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Old July 28, 2013, 09:04 PM   #1
vito
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Do you vary which gun you carry?

Do you have a carry gun, or several among which you choose which to carry at any particular time? If more than one for carry, what factors do you consider when deciding on which one to carry? Other than the obvious reality of the seasons and the amount of clothing worn, do you take other things into consideration or is just a rotation of various guns so that you don't feel you wasted money on a gun you never carry? Although I have three guns suitable for carry (S&W640, Ruger LCP and Ruger sr40c), I always reach for the LCP due to its small size. Living in IL I only carry when I am out-of-state somewhere that either my Utah or Pennsylvania license is valid, but on those occasions it always seems I grab the LCP with a pocket holster and the others just sit in their cases vainly waiting to be taken out of the house.
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Old July 28, 2013, 09:25 PM   #2
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Old July 28, 2013, 09:54 PM   #3
TheGunGuy
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Re: Do you vary which gun you carry?

Either a Glock 27 or a 23... just depends on dress...
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Old July 28, 2013, 10:36 PM   #4
RBid
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Do you vary which gun you carry?

I used to alternate between a light clothing and a standard clothing option. Then, I got a Galco King Tuk holster for my Glocks. I now carry a Glock 19 every day.
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Old July 28, 2013, 10:44 PM   #5
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I rarely carry a gun anymore, I just keep a P32 in my pocket to balance out my wallet. If I think I might be going someplace more serious, I upgrade to a Makarov, or even a BHP, if I think I might be going into combat.
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Old July 28, 2013, 10:47 PM   #6
WildBill45
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Of course I do! It depends on season, destination, area in which I will exposed to coming and going, and even what vehicle I am in, Harley, Car, Truck, or Shoes! It could be my main stay S&W 325 in .45 ACP or my S&W 638 with hot loads ... I also vary the latest new Autoloader that I grab coming down the pike, which has been the Nano, LC9, and more...
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Old July 28, 2013, 11:13 PM   #7
boxing21
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I switch it up. Lately I've been going with my XDs .45 but will occasionally toss in my G26, or SnW 438. I feel well armed with either of those, and practice with them regularly.
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Old July 28, 2013, 11:39 PM   #8
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Glock G26 summer, 1911 cooler months. Kahr PM9 in my speedo.
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Old July 28, 2013, 11:54 PM   #9
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Speedo, huh? "Is that a Kahr, or are you just happy to see me?" HA!

TCP for "at work", Glock 27 after-hours or headed to the mall on Saturdays. Need a holster for the SP101 snubbie.
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Old July 29, 2013, 06:46 AM   #10
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Depending on season and or dress, I vary between a Ruger LCP and a Walther PPS.

In the winter months I will add a Springfield TRP 1911 into the mix when concealing a full sized gun is a tad easier.
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Old July 29, 2013, 06:11 PM   #11
Gaerek
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99% of the time, I either carry my Glock 19 IWB with a Ruger LCR in my pocket as backup, or just the Glock alone. The other 1%, means its cold enough for a jacket (I live in Southern Arizona...so it' probably less than 1%), and I splurge by carrying my full-sized Glock 21 OWB.

I own several handguns, but I don't carry them for 1 big reason. I want to be very familiar with the tool I may have to use in the protection of my life, or the lives of my loved ones. I don't want to be thinking about whether I have a safety or not, or which way the safety goes to take it off, or be surprised by a trigger that's heavier or lighter than I was expecting, or has a mag release in a place I'm not expecting.

YMMV, but for me, my carry guns all have the same manual of arms (in other words, no safety, decocker, etc, just draw and pull trigger) because I don't want to be fumbling around in a critical moment to make sure my gun fires. If you like to rotate your carry guns, that's your choice, and I won't say you're making a bad choice. But I do think it's important to consider the things I've mentioned above and weigh that against the benefits of a carry rotation.

One of the biggest reasons I've seen people use for a rotation is because they can carry different size guns with different types of attire. I call BS on this excuse. 300 days out of the year, I wear a T-Shirt and Cargo Shorts. And I have absolutely no problem carrying and concealing, comfortably, a Glock 19. Certainly, bigger guns are hard to hide, and I wouldn't want to try to conceal anything too much larger than my G19, but it goes to show that you can carry and conceal a duty sized firearm with practically any kind of attire.

