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Do we subconsciously compensate?

3K views 21 replies 17 participants last post by  tex45acp 
#1 ·
I know it's tiring to debate this kind of thing over and over again but I had a thought spinning off the other thread here.

Do we all actually perceive the same level of threat, but in different ways? As I stated in the other thread, it's been pointed out to me that my main carry gun has a 12 round magazine and I carry it topped off with the extra round in the chamber.

The only reason I actually do that is because a box of Golden Sabers holds 25 rounds, and two full magazines plus one in the pipe is 25.

But that doesn't excuse the fact I typically also have a 642 with all 5 holes in the cylinder plugged with Gold Dots and another 6 Gold Dots are ready to go too.

That's 36 rounds of ammunition on my person. That's as much as the high capacity fans who carry 9mm with the 17 round magazine and a spare reload. That's a lot of people I know, they carry a large capacity 9x19 pistol with one reload.

The difference? We're each afraid of the same thing but each apply our own neurosis. If anything I am more paranoid because I'm actually carrying TWO guns ready to go in case one breaks down, hehe.

I remember when we asked how much ammunition people actually carry, we got a pretty tight spread of numbers for the most part. Most of us were 10 rounds of each other.

I also admit I think the best reload my beloved revolvers is... another one of my beloved revolvers. I never have carried a full size revolver solo upon retrospect. It's always backed up.

I'm wondering if we don't all subconciously begin to gravitate towards some logical optimal medium. I've noticed most CCWers' hardware starts to look alike after a while. Sure we gush over the world of differences between the CZ75 one guy carries versus the SIG 226 someone else has, but ultimately, consider how similar they really are to the world at large.
 
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#2 ·
compensate? Or just be prepared. I always have a spare tire , so why not spares for other emergencies as well? I thjink most folks tend to carry similar to what they find others do, especially profesionals. I tend to carry and look at carry issues from a LE perspective due to my former training.
 
#4 ·
Deep!

Teacher, I am pickin up what your throwin down! my dad was an educator too and he is deep just like you.

Ti.
 
#5 ·
When I first started carrying, I didn't think I could carry anything bigger than a Seecamp. Now I can surprise a lot of people with the size and amount of hardware I can carry.

I also went through a phase where I believed I had to have as much ammo capacity as I could. I toted two extra mags for my primary, and had a backup gun. There's nothing wrong with carrying as much ammo as you can or as many guns as you want - heck, conceal a bandolier and a half dozen guns.

Down through the years, I somehow wound up carrying a 5-shot revolver or an 8+1 semiauto. I don't feel underpowered. I will, however, still carry a backup as much as I can. Maybe when it hits the fan, I'll wish I had that third extra magazine. But I also think that if that happens, I'll wish I had my 11-87 instead, or a basket full of hand grenades. :lol: I've gravitated to carrying what is good enough to handle the most common scenarios a permitholder would face, what I can proficiently handle and conceal, is reliable, and is of decent stopping power.

I also toted two knives. Now I carry just one, just because. Oh wait - there's the little Cricket in my purse and the Leatherman. And the Leatherman Micra on my keychain. :lol:

I still carry the Surefire, a Streamlight Stylus, and one extra speed strip or mag.

Sometimes I will carry more if I feel more threatened. When my psycho-ex called and threatened to "finish things," every mag was loaded and on me. (I'm sure it would've been very interesting to explain to the officer why I reloaded three times, but when you feel threatened, I think it's natural to compensate and carry more.) If I'm going out in the woods, I prefer a rifle or my 6" 686. The 686 is the biggest gun with the longest barrel I have. There's bigger things in the woods than man.

I do think that as a small female, I'm more likely to be seen as a target than most of you guys. So yes, I do compensate in any number of ways, and not just in hardware. It's in my behavior like my situational awareness or my "game face." I've also noticed I'm not a very approachable person, but I've never been the most social person anyway. A stranger would have a very hard time meeting me in public, because I will not initiate or encourage contact. Standoffish people don't look like food.
 
#8 ·
Euc - indeed - you's runnin' deep again :wink: I think actually we consciously compensate.

Possibly one factor that applies apart from all the various aspects we discuss - is, for sake of another expression - ''individual comfort level". Add that to practical considerations, meaning how much hardware can we comfortably conceal, without clanking around like a prison inmate in chains!

