Do you carry a handgun that is comfortable or comforting?

[Salty1]

IMO comfortable is key, if any gun can not be carried comfortably then it will be left at home more than it should be. Almost everything involved with carrying involves trade off's of one sort or another. With that said I believe in the big bang theory, I was carrying a 9mm Sig for a while IWB with a TT Gunleather holster, it worked fine. I switched to a LCR, tuckable IWB with CT laser grips, worked great and was very comfortable, that is the minimum caliber I would personally carry, I have a Sig P238, love the gun but only consider that a bug, I am not a fan of 380's as a self defense caliber, most of them have a very limited range and terrible sights. I based my decisions while thinking back to Luby's and what if a 50 foot shot had to be made? I would never even attempt it with an LCP type of gun. I have recently found my perfect carry gun, a Sig P239 in 357 Sig (7+1), I am carrying it OWB in a Galco holster (thanks Maximus) works perfectly long as I do not have to tuck in my shirt, if I do then it is occasionally the LCR. I do not subscribe to the more ammo the better club (ie spray and pray), I believe in practice and training and making every round count. So in short, comfortable and comforting one without the other defeats the purpose, IMO comforting equates to confidence. Almost any gun can become comfortable although one could end up with a box or two of holsters while trying to figure out what works for the individuals body type, fortunately I was able to play with some of Greybeards "did not work" holsters which saved me a few hundred dollars.

[maximus2161]

Not to digress too much from my own topic but one thing I always found interesting is the perception some have regarding what type and brand of firearms a person might carry. Like several have said they prefer 1911's. Or some like Glock, etc. Its about preference. All great choices. One thing I became painfully aware of is that in some cases if a person carries say a handgun that is not common or a high end brand then that person is perceived as someone who is misguided or doesn't understand what a 'good gun' is. Maybe they dont or maybe they do. Its like if one doesn't carry a high end brand then that person isnt worthy to carry. Like some form of handgun snobbery or as I call it 'handgun brand racism'. No, I'm not talking about members here but I'm sure you all know the kind of folks I'm talking about as I am sure a few have met that type. You know the citizen with a CHL that carries a high end and expensive handgun that is used more for a status symbol and would look at you disapprovingly if you said you carried an inexpensive handgun. I used to be judgmental like that once too. There are brands I do NOT like and will never own because I think they are junk. Like once I was teaching a CHL class and this older gent who was obviously a novice to handguns showed me a very cheap, poorly made 9mm. It took all I had not to do a facepalm right there. Instead of looking down upon the fellow I took the time to discuss and educate why I thought a different gun would make a better choice for CCW or even general self defense but never made him feel stupid. There are some guns I just will not own because in my opinion they are junk and just not what I would rely on for protection. We just need to be enlightened and one reason I like this forum is most people here tend not to judge but go out of their way to offer their advice to others based on their experience.

And since I mentioned it I dont think there is a thing wrong with carrying an expensive handgun. You can afford it then go for it. My taste in guns has been refined over the years but it was a process to get there. I bought an El Cheapo Jam O' Matic .380 once a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away because it was NIB for $70. I knew NOTHING about guns at the time and it showed. But I thought I got a great deal because it was 70 bucks. I look back and shudder at the thought. I dont care how expensive the gun is (providing I can afford it and would own it) or how popular the gun in question is. "Does it work for me?" is what I have to ask. Its not about price for me so much as it is about quality. If I am carrying a Wilson that cost 2-3K and lost it because I had to defend my myself or my family with it so be it. Money well spent. And in that tragic situation the cost of a gun is the least of my concern.

Ok moving on...sorry to digress like that.

I agree a compromise of the comfortable/comforting factor seems to work best for me also. I also agree with Longtooth and Excaliber's opinion on this topic. I do dress around my gun. I come from the school that not only believes in shot placement but also a larger caliber. One thing I am grateful for is the availability and selection of guns we can choose from to suit our individual needs. I am also glad that in Texas we dont have the limitations on caliber/capacity/design some states have.

[mgood]

Do you carry a handgun that is comfortable or comforting?

Yes.

