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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:04:47 AM EDT
[#1]
So, you've seen me around town huh? My J-Frame S&W is always with me and if I have the opportunity to also carry another gun, it becomes my backup. I wear whatever I want/need and then choose the firearm that best suits the situation. It's kind of funny to be getting ready for a night out, turn to my wife and say, "Honey, does this make my Kimber/SIG look fat?" |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:06:54 AM EDT
[#2]
Because packing a full size 1911 .45 around all day gets hot, heavy, cumbersome, and digs the shit out of your hip. It comes down to part discretion and comfort, which means a little compromise on what you carry. I carried a 1911 forever and finally got fed up and switched to a Glock 23 .40. Do I prefer the glock to the 1911?...hell no, but .40 is a respectable caliber and the glock packs away a lot nicer then the 1911. If it was only about knock-down power, we'd all be lugging around DE's and boy wouldn't that get lame quick :)
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:06:56 AM EDT
[#3]
For me it is a clothing choice based on weather. Living in southern Florida the summer temps and humidity dictate the clothing, and that is why I have the Kel-Tec all of the time, and the Makarov or the Taurus .40 when realistically possible. At night, walking the dog, sure I'll take the 1911 with an untucked shirt. When the winter temps (for what they are) kick in, I wear a sweatshirt or light jacket with a 4" 1911 easily carried.
Concealed, imo, means nobody but me knows it is there. Fanny-pack screams gun!! I have a day planner, and brief case, both of which can be used for off-body carry, but what good is off-body carry when you're at one end of the building, and your weapon is at the other end of the building?!! |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:08:30 AM EDT
[#4]
I'm fat enought that guns still print on somwhat baggy clothing, but not fat enought to just store things in fat folds.
So I carry my Kel-Tec P32 when I can't wear a jacket to cover the print of my Kimber Ultra-carry. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:08:54 AM EDT
[#5]
I gotta remember that one  When friends get interested in concealed carry, I always tell them to disregard the internet machismo advice, go take a professional course, and then buy a Kahr P9 and a strong-side OWB holster. ("No, you can't just keep it in your purse or briefcase or tuck it in your belt. Go take a three-day CCW course, you'll be glad you did. If you want a bigger pistol later you can trade your P9 in, but I'll bet you a dinner you won't.") |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:09:29 AM EDT
[#6]
The most important thing for me is that I do not have to modify the way I dress EVER to carry a concealed handgun. The only gun that meets that criteria for me and also is high quality, and has acceptable stopping power, is the 10.8 ounce S&W 342PD .38+P. I simply drop it in the front pocket of my shorts or pants and I'm good to go. I don't even notice that it's in my pocket. I don't have to deal with a holster or untucked shirts. If I had buy a holster, special belt, deal with the lack of comfort of a big gun, and tailor my clothes just to carry, it becomes too much trouble and I'd never do it.
Link to 342PD review 
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:13:48 AM EDT
[#7]
What about the slimline glocks? Apart from whether or not you like the gun for how it shoots or whatever, would it be a good CCW?
I can't carry for a little while yet, but I'm 6'2" 165 so I'd have difficulty concealing a lot of weapons anyway. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:14:40 AM EDT
[#8]
A big +1. My PM9 is on my hip right now in a C-TAC IWB rig. The C-TAC is tuckable, and the gun just disappears under even a slightly bloused t-shirt. If it is not in that holster, it rides in a Nemesis pocket holster. Because the PM9 is so small and light, I can truthfully say I carry it everyday, unless I am in a no-carry location (like Mexico last week) due to business travel. The 147 grain Gold Dots I carry feed and function 100%, and provide excellent penetration and expansion, even through any barrier (like heavy clothes) I am likely to encounter. Sometimes in the winter, I carry my full-size Kimber 1911. More for fun than because I feel undergunned with the PM9. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:47:55 AM EDT
[#9]
It might have to do with the fact that the vast majority of gun fights take place inside 7 yards, involve the discharge of 3 rounds and happen very fast. Carrying a full size combat weapon is not realistic. You want to think it is, but it is Rambo stuff. Most CCW folks will never have to fire their weapon anyway as 92% of the time the brandishing of the weapon ends the confrontation. BTW untucked shirts are tacky for an adult. Sorry. Train, always carry, be aware and you will be as well off as you can be. Your odds of needing 60rds of .45ACP are about the same as winning the lottery. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 7:51:09 AM EDT
[#10]
Should have got the .357 Magnum version. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:13:40 AM EDT
[#11]
After reading all this crap-o-la, I'm gonna tell you all HOW TO CARRY if you are a REAL MAN!!