I have settled pretty much on one piece most of time - BUG sometimes, extra mags also on others. Some of the ''comfort'' is how much I am aware of what I carry and whether it is a hindrance in every day life - plus too the other comfort I alluded to which is feeling at least adequately prepared.

To extend ''adequate'' would for me allow for extremes - were they practical. Like - frag grenades, ultra short shottie, and four or more guns - including if coat long enough - CAR15 and or MP5. In other words all the firepower I could imagine ''just in case''

But I jest - seriously we come as always IMO to what suits an individual's choice and perceived need. We may all hope that nothing will bring us to a situation where we have to enjoin the fight - but we nonetheless have to imagine our approach should it occur. Therefore we plan as we see best and apply that to our carry decisions.

Euc's mention of ''logical optimum medium'' may have some truth - more so I think with those of us who have carried some while and been able to refine our choices in various ways. In that respect I can see certainly some commonality, if we look deep enough.
 
#9 ·
I still think lots of people just find out what their teachr or peers are carrying and emulate em. But Euc. ya may have something with similar carry. BTW, I am no longer in LE work. As to what I carry, some of ya may be suprised. Sometimes I am loaded with full sized HK , 2 spare mags, pepper spray, a BUG and 2 knives. Other days I just carry a NAA .22 revo. and a knife.
 
#10 ·
Once you take 'what we are comfortable with' and 'what we have available' out of the equation, it's possible that there is a 'best' carry combination that fits most folk's needs...there aren't really that many possibilities.

As I've said before, I'm comfortable with either the 10 or the .380 and one spare mag...it's all I find practical at this point.
The closest I ever come to having a BUG is the security-six .357 truck gun.

Of course I've only been continuously carrying for less than 2 years, so more experience and experimenting (and more purchases :biggrin: ) may well lead me towards some 'ideal' carry package.
 
#11 ·
Good points, Euclidean -- and an interesting concept. I think we each carry what puts us at our comfort level individually, since we (well, we old guys anyway) may have started carrying a gun many years ago and in my case, there weren't a lot of people to talk with about carrying. So, I end up packing around what makes me "comfortable with the world."
Years ago, that was a Ruger Super Blackhawk. Then it was a short N-frame Smith. I worked on ranches and was outside a lot, so as Betty said, there's more out there than people and bigger, too.
These days, it's sometimes just a BUG - but I'm not really comfortable unless I have my little 1911 with me.
These days, there are forums like this and Gabe's and others, where people can discuss these topics.... and, as we all think of general threats and see what makes others comfortable in the world, it is likely that we'll gravitate toward some common point. Maybe it's a Hi-Power with two spare mags, maybe it's a 1911 with one spare and a J-frame.....
It will be interesting to see where we all end up. I'm surprised that I haven't gravitated backward to my N-frame and a cowboy hat with an Elmer Keith crease. Oh, and a riot gun.....
 
#12 ·
Betty said:
But I also think that if that happens, I'll wish I had my 11-87 instead, or a basket full of hand grenades. :lol: ....

I also toted two knives. Now I carry just one, just because. Oh wait - there's the little Cricket in my purse and the Leatherman. And the Leatherman Micra on my keychain. :lol:

I still carry the Surefire, a Streamlight Stylus, and one extra speed strip or mag.

Sometimes I will carry more if I feel more threatened.

That settles it, if Nashville ever gets invaded by ninjas or aliens ... I'M CALLIN' BETTY!!! :hand2: :biggrin:
Jack
 
#14 ·
I also carry my Kimber CDP II with one in the chamber and a topped off mag. no spare mag, and a Benchmade auto. But that's when I'm traveling around town to my normal (safe) spots and am out of the car. In the car there is a PT145 and a spare mag of Hydra's. Also when my wife and our friends are traveling out of town, I carry the Kimber, spare mag on my person, and the double stack Para and spare in reach, PT145 in the laptop case. My friend carrys his Smith auto (9 mm) within reach in the vehicle.
 
#15 ·
Due to Ohio's "plain sight" vehicle carry law, I don't carry a BUG as it would have to be "in plain sight" as well as my primary, and it's enough of a hassle to comply with one gun. So I just carry a spare 15 rd magazine.

If I felt that there was an increased threat level, but no specific threat, I'd carry another spare mag, and throw the designated "truck gun" (SKS with 150 rds on stripper clips in a bandoleer) in the back of the Jeep.

