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Carry enough gun?

9K views 94 replies 64 participants last post by  BkCo1 
#1 ·
In the thread titled "Criminals and the Guns They Carry" there was some discussion of "carry enough gun" and pocket guns not being a good idea.

Sometimes when I am making a quick trip to the store I will slip a S&W model 638 38spl in my pocket because I don't want to bother with my concealed holster the the .45 I normally carry. Am I making a mistake?

(yes the .38 is in a pocket holster, not just loose in my pocket)
 
#33 ·
The "slip-in-the-pocket" option is viable. You should use the same training requirements/standards you use for your EDC, though. Other than that,do what works for you.

As far as statistics go, if we based our carry on statistics, very few of us would even carry. Personally, though, I don't intend to BE a statistic.

Calibe/capacity issues? Well, the idea od having enough gun is usually a pass/fail test. The better question is, do YOU have enough FIGHT in you?
 
#36 ·
i prefer .40 cal. 13+1 in my carry gun. but to be honest, i think any gun is sufficient. criminals don't like being shot at. no matter the caliber. look at any of the video footage of sd shootings. they run as soon as shots are fired. it's not like they take a minute to figure out what kind of gun is being shot at them.

now if someone has malicious intent towards you in particular, it may be a different story.
 
#38 ·
My CCW mantra is "Carry the largest caliber handgun I can effectively conceal in a proper holster that I have proper training and comfort using in a life threatening situation." All photos below are stock photos of holsters and not my guns.

That said, here is my normal carry choices:
Every day carry with loose fitting shirt or coat = Sig 1911 Scorpion Carry (4.25" barrel) with Trijicon HD night sights in either a leather OWB or Blade-Tech kydex holster
Handgun holster Tan Brown Leather Gun accessory


Handgun holster Gun accessory


When I must go with IWB I carry a Sig P239 with Trijicon HD night sights in a Brommeland Max-Con V
Handgun holster Gun accessory Starting pistol Trigger Airsoft gun


Jogging I carry a Sig P238 in a Pistol Wear PT-2


If you are reading this forum and carry a CCW and don't regularly train you are not doing yourself any favors. In fact, you are more of a liability to society than an asset. Paraphrased from the Magpul tactical handgun training DVD. I agree with this mindset. Okay, I'm off my soapbox.
 
#40 ·
If I am making a quick trip to the store I often do a similar thing, however, my variation is 2 j-frames, one on my hip in a side guard double tuck clip on holster and one in my pocket, in a pocket holster. Both loaded with buffalo bore ammo
 
#42 ·
The only mistake would be if you fail to carry, or fail to practice with a gun you only occasionally carry. My EDC is an LC9, my house gun is a Glock 23. I only carry the Glock when the fiance and I are both out of the house together. I don't want her to have to worry about a reload or disengaging a safety if she needs to use the gun, so I leave my Glock home with her. I carry the LC9 with an extra mag. I can shoot the bullseye of a target out with either. I made sure I can shoot the LC9 just as accurately as the Glock before I relied on it for my EDC.
 
#43 ·
Far as I can figure, the only time what a bad guy has in his hand is going to change what I should be shooting back with, is if what he has in his hand came equipped with a splinter shield.

But, if someone can go Rambo with a quad .50, I don't think he is really going to need it to do a number on anyone who cannot out run him.
 
#45 ·
for a quick trip to the gas station, i would just throw my beretta nano in my pocket. If i'm gonna be out somewhere for a while and farther away, I carry my G19 on my hip. Round capacity will greatly help if i ever need it. Sometimes i carry both nano and G19..
 
#47 ·
Let me throw a little curveball here...

For those of you who put the smaller gun in your pocket to make a quick run to the store: You are almost there when your cellphone rings. You answer and your significant other asks you to run a few more errands while you are out. You would now have to go to several different locations that you weren't planning on going to originally and two of the places you have never been to without your larger gun because the surrounding area is not the greatest. You would also have to go to one place you have never been before. You will now be out much later than you had originally anticipated and you will also have to make one additional stop of your own now because you no longer have enough fuel to run all the errands so you must stop at the gas station to fill up the tank.

