Why Rotate?

[Hapworth]

Unless you encounter Yogi Bear a handgun in bear country is suicide.

A better choice would be bear spray or a shotgun loaded with slugs.

Russ

Oh no you didn't...

 

[Rick_A]

Pocket, waistband, ankle, auto, revolver, compact, full size, and mouse guns. If you carry everyday eventually you'll have some choices...or a lot of holsters...or both.

 

[BAM-BAM]

"Rotation" vs. picking the "better" tool.

95% of the time over the past 25 years I've carried a 3913NL or a 3914.

But since last Monday.... when I went to leave the house..... I stopped and took my PC Shorty-9 AKA 6906 (owned since 1995) and an extra 15rd +2 mag......rather than my 3913......out of the ready safe.

I've also been known to substitute a Beretta 92Compact (1988) or Type M (1992) in cooler weather.......more bullets and longer sight radius ......and I like them...... I have a full size 92 with a Streamlight and 17rd mag as my house gun.

All 6 guns have the same operation system...DA/SA and safety/decocker, mag& slide release in the same place...... all carried 95% of the time in a Sparks Summer Special at 4 O'Clock.

5% of the time it is a cross-draw or shoulder holster under a heavy winter coat/jacket.... so I can just pull the zipper down and draw...

Now I will admit my "carry" .45s are Sig. 220/245s.... but with modern 9mm ammo.....haven't felt the need to carry them (winter) in 10-15 years... in their Spark Summer Special holsters....LOL today if I needed a .45 I'd grab my 4566 and a SS holster........

Now when "bumming in Penn's Woods" I will substitute a S&W .357 revolver..... mostly a 3" 66 or 60-10 rarely a 4" 686 all worn at 4'Oclock in a Summer Special or Bianchi Cyclone.......cus I want a .357 and 2legged varmints are rare and easily seen coming.....

 

[Ballistic147]

Winter/summer/spring/fall ....G19 iwb. Same holster, same location, same gun. I don't see how weather effects what gun to carry. The only time I carry something different, usually a small revolver, is when I cannot carry the G19

Weather kind of dictates what I carry due to clothing options. During the summer, shorts and a t shirt is what I wear so the Shield is the largest gun I can get away with and not be obvious. When the weather is cooler and more clothing is an option I can go bigger. My body type is also a factor. One of my buddies carries a full size Glock in shorts and a t shirt and I can't tell it's there.

 

[LimaCharlie]

I carry a government model 1911 with one spare magazine plus a Sig P938 pocket BUG in urban areas with law enforcement help minutes away. I switch the 1911 to either a Glock G20 SF 10mm or a G35 .40 S&W with two or more spare magazines when I am spending time in remote rural areas with law enforcement help hours away. I switch the 1911 to a 4" S&W 29-2 .44 magnum plus two speed loaders for woods carry. Who cares if I swipe the thumb safety on my Glock or S&W revolver when I draw them?

 

[Grayfox]

I have three, maybe four guns that I routinely carry depending on weather, dress, circumstances, etc. Probably 90% of the time its my Commander regardless of conditions. Maybe for a quick trip to the store or if going someplace I can't take the gun inside, I might stick a J-frame in my pocket. For my daily walks I've become quite fond of my little Mustang XSP. I have no problem with having different guns for different purposes.
But every once in a while I just get this mood to do something different today. So just on a whim I might look around in the safe and grab anything from an antique pocket pistol up to a big ol' N-frame revolver to carry on this day just for S&G.
Variety is the spice of life.

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

I usually drive my F150 although on rare occasion I drive my Son's van. The controls are not identical but at times I've had to slam on the brakes or swerve and it did not seem to make much difference. I usually carry an old M19. If my Son and I are traveling together I carry a M59, we can use the same ammo. If I'm going to a fancy event I carry my Colt SAA.I've been in 6 gunfights at work and that I used one gun in 3 of them, and three different guns in the last three never seemed to matter.

So you're that guy.

 

[elm_creek_smith]

S&W Model 642-2 - "Always" gun
S&W Model 686-6 - Duty gun
S&W Model 13-3 - Carry gun
S&W Model 37 - Former "always" gun.
S&W Model 681 - Wife's gun (It was mine until she saw how the Crimson Trace Grips worked.)
Taurus 85SS2UL - Daughter's gun (Borrowed on a "probably won't get it back" basis.)

