What gun do you carry?

[webmaster]

So, which gun do you conceal carry? This question may pertain more to the US users as we wide range of laws allowing users to carry concealed weapons with permit.

The state where I live, requires a permit to carry but you can own and keep a gun in your house and in your car (not sure about if its needs to be in locked compartment, I don't think so) without any permit/license. Which is great!!!

I always have a knife (spyderco tenacious) on me for last year or so but now thinking about getting concealed carry permit to carry a gun. I've got a Glock 19 9mm, great gun, but carrying that on daily basis is bulky in my opinion. There are number of options that I am considering, like the 9mm Karh PM9 or Ruger LC9, both subcompact guns and really easy to carry and conceal, especially in everyday work attire.

On the other hand, there are those people who carry guns like 1911 and Glock 17s on daily basis, I don't know how they do it.

So, what gun do you carry?

 

[Gremlin29]

During winter months I carry a Steyr M40 which is 40 S&W. It is very glock like but the barrel is lower and I really like the trapezoid sights. In the summer I usually carry my trusty little Ortgies in 25 auto, it is super easy to conceal and it's light. I am a C&R collector and have a bunch of 25 auto pocket pistols that will take turns with the Ortgies.

I agree regarding the 1911's etc. After having to carry an M9 day after day on deployments my appreciation for small light guns is much higher than it used to be.

 

[Todjaeger]

One thing to keep in mind with some of the smaller subcompacts (like the LC9) that chamber one of the three main carry rounds in the US, is that the recoil is going to be a beast.

IMO it is sensible to try and keep the number of different calibres one has/owns down, but I definately recommend trying a gun at a gun range first, if possible. Having said that, the LC9 is a nice little gun.

-Cheers

 

[PCShogun]

I carry a CZ-82. I love the ergonomics of the weapon. The 9mm Mak cartridge is more powerful than the .380ACP and the round is bigger than a 9mm luger. 12 rounds in the double stack mag. My only regret is the lack of a decocker.

Gremlin29, regarding the .25auto for self defense. It may be good against dogs or small wildlife, but I've seen a guy take one of those in the chest, yell "ow! you son of a bi*ch!", and he still beat the crap outta the guy who shot him. The round barely went through his leather biker vest. Still, it is likely better than the little Taurus PT-22 I sometimes carry in my pocket when I cannot hide a larger weapon.

I have problems with many of the small frame, carry firearms. My hands are big and I usually can only get two fingers on the grip. A Glock 27 in .40 usually wants to rotate in my hand, making a follow up shot slow as I adjust my grip and aim to bring it back on target. The extended mag with finger extender helps but the recoil is still bad. Same with the Ruger LCP, although with the .380acp, recoil is not nearly as hard to control.

 

[Eeshaan]

The gun laws in India are VERY strict. So I have to carry a couple of bladed weapons in my car instead.

 

[Volkodav]

If you worry about protection in Australia you buy a dog as the Nanny State has banned everything else, including knives (they are trying to ban dogs too).

Seriously the only people who carry weapons for protection in Australia are criminals, law enforcers or people breaking the law even though they may not be criminally inclined. An individual was prosecuted on firearms offences when his wife (also a licensed shooter) accessed his gun safe to obtain a weapon to commit suicide. It was his safe therefore under the law she should not have had access, he was also charged with not storing ammunition in a seperate locked box. Then again driving at any speed (rumoured to be three kilometers per hour (1.8 Mph ) or more) above the speed limit is also seen as a serious offence and riding a motorcycle at all is an unforgivable sin against nannyism.

 

[swerve]

Seriously the only people who carry weapons for protection in Australia are criminals, law enforcers...

Pretty much like that here. Almost the only people who go out carrying weapons here are those who intend to use them on others, or who keep very bad company indeed, & fear an associate or rival using a weapon on them.

 

[Milne Bay]

Pretty much like that here. Almost the only people who go out carrying weapons here are those who intend to use them on others, or who keep very bad company indeed, & fear an associate or rival using a weapon on them.

Very few people that I know even own a firearm, and no one carries one. Why would you need to? Yes, criminals have guns - we see it on the news - but folks are in much more danger of injury by taking their car for a drive, and no one gives this a second thought.

 

[Trackmaster]

I am lucky.
I live in a country where I have never felt the need to carry a gun.

 

[Gremlin29]

I am lucky.
I live in a country where I have never felt the need to carry a gun.

