Where do you draw the line?

[pwoller]

Why don't you carry an extra mag?

I actually just got one an extra mag and carry it too. These Sig mags are expensive.

 

[STEEL CORE]

I have my G-27 on now with a spare 15 rd mag.
However, I would GUN UP if needed.

 

[Robert Richardson]

If I had to get into a defensive mode right now it would be a 1911 with 8 rd. mag and a spare right next to it. Tomorrow, same platform. Driving/walking/sitting/nite stand......yup, same thing.
Fits my hand, points up no thought involved.

This says it all.

 

[engineerpower]

If I knew I was going to be in a gun fight, I would not have a handgun in my hand, I'd have my AR-10 , but if I had to have a handgun, I would choose one with enough power to take down a really big guy, nothing smaller than a 9mm , (I prefer 10mm) I have no problem with a .45acp , even single stack mags, I can always carry spares, I prefer to conceal carry so being able to conceal it is priority number one.

I think Jeff Cooper would say your handgun is just for fighting your way to your trunk gun...

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I think Jeff Cooper would say your handgun is just for fighting your way to your trunk gun...

Clint Smith.

 

[GIJEW]

My deep concealment pistol WAS a colt mustang, because it was...concealable...and the controls matched my colt officer's mod.. But I found that it was too small to get a good grip on while drawing, and that the safety was too close to the web of my hand to reliably (always) disengage it during the draw.
So, I replaced it with a CM9. Almost as small (with "just" an extra inch of sight radius)but with closer to 'regulation' size trigger guard etc and no tiny safety in the web of my hand. moving up to 9mm was an added benefit. I carry 2 spare mags

 

[engineerpower]

Clint Smith.

One of those guys...

Thanks

 

[10mmMarc]

I actually just got one an extra mag and carry it too. These Sig mags are expensive.

You say the mags are expensive ? the gun was expensive, the accessories should be affordable, I just bought a sig and the mags new from sig were $46 each but I always carry 2 spares as a minimum, and a Galco holster was more than 2 mags, but knowing I have a nice gun and plenty of ammo in a good quality holster is priceless.

 

[tlandon]

I carry a Glock 21 with four extra mags on my right hip, a Glock 30 in my left pocket w/2 extra mags and a Glock 36 on my ankle with 2 extra mags. Also have a AR10 in the trunk with 10 magazines and a Browning A5 on the back seat with a full box of shells.

 

[MCgrease08]

I carry a Glock 21 with four extra mags on my right hip, a Glock 30 in my left pocket w/2 extra mags and a Glock 36 on my ankle with 2 extra mags. Also have a AR10 in the trunk with 10 magazines and a Browning A5 on the back seat with a full box of shells.

There you go. Now you're getting it.

 

[chezuki]

There you go. Now you're getting it.

.

I dont live in Kandahar. I dont need a 20rd 9mm with two extra magazines to drop you. If you need that kind of firepower you're living in the wrong part of the city and/or need to rethink the areas you visit. When will you people learn that size only matters in male organs and bank accounts. Placement is all that matters.

 

[10mmMarc]

I carry a Glock 21 with four extra mags on my right hip, a Glock 30 in my left pocket w/2 extra mags and a Glock 36 on my ankle with 2 extra mags. Also have a AR10 in the trunk with 10 magazines and a Browning A5 on the back seat with a full box of shells.[/Q

Thats too much weight, either you are LEO or just really freakin paranoid !

 

[HalfPoundBobby]

Sig P229 (.40S&W) 12+1 w/ one or two backup 13rd. P226 mags.
Plus a .22 Magnum revolver on my ankle.
One folding knife on a clip and one utility blade in a holster.

If I go anywhere without any one of these items, I feel like I'm undressed.
Don't think I could ever downsize.

I feel moderately prepared. I refuse to start thinking I'm prepared for anything, though.
Over-confidence will kill you.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I carry a Glock 21 with four extra mags on my right hip, a Glock 30 in my left pocket w/2 extra mags and a Glock 36 on my ankle with 2 extra mags. Also have a AR10 in the trunk with 10 magazines and a Browning A5 on the back seat with a full box of shells.

Where do you live? Mogadishu?

I just carry a rusty 8 penny nail. Tetanus kills over 1 million people a year globally. I figure if I stab a bad guy in the ear 6 times that ought to do it.

 

[oldpink]

Where do you live? Mogadishu?

I just carry a rusty 8 penny nail. Tetanus kills over 1 million people a year globally. I figure if I stab a bad guy in the ear 6 times that ought to do it.

Okay, you deserve this rep just for making me laugh hard, but the system won't let me.

