Carrying an UNFIRED gun..

[Gamez235]

I have ran across a few thread in recent days, and keep running into the same situation.. one that after I thought about a number of customers in recent weeks, that just baffles me.

People are carrying guns that they haven't fired....

Is this pretty common?

If you do this are you comfortable staking your personal well-being on something untested...

I am sure I will get a million people telling me that this is nuts and they'd never do this, but I am going to keep track and update this after a couple weeks..

Now personally I take a gun as fast as I can and spit a few hundred rounds through it period.

So whats your take on this, have you done this, and why??

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

My opinion on it is that it's dangerously irresponsible.

But it's their safety they're messing with...not mine.

Let them continue in their ignorance...

-J-

 

[Joe Williams]

I'm in full agreement with you. Any gun, no matter how good the brand name or reputation, can have issues. It simply must be tested before I will stake my life on it. And with semi-autos, it's not just the gun that needs tested, the mags do as well. Sitting at home and cycling a few rounds through a new mag simply isn't sufficient, they must be test fired.

 

[rmcrob]

I'm carrying an unfired gun these days. It is my backup gun. Before I wasn't carrying a backup gun at all. How is carrying an unfired gun worse than not carrying one at all? At least as a backup gun?

 

[shooter521]

People are carrying guns that they haven't fired....

Is this pretty common?

IME, it's disturbingly common. I see or hear about it at the shop virtually every weekend I work. I have never endorsed or followed the practice, and don't plan to do so in the future.

That said, if circumstances forced me to carry a brand-new/unfired sidearm, it would be a revolver or a 9mm Glock.

 

[bigus_D]

I'm carrying an unfired gun these days. It is my backup gun. Before I wasn't carrying a backup gun at all. How is carrying an unfired gun worse than not carrying one at all? At least as a backup gun?

I can foresee contigencies where carrying an unproven gun could possibly turn out worse than carrying no gun... Not likely, but possible IMHO. That said, I carried my P3AT for a little while without having shot it.

I bought that gun so I could carry at work (where NOBODY needs to know I'm carrying). My full size carry is impractical (at least for me) to carry all day concealed at work... I figured that the P3AT would shoot AT LEAST once if I needed it, but I guess I wasn't sure. So I got it out to the range ASAP, maybe a week or two after I started carrying. I didn't like it, but decided it was better than nothing.

Note: I had significant troubles with jamming once I started running the P3AT at the range... only with the FMJ rounds, never with the HP rounds. After a few hundred rounds however, all jamming issues have seemingly disappeared.

 

[jmiller676]

I always shoot them even though when I buy them I buy them used because I'm not 21 yet..(thanks INGO ) However my buddy bought a new one at a gun show. He had his license and wanted to start carrying so I told him to go down to the range with me, took some ammo for him, FMJ and HP and let him run about 75 rds of FMJ through it and 20 HP, loaded his magazine with some good HPs and sent him on his way. I don't like the idea of not shooting before you carry.

 

[Robert Richardson]

I have known some guys that have done this but, I won't. A new gun is like a new anything,some things don't work right out of the box.

 

[rmcrob]

I am in concert with the idea of not carrying a gun until you know for sure it is reliable. That makes good sense.

That's why the new Kahr will not be the only gun I carry until I have a chance to run about 200 rounds through it, as noted in the user manual for the pistol.

However, I'm willing to risk it as a second gun with my Glock in its usual place on my hip. If you don't want to do so, I would say, don't do it.

 

[LEaSH]

It's as if they don't even enjoy shooting or something.

I can kind of understand that they might not have the interest that we do. They are utility items to some people.
Not all cops enjoy shooting guns, believe it or not. Some truly dread qualifying days.

They like being a cop, but don't care about all the cool stuff I would.

 

[Cygnus]

I never do that. The possible exception could be a revolver you cycled with snaps. But even then why? The pin could still be light striking.

It'll be interesting to see your research in a few weeks.
I often see adds on this site that say never fired but has carry wear.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Does carrying it home count? I have my own range just outside the house so getting to test fire a new gun isn't an issue. I like shooting too much to not fire a new gun, it killed me when I had to wait several months to afford to put eyes on a new .50bmg before I shot it. But as rmcrob said, I don't see as much of an issue with carrying one until you have a chance to try it out: it gets you comfortable with it and it is better than having no gun at all. I will caveat and say that I think a new shooter should not do so since there is so much to operating and carrying a gun that they need to become familiar with handguns in general. In the end it is a personal choice.

