The importance of testing your carry gear

[Roadrunner]

So I went to the range today with my mother and brother. He brought his new Sig P239 to shoot for the first time, Mom brought her Kel-Tec P11 (which is her primary defensive pistol, she doesn't carry but it lives in the nightstand), and I had my P11 and my new Commander. I got a 12 round magazine for the P11 a few months back but never had the opportunity to test it out. Because of this I've never carried the P11 with that magazine. That turned out to be a REALLY good idea. I started out by firing a 10 round magazine of my carry ammo, Federal Hydra-Shocks, then fired another ten round mag of FMJ. After that, I put the 12 rounder in, stocked with FMJ. I pulled the trigger, got a BANG, then nothing on the second trigger pull. I looked down and noticed that the slide was locked back. The second round had nose-dived and jammed up the slide. I cleared the jam, dropped the mag and emptied it, never to use it again. 10+1 rounds is all I'll carry in that pistol from here on out. The pistol has been 100% reliable through 250+ rounds of mixed FMJ and JHP with the standard 10 round mags. It was a sobering experience to look down at that jam and think of what might have happened had I carried that mag. I considered doing just that for a few minutes after receiving it in the mail. The thought of two more rounds was tempting. I opted to stick with proven reliability, thank God.

On the plus side, my Commander performed flawlessly. I put about 120 rounds of FMJ through it without a single failure of any kind. It's accurate too, far more so than I can make use of. I was shooting about 6-8" groups at 25'. My brother put two mags through it and shot out the center of his target with the first one. I'll convert him to the 1911 cult yet! He already likes the .45, but prefers Sigs at this point. At least he's chosen well among the inferior designs. One other amusing anecdote from our visit; I've grown used to the mild recoil from shooting 9mm autos, so the .45 took a little getting used to. It's not unpleasant, just different. I wasn't leaning into the gun much, and during aimed fire that wasn't a big deal. Then I tried rapid fire and after four rounds felt myself tipping over backward! Lesson learned, respect the power of the .45!

Back on my own topic; test your gear everyone. I got lucky and learned my lesson on the range. Don't learn it on the street, you may not get a chance to put the lesson into practice.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[fotomaker57]

I could not agree more about testing your carry gear. I would also strongly suggest every one should run a large number of their carry ammo through their weapon. One other thing is to practice with that carry weapon. I just cringe when I hear that phrase "carry often and shoot a little."
Mike

[Bud White]

Always test you gear be it the gun holster belt mag holder before you decide to carry it

[Ti Carry]

I wouldn't ever carry a weapon that I hadn't tested and that weapon satisfied my requirements and expectations.

My GF's BIL is an ex cop that couldn't take it on the street anymore and took about 5 years off and now is back as a corrections officer.

He bought the sub compact Glock not sure the # but has had and carried it for like 9-10 months and has NEVER EVEN SHOT THE GUN! EVER. I'm like WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? His answer to me was Glocks don't fail! I'm like WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I could not believe what I was hearing, that was at Christmas.

Dude still hasn't shot the gun. I told him he better work on his pitching cause he just might have to throw the plastic ware at a BG. He then told me NAW I only need one shot! He also told me that he only carries it when he thinks he will need it and he might be in a bad area.

I put it down and walked away.

Ti.

[Bud White]

I wouldn't ever carry a weapon that I hadn't tested and that weapon satisfied my requirements and expectations.

My GF's BIL is an ex cop that couldn't take it on the street anymore and took about 5 years off and now is back as a corrections officer.

He bought the sub compact Glock not sure the # but has had and carried it for like 9-10 months and has NEVER EVEN SHOT THE GUN! EVER. I'm like WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? His answer to me was Glocks don't fail! I'm like WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I could not believe what I was hearing, that was at Christmas.

Dude still hasn't shot the gun. I told him he better work on his pitching cause he just might have to throw the plastic ware at a BG. He then told me NAW I only need one shot! He also told me that he only carries it when he thinks he will need it and he might be in a bad area.

I put it down and walked away.

Ti.

Not the shapest tool in the shed there ... sure the glock should run but hey stuff happens .. ive seen a pistol wont say maker without a firing pin

[P95Carry]

Ti - let's hope GF's BIL never has a ''situation'' - that is one very late stage to test a gun! That said - I know folks who would be prepared to carry an unfired Glock over most other platforms - having greater faith in the gun's ''gobang'' reliability! Maybe too they think presentation of the potential club will be all they'll need!

