Question about number of guns to carry.

[aaron580]

I second this.

 

[ru44mag]

I agree with getting rid of the derringer. There are plenty of IWB mag holsters. You could keep a spare mag where you keep the derringer. I like pocket carry, but I tend to agree that a pistol in a holster on the hip draws a lot faster. If you empty one pocket, you have another place for a spare mag. I won't tell you to get rid of your snubby. I have a couple of those myself, and occasionally, they come out of the safe. I will on occasion carry a BUG. It's kinda fun.

 

[Redhorse]

Well for everyone encouraging me to get a glock, i appreciate it, but i prefer my snub as my primary and prefer revolvers over anything. I simply have these two other that carry really easily.

 

[chezuki]

i prefer my snub as my primary.

Run you snub through a defensive pistol class or USPSA/IPDA match and you may find your opinion changes.

 

[lovemachine]

Well for everyone encouraging me to get a glock, i appreciate it, but i prefer my snub as my primary and prefer revolvers over anything. I simply have these two other that carry really easily.

TAIPAN Magazine - When Your J Frame Isn't Enough

TAIPAN Magazine - Optimizing Pocket Glocks

 

[7.62]

Well the anwser to how many guns you should carry is quite complicated. First you take your age and divide by 2....then the take the last number of your social and add 4. Then you add those two numbers together and divide by 8. Then you take the square root of the number of woman you "tell people" you have been with and subtract 5....take this number and add it to the first number and there you go carry that many guns!

Note....this method may require you to get more pockets.

Ok all joking aside....I agree a snub as a main it not ideal but if you are most comfortable with it then rock on! I would ditch the Derringer completely as far as carry goes. I do think carrying a BUG is a good idea...but far less important then having a good primary and being trained for its use. If you carry a BUG (s) train like crazy in its deployment into action.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

The snub will get you out of the vast majority of messes you find yourself in. I'd hazard that you're well into the 90% range of handling any situation you find yourself in where ANY gun would have mattered. You can weedle away at that 10% with better capacity, longer sight radius, etc. You'll never get it to 100% even with a long gun and body armor, though.

Different people will do their own risk calculus and come up with what they are comfortable with. It certainly doesn't mean you're going down in flames just because you've got the lowly snub.

IDPA etc aren't terribly comparable to real world shootings. They'd be pretty boring matches if they were. Games tend to have a much higher value on high capacity and reloading than real world does.

 

[jrogers]

As long as the OP's "snub" is a good-quality revolver in good repair in .38spl or better it'll be fine. Drop a speed strip in a pocket and done. Obviously practice is the most important element.

I personally prefer Glocks, but they aren't for everyone.

 

[bluewraith]

Well the anwser to how many guns you should carry is quite complicated. First you take your age and divide by 2....then the take the last number of your social and add 4. Then you add those two numbers together and divide by 8. Then you take the square root of the number of woman you "tell people" you have been with and subtract 5....take this number and add it to the first number and there you go carry that many guns!

Note....this method may require you to get more pockets.

2.8 guns?

 

[churchmouse]

Only carry more than 1 when I am scared..............

 

[7.62]

2.8 guns?

that means you have to round up and carry 3!

 

[cosermann]

I've only been carrying since January, but its seems odd to me to even carry a BUG. Why not just have one primary weapon with a do-it-all mentality? Is it just me or why the exact need for a BUG except for WANTING to carry for the "fun of it" (maybe worded wrong, but i think you get what i'm throwing out there)

A few reasons . . .

2010 Shot Show: Massad Ayoob talks about carrying a second firearm - YouTube

One gun is like one of anything - all your eggs in one basket.

 

[David D]

One good, reliable, tested primary gun and one reasonable bug really should suffice most situations. Additional ammo (magazines or speed loaders) and proper situational awareness are the rest of the story.

 

[cosermann]

There was a thread on this topic a while back too. Ah, here it is:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/handguns/143028-carry-backup-gun-edc-why-why-not.html

The concept can be expanded to BUWs also (back up weapon).

 

[rhino]

I've only been carrying since January, but its seems odd to me to even carry a BUG. Why not just have one primary weapon with a do-it-all mentality? Is it just me or why the exact need for a BUG except for WANTING to carry for the "fun of it" (maybe worded wrong, but i think you get what i'm throwing out there)

There are a variety of situations where you might not be able to use your dominant hand.

Can you access, manipulate, and fire your weapon with your support side hand only? Have you tried it, or do you just believe you can do it? How about under stress? Once you learn how to do that, observe how slow it is just to access your strong side carry gun with your other hand. A little experience with that set of skills will illustrate to you very clearly the value of a second gun that is readily accessible to your non-dominant hand.

 

[cedartop]

There are a variety of situations where you might not be able to use your dominant hand.

Can you access, manipulate, and fire your weapon with your support side hand only? Have you tried it, or do you just believe you can do it? How about under stress? Once you learn how to do that, observe how slow it is just to access your strong side carry gun with your other hand. A little experience with that set of skills will illustrate to you very clearly the value of a second gun that is readily accessible to your non-dominant hand.

I'll bet someone does a pretty cool class on that stuff.

 

[SmithGuy]

I would rather carry 2 quality carry pistols that I trust completely rather than deal with the overhead of a third. Check out the Kahr PM9 and the S&W M&P Shield.

 

[cosermann]

I'll bet someone does a pretty cool class on that stuff.

Repped. ROFL.

 

[DRob]

Most "gunfights" last only a few seconds, are at very short ranges, a relatively small number of rounds are fired, and NOBODY gets shot! You need to be really good with one gun. If you feel the need to have more shots than it can hold, carry an extra magazine and practice reloading.

 

[rhino]

Most "gunfights" last only a few seconds, are at very short ranges, a relatively small number of rounds are fired, and NOBODY gets shot! You need to be really good with one gun. If you feel the need to have more shots than it can hold, carry an extra magazine and practice reloading.

Most people will never be in a gunfight or need to use their gun for defense.

Once an individual is selected, however, empirical probabilities no longer apply. They only apply to populations. Once you have a serious problem, you need to be prepared to deal with it.

Second, the dynamics of situations that private citizens encounter can vary widely. Virtually all information that suggests the ultra-close distance, 1-3 shots, etc. originated with police actions. Much less reliable information exists for non-LEOs, but some does exist. If you read or listen to the case studies that Tom Givens has compiled of his own students, you will note that the commonly held beliefs based on LEO actions doesn't always match what regular people have faced.