Choosing a Handgun for Everyday Carry

[peytoncreekhunter]

Yep, and some guns that are dropped fire, not from hitting the ground, but from someone trying to grab them as they fall and hitting the trigger. It's easy to say "just let them fall" but reflex is reflex.

This is absolutely true. We were always trained/told let it fall. One night in the booking room an officer (from a different P.D.) dropped his pistol while putting it in the lockbox. He instinctively tried to catch it and his finger got inside the trigger guard. His pistol fired striking him in the leg. He had to have his leg amputated because of it. And I don't mean to be pointing a finger at him, that could happen to any of us.

 

[TheLBLman]

IMO, those who are not going to shoot & practice frequently with their carry guns (as well as their home defense handguns) would probably be better off overall with a revolver.

 

[peytoncreekhunter]

IMO, those who are not going to shoot & practice frequently with their carry guns (as well as their home defense handguns) would probably be better off overall with a revolver.

I would agree with that. Just because of failure to feed, failure to eject, double feeds etc.

My mother in law was dead set on getting a semi-auto. I tried to convince her to get a revolver. She wouldn't change her mind. I put some dummy rounds in my glock and simulated the above and told her to clear the malfunctions then just had her to just rack the slide. She had trouble with all that. She bought a S&W 642 snubnose revolver.....

 

[DaveTN]

IMO, those who are not going to shoot & practice frequently with their carry guns (as well as their home defense handguns) would probably be better off overall with a revolver.

I practice, not really frequently anymore though, almost all my carry guns are semi-autos. But my headboard gun is a S&W 686 4" revolver.

Nothing wrong with a revolver. And I can do a New York reload if necessary.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

Started CCW with Browning High Powers, transitioned to 1911's, now M&P's.

Trained with manual safeties and will continue to do so. It's all muscle memory.

 

[MoonBuzzard]

I have a mixture throughout the house and for my EDC. For all you struggling lefties a Beretta PX4 , at least my daily carry, is fully ambidextrous. That's safety,decocker,slide release, mag release. 16+1 capacity. Needless to say I'm a fan

 

[DaveTN]

And I don't mean to be pointing a finger at him, that could happen to any of us.

Why not, that was negligent! Because we all know there is no such thing as accidental discharges. We have seen those in the know tell us that many times. They use technical terms like booger finger and band switches.

 

[peytoncreekhunter]

Why not, that was negligent! Because we all know there is no such thing as accidental discharges. We have seen those in the know tell us that many times. They use technical terms like booger finger and band switches.

Oh I agree... not accidental,, definitely negligent.

Guess I know I could do the same thing while having a brain fart.....lol

 

[DaveTN]

Oh I agree... not accidental,, definitely negligent.

Guess I know I could do the same thing while having a brain fart.....lol

I was being facetious; I wouldn't call that negligent.

 

[Fordman]

Bryan, the decision to carry a handgun is a personal one for sure, and its not for everyone, In fact its not for most of the people carrying them today. Most of the people carrying today are going to be in trouble they are ever in a gunfight, because until you have been in one you have zero idea how you will react. If you choose to carry I would humbly suggest you go handle as many pistols as possible until you find one your really comfortable with. Larger guns are more difficult to conceal and small guns can be inherently under powered for a true self defense situation. Find one that fits your hand and practice a lot, more than you think you will ever need.
The topic of safety's is truly situational. I prefer to go without an actual safety because there are no kids in my home and no one handles my weapon but me. Also, a safety is simply another thing you have to remember in the event you have to use your weapon. Striker fired versus hammer fired is strictly a personal preference. There are fine weapons on both camps. I prefer a wheel gun, or 1911, so hammers are second nature to me. Caliber is easy for me because o prefer a large projectile so .44 & .45s dominate my collection.
At the end of the day find something your comfortable with and roll with it. If it doesn't work the worst thing can happen is you buy another, and another......

 

[Spurhunter]

the decision to carry a handgun is a personal one for sure, and its not for everyone, In fact its not for most of the people carrying them today. Most of the people carrying today are going to be in trouble they are ever in a gunfight, because until you have been in one you have zero idea how you will react.

So many questions here. How do you get gunfight experience without getting gunfight experience? Were you born with gunfight experience, or did you have to experience a "first" like us mere mortals? Should we just be victims because we don't have any business carrying a gun? Who decides who is worthy of carrying a gun?

