Would You Carry a Gun You Have Never Practiced With?

[JAG45]

I have tried to stay out of this fight, but keep coming back to it. So let me jump in. I do not necessarily like to carry a handgun I have not shot and would not suggest it but have done it several times more than I care to remember. And I am sure that most people who have been around guns long enough have. Several different occasions stick out in my mind.

When I was a young man just out of college I had met a nice lady that I just started to date. I had met her dad once before, but about a month in we went out to his house in the country to pick something up in my truck. At 0:dark thirty we are about to leave and he looked out his back porch. Turns to his wife and says that someone is breaking into the airplane hanger on the little grass strip behind his hay field. It will take county about 30-45 minuets to get someone out, so he grabs a big old revolver and hands me a 30-30 propped by the back door and says come on. Do you stop and say, “Why sir I have never shot this gun before.”? Or do you get your butt out there and help. This was almost an exact replay of something that happened with an uncle almost 10 years earlier but then again my uncle had known me for more than 20 days.

Also back a long time ago I would fly in to different cities and have a friend pick me up, and there would be a 1911 in holster with a spare magazine for me to carry while there. This has always worked well for me and several close friends for some time.

And last, if you have ever been in the military or law enforcement any length of time you most likely have done it from time to time. Worst case, here is your weapon and gear, see you tomorrow night. Or best case, you go to the armory and the Number 8 rifle or Number 14 shotgun that you shot for qualification is already checked out, or down for repair, then you either go without, or you sign out one you have not shot. You are not going to try head shots with at 800 yards in a hostage situation, but if you have to lay down some fire to get yourself or others out of a bad spot you will be very glad you had it. And then, there is always, the old chief sergeant you are riding with on the second night with a new department, on the way to a “shots fired call” knowing that there will be 20-30 people on the street when we get there; he tells you, “You carry the shotgun when we get out”. You are not really concerned if that 870 is going to do what it is suppose to do. (Well I don’t guess you would be, I was not.)

Yes if you are around long enough you will do it, but I can not recommend it and it is definitely not for beginners.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Bark'n]

+1 JAG45... Great perspective!

[archer51]

I have tried to stay out of this fight, but keep coming back to it. So let me jump in. I do not necessarily like to carry a handgun I have not shot and would not suggest it but have done it several times more than I care to remember. And I am sure that most people who have been around guns long enough have. Several different occasions stick out in my mind.

When I was a young man just out of college I had met a nice lady that I just started to date. I had met her dad once before, but about a month in we went out to his house in the country to pick something up in my truck. At 0:dark thirty we are about to leave and he looked out his back porch. Turns to his wife and says that someone is breaking into the airplane hanger on the little grass strip behind his hay field. It will take county about 30-45 minuets to get someone out, so he grabs a big old revolver and hands me a 30-30 propped by the back door and says come on. Do you stop and say, “Why sir I have never shot this gun before.”? Or do you get your butt out there and help. This was almost an exact replay of something that happened with an uncle almost 10 years earlier but then again my uncle had known me for more than 20 days.

Also back a long time ago I would fly in to different cities and have a friend pick me up, and there would be a 1911 in holster with a spare magazine for me to carry while there. This has always worked well for me and several close friends for some time.

And last, if you have ever been in the military or law enforcement any length of time you most likely have done it from time to time. Worst case, here is your weapon and gear, see you tomorrow night. Or best case, you go to the armory and the Number 8 rifle or Number 14 shotgun that you shot for qualification is already checked out, or down for repair, then you either go without, or you sign out one you have not shot. You are not going to try head shots with at 800 yards in a hostage situation, but if you have to lay down some fire to get yourself or others out of a bad spot you will be very glad you had it. And then, there is always, the old chief sergeant you are riding with on the second night with a new department, on the way to a “shots fired call” knowing that there will be 20-30 people on the street when we get there; he tells you, “You carry the shotgun when we get out”. You are not really concerned if that 870 is going to do what it is suppose to do. (Well I don’t guess you would be, I was not.)

