carry gun philosophy

[jmoorepghpa]

I think my philosophy regarding what type of gun I carry might have to change.
For twenty years my way of thinking was this... my lifestyle and career is such that no one should have a personal reason to shoot at me... so my carry gun is to protect myself and family from assault or harm by probably one possibly two individuals who would confront us at close range. The second situation would be if we were caught in crossfire.... in that event I(we) would drop, move to cover and protect ourselves if anyone approached and showed intent to harm us ...once again close range protection.
Public mass shootings have skyrocketed recently. Is the main threat to our lives close range assault anymore? We do not frequent high crime areas nor do we participate in activities that would put us in conflict with armed criminals but we do go out to eat, we go to the mall, we go to concerts and we go to church....... we go to the places that these public shooters are targeting.
I carry a S&W 342PD .38+p five shot snub nose revolver. The gun is double action only, has no hammer to snag in a pocket and is very light. Its simple and reliable. I can carry it and 5 extra rounds in a pocket or on my belt very easily and it is perfect for what I thought was the most likely threat I would face. What I am thinking more and more is I may need to switch to a gun with a larger capacity and greater accuracy. I think it may be more likely in todays world I find myself in the food court with everyone on the floor and two whack jobs with an arsenal of weapons walking around shooting people on the floor. In that very real situation I think one would have to take an aggressive position and stop them as quickly and as far away as possible. I do not see the 5 shot snub nose as the ideal weapon in that situation. Wondering if anyone has any opinions on this matter.

 

[JB]

Re: carry gun philosophy

When I lived in FL in the 80s I kept a Ruger Super Blackhawk under the seat in my car. That was allowed under the Florida chattel law. . . your car is an extension of your home.

The only event that involved it was when a guy approached my car with what looked like a .22 derringer and announced that he had a gun. I took a chance and pulled on him. He launched in a nanosecond and was gone before I could even thumb the hammer.

I currently sometimes carry a little Taurus P-22 and have a Ruger P-9 in .45ACP by my door.

I think chances of needing to shoot in public are about as good as getting hit by a meteor except in particular situations and locations. That's when I pack, and I believe that revealing that I am armed would shut down most crises.

But you never know. Several years ago a fellow in FW was headed for the range with his scoped Super Blackhawk (could have been a Redhawk) in the cab of his pickup when he witnessed a guy shoot a woman, jump into a truck and take off. Well Bubba pulled his Ruger and shot the baddy dead as he passed. No charges were filed.

 

[JMRuth72]

Re: carry gun philosophy

Personally once I can get my carry license. I haven't had the time to go deal with the fingerprinting and paperwork. I am going to carry the biggest most reliable and most accurate gun that I can hide. Then I am going to go to the range and shoot the h@%% out of it until I can shoot reasonably well at about 20 yards and lethaly at 20ft. I am already pretty well lethal with a rifle, but need some practice and it is not practical to carry a rifle, even a carbine. I hope that I will never have to use it, but I will not hesitate to if someone is coming after me or my family and friends.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I have a carry license.
Only reason is because of the business.
My daughters have their's also.
I carry a Ruger 6".
They carry a Smith stub, both in 38.
Mine stays with me every where I go when working except into Federal buildings and banks.
Ant that amounts to every where cause at the times we run, they are closed.

 

[rolmops]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I carry a FN 38 special government issue (very simular to their 9mm.).It has been with me for close to 30 years.I cannot carry it to work because that is in a federal building.Only problem is finding ammo of this type .I usually have it sent in from overseas.
Do I think that I ever need it?I pray not.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and hope someone bales me out.

Most people think of self defense/ home security firearms and want a 44 mag with quick loaders so they can get off 18 shots. I'm the exact oppisite. 6-10 rounds is sufficent in almost any situation. 380 acp is also sufficent. Small calibers and fragmenting slow moving bullets save lives. If you (just a general "you", not the OP) were to have to shoot your big gun in the food court and it hit the bad guy wwere else is the bullit gonna go? Through him, through the sheetrock, and into that 6 yo girl looking at teddy bears. In my Smith 357 I carry 38 special hollowpoints. My home defense gun that my wife and oldest daughter know and can handle is a 410 pump with #9 shot in it. I would much rather wound a bad guy than kill an innocent bystander. I can always shoot him again if need be.