 

[Fordman]

So many questions here. How do you get gunfight experience without getting gunfight experience? Were you born with gunfight experience, or did you have to experience a "first" like us mere mortals? Should we just be victims because we don't have any business carrying a gun? Who decides who is worthy of carrying a gun

Its the ultimate conundrum for sure. Worthiness is not a consideration in my statement at all and I am sorry you read it that way. I am simply stating that no one here, shy of anyone who has been in an actual gunfight, has no clue to how they will react when someone is shooting at them. The only rule I know for sure is if your in a gunfight make sure you have a gun.

 

[Spurhunter]

Its the ultimate conundrum for sure. Worthiness is not a consideration in my statement at all and I am sorry you read it that way. I am simply stating that no one here, shy of anyone who has been in an actual gunfight, has no clue to how they will react when someone is shooting at them. The only rule I know for sure is if your in a gunfight make sure you have a gun.

I apologize for misunderstanding you and jumping to conclusions. There are a lot of cops out there that think they are the only ones that should carry, and that's how I read your post.

 

[MickThompson]

I practice, not really frequently anymore though, almost all my carry guns are semi-autos. But my headboard gun is a S&W 686 4" revolver.

Nothing wrong with a revolver. And I can do a New York reload if necessary.

What's a NY reload? Tossing the empty one off the bridge and grabbing another one?

 

[knightrider]

Why not, that was negligent! Because we all know there is no such thing as accidental discharges. We have seen those in the know tell us that many times. They use technical terms like booger finger and band switches.

 

[Omega]

So many questions here. How do you get gunfight experience without getting gunfight experience? Were you born with gunfight experience, or did you have to experience a "first" like us mere mortals? Should we just be victims because we don't have any business carrying a gun? Who decides who is worthy of carrying a gun?

While I wouldn't quite put it the way he did, I believe he brings up a good point. The fight or flight response is something that you will not know ahead of time, and it is all incident dependent. That is why you train, to get muscle memory, to get your body and mind to react before you get a chance to second guess. If you choose a safety, practice taking it off, it may only take a split second, but it is a split second that may make a difference. Many people that carry do not train, and rarely take their weapons to the range, let alone shoot enough ammo to make sure their weapon likes the ammo they have chosen. Weapons maintenance is another issue, it must be well maintained to ensure it functions the way it is supposed to. Keep an eye out for any recalls or reported issues to make sure the weapon doesn't feature any of those issues. Like I stated earlier, I carried my Glock for about 4-5 years not knowing about it's drop issue, then another few years before I heard about the recall. But in the time I knew about it, I was very conscious about it and handled it accordingly.

 

[grill-n-man2]

I was assuming the intent of the safety debate/discussion was under "normal" or every day simple shooting. But ok soooo. Yes a safety may keep a child from accidentally shooting the gun. Yes a manual safety may stop a gun from drop firing. Buuuuuttt how did the child get the gun? How did the gun get dropped? How ? A human being lapsed, for what ever reason, in an aspect of gun safety/control.
And yeah we got a clue on how guns work. And how accidental discharges, drop fire, and any other unintentional shot happens cause a human being screwed up. Same ole same ole same ole anti gun nonsense.
And this is I not an attack on anyone but the truth. It only takes a millisecond to disengage a manual safety for an average shooter. So if evil disarms you that safety won't buy you anything only the internal struggle of good and evil will buy you time or life.
So if a manual safety is your thing go with it. If a manual safety makes you feel more comfortable then go with it. If you don't like a manual safety then go with that. Or better yet be like me and have some with some without cause well that's just the way it is.
But all of us gun owners, shooters, and gun carriers better believe this FACT - a human being interacting with a firearm is responsible for a firearm going bang 99.7% of the time. A persondropped it, a person let a child get ahold of it, a person did it. People need to quit with the blaming and excuses and start accepting responsibility.

 

[grill-n-man2]

Oh yeah Question, is the standing behind a target with a high point and 1911 thing a cash money thing or? Cause I know one or so always interested in easy money. WTH

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I carry a Glock, however…..

 

[brassmagnet]

I've carried a 1911 in .45 since 1980, cocked and locked with at least 1 reload, usually 3. I occasionally carry a Smith Airweight .38 in a pocket holster or a Sig P238 .380 with a reload in a DeSantis holster for cargo shorts. I figure that should get me to the truck or give police time to respond, if not I have a rifle under my dog's hammock in the back seat, AR15 300blk, and 5/30 round reloads, bolt back, safety on, If he's in the hammock the rifle is in the floor where he can't get to it.


"Put your burial money in the empty chamber"...Wyandot Jim

Always carry, all the time every day, everywhere, Practice using front sight focus and dry fire to see your weak points and improve your chance of survival.