Yes if you are around long enough you will do it, but I can not recommend it and it is definitely not for beginners.

There's a difference between a new gun, fresh from the box, that has not been fired before and a gun that has been shot and found reliable, even if by someone else.

[FLSquirrelHunter]

The phrase "It's better to be armed with an unfamiliar weapon than to be defenseless, give me the gun" assumes an imminent threat. If threatened, I'll use whatever is available (rock or screwdriver if need be), but I would not 'carry' for self-defense any handgun I haven't personally fired. Nor would I ever suggest it to anyone.

Nor will I ever hunt with any rifle I haven't sighted in.

Every gun shoots differently; heck, even the same gun shoots different ammunition differently. If I haven't used a firearm, I don't know where the bullet will go, and that is too great a threat to others for too small a convenience to me of not getting to the range at least once with the ammo I intend to have ready.

That said, I'll defend myself with any old shotgun. Practice is still preferred, but I have enough years experience with scatterguns to know the shot flies in the general direction of the open end of the barrel and becomes almost harmless beyond about 70 yards.

So if you can't afford the money or time to practice for home/business defense, head to Wally World and get a shotgun. If you need something to carry without practice, take a .410 (derringer or revolver).

[bandit383]

The real question should be "would you carry if you have never shot a gun"...with the rise is gun ownership...I suspect some carry having never fired a weapon.

Once one knows the basics of firearm ownership and shooting...I believe there is very little difference, just technique and feel.

Rick

[Jerbear1098]

The ranges I go to, the people are very generous about shooting their firearms. Meaning, when I'm there, I always have someone telling me to "try" their gun. I have let as many people try any of mine as well. Weather it be at the trap range or handgun range, we get the chance to fondle different guns and see how they shoot. With that said, I guess I'm lucky to have a chance to shoot quite a few different guns, so knowing how they work is not an issue, wondering if it has been cleaned and will jam is something else. In a firefight, I guess I would not have a choice to use what ever is available. I would not put something in my holster without running at least 200 rounds of SD ammo through it, no I would not carry it.

BTW, the nicest shotgun I have shot so far is a Silver Seitz that is owned by a friend of mine. I guess at $15,000 it better be nice. ha ha.

[kpw]

The phrase "It's better to be armed with an unfamiliar weapon than to be defenseless, give me the gun" assumes an imminent threat. If threatened, I'll use whatever is available (rock or screwdriver if need be), but I would not 'carry' for self-defense any handgun I haven't personally fired. Nor would I ever suggest it to anyone.

Nor will I ever hunt with any rifle I haven't sighted in.

Every gun shoots differently; heck, even the same gun shoots different ammunition differently. If I haven't used a firearm, I don't know where the bullet will go, and that is too great a threat to others for too small a convenience to me of not getting to the range at least once with the ammo I intend to have ready.

That said, I'll defend myself with any old shotgun. Practice is still preferred, but I have enough years experience with scatterguns to know the shot flies in the general direction of the open end of the barrel and becomes almost harmless beyond about 70 yards.

So if you can't afford the money or time to practice for home/business defense, head to Wally World and get a shotgun. If you need something to carry without practice, take a .410 (derringer or revolver).

The last thing I want to do is promote carrying a gun that hasn't been proven but, given no time or opportunity to do so, with no other alternative, I'll carry it. As with a shotgun, a handgun will go in the general direction you point it. That's the whole principle behind point shooting. Besides, it's awfully hard for me to conceal a shotgun. That's what I would do personally. I would not endorse or advise against it for others. That's something they'd have to decide for themselves.

[Fishshavers]

The first time I carried my Taurus Tracker 44mag was to hang posted signs
around the camp, I had not yet fired it. After we were done hanging the signs
we did some shooting. 2 of the 5 rounds in the gun did not go off due to light
primer strikes. The gun shot fine as a single action, but light primer strikes
were a big problem when shot as a double action. Sent it off for repairs and now it works fine. So I say test it out first.