Posted on 05/20/2021 3:51:28 AM PDT by COBOL2Java
However, people who buy small guns often quickly discover how difficult they can be to shoot. Why is this? It’s Newtonian physics: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The bullet goes downrange and the gun recoils. The amount of felt-recoil depends on the mass of the gun. Less mass equals more felt-recoil. Therefore, a smaller gun is going to "kick" more than a larger gun in the same chambering, making it more difficult to handle. So while a smaller gun may sound appealing, shoot it first to be sure it’s really what you want.
There are only a few guns for which a manual safety is an integral part of design and function. One of those is the 1911 platform, because the single-action trigger is extremely light. Folks who carry 1911s typically train on how to engage and disengage the manual safety as part of their regular range activities, so the motion is committed to muscle memory. For the rest of us, a manual safety is not vital, though there's certainly nothing wrong with having one on your gun; just remember to practice disengaging it and engaging it.
First, are you certain you will have both hands free to charge the pistol? Can you chamber that first round with one hand, especially if your other hand is occupied fending off an attacker or corralling a loved one? Just like with a manual safety, adding another step to deploying the gun complicates things, increasing the odds we will not get the gun into the fight when it’s needed.
Second, carrying with an empty chamber cheats you out of valuable ammunition. By keeping a round in the chamber, you can replace that round in the magazine with an extra. If you have a 10-round magazine, for example, you can carry 11 rounds, usually expressed as 10+1. Wouldn’t you want to carry an extra round? I certainly would!
And then there are belly bands, an option for athletic wear or any time your wardrobe doesn’t include a belt. Belly bands are self-contained holster systems that wrap around you and include a holster for your gun and sometimes places to add accessories such as spare magazines, a knife, pepper gel, and other carry items. Belly bands are a secure way to hold your gun without a need to significantly alter your wardrobe. Be sure to look for one with a reinforced area over the trigger, though.
With a waistband-carry position, you can reach your gun whether standing, sitting or lying on the ground with relative ease. With an ankle rig, you must bend over or lift your leg to retrieve the gun, often requiring you to take your eyes off the target while you fumble to get the gun out. If you’re moving, as is often the case in a defensive scenario as you seek cover or concealment, you can’t get the gun out of an ankle holster until you stop. This puts the odds against you from the start, and you may not get a chance to even them out. So while carrying a gun in an ankle holster beats not carrying a gun at all, it’s a less-than-ideal solution.
If you do manage to pull the gun out, there is a good chance the holster will come out with it. In theory, the holster is supposed to stay in the pocket, but in reality that only works about half the time. Which half will it be in the moment? If the holster comes out with the gun, now you must ditch the holster before you can use the gun. Not a great way to start a life-or-death encounter.
Take your training one gigantic step forward by adding dynamic movement to your shooting. Most indoor ranges will not let you practice this because they require you to stay behind the bench, so you will likely need to move to an outdoor range or find an indoor range that allows it. Also, seek out qualified instruction from someone who is well versed in dynamic encounters and can help you in a safe and effective environment.
I put mine in my purse, so it is not forgotten, do the same at NO carry Dr offices. Only the Liberals/Stupid go into Memphis UNARMED. 2-3 killings a day, more non-fatal shootings, 10 kids dead, 6 people on Freeway at random in in past few weeks.
Who says a small caliber gun is not effective? Hubby and uncle were target shooting his .22 automatic pistol, in FL on his uncles farm, a snake reared, he took it down in 1 shot. Turned out to be female Rattler. Farm boy want meat shoot it, USAF Sharpshooter from Basic’s (Nam era).
‘Put your cell phone in your pocket, sit down and try to pull it out without standing up. Pretty difficult, no? Now imagine your cell phone is your gun tucked in a pocket holster, and you need to get to it in a hurry. Probably not going to happen. That’s one of the biggest drawbacks of pocket carry: inaccessibility. If you’re sitting down, such as in a restaurant or your car, you’ll have a harder time getting your gun out of your pocket.’
Plenty of wheelchair bound carry. Who puts their gun inside your jeans waist?