A REAL MAN will never leave the house without having at the bare minimum NINE HANDGUNS - concealed - at all times, every day, all year long - even going to CHURCH, or TEMPLE, or to the Gas Station! That doesn't include the AR/AK/CETME and Shotgun in a duffle bag, along with all the necessary ammo, spare mags, body armor, sat phone, knives, etc. 2 large caliber/full size guns in a shoulder rig 2 .38 specials, one on each ankle 1 large caliber/medium size gun in thunderwear 1 NAA .22 Mag on neckchain/holster 1 NAA .22 LR on beltbuckle 1 small frame in front poocket 1 large caliber/full size on strong-side hip ---------- 9 handguns total ANY THING LESS MEANS YOU REALLY DON'T SUPPORT THE SECOND AMENDMENT AND YOU AIN'T A REAL MAN!!! |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:18:10 AM EDT
[#12]
whaaaaaaaa???  hahahaha!
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:22:45 AM EDT
[#13]
Who cares what these other guys carry. Worry about yourself.
1) A saturday night special J22 is better than no gun. 2) Smaller guns are lighter, easier to conceal, more likely to be carried EVERY TIME EVERY WHERE. 3) Size matter not, most of the time. Often times BRANDISHING a fire arm is enough to send a perp running. 4) In the unliklye event of a gun fight, well placed shots of small caliber will do as well as poor placed shots of large caliber. So everyone - practice practice practice! |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:23:44 AM EDT
[#14]
It might have to do with the fact that the vast majority of gun fights take place inside 7 yards, involve the discharge of 3 rounds and happen very fast. Carrying a full size combat weapon is not realistic. You want to think it is, but it is Rambo stuff. Most CCW folks will never have to fire their weapon anyway as 92% of the time the brandishing of the weapon ends the confrontation. BTW untucked shirts are tacky for an adult. Sorry. Train, always carry, be aware and you will be as well off as you can be. Your odds of needing 60rds of .45ACP are about the same as winning the lottery. You are right about the dynamics of shootings. You are also correct that most people will not ever exchange fire with another. This is the main reason they are content to carry small guns and no reload. Lately here in my area there have been 4 bank robberies within blocks of my home and two murders. The camera shot of one of the two bank robberies from yesterday in the newspaper shows two holdup men one of whom is holding a pretty good sized pistol. I would wager it holds 11 to 15 rounds. I at least want to match what other people are using. That's why I quit carrying a revolver. I have a certain amount of training. I went to Gunsite in 1989 to transition to the auto pistol after many years of carrying revolvers. When I was younger and single I often fired 300 rounds a week of pistol ammo almost exclusively in the dark from the leather. I agree it is unlikely to need more than one mag of ammo but it is nice to have another. If 92% of confrontations end without shots being fired that still leaves 8% that do not. If you believe in standard failure drill thinking you will shoot any armed adversary twice or even three times. A J frame gives you enough ammo to shoot one person or two at the most without any misses. J frames are also harder to hit with than guns that are a little bigger. I used to carry a Smith 3953 compact auto that held 9 rounds and I felt alright as it was "a revolver and a half ". I will say that I have been in some confrontations over the last almost 20 years and agree that most of the time "no fight means you win". On the other hand, if the balloon goes up I want a gun that is relatively easy to hit with and holds enough ammo that reloading shouldn't be necessary and allows me to shoot without worrying about conserving ammo. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:24:40 AM EDT
[#15]