I am lucky as well, I live in a country where I am free to make many choices, including protecting my right to life.

 

[Todjaeger]

I am lucky.
I live in a country where I have never felt the need to carry a gun.

I suspect that many, perhaps even most people in the US feel the same way.

From my observations, most of the people who desire/feel the need to legally carry a gun, fall into one or more of the following categories:

• Current/ex-military
• Current/ex-First Responder (police, fire, EMS)
• Felony crime victims (particularly violent crime and/or sexual assault)
• Current/ex-Federal law enforcement or security
• High cash or high value merchants (bar owners, jewelers, gem dealers, etc)
• Bodyguards or security for high importance/value targets
• Those unfortunate enough to live in high violent crime areas

The decision to carry a gun, or not to carry one, is very much situational, the context is very important. A decision which is appropriate for a person to make in one place, might well be completely inappropriate for that very same person in another. In some respects it is like clothing, in that what makes sense to wear if one is planning on skiing in the Alps, does not work for a day of surfing along Eighty Mile Beach.

By the same token, if one is someone who routinely sees the worst of people, and/or people behaving at their worst, one tends to become jaded about the human condition, rather quickly. And to also minimize ones potential vulnerabilities rather quickly.

-Cheers

 

[Milne Bay]

I suppose when lots of people can carry a gun, then lots of other people feel the need to also carry a gun.

I like Teddy Roosevelt's saying:
Speak softly and carry a ukulele .................

 

[Bonza]

I think debating the relative morality of carrying/not carrying a gun isn't going to be very productive, particularly in a thread dedicated to carry options. Agreed?

 

[Marc 1]

I think debating the relative morality of carrying/not carrying a gun isn't going to be very productive, particularly in a thread dedicated to carry options. Agreed?

Damn you moderators! I was just putting the finishing touches to my 30,000 word essay outlining the pro's and cons of both sides of the argument...

Nah, not really got better things to think about than packing heat. I live right next to one of the roughest parts of town (all things are relative - it probably looks like a pre-school compared to parts of Mexico city). When I feel the need for enhanced protection I eat a can or two of baked beans and picked onions a few hours before venturing out.

 

[Trackmaster]

I think debating the relative morality of carrying/not carrying a gun isn't going to be very productive, particularly in a thread dedicated to carry options. Agreed?

Agreed.

But an interesting reflection on where individuals live. I am lucky, because I don't feel threatened. But if that was not the case, perhaps I would reassess.

 

[ADMk2]

For work, a Glock 27 chambered in 40Cal S&W and very occasionally "other" weapons.

In real life, just a cheerful persona...

 

[Volkodav]

It was never a daily carry but I used to own a Tanfoglio XL-4 .40"cal. A good accurate competition pistol although it didn't like club reloads, especially as most of them had been through Glocks.

 

[ADMk2]

It was never a daily carry but I used to own a Tanfoglio XL-4 .40"cal. A good accurate competition pistol although it didn't like club reloads, especially as most of them had been through Glocks.

I must say I'm quite a fan of 40 cal S&W. I'm told we use Winchester 165 grain Ranger XT ammunition (semi-jacketted) at work, but the recoil from this round, feels much better to me than the recoil I've experienced from 9mm Glocks and other semi-auto pistols.

The 9mm variants always felt a bit 'whippy' to me. I've never really liked the big push that .45ACP gives, 40 Cal S&W always felt like a nice compromise between the two...

 

[Todjaeger]

I must say I'm quite a fan of 40 cal S&W. I'm told we use Winchester 165 grain Ranger XT ammunition (semi-jacketted) at work, but the recoil from this round, feels much better to me than the recoil I've experienced from 9mm Glocks and other semi-auto pistols.

The 9mm variants always felt a bit 'whippy' to me. I've never really liked the big push that .45ACP gives, 40 Cal S&W always felt like a nice compromise between the two...

If you wish to feel something "whippy" try firing a 9 mm +P round from a Ruger LC9. Something like a 124 grain +P Winchester PDX1 with a muzzle velocity of 1,200 fps...

 

[Volkodav]

If you wish to feel something "whippy" try firing a 9 mm +P round from a Ruger LC9. Something like a 124 grain +P Winchester PDX1 with a muzzle velocity of 1,200 fps...

I am curious about .357 SIG, necked down .40 cal case with a 9mm projectile, I believe it is still legal under the our firearms laws where .40cal has been effectively banned.