Wouldn't call one system, one manual of arms for my defensive handguns a "rotation." I have more handguns, but they are for particular purposes. Could I carry them for defensive purposes? Yes, but I don't have to.

 

[RobertJ.]

I have 5 in my current "rotation".

My Colt DS is my EDC.

My Model 39 is my "going to the city" carry.

My Ruger SR snub is my woods gun. It's big enough for black bear, but I'm really not too concerned about them. I'm more concerned about meth heads. I like it because it's impervious to any weather conditions, and it does get wet.

My Model 19-5 snub is the wild card, It can be carried in place of any of the other 3. If one happens to be dis-assembled for cleaning, for instance.

They all get carried in the same manner: strong side, 4 o'clock, OWB. They all have the same manual of arms: draw, shoot. And yes, when the 39 is on me, the safety is off.

I also have an older AMT Back-Up .380 ACP that sometimes gets pocket carried to the grocery store, or stuck into a jacket pocket as a back up.

That's my "rotation".

Just one thing to add: I know I could carry just one, but I don't see any reason to.

 

[sipowicz]

I try to rotate but it makes me dizzy.

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

I stopped caring a long time ago what other people thought. As long as you are proficient with the weapon you are carrying, who cares what other people think. That being said, my carry rotation consists of (from mostly carried to "least" carried):

1) Sig P320 Carry - 9mm
2) Glock 30S - .45acp
3) Taurus 85 - .38 special

I also sometimes carry my commander sized 1911 .45acp when I go out with my one buddy. He only likes polymer striker fired guns, so my other friend and I will carry our 1911s to mess with him.

 

[sarg1c]

I don,t have a set rotation, but some times I carry my 637Airweight, sometimes my Colt pocketlite. Most of the time nothing....

 

[Duelist]

When I started carrying, I had one gun, so that was what I carried. There was no rotation or option - if I carried, it was my gun, or a pocketknife.

Years ago, I added a 642 to my battery, and it became the gun I carried most all the time. I have worn most of the finish off it, and holes in a lot of pants pockets with it. Most of my jeans that I've had for very long have a faded outline of it in its holster in the area of the right front pocket.

I was hunting quail with a 2 barrel shotgun and my little .38 in my pocket when I came over a ridge on my way back to my vehicle one day when I saw another vehicle parked next to mine, and three guys looking in the windows of it. I sat down under a tree and watched them through my binos until one of them saw me sitting there, over 200 yards off. He told his buddies and they stopped trying to open my car doors and took off.

I decided maybe I need a bigger gun as an option for when I'm doing certain activities, or for the home, and bought a CZ75 single action because it feels so good in the hand, is reliable, holds a lot of rounds, and is accurate. I've shot a couple of coyotes that were stalking my Brittany with it, had it (still holstered) keep a group of illegals very calm (I live down on the border), and competed in matches with it. Still, I carried my little pocket gun more places and under more circumstances.

Last year, I got a chance at a 3913 for a reasonable price, put some night sights on it, and find now that I carry it more than either of the others. The 642 gets carried alone only when I need to be absolutely discreet. Otherwise, it stays in the safe or is a backup to the 3913 or CZ. The CZ has mostly been used in matches, some days in the mountains - I stopped doing that when I realized that the safety was getting bumped to the off position almost every time I carried it. It has been relegated to the safe except for matches now. Night sights make such a difference that I was willing to accept the lower capacity, smaller gun, even on the night stand. So, I started thinking that maybe I should put night sights on the big gun. But then I started thinking about cognitive dissonance and emergency gear, and the safety, ever on the CZ and my trust level in it vs a good double action trigger, and then watched a video of a guy shooting himself in the leg due to cognitive dissonance from switching between types of safeties and holsters, and decided that my big gun should have the same manual of arms as the 3913, and my holsters that are used in one location should all work the same, regardless of which gun is riding in them. I had a list of potential replacements for the CZ, including a different CZ with a decocker, but found a great deal on a SIG SP2022 with Siglite sights already installed and a tac light as a package deal, so I jumped on it. Carrying the 3913 safety off, it works the same in a draw and shoot situation as the SIG. The sight picture is the same, the ammunition is the same, grip angle is the same, trigger is a similar distance from the backstrap. The SIG is just fatter and heavier, with a slightly longer grip and slide. I haven't used the SIG in a match yet. The CZ may get to stay for match purposes - I still love its grip, balance, and accuracy - but if I decide the SIG does well enough there to make it superfluous, it will probably get sent down the road to reimburse the budget for the SIG.