My first two handguns were double-stack forties. I felt well-armed with the .40S&W. But the fat, double-stack grip made me a little uncomfortable about how much the grip printed. Also, my hands are not large and I thought I'd have better control of a pistol with a slimmer grip. That got me looking at a 1911. I went with a .45 ACP, not because I felt the .40 S&W was in any way inadequate, but becuase I figured that if I'm going to have fewer shots, I might as well punch a bigger hole. Just no reason not to. I purchased a Kimber Ultra CDP II in .45. It has a 3" barrel and an aluminum frame. That gives me a powerful weapon that is also one that conceals well and that I can shoot well.

It was about a fifteen year search to find the right combination of comforting and comfortable for me.

[randomoutburst]

My semi-auto handgun will be a compromise on both ends. It's bigger than a totally comfortable (read: compact) gun, so it will poke in certain positions. However, I'm confident that it would do some damage to its target. I don't have it in hand yet, sadly, so I can't attest as to its comfort for daily wear.

I recently got into a debate with my husband's coworker. He said he would carry a small .22 for defense. I outlined why I didn't think it was a good idea and why it was an ineffective self-defense option...and he countered that someone my size (or any person, really) couldn't possibly conceal anything bigger. Since I was at home, I was wearing my revolver on my hip...and he hadn't a clue. Silly people...you don't have to do a whole lot to dress around a larger gun, and then you get the benefit of a more effective self-defense weapon!

[Excaliber]

My semi-auto handgun will be a compromise on both ends. It's bigger than a totally comfortable (read: compact) gun, so it will poke in certain positions. However, I'm confident that it would do some damage to its target. I don't have it in hand yet, sadly, so I can't attest as to its comfort for daily wear.

I recently got into a debate with my husband's coworker. He said he would carry a small .22 for defense. I outlined why I didn't think it was a good idea and why it was an ineffective self-defense option...and he countered that someone my size (or any person, really) couldn't possibly conceal anything bigger. Since I was at home, I was wearing my revolver on my hip...and he hadn't a clue. Silly people...you don't have to do a whole lot to dress around a larger gun, and then you get the benefit of a more effective self-defense weapon!

Since it just ain't that hard, I can't think of a good reason not to do it.

[A-R]

Despite Excaliber's well-reasoned arguments, I do believe any reliable gun is better than no gun at all. I'm not a street fighter. I'm a big guy, but kinda soft and fluffy not chiseled from stone. So even if 6 rounds from a .380 doesn't completely stop an attacker, perhaps it's enough to give me the upper hand when the wounded attacker does reach me and I can beat him away with my fists or a broom stick or whatever. I dunno, I just know that if someone is attacking me I'd rather have SOMETHING than nothing at all. Because again, I'm kind of a creampuff despite my girth. Sure I could totally change my physique, work out 4 hours a day and become an Adonis able to open a can on anyone who comes near me. But realistically, ain't gonna happen. And even Adonis can be killed by the street punk with a .25 Lorcin.

And in my profession, while I can carry more often than someone banished to a "no guns allowed" office building, school, or some other gun rights infringing place, I sometimes can't carry much more than a .380 or .38 snub nose. I try every chance I get to at least carry a 9mm in a tuckable holster, but sometimes even that is difficult (and I still question whether the slow draw presentation of a tuckable 9mm is really better than the much faster into-the-fight presentation of a pocket gun from a front-pocket draw).

For me it's not really a question of comfortable or not; it's "concealable" or not based on the clothing I need to wear for my job. And for me concealable isn't always just the legal definitiion. I need to make certain my clients don't know I'm carrying (so the sheeple clients they don't freak out and go find another Realtor). So I probably conceal "deeper" than I have too around certain clients. If I'm just going to Home Depot on a Saturday afternoon, a T-shirt over a Glock is fine. But with SOME clients, even a bulge could lead to a conversation I'd rather not have. And sure, I could avoid working with such clients just as easily as many of you could quit your job because the employee handbook says "no guns allowed."

Point is, practical concealability is often the reason a smaller gun is chosen moreso than perceived comfort. All of my handguns are "comfortable" to wear if I'm able to properly dress around them.

