Thinking about getting my CCW

R

RATequila

Joined
Dec 30, 2019
Messages
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I have been contemplating getting my CCW. What do you all carry on the daily? what should i look for as an every day piece I'm looking for suggestions. so tell me what you carry and why.
 
You need to look at:

What you can shoot well
What is reliable
What you can conceal well
What you can draw from concealment

if you can’t hit what you’re aiming at, doesn’t matter what you have, so practice all of the above with dry firing and reloading to create muscle memory.

I will carry anything from an LCP on summer days to full size H&K when weather and jackets allow.
 
I still carry my old S&W 411, an all metal .40 caliber pistol. I live in the boonies so I don't worry much about concealment and I carry it in a slide holster.
darsk20 made some excellent observations.;):thumbsup:
 
darsk20 said:
You need to look at:

What you can shoot well
What is reliable
What you can conceal well
What you can draw from concealment

if you can’t hit what you’re aiming at, doesn’t matter what you have, so practice all of the above with dry firing and reloading to create muscle memory.
Click to expand...

THISTHISTHISTHIS

You must carry what you are comfortable with. I grew up shooting all kinds of pistols and was a gunsmith for years. I can pick up a DA revolver, a hi power, a glock, a beretta m9 and feel at home with any. But not everyone has had that opportunity. You have to choose what you can use without thinking under duress.

Are you quite accustomed to firearms? If not, I recommend a double action only small revolver. You pull it out, point and start squeezing until it goes click, then throw the empty gun at them. It’s easy, it’s thoughtless with some practice. Are you quite comfortable with automatics? I carry an M&P Shield custom shop 9mm with Speer gold dot +P 124g. It’s fairly East under duress, it’s recoil isn’t too bad with the mag porting, and it’s small and easily concealable. I carry it in one of @Horsewright pancake sheath and it disappears under a t shirt.

After that, as quoted, practice practice practice. Practicing the draw is more important than the actual firing. Draw it, reholster it. Over and over and over. Until you can do it without a thought. Then keep practicing. When things go bad, that’s when you’ll be nervous and it’ll get hung up in your shirt. Then, practice firing. Not just the standard stances either. Practice firing while backing up, getting away from a threat (do this dry firing for awhile first!). Until you can do this without thinking.

Now, I practice about once a month (although it’s slacked off the last couple years). I try to do about 100-300 rounds a month with the weapon I carry. I really need to get back into that habit.

Hope this helps!
 
SVTFreak said:
THISTHISTHISTHIS

You must carry what you are comfortable with. I grew up shooting all kinds of pistols and was a gunsmith for years. I can pick up a DA revolver, a hi power, a glock, a beretta m9 and feel at home with any. But not everyone has had that opportunity. You have to choose what you can use without thinking under duress.

Are you quite accustomed to firearms? If not, I recommend a double action only small revolver. You pull it out, point and start squeezing until it goes click, then throw the empty gun at them. It’s easy, it’s thoughtless with some practice. Are you quite comfortable with automatics? I carry an M&P Shield custom shop 9mm with Speer gold dot +P 124g. It’s fairly East under duress, it’s recoil isn’t too bad with the mag porting, and it’s small and easily concealable. I carry it in one of @Horsewright pancake sheath and it disappears under a t shirt.

After that, as quoted, practice practice practice. Practicing the draw is more important than the actual firing. Draw it, reholster it. Over and over and over. Until you can do it without a thought. Then keep practicing. When things go bad, that’s when you’ll be nervous and it’ll get hung up in your shirt. Then, practice firing. Not just the standard stances either. Practice firing while backing up, getting away from a threat (do this dry firing for awhile first!). Until you can do this without thinking.

Now, I practice about once a month (although it’s slacked off the last couple years). I try to do about 100-300 rounds a month with the weapon I carry. I really need to get back into that habit.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...


In line with the above and assuming the worst is that you know nothing, get to a range and try out different models. Many have a rental program and/or try before you buy.

When you find what you shoot well Get a good holster so that it is comfortable to carry and a good belt to hold it all up. This may require trial and error. Similar to finding the right edc knife, which is why I have so many of each.