What do you do? Do you accept your new missions and run the errands now? Do you turn down the new missions? Do you delay the new missions long enough to return home to get your normal EDC gun? Something else?
 
#56 ·
I practice at the range monthly as my instructor told me to do. I put my LCP in the family room drawer (close for watching tv) and my EDC is now the Kahr CM9 with Critical Duty +P. Point is I moved up to the 9 from .380. I will go up to the .40 when it is colder and it will be colder here, also with Hornady CD loaded up. Especially since the Salon shooting in Brookfield, WI where the BG used a .40. Just sayin' :mad:
 
#57 ·
The 6un I carry is on my avatar, its all I need I carry it in my pocket or down my pants in the front with my shirt over it, its not so much the size of the gun you use its the load thats in it !!! I use hollow point, im not trying to stop a lion or an elephant, its just a human, this will do the job just fine.... Eddie
 
#59 ·
its just a human, this will do the job just fine....
Yea, but to the OP's point, what if it is 2 humans? Hitting 2 moving targets with only 6 shots out of a snub is a LOT to ask anyone.
 
#60 · (Edited)
:deadhorse:

I carry two small guns, because my social and business needs are discreet.

The concept of "carry[ing] enough gun" is laughable when discussing handguns, because NONE of them are "enough" gun. It's like arguing the effectiveness of a knife with a 3 inch blade, versus a 3.1 or a 3.15 inch blade. :duh: It ain't gonna matter. If you really wanted enough gun, you'd be using a long gun.
 
#62 · (Edited)
"Carry enough gun" in the context of CCW. Yes, I would like to have a belt fed 10 gauge shotgun for most self defense situations. But that is impractical. In the context of CCW my standard is, what do I want to have and still be practical if I'm attacked by multiple armed BG's. BG's tend to run in packs. I understand that surviving an attack by multiple BG's is unlikely but it does still fall within the realm of possibility. The BG's will probably be moving and shooting at me and not to standing in one spot like targets on a shooting range. Some of my shots might miss completely or be peripheal hits. Drawing a second gun or doing a mag change while under attack from multiple attackers will be difficult. The BG's might not know I'm using the latest greatest death ray ammo and take several hits before they fall down.

I don't want to go into a fight for my life with the minimum, I want to give myself the best chance possible.
 
#63 ·
I carried a 442 for many years in a pocket holster. I had carried something similar for more years as a BUG and felt comfortable with the ease of holstering and that I could casually walk around with my hand in my pocket. I've stepped up to a compact .45, which obviously has a difference holstering circumstance and is not as easily accessible. I wasn't comfortable anymore with the 5-shot .38. I said all that to say this: If you carry two guns on an on-off basis, make sure you practice that way. I made the easy mistake of just dropping in an even smaller BUG to go recover my son's stolen bike. A longer story short - things got ugly very fast and I was under gunned. Fortunately, I learned from my experience.
 
#64 ·
Thanks for the replies everyone!

My EDC is a S&W 4516 with an extra magazine in a smart carry holster. Around the house I dress casual and don't wear the smart carry. However, no matter where I sit down in the house there is a .45 of one brand or another falling directly under the reach of my right hand. Even when I'm on the treadmill getting the exercise my doctor says I have to do everyday so my blood suger doesn't get too high and cause my head to explode I keep a .45 in the cup holder on the treadmill.

The entire reason I started this thread is as I stated, I am sometimes too lazy to put on the smart carry and just slip the .38 in the pocket. After considering all the replies I think I have changed my mind. From now on when I go out it will be with the smart carry and the bigger gun. If I slip the .38 in the pocket in the future it will be as a BUG.

Thanks again for all the input. :smile:
 
#65 ·
I normally carry a .357 snub-nose revolver, when I feel I need to carry more gun I pick my .357 S&W 65 or my Ruger Speed Six. I have hi-capacity autos but now they are all safe queens.
 