I'd have no worries about carrying a G36. Fine choice. When I'm not at work, I wear jeans and an untucked shirt. Makes it easy to carry a 1911 IWB all the time. I'm 6-2, 175 and the grip tucks right up against my side. I carry a gun at work, too, but it's not concealed. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:25:07 AM EDT
[#16]
oy vey! (slaps forhead) thanks for the laugh |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:26:56 AM EDT
[#17]
how exactly do you carry it? pants pocket? holster? what type? |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:27:35 AM EDT
[#18]
Have you ever fired .357's in one? Your hand will be bleeding. No thanks! Shooting 38+P is painful enough. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:28:07 AM EDT
[#19]
Style of dress for me. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 8:34:03 AM EDT
[#20]
+1 A guy with a j frame snubby loaded with +p 38s is not exactly unarmed. you guys who sneer at the snubby should be scientific & give it a try. have a friend shoot you in the chest with a 38 from a snubby say 10 feet away and see if it fucks up your day or not. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 11:35:56 AM EDT
[#21]
I'm not bashing anyone's carry guns. I'm not saying that everyone should carry maximum firepower 100% of the time. I'm not trying to say that small caliber guns are less viable in a fight, or that you will ever need a full size gun. For example, my cousin's grandfather(on his mother's side) died Friday night. He was around 80, and carried a fullsize 1911(WWI vintage) on his belt every day for at least the last 40 years. He carried it until he was no longer able to walk. In all that time, he never even had to draw it, much less shoot someone. And he lived in a shitty neighborhood and ran a bait shop in an even worse neighborhood up until about 2 weeks ago. Actually, his shop was really just a place for him to hang out and store his gun collection, but that is a thread all by itself. I don't doubt that the gun that I usually carry is overkill. However, I still opt to carry it based on the idea that I may really need it one day. Some people don't see it the same way, and that is certainly their choice. I don't really care. I have my own gun. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 11:42:49 AM EDT
[#22]
That is no excuse: use the taint holster. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 11:54:32 AM EDT
[#23]
One reason is comfort, all though I am not a big fan of 1911s
 or most full size .45 I carry what I know I can hit with be it 9 mm or .40 cal. We can talk facts and figures anytime but in the end I carry what I am comfortable with and what I know I can hit with. I carry either a Sig P228 a Glock 19, or on rare occasion a P226 |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 12:06:35 PM EDT
[#24]
+1 Damn.. I couldn't have said it better, right down to the J-frame. I have a Glock 22 that I do carry sometimes (cross draw on long drives). But that J-frame just feels natrual behind my hip. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 12:13:09 PM EDT
[#25]
Where do you live in GA? Sounds like you are talking about my great uncle. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 12:22:59 PM EDT
[#26]
Tacky or not, I can conceal my Glock 23 underneath an untucked Tshirt in a Sparks VM2. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 12:27:30 PM EDT
[#27]
my daily carrry rig is a keltec p3at in my front pocket and my SA ultra compact 1911 heavily concealed in my tool kit/laptop case.
getting caught would terminate my employment on the spot. most of my techs carry and local management has pretty much adopted a don't ask don't tell policy as many of them carry or have a ccw permit as well. due to this printing under ANY circumstances is a no go for me. Off duty my 1911 is my carry peice. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 1:39:21 PM EDT
[#28]
Very true, I was focusing on daily carry. I forgot about the special occasions. For these I have my alloy frame Colt Detective Special .38 w/2" barrel.