But again, despite caliber, RELIABILITY is most comforting of all. Knowing your gun will go bang is very comforting. Knowing you have the ability to place those shots COM is also very comforting. So here's the next most important rule for me other than "have a reliable gun with you 24/7"

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE with EVERY GUN you carry, yes even the small difficult-to-shoot pocket guns. Practice with them as much or more than your full-size fun-to-shoot guns. If possible, practice not only aiming and shooting (which is vitally important to muscle memory with the different grips and sight lines of a smaller gun), but also drawing, awkward position firing etc. If you have a range that allows such "tactical" practice, then practice such scenarios with all of your guns, not just your fun guns. If you don't have a "tactical" range available, then with an unloaded gun (triple checked to be sure it's empty and ammo in another room), practice drawing and dry firing with your "comfortable" guns. I think dry-fire practice is one of the most important and often-overlooked methods to improve your skills and ability.

So as long as a handgun is reliable and I am practiced and accurate with that firearm, I am comforted. Common sense says that a .40-cal Glock is a better choice in a gunfight than a .380 LCP, so obviously I carry "more" gun as often as I can. But a .380 or .38 is much more comforting than no gun at all.

Will my LCP be able to stop the next Luby's shooter with a 50-foot shot on a moving target who may be shooting back at me amongst a crowed of panicked customers? Probably not. But how much better will your 1911 or Glock do in that same situation? I don't care what gun you carry, that's a difficult and ill-advised shot in a crowded restaurant. If you must take it, take it. But perhaps the better course of action is to retreat, seek cover, or try to flank the attacker and get a better shot? It's not the distance that worries me (I can hit a target the size of a human torso at 50 feet with an LCP or a J-frame - that's only a shade over 15 yards) - it's the potential collateral damage that worries me.

[bdickens]

My one and only carry gun is a G19. It doesn't bother me to carry it. It works. Even though I probably wouldn't win an IDPA tournament, I can shoot it well enough to make it very dangerous to attack me. So I suppose the answer is "yes."

[ske1eter]

Fortunately, mine main carry guns are both comfortable and comforting. My EDC is an M&P full-sized .45 in a T T Gunleather IWB outside a t-shirt and inside an unbuttoned camp shirt sporting a single spare mag on the weak side. Depending on the dress required, etc., that day, I will sometimes dabble with carrying an M&P full-sized 9mm, the G27, or an S&W642. I love my 1911's and used to rely on one until the M&P's came along.

[Oldgringo]

Do you carry a handgun that is comfortable or comforting?

Yes.

Springfield 1911

Roger that!

SA LW Compact 1911

[C-dub]

I've only carried my two Glock's, so I don't know about anything else. And even then I've only carried my 27 for the past 7 years. I've gotten used to it. Sometimes it's comfortable and sometimes it's not, but it is always comforting!

I chose the .40 for the best of both worlds. Power and capacity.
I chose the Glock for it's reliability and simplicity.

[longtooth]

Do you carry a handgun that is comfortable or comforting?

Yes.

Springfield 1911

Roger that!

SA LW Compact 1911

Me too. Champion.

[TXlaw1]

Based on things I saw in law enforcement, very early on I made a decision to dress around comforting guns rather than trying to get comfortable around an "I'm in a heap of trouble if I have to use this thing for real" gun. I just couldn't get physically comfortable with being mentally uncomfortable. I figure if the gun you carry can't be relied on to stop a threat before the threat stops you, there's little point in toting it around at all.

Ditto to your thoughts. Until I retired recently, I carried a .45 every day, on and off duty, from 9-11. Now its usually a .45 and sometimes a 9 mm to be mentally comfortable, even if I have a little physical discomfort from the gun in the Ultra Deep Cover holster IWB that is covered very well in my dress shirt "uniform".

[The Annoyed Man]

Despite Excaliber's well-reasoned arguments, I do believe any reliable gun is better than no gun at all. I'm not a street fighter. I'm a big guy, but kinda soft and fluffy not chiseled from stone. So even if 6 rounds from a .380 doesn't completely stop an attacker, perhaps it's enough to give me the upper hand when the wounded attacker does reach me and I can beat him away with my fists or a broom stick or whatever. I dunno, I just know that if someone is attacking me I'd rather have SOMETHING than nothing at all. Because again, I'm kind of a creampuff despite my girth. Sure I could totally change my physique, work out 4 hours a day and become an Adonis able to open a can on anyone who comes near me. But realistically, ain't gonna happen. And even Adonis can be killed by the street punk with a .25 Lorcin.

