W Model 629. There were quite a few unfriendly critters roaming around, so it was loaded with Winchester .44 Special Silvertips:

 

[Echo40]

I once carried this behemoth in a shoulder holster...

Taurus Judge Magnum — .45 Long Colt/.410 3" Shotshells

Other than that, nothing too out of the ordinary, although I suppose my first carry gun is an odd choice...

Walther PPK/S — .22 Long Rifle

I carried this for an entire year until I finally recognized that .22LR wasn't an ideal choice for self-defense, then got another PPK/S chambered in the more capable .380 ACP.