Choices, choices…

Posted on by November 26, 2018

Or I have too many guns in my nightstand…

Now before you go ballistic on me for too many choices, I have my reasons. And I DO practice with all these.

The Glock is my bump in the night gun, so it’s readily available, right next to the Surefire light.

Since I carry every day when I can, if I’m going deep conceal or summer wear, it’s usually the little Colt and one mag in a Snagit. If I’m going to be in and out of buildings where I have to remove my pistol, it’s the Kahr in the paddle holster and one mag in a belt mag pouch. If I’m not worried about having to take the gun off, I’ve gone back to the revolver for comfort and good concealment, with a speed strip in the pocket. If I don’t need to worry about any of the above, or I’m going to the range, or G-d forbid, DFW area, it’s the Glock and probably TWO spare mags (waste not, want not).

I always have a little Streamlight or Surefire in my pocket, along with my Benchmade, so those don’t change.

If I do have to take the pistol off, I do so in the car, slip it (in the holster) in a case and move it to the trunk along with the spare mag.

Unlike the guy at the post office yesterday, who stripped his holster and gun off in front of G-d and everybody, handed it to his wife in the truck, and walked into the post office mumbling about stupid rules…

Even though Texas is open carry, I prefer the element of surprise, just like I prefer NOT to put myself in a position to need to use one of them. And I pray to God I never have to use one of them. I also like the revolver if I’m driving long distances, it’s just a lot more comfortable.

YMMV, IANAL, I bought all these myself, and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night…

 

 

Comments

Choices, choices… — 30 Comments

  1. Kinda reminded me of a Disney movie… Hawmps. Jack Elam was the bad guy. At the end of the movie, he has this blanket laid out with hardware… “Should I shoot you with the gun my maw got me?” “How about the one…..” I remember being in awe of what was laid out there….

    After I saw the Roach Brigade aka ant-f-, I reevaluated my options and made some changes, too. Well thought out.

  2. Nice selection. I prefer a CZ P10C for EDC and a Shield for those days when it’s too warm to wear something that covers the CZ. A G19 lives by the night stand. I too prefer not to open carry in most cases. Surprise is a good thing when it all goes south.

  3. I hope, someday, to get enough shoulder rebuilt so I can take pocket-pistol recoil, and get down to the smaller guns and wider options. In the meantime, I either have 30 rounds but the dimensions are slightly larger than a full-size 1911, or a higher-caliber revolver that’s smaller, but is easily an extra pound of steel to heft around.

    Ah, well; at least I have options!

  4. Good choices, all. My EDC remains a 1911, just because it was good enough for Uncle Sam when the Navy taught me how to use it. A S&W Airweight 638 is the other choice, because revolver.

    • I love the 1911. I have several. But their shape and my shape aren’t particularly compatible, at least if I’m to go about in ordinary clothing instead of a thaub or dashiki during the summer months. My De Santis rig works well, but it needs some kind of overgarment for concealment; not practical when you spend a lot of time outside and it’s over 100F and so humid it’s foggy.

      I like revolvers. They don’t fit my hand, and anything much outside spitting distance is safe from me, but they snuggle up so comfortably they’re what I carry every day.

      [sigh] Life isn’t perfect. Though I do wish the Windfall Funding Fairy would drop enough on me to buy a Smith Model 329; that’s the short barrel, aluminum framed .44 Magnum. I probably wouldn’t be any more accurate with that than with the .38, but I could deafen an attacker and set him on fire from the muzzle blast even while missing…

      • “I like revolvers. They don’t fit my hand,…”

        Sounds like you need to get serious about shaping grips to make the gun fit you. Maybe play with modeling clay to get an idea of what is needed. (Wrap the frame with masking tape or other to keep the hammer spring clean)

        Frankly, most revolver grips seem to be designed by idiots, no matter what the material. I seem to be most successful by carving up oversize rubber grips with a hacksaw and grinders/sanders and files. If you like 1911’s, the typical revolver grips may be too small. I start with large grips similar to what Jim has on his, whack off the part for the pinky finger (for better concealment) and them massage them for shape. Important to get the spine to be as broad as possible for recoil comfort.

  5. What’s the problem?
    Wait, Texas, right?

    1) Minimalist gun
    2) Casual attire gun
    3) Business/formal attire gun
    4) BBQ gun

    If anything, your BBQ piece looks a bit under-decorated; work on that.

  7. There is no such thing as “too many guns” the real problems are too few dollars and too little time for practice.

  8. STx- LOL, point…

    Jim- Nice choices too, but I never got into the CZs, and I SUCK with S&W…

    Wing- We’ll get you there! 😀

    Rev- You’re in a jacket 11 months a year… LOL

    Aesop- The BBQ gun(s) are in the safe… LOL

    WSF- Yeah, I’m tending that way too, once the kids get out of CAli… sigh…

    NRW- Amen brother, preach it!

  9. I know that there are people who prefer open carry, and I’m glad to live in a place where that is legal, but I don’t want to be noticed.

    Well, except for the notice I get by being a smashingly handsome mature gentleman accompanied by a drop-dead gorgeous wife. But we are all likely to have that experience, am I right?