I would also suggest joining a gun forum or three for some research and YouTube is a pretty good resource. There are some great reviewers on there. I really enjoy watching and researching via hickok45, but there are many others.

Most of us gun nuts could go on and on for hours.
 
I have had a moderate amount of experience with firearms just not much with hand guns. As for what I'm looking for is a comfortable combo I can wear every day.
 
Ruger LCR 38+p in a Safariland pocket holster (suede exterior with a kydex inner holster so you can re-holster in-pocket one-handed), with Speer Gold Dot short-barrel optimized 38+p, in Duluth trading firehose flex shorts or pants (depending on season). Strong front pocket side carry dedicated to the gun - nothing else. I also added a Hogue textured grip to the piece.

Reason: I can present faster with this than any other carry option, it is effective, cheap, drop friendly and I can carry it every day and do - it's not a chore to carry.

You can certainly get fancy, and have more ammo and such, but if you can't present or it's too much trouble to take to the gas station for smokes or whatever, then it's not effective.

20200331_184813.jpg


best

mqqn
 
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Get the CCW for sure!!

I mix my EDC up.

Full sized .40 glock, small .40 S&W Shield and a .357 Ruger Sp101 with bobbed hammer.
 
For sure get your CCW.

I rotate between Glock 22c (.40 cal)



S&W .40 Shield

And .357 Ruger Sp101



The biggest advice is to try and shoot what you plan on buying. Many firearms will fit and work. Some will never feel right or work for you.

KJXszB4.jpg


1aIyPat.jpg



NWIpdai.jpg
 
Bigfattyt said:
For sure get your CCW.

I rotate between Glock 22c (.40 cal)



S&W .40 Shield

And .357 Ruger Sp101



The biggest advice is to try and shoot what you plan on buying. Many firearms will fit and work. Some will never feel right or work for you.

KJXszB4.jpg


1aIyPat.jpg



NWIpdai.jpg
Click to expand...
nice pics
 
RATequila said:
Not being a chore to carry has my attention.
Click to expand...
Notice the carry-wear on that rig. It is truly an EDC in pants that have a large enough pocket opening. If you haven't thought about your pants, you haven't thought enough about carrying a firearm. It's ride friendly too. :)

best

mqqn
 
With so many options to choose from I guess I will just have to shoot a bunch and get a feel for what I like. have heard good things about the shield and I have fired a Glock before so I would open to that for sure.
 
Love the SP101 with Goncalo Alves, Bigfattyt Bigfattyt - I regret selling mine years ago.

best

mqqn
 
I will say correct pants has always been a big thing for me. Toughness is a necessity her at the Swamp Rat headquarters if you haven't noticed.
 
RATequila said:
I will say correct pants has always been a big thing for me. Toughness is a necessity her at the Swamp Rat headquarters if you haven't noticed.
Click to expand...
You need mega. Firehose pants, that's mega - and Firehose Flex is ligher for summer - and they have nice shorts that are tough.

Mega indeed. You done dipping those Wardens in tequila yet?

:p

best

mqqn
 
darsk20 said:
You need to look at:

What you can shoot well
What is reliable
What you can conceal well
What you can draw from concealment

if you can’t hit what you’re aiming at, doesn’t matter what you have, so practice all of the above with dry firing and reloading to create muscle memory.

I will carry anything from an LCP on summer days to full size H&K when weather and jackets allow.
Click to expand...

This... and find a GOOD defensive shooting instructor right away who can analyze your technique. That way you can crush bad habits as early as possible and lay a solid foundation to get your building blocks up to speed quickly. You'll enjoy the learning process much more when you have a good starting point. You might even consider doing this BEFORE you buy the gun, as you may discover you didn't buy what was going to work best for you and you'll end up spending more on a new search for your holy grail (which isn't all bad.... I mean, I maaaay have more than one Busse, Swamp Rat and or ScrapYard in the safe).

Thanks for taking the responsibility of your own self preservation seriously.

Good luck to ya and stay safe,

Mike
 
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