I realize that if I were shot, a .25 ACP would be enough to discourage me from attacking further. But I have seen a 6'4" 275 lb man on PCP run out of a room with a 400 lb gurney strapped to his back. I've seen another guy on PCP who strained so hard against the leather restraints on his wrists that he broke his own humerus bone right in half with just pure muscle tension. I don't think a .25 would have even gotten either of those guys' attention, let alone slow either of them down. I'm sure a .32 wouldn't have either... ...nor a .380. A .38 Special would be marginal, a 9mm or .357 better; etc., etc.

I don't plan on being a fighter either. I'm stiff and cranky. But I don't make my caliber choice for daily carry based on what I think I might run into on an average day. If that was how I thought, I wouldn't bother to carry a gun at all. My caliber choices are based on whatever will help me to survived a really, REALLY bad day.

But that's just me.

[MojoTexas]

If I had my druthers, I'd carry .45 ACP every time. It's a proven cartridge, and I'm comfortable and accurate with it. I have two pistols chambered in .45 ACP: My Kimber 1911, and a Taurus PT145 Millennium. Unfortunately just the ammo alone makes them pretty hefty, but I find their presence comforting.

I also own a small S&W 442 J-Frame revolver, and I often carry that around the house. Sometimes I carry it out in public, but not very often. Around the house I figure five rounds of .38 Special will slow someone down long enough to make my way back to one of my larger handguns, or better yet, my shotgun.

I'm a big fan of the comforting over comfortable. Despite the Texas heat, I mostly carry the Kimber 1911, and I've found with a little bit of care I can conceal its Commander-sized steel frame and two magazines under a loose t-shirt. Yes, it's heavy, and yes, it's a little uncomfortable when I'm helping my dad move hay bales in the heat of the Texas summer sun, but it's worth it to me.

The Taurus mostly gets carried when I'm exercising or working in the yard. It's a compact double-stack pistol, but still gives me 10 rounds of .45 ACP, and despite the DAO trigger I'm still pretty accurate with it at self-defense range.

I've got a couple of other handguns (Springfield XDm .40 and Beretta 92FS), but I almost never carry them. The Beretta was my first handgun, purchased almost 20 years ago. It's easy and fun to shoot, but I'm not a big fan of the 9mm for self-defense. I know it'll get the job done, but if I'm going to carry a full-sized heavy pistol, it's going to be loaded with something bigger than the 9mm. The XDm was bought on a whim, and although it's fun to shoot, I'm not totally sold on the .40 S&W cartridge. I may wind up selling it someday and getting either an XDm in .45 ACP or a Glock chambered in 10mm or .45 ACP. I'm not opposed to polymer pistols in certain circumstances...they're rugged as heck and can take a lot of abuse and still be reliable.

Just my $2e-02 of course.

MojoTexas

[drjoker]

Like austinrealtor, I have to go d e e p undercover. My wife hates guns so I don't have any at home. I have managed to stash a Keltec from her at my neighbor's house that I'll carry if she wants to go to South Dallas for BBQ or go on a long road trip. Shhh...! She doesn't know! That's how discreet a Keltec P3AT is. I really hate the recoil. It's a very snappy little gun and the quality is less than a Glock, but it does go bang and it is small enough to successfully conceal from the Mrs. I hate the gun (I'd rather carry a Glock 19 or a .45 Kimber 1911), but it is the only thing that can be concealed in all situations from everyone. You'll never be "made" and the round it fires .380 is a lot more powerful than a subcompact revolver (.22). It will hold 6 shots while a derringer only holds 2. Therefore, a little gun like the KelTec or Ruger LCP is the king of the subcompacts. The only thing better is a Rorhbaugh 9mm, but you can buy 3-4 Kel-Tecs for the price of one Rorhbaugh. Plus Rorhbaughs are impossible to find. They're like unicorns or Seecamps. I have heard of them but I've never seen an actual Rorhbaugh. Considering that a Rorhbaugh cannot fire +P ammo, it's only marginally better than a .380.