Great story JB. Glad to know theres people out there like that and courts that will back them up.

 

[DJ]

Re: carry gun philosophy

But you never know. Several years ago a fellow in FW was headed for the range with his scoped Super Blackhawk (could have been a Redhawk) in the cab of his pickup when he witnessed a guy shoot a woman, jump into a truck and take off. Well Bubba pulled his Ruger and shot the baddy dead as he passed. No charges were filed.

Gotta Love Texas!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and hope someone bales me out.

Most people think of self defense/ home security firearms and want a 44 mag with quick loaders so they can get off 18 shots. I'm the exact oppisite. 6-10 rounds is sufficent in almost any situation. 380 acp is also sufficent. Small calibers and fragmenting slow moving bullets save lives. If you (just a general "you", not the OP) were to have to shoot your big gun in the food court and it hit the bad guy wwere else is the bullit gonna go? Through him, through the sheetrock, and into that 6 yo girl looking at teddy bears. In my Smith 357 I carry 38 special hollowpoints. My home defense gun that my wife and oldest daughter know and can handle is a 410 pump with #9 shot in it. I would much rather wound a bad guy than kill an innocent bystander. I can always shoot him again if need be.


Great story JB. Glad to know theres people out there like that and courts that will back them up.

I agree. I would rather carry a 38 snub with full wad cutter's that will expend all the energy then allow over penetration. For the purpose of defense shoot and flea....... your purpose is not to be able to take someone out if they are behind a barrier. I like to stay with the least and wounding would be fine. Remember if you shoot.... you become the "primary" target for the bad guy's next action...... chances are and history has demonstrated that everyone usually runs for cover.

I knew a US Marshall who could not miss with a snubby 38 at any distance..... one of the best shooter's I have ever seen. The 38 is plenty for self defense.

 

[DJ]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and hope someone bales me out.

Most people think of self defense/ home security firearms and want a 44 mag with quick loaders so they can get off 18 shots. I'm the exact oppisite. 6-10 rounds is sufficent in almost any situation. 380 acp is also sufficent. Small calibers and fragmenting slow moving bullets save lives. If you (just a general "you", not the OP) were to have to shoot your big gun in the food court and it hit the bad guy wwere else is the bullit gonna go? Through him, through the sheetrock, and into that 6 yo girl looking at teddy bears. In my Smith 357 I carry 38 special hollowpoints. My home defense gun that my wife and oldest daughter know and can handle is a 410 pump with #9 shot in it. I would much rather wound a bad guy than kill an innocent bystander. I can always shoot him again if need be.


Great story JB. Glad to know theres people out there like that and courts that will back them up.

I have to agree. In a crowded situation, or home, you want BIG and SLOW, e.g. .45 ACP. Anything hit with .45 ACP (once) usually will no longer be a threat. It was designed particularly for that purpose. Close in.

The "hot" loads have the potential for a lot of collateral damage, as KB points out.

 

[JMRuth72]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I agree that bigger slightly slower bullets are best. One of the things that I learned about on the boat was that the 9mm's would penetrate the bulkheads (even the steel ones) where as the old .45's and even the newer .40's would just dent it. When we went to security alert and I was internal I prefered the short barreled 12ga. LOTS of stopping power and little to no penetration of anything but flesh. I have pretty well decided that I will use my XD .40 as a carry weapon when I can get my permit. It has very similar balistics to the .45's and will impart almost as much energy into a bad guy, but doesn't overly penetrate. I don't like small fast bullets that will pass through just about anything and keep going. I would hate to be in a situation where I had to use my gun and missed shooting through a wall and killing a innocent somewhere else.