#66 ·
Question for all of you "I stap on in the moring and dont take it off till bed time" people. Don't you ever set around in your boxers and watch TV? There has been days when I never put on "pants".

I wear bibs most days, so a "belt line'' I do not have, so pocket carry is the only real choice for me most days. LCR 38 right front pocket with 2 speed strips in my rear pocket.

 
#68 ·
Question for all of you "I stap on in the moring and dont take it off till bed time" people. Don't you ever set around in your boxers and watch TV? There has been days when I never put on "pants".

I wear bibs most days, so a "belt line'' I do not have, so pocket carry is the only real choice for me most days. LCR 38 right front pocket with 2 speed strips in my rear pocket.
No bib overalls, no watching the tube in my frootathelooms, and no pocket carry for me, but thanks for asking.
 
#67 ·
The lack of skill set and survival mindset is what makes a person undergunned, not what gun they're carrying. The reason I carry a full size gun is because it's what I shoot the best, it's what I have, and it's what I know. If I had the resources to buy a pocket gun, and train enough to be proficient with said pocket gun, I might own one. But since I don't, I don't have to worry about making the wrong decision as far as which gun I leave the house with.

If I had to go into a gunfight right now with a partner, I would rather have a well trained shooter with a Ruger LCP on my side than an under trained sofa commado with a full size duty pistol and a belt full of spare mags.
 
#69 ·
All of us pick a spot somewhere between armed to the teeth and pocket carrying a .380 based on our needs and level of caution. I don't want to be so fearful that I carry always except when sleeping. Sure I carry always when I'm out of the house although I have to leave it in the car while at work. At home I feel its enough to have a pistol in the same part of the house we're in. In the morning I carry my Glock 23 downstairs and place it out of sight but still handy and always in the same place. When we go to bed I carry it back upstairs to my nightstand. I don't usually carry one on me around the house.

Outside the home, I feel that carrying an LC9 with an extra mag is enough most of the time. I think that good situational awareness and a pocket pistol beats no situational awareness and a hand cannon any day, as long as you are confident in your skill with your pocket pistol. I feel that for me, high situational awareness and a hand cannon is overkill and I don't want to be uncomfortable carrying a full size 1911 or Glock everywhere. I have found what works for me and makes me feel well protected while also allowing me to be somewhat easy going and not constantly thinking about the brick strapped to my hip.
 
#70 ·
My rules...

Bigger is better.

Take what you can when you can.

Have better firepower and training than the other guy.

Watch your 6.

Trouble doesn't tell you it is coming. It is always unannounced. Regardless of what you have handy or the scenario, you better be ready for it between your ears.
 
#71 ·
No, Paullie, I do not. I'm just too formal for sitting around in my skivvy-drawers.

I do not wear bib overalls, but overalls have to be rather suitable for carrying all sorts of things in pockets or openings. One could almost carry a rifle in some.

So, basic rules of carrying. Always carry. Always carry with a minimum of one reload. Always carry the biggest sidearm possible, consistent with clothing and social restrictions (which may mean a derringer or .25 auto in one's underwear.)

Having only one gun rather simplifies the decision process.
 
#72 ·
I keep a weapon (9mm with a fifteen round magazine+one in the chamber) and a holster plus two extra fully loaded ten round mags in my car.

I know exactly where it is, what it is and how to get to it and how to operate it.

It goes where I go when I am driving. If I am in a bad area or just get that "funny feeling" (some people call it paranoia) when I
exit the vehicle I will either slip the gun in my belt or put the whole rig on. Sometimes I don't arm myself for a quick in and out, but when that
happens I take a good look around before I leave the vehicle and keep my eyes and ears open after I leave the vehicle.
 
#75 ·
Hmmm. I carry my 640 or 642 with a speed strip and I never feel as though I'm compromising. Perhaps I feel this way because I shoot it often and I am very familiar with it.
 
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