I don't "rotate" my carry guns, but I do have different sizes that I use for different things. I have a .357 that I bought for woods carry, but I have seen a lot more illegals in our mountains than bears and lions, so I usually take a full sized 9mm in preference to it. We even had a jaguar that came over from Mexico that I've seen more times than I have a lion or bear. He died a couple of years ago, though.

 

[gwpercle]

Just an excuse to justify having more than one gun.

Who was that said " beware the man with one gun, for he usually knows how to shoot it quite well ..." I think he might be on to something.

 

[HarrishMasher]

I shoot at least once a week. I am more than proficient with several handguns. I have 4 or 5 different guns I carry, but only one at a time I carry different guns for different reasons. Sometimes my attire dictates what I carry. Sometimes a situation dictates what I carry.

I always carry IWB with a QUALITY holster and carry belt. I live in South Florida and 99% of the time I am wearing shorts and a T Shirt of some type. I mainly wear button up short sleeve shirts untucked. These are excellent for concealed carry. You can hide anything under this type of shirt. However, sometimes I like to wear a tighter pull over t shirt. What is the point in keeping in shape if you can't show off a little

That said, my main carry is an FN Five Seven. The Five Seven is a full sized gun. I carry it 90% of the time. However, some days when I wear a slightly tighter t shirt, the Five Seven prints. In that case, my Glock 19 with its shorter grip works much better. If I am wearing a very tight t shirt, my S&W Shield is about all I can conceal IWB.

All three guns have a very similar manual of arms and they are all basically single action. They have the same trigger pull each time the trigger is pulled. One of them has a safety, but it is never engaged. I practice with all three of these guns at least once a week. Other than slight differences in recoil, and the speed of follow up shots, these guns are quite interchangeable to me.

If I find myself headed to an area that is somewhat undesirable I want to make sure I carry a gun with enough firepower. In these situations I am sure to carry my 5 7 or my G19.

If I am just running through my development to the Walgreens just out front of it, I am fine with my Shield. Sometimes when I am walking a few hundred yards to take out the garbage I throw a Titanium J Frame in my front pocket of sweat shorts/PJs (though I rarely carry this way).

I also love revolvers. I train with them often. I have some revolvers that I shoot better than semi-autos. Sometimes I just like to carry one of my 2.5" or 3" 357 7 or 8 shot L Frames IWB. Not often, but sometimes I do. I have a S&W Performance Center 586 L Comp that has had some serious action work done to it. I shoot it often and I shoot it well. Very well.

I train and shoot often enough with my 4 or 5 carry guns, that I know if I reach down to my hip and pull out a gun, whatever gun happens to be there at the moment, I am 100% confident I can do what needs to be with it. There will be no confusion on my part as to how to operate the particular gun. I shoot and train enough with the guns I carry, that they are second nature to me.

So yes, I have a carry rotation, and it works for me.

 

[sipowicz]

I do rotate but I only carry guns with the same style trigger. My Colt DS, 442 and P2000 all work the same....even my duty M&P, although a striker fired, still just requires a pull of the trigger...no safeties on any of my carry guns.

 

[PirateJim]

I carry my Shield most times, but when required by how I need/want to dress I slip a Ruger LCP in my pocket instead. I don't really think of it as a "rotation" though. Both are point and pull the trigger guns, so I don't think there's much difference in what needs to be thought through in a high stress situation. To go to one carry gun I'd need to make it the LCP, but there are lots of times I can easily enough carry the Shield and if the SHTF I'd rather have a .40 than a .380 in my hand.

 

[bcb577]

I am also a former Leo and my edc is also a bodyguard.380,with the right sd rounds these are very capable weapons ,especially tied together with shot placement.

 

[Mickey D]

I'll carry a Colt New Agent 1911 most of the time. Sometimes I change it up to the S&W 696 3" .44 spl.

I don't know, sometimes ya feel like a nut, sometimes ya don't.