Dickies Perry suspenders ... under the shirt ... wierd I know ... but can untuck.
> Who puts their gun inside your jeans waist?
Me? And two other places.
I’ve been carrying for decades. I carry a Glock 23 because I don’t believe in manual safties. I’ve seen videos of people forgetting to disengage a manual safety during an actual gunfight. I also don’t believe in carrying with an empty chamber. Now you just have an expensive paperweight. When I pull my Glock out, it’s not going snag on any clothing that will cause the trigger to be pulled. It’s going to be ready to engage without any further action beyond pulling the trigger. People who need the reassurance of a manual safety and/or empty chamber probably shouldn’t be carrying in the first place.
Magazine extensions fix this.
What holster do you use? I’m in the market for my 3rd.
Apparently, the quote is taken from Paul McCartney’s only line in the movie “Deliverance ”, when Sir Paul is pickin’ off the ‘billy’s one by one. Ultimately, the scene was cut but the soundtrack song, “Monkberry Moon Delight”, is still a hit on hillbilly radio. Based on a true story, the music video features Paul, Linda, and a cameo by Yoko Ono. That’s her, doin’ the yodel-off with Aunt Pearl.
I like the 1911 and I include it in my training, but I am in your camp as well. For CC, G17 or SigP365, depending on the occasion.
I recently picked up the Urban Carry for my G17. Its a good alternative to IWB strong side (support side when driving), and comfortable. But like pocket carry, as the article points out, would be difficult to retrieve the firearm while seated.
My ensemble is this:
Hanes crew neck long white t-shirt.
Holdup Suspenders holding my holster/belted rig (Mentioned above) on Duluth Trading Company pleated chino slacks.
Short sleeved Dickies button down shirt.
Sadly, the company that made my belt (Boxer Tactical) doesn’t exist anymore, and Duluth stopped selling my slacks.
The belt is amazing. Not leather or nylon. It’s like a kind of rubber conveyor belt material that allows zero slip. It’s bendy around my waist, but not vertically. It’s also ratcheting.
Super comfortable setup considering I carry a boat anchor on my hip everywhere I go.
A whole nuther set of rules violated in those cases. Any loaded gun, regardless of chambered or not, should not be accessible to unauthorized persons of any age.
Terrible CC choice, made famous only by th emovies of the 80's
...but to each his own.
I use a RMHolster low rider holster with a negative cant, since I carry crossdraw. It tucks my Glock 23 in nice and tight. rmholsters.com
For some reason, it’s the one pistol that I shoot the best with the highest capacity. I’ve owned it since 1996, and it’s never failed me.
The XDS is a very fine weapon. And you can never go wrong with a caliber that begins with a "4."
Understood. It really depends on how hard one runs it. If you keep it clean and only go to the range and shoot a box, its fine.
I’ve taken several 4 day defensive classes each with different guns over the years. The classes have you shooting ~600 rounds over the 4 days in a dry dusty climate. I have run these classes with 1911, Beretta 92/M9, Springfield XD, G19, and once with a Colt 686.
Far and away the most frustrating experience was with the Beretta. It has too many rough edges and corners to cut your hands on while manipulating through gun malfunctions, it starts getting dry, leading to malfunctions, at about 100 rounds, and of course the open slide makes it highly susceptible to getting jammed from foreign objects (dirt).
All that said, its great to be able to train to the most complex gun. (double/single action, decocker manipulation going into the holster, etc).
Reaction times to good rounds on target go down as you go from DA/SA to SA(1911) to Glock-like. That and the fact that I can put over 1000 rounds reliably through my Glock and still have no malfunctions due to getting dry or carbon build up brings me to where I am for choice of CC (and my opinion of the M9).
Well, that is all very interesting. For me, it’s not a movie line, it is a way of life. I grew up hunting and fishing, not much money, not much ammo.
That is true especially with a seatbelt on.
A good alternative when in the car is a Magnetic Gun Holster
Just poking fun. You have to admit, it was kind of corny. And I thought the McCartney thing was pretty good :)
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