 

[snowwalker]

If and when are seen as two different things, when in reality they are the same. My training is for more then one shooter (gangs come to mind) and predators almost always hunt in packs. I've watched 'the small is better' movement and I guess I don't understand as almost all tactical training goes the opposite way. I'm close to 60 and older is perceived as easier prey. My carry is almost always a double stack auto plus a reload and I believe that makes sense. Most on here seem to prepare for one attacker, I just fail to understand why? Just talk to someone who has been in a gunfight and see if they think they had too much ammo!

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

Dress to the occassion

Reading on the internet, you find a lot of people who are "downsizing" their carry guns. Either going to a single stack, or even a smaller caliber. It seems like people are more interested in guns that are comfortable to carry, instead of comforting.

Where do you draw the line? If you knew you were going to be in a gunfight today, would you have reconsidered your choice of carry gun today?
Do you care about the number of rounds your gun holds? Is 7 rounds enough? Is 15 rounds?

With the direction our world is heading, is it really smart for us to be carrying smaller guns for comfort? Or is it too "tacticool" to carry a larger pistol?

Where do you draw the line?



I'm also kind of rambling, but I thought this could be a good discussion.

I'm firmly of the belief that you should carry the largest frame firearm you can reasonably carry in your chosen method and can afford. "Reasonable" is going to be defined differently by every person you ask but I define it as the largest frame I can carry without it being an undue burden to my regular movement or given environment. That means I carry a compact 9mm because I make the trade-off of concealment with my OWB holster and the clothing I wear. I could carry a sub-compact or smaller but that would break the rule of carrying the largest frame I can at the given moment. There's also the fact that I don't yet own a full size handgun; this harkens back to my "can afford" section of my rule.

If I knew full well I'd be in a gunfight I'd have a rifle and invite the local constabulary to the party. That's the point of carrying every day. We don't know when or if we are going to be challenged so we prepare in the best possible way that we can while making the compromises we deem necessary. Some people decide to make more compromises than others in that regard.

Regarding round count: No one who has ever actually had lead thrown their direction in a malicious manner and had to reciprocate will tell you they wish they had fewer rounds on hand. I am not one of them nor do I wish to be but if I follow my own rule and carry the largest frame I can given the circumstances then I have afforded myself the maximum amount of ammunition I can. I also carry one additional magazine not because I fear a drawn out fight, but because ***** happens and it never hurts to have a backup.

 

[jsharmon7]

If you're carrying a handgun, you're already compromising. We're arguing over degrees of compromise. If you're sure you are going to need a firearm to defend yourself then you should be carrying a long gun. The reason we don't is ease and comfort. We all make that compromise so I see no point in downing others for what degree of compromise they choose. It's not that I don't believe I will ever need my pistol. It's that I choose living a "normal" life for the 99.9999% of it I won't be involved in shootouts. Normal to me means going about daily life without 3 guns on my body and 18 extra magazines. I am confident in my P238 and extra mag.

 

[INDY-1911]

I think many are saying something similar to this. Many of us haven't been in a pistol fight. If you feel that you need to have 60-75 small arms rnds with you, then ok. For the other major portion of us, we all know that if you cant takedown in the first few rounds, then you have done something wrong. I tend to carry 10 rnds wheel gun and no more than 14 semi. What I carried in Combat is not what I carry at home. Im not concerned about shooting at you 75 yards away with any of my small arms.

 

[engineerpower]

I had an experience recently that changed my mind about this. I used to normally carry a Kahr CW9 IWB with an extra mag sometimes, sometimes not. Always figured 7+1 of +P 9mm Hydrashocks would get the job done. I now carry a 9mm fullsize Witness with 17+1 in condition 2, as I noticed I often had my kids underfoot and wasn't comfortable with condition 0 anymore. A little harder to CC, but I get it done.

Recently, I've been in the market to add a CNC machine to my manual machine shop, and checked out a machine from Craigslist. It was over by 10th and Tibbs, and the 'hood was definitely the 'hood. The house was trashed, "GF" was there and belligerent, lots of people upstairs talking during the middle of a workday, etc. All in all, pretty shady and I was glad to get out of there.

Probably the last time I do such a visit, but it got me thinking. If I'd been jumped by several people, I'm sure glad I had 18 rounds immediately on tap rather than 8. The quickest reload is the one you don't have to make, and in a high-stress situation at extreme CQB range with 4 potential attackers, 2 rounds per attacker is not much love to go around.

On patrol, I used to carry 7+1 full M4 mags, which is just over the basic load. I figured if we got into a serious engagement, I had a full platoon with me and several MRAPs with CSWs, so I didn't need to load up like a 1-man Army. In real life though, we absolutely are 1-man armies in that we don't have any backup or battle-buddies in our normal lives. The single-attacker with enough reaction time to draw and engage is probably the most commonly planned-for contingency for CCW, but with all the multi-perp home invasions and muggings/attacks going on right now, I don't think a wheel-gun or pocketgun is gonna cut that mustard.