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Posted: 12/14/2005 1:41:53 PM EDT
[#29]
Preference, pure and simple. I am capable of concealing a full size 1911, but I prefer a smaller one. I feel more confident in the concealment with a smaller piece. One of the two objects of the exercise is to be concealed. The other one of course being armed. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 1:44:08 PM EDT
[#30]
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Posted: 12/14/2005 1:45:33 PM EDT
[#31]
Fire up to 158 grain JHPs in mine. Girly man. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 2:53:50 PM EDT
[#32]
Of course you can. The problem becomes what do you carry when you need to be dressed differently for court, a date, a wedding, church, a business lunch, a board meeting, the beach, the gym, a day hike, an office party, ect. If everyone wore jeans and an untucked shirt 24/7 everyone could carry a full sized 1911 all the time. But adults in the working world cant dress that way. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 3:10:38 PM EDT
[#33]
Exactly. I carry a 5" 1911 and two spare magazines when I'm not working. However, I would be instantly fired and probably unemployable in my field if I were caught carrying at work. Therefore, I carry a S&W 642 in a pocket holster. I have to dress professionally, not in untucked shirts and jeans. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 3:38:09 PM EDT
[#34]
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Posted: 12/14/2005 4:01:43 PM EDT
[#35]
I carry a J-frame because I would lose my job if anybody at work saw a pistol butt printing through my shirt. Outside of work, I mostly carry a Hi-Power.
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Posted: 12/14/2005 5:35:04 PM EDT
[#36]
For the majority of the people who carry, being attacked and needing their CCW is just not a major worry. Therefore, we dress for the situation, and carry whatever we can conceal. There's some tactical gurus out there who say you should always carry a full-size, and wear whatever you need to conceal it, but that just isn't practical for most situations. If we were living and working in, say, Somalia or Liberia, our priorities might be different, but we're not.
I carry a Kel-Tec P11 - 9mm, 3.1in barrel, 12+1 rounds. It conceals pretty well under an untucked shirt or light jacket, but it does get uncomfortable when driving for more then an hour or so. Of course, if I was going to be involved in a fight and I had the choice, I'd rather have a full-size handgun. But that fight isn't that likely, and I'm not willing to carry that fullsize gun concealed every day. Of course, if I really had the choice, I'd rather have an assault rifle with a dozen spare mags and level 4 body armor, and several trusted friends with the same. But I'm definitely not willing to travel everywhere with all of that. No matter who you are or what you carry, you're always vulnerable to the right kind of attack. You just have to live with that. |
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Posted: 12/14/2005 5:39:44 PM EDT
[#37]
Because they wont spend the time and the money buying multiple high-quality holsters and GUN BELTS until they find the combo that carries a real gun well for them.
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Posted: 12/15/2005 5:07:19 AM EDT
[#38]
Absolutely untrue. In MOST circumstances I am able to carry a full-sized combat handgun, and in every circumstance where I can carry such a weapon I DO carry such a weapon. Whenever one can carry a serious combat weapon, that SHOULD be what is packed.
No, it isn't. A full sized .45 might not be practical ALL the time, but it can be MOST of the time for most people.
While that may be true, picking a weapon with the mindset "I'll never have to use it anyway" isn't wise. One should arm themselves as if they are actually going to face a fight, because they may well find themselves in one.
I will gladly look "tacky" if it means I can produce a 1911 and kill someone who is trying to kill me or my family.
Not quite. Gunfights do happen and do happen to good guys, and having the right weapon can mean the difference between life and death. One should never plan on the odds going in their favor. Doing so is asking for trouble. |
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Posted: 12/15/2005 5:17:28 AM EDT
[#39]
My day job is to carry a gun,I am 6'6 280#s, I can hide a .357 4" bbl, my 1911, a small rifle or rocket launcher. But to be discreet and for those times the damn shirt rides up I carry a PO LDA12, it is a little smaller that the Glock 23, shoots better and hits real hard with 230 JHPs. A Lot is for a discreet carry. MrsWind, loves her HiPower, but at 5'2, 125#s it is hard ot conceal. My Colt Defender would be a better choice but she doesn't like to shoot it, nor my PO.