If I had a specific threat, I would AVOID it if possible, or cowboy up with as much tactical gear as I had time to grab from the "ready deployment" stuff.

The BHP with one spare mag provides me with the best level of comfort/convienence/tactical utility for me given my current location, circumstances and lifestyle. Changes to any of those would likely lead to reassessment and adjustment if needed.
 
#16 ·
Euc, this is really presuppositional because you really never know if your combo is good until you see it at work, and we all hope this never happends. However, I think it is human nature to gravitate to what's most pragmatic. Thus, initially I carried my SW model 37 and the 1911 at home. Well, with the wife being pregnant I felt she needed access to the 37 all of the time so it remains behind.

I decided that the Milspec will be my all of the time piece and I will not worry about printing or anything just carry it. I shoot it the best, so this week I will get a better belt and then work on getting rid of the Fobus. 1 Milspec, 1 magazine, a CRKT and trust in the Lord that he will teach my hands to war if need be. My 2Cents. :cool:
 
#17 ·
I had to think about this overnight because it reminded me of something I read when studying chaos theory. There is a small piece of chaos theory that talks to the occurence of simultaneous knowledge. It seems there is tremendous evidence that when one creature learns something (through experience), it is somehow transmitted throughout the species within a very short time even though other recipients have not yet shared the experience or had direct communication with the origin. This is somewhat less prevelant in humans because we learn in so many ways other than experience and we tend to adopt belief systems that color our perception. How does this apply to Euclidean's thoughts?
Well, perhaps what occurs is that because of the commonality of our belief systems and our mindset (as CCW's), the experiences of all those that have come before us and our own experience (we stand on the shoulders of giants), we come to share several basic 'truths' about carrying. This would not extend to what gun or caliber we carry (as this is a personal choice based on our own 'perceptions' and experiences, not enough commonality) but does extend to the why's, how's and how much.
 
#19 ·
Standard loadout for me is one 1911, and one spare magazine. I feel comfortable with it when running errands and such.

I keep one spare carry mag in my coat, in case I forget a spare during winter. Sometimes I carry my .38 snub as a BUG, when the amount of clothing I'm wearing makes my 1911 hard to get to.

In my truck, I keep a spare carry mag for my 1911 (in case I forget a spare and I dont have my coat) spare mag for my G17 (truck gun - gun in one door pocket, mag in another), and a 33 rounder in the glovebox.

So, I guess you could say that when its really cold outside, and I'm in my truck, I have a 1911 (8), two spare mags (14), a BUG (5), and a the truck gun (68) within reach. Wow.

If I'm going to the range on that cold day, in addtion to the above, I'll have at least one additional 1911 with four mags (28), two additional mags for my carry gun (21), and four extra mags for my G17(68). Not to mention enough boxed ammo to replace every round. OMG.

For someone comfortable with one 1911 and one reload, I just realized how well armed I can be at times... I hope I dont get stopped by an anti-gun cop on my way to the range that day...

edit: If my math sucks, I'm sorry. I havent slept in a while so my head aint exactly screwed on right.
 
#21 ·
My off-duty carry typically "exceeds" my on-duty carry since I carry a BUG off-duty; my agency doesn't authorize BUG carry.

That said, it's my two Kahr 9mm's loaded with seven rounds (each) of standard pressure Speer 124 grain Gold Dot JHPs and backed up with at least one seven-round magazine; usually two. That makes 21 to 28 rounds of 9mm on my person off-duty.

With that, I carry one or two (sometimes three) knives and one or two Surefire lights and other smaller lights on my keychains.

Based on this and other threads I have read, a good many of you carry more than many state or federal investigators I work with. Many don't carry a spare magazine to accompany their primary firearm...sure, they may have a shotgun in the trunk of their car, but when doing interviews in the field, that shotgun is a long way from where we might be interviewing a victim/witness/suspect.
 
#22 ·
Euc,

I think we all compensate to a point. We consiously or sub-consiously fear that we could run out of rounds before the fight is over so we may overload ourselves needlessly.

I tend to do that....my main carry is a 1911 with 8+1 and a spare mag or two backed up by my Taurus PT-145 with two mags holding 10 and one in the pipe. One thing I do believe in is to have my primary and backup the same caliber so the ammunition is interchangable in both guns. If one jams the other can shoot it's ammo if need be.
 
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