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Post by whitehorse on Mar 22, 2020 13:56:47 GMT
How Do You Choose Which Gun To Carry
I'm trying to ask a pretty specific question but I'm not sure how to get it right.
Given situation: you have two handguns that are identical in all respects except for caliber.
As an example a Glock 19 and a Glock23 (for my example capacity is equal on both)
Or a (brand of your choice) 1911 in .45ACP or 1911 in .38 Super.
Or a given revolver in .357 or .44.
So, essentially you have two guns that occupy the same space.
It's a normal day. Assuming it's legal you're going to take the kids to school, go to work, go grocery shopping and come home.
- How do you decide which gun you're going to carry on that given day?
Flip a coin? Switch off every other day? Whichever is on the nightstand?
ETA: I own a Glock 19 and a 26 and a gazillion magazines for them and enough 9mm to start WWIII (It on took about 5 rounds to start WWI).
Every so often I get a bug up my but and I want a Glock 23.
My problem is if I buy a Glock 23 I'm one of those people that's going to get 19 magazines for it, three or four cases of ammunition for it, a half a case of Speer gold dots for it and a $120 Kramer holster for it (by which time SWMBO will have already thrown a conniption and relegated me to the couch FOREVER. )
And I know that either it or the Glock 19 (for which I've already bought all of the above) is going to end up a safe queen and SWMBO will be really twisted.
I'm trying to decide if the financial outlay is justifiable but based on the answers that I've gotten before I added this edit I don't think it's going to be.
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Post by torpedo on Mar 22, 2020 13:58:52 GMT
It's split between three factors for me.
1. How heavy bodied and difficult to penetrate is the potential threat? If a black bear or larger animal may be a threat, I choose the cartridge that has the best penetration characteristics. So in most cases that's the heavier bullet, but there are times I'll favor something faster as a way to increase penetration AND capacity. Example: 45 acp penetrates nicely, but 10mm can penetrate very deeply also and the extra capacity is only a bonus in the same size gun.
2. How many potential threats might I encounter in one incident, and how hard will they be to hit? As already stated, if I'm going to be around large singular and durable targets, say bears or moose, I tend to choose something hard hitting with a heavy bullet, but if you throw wolves, or potentially small groups of human attackers in the mix, I want more capacity. So that may push me into 38 Super, but again it will more likely take me down the 10mm road again. If light bodied animals or humans are the only real threat, then I'd probably go with a 9mm as maximizing capacity seems a good idea.
3. How great is my need for concealment, and how does that impact the balance I'm trying to strike up? I believe in concealing my gun if I'm around people as no one needs to know I'm armed. So I tend to have guns of different sizes. I know you said assume two guns of the same size roughly, but I can't. The same concepts as above apply, but depending again on the threat type, I have to strike up a balance between capacity, needed bullet weight, and how important it is to conceal. Every situation isn't the same in the concealability part.
This combo of factors has taken me down the typical gun owner road of owning multiple guns of different sizes in the same cartridge for different occasions. It's very nice having options, but it costs money, and space in your home. I'm actively reducing my number of guns right now as I overcompensated a bit.
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Post by oldhippy on Mar 22, 2020 14:00:51 GMT
I have a Glock 17 and a Glock 22.
I carry the 17 (with 2 more rounds) because I have the ability to pokes more holes with it. And in my testing and according to some well informed people, it pokes deep holes with Gold Dots.
I racked my brain for quite a while deciding what to carry but I'm confident in what I picked. Other than when I'm cleaning the 17, I can't think of a reason to carry the 22.
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Post by merc on Mar 22, 2020 14:18:14 GMT
First and foremost, I go with what I know I like. And I typically go for what Is more powerful. I'd rather carry a Glock .23 versus .19 for my own personal carry.
I also go off of what I prefer to reload. 9mm is fine, but not really enjoyable to reload for. .40 S&W is bigger and straight walled, so therefore easier to load for.
If I was going to bear country and had a choice between a Smith & Wesson 15 (.357 model right?) or a 69, I'd pick the 69. .44 magnum is most probably my favorite handgun cartridge.
.357 sig is by far my favorite Semi-auto cartridge (right after .45 ACP).
And I know .357 Sig was made to be like unto the .357 Magnum law enforcement rounds that were so commonly used by police in the revolver days. And since I tout so often that the main advantage revolvers have over semi-autos is that they're more powerful, .357 Sig is honestly the way to go for a Semi-auto. Don't understand why such advanced semi-auto cartridges aren't more common nor popular yet, though I know why militaries stick with 9mm.
Final reason is which caliber have I already put the most resources into reloading for? By far, .357 is definitely the single most caliber I spent the most money on just trying to reload for it right. All that investment has to pay off somehow, and so might as well stick with the caliber I spent so much learning and resources on.
And reading your posts and about your affinity for sub-compact Glocks just makes me wanna go out and buy a Glock 33 at the end of the day.
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Post by magnum on Mar 22, 2020 14:25:04 GMT
That's pretty much the situation I'm in. I have a Glock 19 and every so often I get a bug up my butt and I want a Glock 23.
My problem is if I buy a Glock 23 I'm one of those people that's going to get 19 magazines for it, three or four cases of ammunition for it, a half a case of Speer gold dots for it and a $120 Kramer holster for it (by which time SWMBO will have already thrown a conniption and relegated me to the couch FOREVER. )
And I know that either it or the Glock 19 (for which I've already bought all of the above) is going to end up a safe queen and SWMBO will be really twisted.
So, no matter how bad I want it I just can't justify it.
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