MsWind is a little taller and 125# also, she shoots but does not carry, it is the PDRNJ, But I like to have options for stupid times, so leather and a weapon for the womenz is a good thing. Also for the womenz, mine wear skimpy clothes, halter top and denim mini is rough to hide a 1911.... |
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Posted: 12/15/2005 5:23:16 AM EDT
[#40]
That's certainly part of it. It amazes me to see someone spend 600 bucks or more for a brand new Sig and then not want to spend anything on a decent holster or a belt designed to support the weight of the pistol. Inevitably the fine weapon they bought stays at home because they never dedicate any effort into trying to learn to carry it right. Of course cramming a pound of steel and aluminum into your waistband isn't going to feel comfortable from the word go, but you CAN get used to it if you try. |
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Posted: 12/15/2005 5:25:08 AM EDT
[#41]
While I can understand people carrying a mouse gun because of their work environment, I don't understand those who say carrying around a full-medium size gun is hard work. I humped around a Ruger P94 for 7 years and I have been carrying a Sig 229 for 1. I guess I am one of the unusual types who's carries the gun almost all the time and I have been able to conceal the 229 in environments that most people would classify as being "hostile" to CCW.
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Posted: 12/15/2005 6:01:05 AM EDT
[#42]
With all due respect (and I do have the utmost respect for you and the opinions you share here, FWIW), I've spent the time and money and it just isn't that simple. I live in the Deep South and work in an office setting. For most of the year here, a coat or outer garmet of any kind (worn all day long) is not just impractical it is unreasonable. Untucked shirts are not an option for me at work, so that leaves pocket or ankle carry most of the time. Away from work, I make the "sacrifice" of dressing around the gun, but that simply is not an option for me (and countless others) during the workday - and I like my job & have no intention of changing  - so I must make do with pocket-carry and off-body carry for something larger. It's not ideal, but what in this life is?... 
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Posted: 12/15/2005 11:54:06 AM EDT
[#43]
This is not to say I carry without a holster, or carry at all (Iowa sucks), but I've tried things out just to see the results, and that's what I've found. |
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Posted: 12/15/2005 12:38:41 PM EDT
[#44]
I carry a G19, but I don't carry it ever day, even though I should.
I chose to guarantee meaninful employment, and I can just envision too many situations in socialist MA that could cause me to lose my job should somebody get a sneak peek. If I were a little bit more dedicated, I can picture one of those pocket types as being a desirable alternative to nothing. |
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Posted: 12/15/2005 12:46:38 PM EDT
[#45]
I'm 6'1", 225#. I can hide and afford whatever I want and I carry a G26 and 2 additional 17 round mags.
I can almost forget about it in any situation/dress/ect. and it will function flawlessly when needed. I will only "draw down" (in the finest ARF tradition) if I am in immediate danger, and that means the BG is right on top of me. I do not carry to be a hero for some dumbass who should have. (Shots in mall??? Where's my nearest exit.) ANSWER: I do not need full size. (Let the .45/9mm debate begin) ETA: Pistol and mags in Fobus paddle holsters. |
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Posted: 12/15/2005 12:49:34 PM EDT
[#46]
I carry a G17 on my right and a Kahr PM9 on my left as a backup, never had a problem. Plus extra mags and a Surefire 9P
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Posted: 12/15/2005 12:50:06 PM EDT
[#47]
Too true. Online, I always say I carry a .380 KelTec, but in real life, I'm packing a .50AE Desert Eagle. |
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Posted: 12/15/2005 1:10:59 PM EDT
[#48]
Deleted its been covered to death.
get some training blah...blah...blah |
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Posted: 12/15/2005 1:28:06 PM EDT
[#49]
4 pages and no mention of the 5.7? (didn't see it if it was)...
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Posted: 12/15/2005 1:38:27 PM EDT
[#50]
I carry one in my shoe...one million rounds, they cut through armored trucks like butter. |
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