Roadrunner - you sure proved a point re mags and reliability. I'll bet tho that some judicious tweaking will cure that mag prob - could be worth ensuring follower is free 100% - no snagging and then very small adjustments to mag feed lips - compare angle of top round with good mag. May take some time and experiment but - could work too.

[Roadrunner]

Chris, I may mess with it a bit. The problem seems to be that the follower is shaped differently than the 10 round mags' follower. I'm selling the gun to my grandfather as soon as my Kahr arrives and proves reliable (the sale was in the works before this magazine failure, I'm not trying to pass off an unreliable gun). I'll still strongly suggest he not carry with the 12 rounder. 11 definite bangs is better than 13 maybes.

[P95Carry]

Ahhh - well there is something often seen - a different follower profile. So perhaps not ''curable''.

I would tho still see if things can be improved, if only to allow it good use at the range.

[QKShooter]

Packing Untested Firearms & magazines is never a good idea.

For sure carrying an untested/unfired pistol is downright dumb.
Perhaps there is a bit more wiggle room with a function checked revolver.

Even IF the firearm functions...How WELL will the human defensive shooter function without any practice?

Every person that totes a firearm has a responsibility to those "Innocents & Bystanders" out in public to practice & become an accomplished shooter with their carry handgun.

Not intending to slam anybody in particular but, just my personal opinion on that.

[HappyGunner]

I found out that some defense Ammo. won't work in some of my 1911s Like my 3" and 4" Kimbers.

They don't like Corbon 185 JHP shaped Ammo. their sharp flat bullet heads just won't feed well in both small 1911s.

When shooting Rem.Golden Saber JHP I have no such problems in my 3"&4" 1911s.

The Corbons will shoot without problems in my 5" Kimber.

[P95Carry]

responsibility to those "Innocents & Bystanders" out in public to practice & become an accomplished shooter with their carry handgun.

I forgot to mention that QK - and it is very important - probably in some respects just as important as actually having something that works!

I fear there are some folks around carrying who have barn door issues - lot of good that'll be in a conflict situation!!

[HotGuns]

I carried a little Hungarian FEG .380 for awhile, when I didnt feel like carrying a bigger gun.

Being a firm beleiver in shooting the guns that you carry often, I took out in the yard where I have bench and a firing range and proceeded to to shoot it at a bullseye.

I heard a click instead of a bang. Thinking it may have been the ammo, I jacked it out and noticed that the primer had never been hit.

Trying another round and then another...same thing.

After tearing the thing down I noticed that the firing pin was broken in half. I had been carrying that gun for approximately 3 months since that last time I shot it.

I had NO idea when the firing pin broke and could only imagine what would have happened if I had to actually pull on someone and shoot.

Since then, I make it a habit of firing my carry guns quite often.

[jarhead79]

A new friend of mine showed me his Hi Point .45. After laughing for a few minutes, I asked him how many rounds he's put through it. He said .............................2.

I said 2 hundred????????????.


NO, 2.

I asked him how he felt that it was a good gun. He said I shot a friend's and it shot fine.

I then spent the next several minutes explaining to him some basics.

He doesn't CCW, so it's not a huge deal, but his thoughts are off.

[P95Carry]

I had NO idea when the firing pin broke and could only imagine what would have happened if I had to actually pull on someone and shoot.

HG - scary, in the extreme - everyone take note!!

Tell ya what - that is a classic situation where at very least, when recharging carry piece - the pencil test in barrel would be most informative!!!

[ExSoldier]

It only takes ONE FTF or FTE for me to lose all confidence forever in a NEW gun. In a tried and true gun it's to be expected, for a variety of reasons. Much in the same way a person who has owned his car for a good many years can "sense" that that noise isn't right and pretty much know why it feels "funny" or sounds strange. Nothing is ever 100% perfect, but I expect a new gun right out of the box to at least run through a few boxes of ammo before things start showing up. That's what happened to my last three sub 4" barrel 1911's. That's one reason I'll never again own a 1911 with less than a 4" barrel. UNLESS it's one of those Cylinder & Slide 1911 Adventurers. Laughridge guarantees that gun for 100% reliability. I believe it. Why? One of the local gunsmiths I've been using went to work for his shop a few years ago. When he stops into town to see family, he usually shows up at an IDPA match. I trust him when he says that warranty is no joke.