    Almost everywhere I go, I can wear a tucked in T-shirt and an unticked long sleeve shirt, and blend in well with those around me. That lets me carry either my RIA 1911 or my Browning Hi-Power in my N8Squared Pro.
    For weddings and funerals, and anything else that doesn’t allow me to wear an un-tucked shirt, I have a KelTec P3AT in an Uncle Mike’s pocket holster. I’d much rather be carrying my S&W 642, but I loaned it to a friend in need, and I can’t really justify buying a replacement at this point.
    If I WAS going to open carry, though, I’d likely pick my Zastava M57 (7.62×25) in the original-issue holster with the leather flap cover. I MIGHT go with a six-gun or two in the Cowboy Action Holster, but that’s a choice I really can’t see making.

    • Consider the “superman carry”, a shoulder rig under that dress shirt. Western snaps, or an undone button, or velcro under sewn-on buttons for the best superman rip it open access.

  10. I don’t only have one kind of screwdriver. I don’t have one kind of wrench. You need the right tool for the right job.

    Peace through Superior Firepower.

  11. I lost my handguns two years ago when the canoe flipped over and never found them. Regrettable.

  12. I hope you have more understanding of your guns than you do of Obama’s visits to Arlington!

  13. CZ P07 w/light on the nightstand.
    Summer- Kimber Gold Match in a Dragon Leatherworks Fugly.
    Winter- same .45 in a A.E. Nelson shoulder rig w/two mag pouches to counter balance.
    Truck- S&W 686 in the console w/one speed loader.
    All are loaded with handloads, lawyers be damned.

    • Ayoob is the primary detractor of carrying handloads; his reasoning is that the forensic guys can’t readily reconstruct the scene because they can’t look up the specifications for your ammunition in their database, or easily buy identical ammunition at the store.

      I seriously doubt there’s that much difference to be detected between brands of ammo once you’re digging bullets out of bodies and walls, trees, etc., and if you kept proper records of your reloads, they could be easily duplicated by the lab.

      And for that matter, a lot of small-manufacturer ammo is loaded in brass made by Starline, Winchester, Prvi, etc. Just because an empty case has a manufacturer’s headstamp, doesn’t mean they actually loaded a complete cartridge, or *which* of several loads they might have offered, or that it might have been reloaded.

      Yes, a prosecutor is likely to use anything they can against you, but I’m not sure such a tack would be worth much after the defendant got to explain that he reloaded ammunition to save money, not to make Face Ripper Murder Bullets.

      • I think there is more to Ayoob’s point of view – he is trying to remove as many points that can be issues as possible. It’s not just the bullets or the case at issue – one of the primary forensic tools is powder residue, which can indicate distance from shooter to victim. That’s where using the manufacturer’s certified exemplar from the same lot used in the shooting plays a key role. And your records don’t mean squat in court – you’re the one on trial, and who’s to verify that you didn’t fudge the records? As for the amount of difference between brands of ammo being dug out of bodies and trees, don’t underestimate modern forensic science. It is really amazing what can be detected these days. Finally, why bother with handloads? really good defense ammo may be fairly expensive, but it’s also very expensive to have to testify at trial as to why you tried to save money on ammo that was used to shoot the person you are on trial for shooting… I shoot a lot of handloads that duplicate the ballistics of the defensive ammo I carry, so I get to practice with ammo that feels like what I carry. Obviously YMMV, and I hope neither of us finds out from personal experience the ramifications of our choices in court.

  14. I feel ya. I can conceal carry at work but still have to dress professional. So LCP in a pocket. When I’m out and about, I stick the 642 IWB.

  16. Nightstand: Glock 17, extended mag, light & laser.
    Preferred EDC: Colt Lt wt Commander, 45 ACP, IWBH, 2nd 8 rd mag.
    Alt EDC: G19, IWBH.
    Deep conceal: G43, IWBH, 1 spare mag.
    Deep, deep conceal: LCP II In home-made Pocket holster that also holds a spare mag that squares the outline.

  17. Hey Old NFO;

    Good selection of nightstand guns. I have the shield that I EDC except at work, my employer frowns on that. I don’t open carry because I believe in “Why Advertise..”

  19. EDC Kahr CW9 w/Crimson Trace, Sticky pocket Holster.
    Nightstand, Same.
    If I were to feel that wasn’t enough, I’d nightstand the Security Six, but it’s easier to reach for my wife’s SP301, if she wasn’t using it.

  21. I have two nightstands. Each has a flashlight and a .357 revolver. For concealed carry I have a FEG PA 63 Double Action Semi Auto Pistol in Makarov 9X18 with one extra magazine. My thinking is that should my number come up, once the smoke clears the police are going to confiscate my pistol, and I’d much rather give them a $200 gun than my $1000 target pistol.

    Nice selection, by the way.

  23. Very nice selection there, I’d have to hesitate picking ‘what do I want to shoot the Bad Guy With ?’ :^)

    Star PD .45ACP is my ‘shizzle’ gun. Owned it since the very early 1980’s, its never let me down. Slim and light and points where its aimed naturally, its my go-to gun. Six rounds of .45ACP is the only magazine that fits. I keep a spare six rounds in an folding eye glass case in gun rug, along with spare magazine. Bianchi Speed .45 #2 holster is the rig.

    Recently purchased a G30 in case the Star breaks (I would probably weep when that occurs, the Star is a high-miler). A bit smaller and lighter despite the increased 4 round magazine capacity. The larger G21 magazine fits it and works well too. I need to install some good night sights on this one.