 

[i386]

Re: carry gun philosophy

My philosophy is not to carry. For some reason, I can shoot a gnats eye out with a rifle but can't hit the broad side of a barn with a pistol. I would definitely recommend combat training with a handgun to anyone considering carrying. I think it would greatly increase your chances of survival if you ever had to use it. Personally, I think I would choose a revolver because of their simplicity. Probably a .38, .357, or .45 and some real training.

 

[Benny1963]

Re: carry gun philosophy

im with kenneth on this one .i have been carrying for about 20 years
i started out with the biggest crap i could carry after about 30 days of discomfort i learned , carry something that you are comfortable with;
something that you can shoot and hit with ;i carry a 380 7 shot shaved hammer and squeeze cocker safety. im comfortable with it for about 20 years now, but have carryed quite a few diff, weapons for work and for off time
know your gun and shoot your gun ;and if you have no exp. get some training
thanks Bennyb

 

[KeltonKrew]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I carry a keltec P32. 9 rounds..small. I have the exact gun as initial pos. if you're worried about rouns going through someone, get some glacier safety slugs. air marshals use them. they wont go through a person, but te explode inside target bad guy and makes a mess. that's what i have in my 9mm and the keltec

 

[bjcsc]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I think your 38spl is fine. Some of the situations that have been mentioned may or may not (depending on your state) even be legal places to carry. You have to be very careful regarding the laws in your state. In some states, like SC, you have a duty to flee and you can not protect property. There are situations where you can assume a third party's rights but they can be very specific. I urge anyone considering carrying to be 100% aware of the laws in your state as they are all different.

I carry a Walther PPK .380 in summer attire (shorts/t-shirt) and a S&W Mod.19 .357 in winter...

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I like the .22 because I don't want to have to think about what's behind my target. I don't worry about the .22 having less "stopping power" because getting shot in the head or heart with a .22 has the same end effect as getting shot with a .45, and by that I mean that death is almost certainly inevitable for the target. That's just my preference.

PS - I learned just this morning that my state is among 8 states that currently have bills pending that would allow students the right to carry on campus. I guess not all news is bad news.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I never carry a gun in my car. I just make sure the doors are locked and dont venture off into spots I dont know. However the last time I NEEDED one was while I was at home at 4 am and I surprised 2 adult crack heads leaving my garage. Next time things wont go down the same way,I plan to cheat and have the modified shot gun to do it with...

 

[SuperNova]

Re: carry gun philosophy

My regular carry is a H&K USP40 Compact in .40 SW. It's small enough that I can hide it under summer clothes, big enough to enable a strong two handed grip, ensuring pie-plate accuracy out to twenty yards and pin-point at 7. But I also have been known to carry a pair of .45's, a Ruger .357 revolver, a Smith 9mm, or a Walther ppk....or any combination thereof, depending on where I am heading. I am also firmly of the opinion that anybody who fires their gun in a crowded place without being 120% CERTAIN that they are going to hit what they aim at AND has evaluated what their bullet may strike if it overpenetrates is an ignorant and incompetent lout who deserves to go to court and then to jail. Cops included.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: carry gun philosophy

WHEW, I was kinda worried I'd be the outcast there.

Glaciers are good, so are the CorBon's. I've done quite a bit of testing different rounds to see what each does, although it was unscientific and just what i was capable of. I really liked the CorBons except for the price. For my 38 special rounds I use no name (actually white box Winchester) as they are cheap enough to shoot off and keep fresh. You should exchange bullets at least every two years. Theres absolutely no reason that they should go over that limit. I know that you can buy surplus ammo thats 30 years old and fires fine but thats not the point. The point is you have to shoot the gun some to be comfortable with it. You might as well shoot off the old rounds and replace with new.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: carry gun philosophy

You guys should live in Canada. We dont carry and have a lot less gun crimes. Makes me kind of scared to cross the border !!!

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: carry gun philosophy

I'm with kenny on this one. Up here very few people carry guns for personal protection. Most people up here think people who carry weapons are chickens. But on the other hand i think the average weapon count per household is about 5 guns.