 

[00BlasterResto]

I wouldn't do it myself.
I got an LCP not long ago and as cool as I think it is, I didn't carry it until this last sunday when I was able to make it to the range.
I actually become uncomfortable if I go a month or so without shooting my carry gun.
My mom has a freind who carries an unfired 38 snub, I think she me think she dosn't need to shoot it unless she NEEDS to shoot it.
I have offered her to go to the range several times but she never seems to be able to make it (or she is timid, I dont know).
I got my mom one for christmas and we went on our first Avail. lady's night.

 

[WhitleyStu]

Years ago I purchased a new S&W 659 from my dealer. It was winter and I did not get out to shoot it immediately after the purchase. However, I carried it for several weeks when visiting a relative late at night who was in the hospital. When I did get out to break in the new 9mm it did not fire. That was the last time I bet my life on a NIB handgun of any make...

 

[doglb]

I have carried new and unfired guns at home just to get the feel of them in certain holsters. I will run usually a few mags through my pistols before carrying out of the house. I may not always run the standard ammount like most do, but I am usually pretty confident once I have a few range sessions.

Anything can fail at any time, cheap/expensive it doesnt matter. I feel more confident with a few down the barrel.

 

[XDinmyXJ]

I am gonna do that. The farthest i will go like that though is from my apartment to the range! why would you carry a gun you haven't fired? Thats crazy talk!

 

[Disposable Heart]

I agree with Shooter, a 9mm Glock (.40 and .45 have their share of break in) or a revolver, and even then, the manufacturer of revolver I would be very picky over. Taurus revolvers are good, but some have light strike issues out of the box. A 9mm Glock 19 or 17 would be my choice for a to be relied upon gun. However, the Glock would have to be NIB, not a second hand one, for me to trust it immediantly.

That said, I agree with many others here: It is foolish to not shoot the gun and clean it before running it for carry. I see so many folks at the range that will get an LCP or Keltec small pistol and carry it, despite it having jamming issues! I am also a proponent of running at LEAST a box through it. Some of the keltecs, I see folks run half a box, load up the other half and call it quits. I know .380 is hard to find, but man! I would NOT trust that gun until it digests a few boxes without issue (and a variety of ammo at that). One guy with a PF9 (no one that I know of here I think) had nothing but jamming issues with his. Ammo I think, who knows, the gun was NOT reliable. I remember him saying something like "well, I only need one good shot anyways, that will still ruin someone's day", before loading it up with hot Federal +P+ stuff (BIG NO NO), holstering it and walking out to the parking lot. Another had a new LCP, it was jamming up big time with any HP he had with it. He had no ball, but he said, well "I'll just carry ball, it will be reliable then", promptly loaded it up with HP and walked out the door.

It is really scary to think there are folks not only running around with untested guns, but specifically, malfunctioning guns. I do not know what would be worse, a gun that hasn't been tested (and may fail) or a gun that malfunctions, killing a bystander due to a improper function (sights off, gun goes full auto from stuck firing pin, etc...) or having the owner killed b/c the gun jams with one round.

We as gun owners (and some here who work in guns, Shooter521, I have seen you tell folks to get to the range first before carry, BIG plus 1!) need to get folks that we know that have new guns to the range. Not only a "as you train, so shall you fight", but also, know if that thing will "start on a cold day!!"

 

[renegade]

I've carried an untested gun before. I picked up a NAA 22 mag on my way into work one night. Carried it for a couple of weeks till I could get somewhere to shoot it. I wasn't happy carring a pistol I hadn't tested but I figured it was better than nothing.

 

[teh Nub]

I wouldn't carry any gun, new magazine, or ammo that I hadn't tested.

The issue I see with an unproven weapon is that in the event you draw your weapon and the person you are drawing on is armed. I'd hate for that to be the time to find out the firearm didn't function properly. You may not get shot in that situation by not having a gun at all... I'm sure the majority of the time the weapon will work properly or atleast be able to fire a round or two, but that's not a chance I would depend on...

 

[JohnP82]

I will not carry a gun until i have personally put at least 200 rounds of range ammo through it and a few mags of the defensive ammo i intend to carry. that has always been my rule.