EDIT: Check out this thread, and read Pax's response. That is why I don't rotate carry guns.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=529568

Last edited by Gaerek; July 29, 2013 at 06:19 PM.
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Old July 29, 2013, 06:28 PM   #12
tristar viper
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I got 3; a G19, a Taurus TCP, and my all time favorite an HK USP 40.
The TCP is really awesome....it fits anywhere, with any kind of clothing, and you don't even know it's there.
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Old July 29, 2013, 06:46 PM   #13
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I pick up whatever is handy and loaded when I leave the house.
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Old July 29, 2013, 06:51 PM   #14
KyJim
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When clothing permits, I'll generally carry a Dan Wesson CCO (1911) in .45 acp. My other two carry pistols are a Kahr CM9 (mostly pocket carry) and a Ruger LCP (always pocket carry). In the past, I had more guns in my carry rotation but found these three to cover all my concealed carry needs. That could change in the future, especially if my revolver itch needs scratching.
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Old July 29, 2013, 07:16 PM   #15
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Just carry the Glock. I change carry modes and holsters but always the
Glock 27 or 31C.
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Old July 29, 2013, 08:00 PM   #16
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The type of holster matters more to me than the gun. I prefer a strong-side hip holster with zero cant and only friction for retention. That type of holster works well if I am in a normal outdoor situation or walking around in town with a coat on or even with a long shirt tail pulled out. If I might find myself running, crawling, climbing through heavy brush or under or on top of machinery, or falling in slopping mud, I want the option of a retention device. Slower yet, if neater dress and deeper concealment is required, I might have to go to an inside the waistband holster or a pocket holster.

When the country gets especially rough or I find myself in a canoe or a kayak, I go to an El Paso full flap crossdraw holster with a canteen snap. A few years ago I took a solo trip down the Kongakut River in Northeastern Alaska up next to the Yukon border that called for hugging a section of Arctic Coast before I came back to a town. The river was more suited to rafting than the nylon framed folbot I used, and I faced the real possibility of losing everything I owned except what I had on my person as I floated out to shore. I wanted a holster that had the best chance of retaining my Smith & Wesson 629-1. Even that holster was not as slow as I would have imagined after I practiced with it for awhile; albeit, the faster draw required two hands, never a good thing.

I agree with the idea that a person would be better off if he could carry exactly the same gun in the same holster all of the time, but I'm not sure how I could make that work unless I chose something like a J-frame Smith, and as much as I love pocket pistols, I don't feel nearly as high on the food chain with a small gun as I do with any full-sized belt pistol.
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Old July 29, 2013, 08:20 PM   #17
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Not as much as I use to. I find myself gravitating toward smaller, poly guns like the Taurus PT145, SR9C or LCP instead of the 1911 or N frame that I'd carry in the past.
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Old July 29, 2013, 08:25 PM   #18
Bob Wright
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Nope. Just my Ruger Blackhawk. Don't see any need to swap. If for some reason I did need to rotate, it'd be a similar Blackhawk.

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Old July 29, 2013, 08:29 PM   #19
Jeremiah/Az
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I carry my PM9 owb all day everyday. It's just part of gettin' dressed.
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Old July 29, 2013, 10:44 PM   #20
btmj
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Yes.

Winter: A glock 19 on either a belt slide holster or a shoulder rig.

Other 3 seasons: a Walther PPS on either a belt slide holster on an IWB holster, and sometimes a kangaroo carry "inside shirt" shoulder/chest holster. Same manual of arms as the glock, same trigger, very similar sights. same 9mm bullets. The only real difference is the mag release.
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Old July 29, 2013, 10:53 PM   #21
WildBill45
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Quote:
One of the biggest reasons I've seen people use for a rotation is because they can carry different size guns with different types of attire. I call BS on this excuse. 300 days out of the year, I wear a T-Shirt and Cargo Shorts.
If you lived at 9000 feet you Would be changing your clothes, or eastcoast or even Alaska. Clothing can determine the holster and the gun to facilitate draw and clearing the action for a shot. Also the locale, going to a Broadway Play may present issues that may not be an issue in Phoenix.
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Old July 30, 2013, 06:21 AM   #22
foxytwo
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I carry any one of three guns depending on what I wear. Sig P250c 9mm, XD40sc or a Keltec PF9, all can either be IWB or OWB.
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Old July 30, 2013, 06:32 AM   #23
40-82
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I agree with you WildBill45. You wouldn't want to decline a white tie event simply because you lacked a pistol that would snug up properly in a cummerbund.
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Old July 30, 2013, 01:02 PM   #24
cas700850
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+1 to WildBill...I wear a suit and tie to work, casual clothes on the off hours. I'm in mid-Ohio, so summers can go up into the 90's+, and winters can get down to single digits. I simply cannot come up with a single gun/single carry method that will fit all of this. I'm down to 2 guns at this point...my new LCP (in place of a treasured Smith 649) for when it's too hot to wear a covering garment, and my SIG P239 SAS for when I can wear a jacket/coat/etc., or when it's cold enough to need gloves (the trigger guard is plenty big for gloves). I do, however, make sure all of my carry guns operate in the same way (no manual safety, same pull for each shot), so I don't struggle with a safety lever, or changing trigger pulls between shots.
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Old July 30, 2013, 07:01 PM   #25
johnwilliamson062
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I carry one gun all the time in West Central Ohio, but I don't worry about not printing or even if a little shows(G27).

If I was worried about being absolutely concealed I would have to go with a very small pistol to make it work(LCP maybe).
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