Carry Opinions

spoon059 · Jun 18, 2018

IWB, chambered. If you have a quality holster and a quality pistol, there is no fear of the trigger getting pulled. I would recommend a good gun belt though (I really like Daltech Force biobelts, personally) My wife requests that I carry when we are out with our children, so I have been wearing an IWB CYA kydex holster with my G43 (used to be my G19, very happy for the smaller pistol!!!) and no issues. I can run around at the park, carry the kids, roll around on the ground with the dog and the pistol/holster stay secure. The only issue that I have is my shirt riding up over my gun though, I'm 6-04.

If you ever need your gun, the time it takes to chamber a round might be too much. That video of the off-duty Brazilian officer is insane... she stands in front of him and racks a round. If he had even been mildly paying attention to her, he could have shot her long before she got a round chambered. Thankfully he was distracted. I pray that I never need any of my guns, but I prepare to use them as quickly as I can.

Blaster229 · Jun 18, 2018

Nnztg8r said:
Practice and experience. No substitute. No shortcuts.

Everybody is new to it at some point.

The more often you do it, the more competence and confidence you have.

Carrying an “unloaded gun” is IMO foolish.

Know your weapon. Know yourself.

Know weapon, know peace. No weapon, no peace.

NebTim · Jun 18, 2018

Justinteacher said:
Opinions, please...IWB without one chambered or OWB chambered in a Safariland with thumb lever. I'm not looking for opinions about open carry, but my real question is: open with one in the hole or concealed without one in the hole. Ignore if it's a stupid question. I'm not yet comfortable with one in the hole unless I have some type of active retention like the thumb lever. Thanks.

what model holster are you considering?

generally if its concealed the extra retentions may not be necessary. safarilands have some nice holsters.

Magnumite · Jun 18, 2018

Blaster229 said:
Know weapon, know peace. No weapon, no peace.

well said

HeatSeeker · Jun 18, 2018

1time said:
And one where dad got himself and his son killed trying to chamber a round during a robbery.

http://www.kget.com/news/homicide-n...dly-robbery-at-a-lamont-gas-station/613676554

I'm sure there are many different scenarios and videos. Carrying without a round in the chamber surely slows your reaction time to a threat and might cost you your life, but there are also many scenarios where just having the gun can save your life as well. In the event of a serious threat I'd much rather be prepared with a round already in the chamber, but would definitely feel better just having a gun even with an empty chamber than not having a gun at all.

TexDefender · Jun 18, 2018

It depends on your level of comfort. Don't let anyone talk you into doing something you are not ready for or comfortable with doing. My suggestion it to purchase a pistol that has a decocker (Sig Saur, Barretta, etc) and one of those "Practice" plastic pistols they sell in the same model. I preferred OWB, because it is what I'm more familiar and comfortable with, or a shoulder holster (usually when I wear a suit). I carry my 226 legion or M11-A1 with a round in the chamber, decocked. I prefer a pistol with a hammer, so if I need Single Action, I can pull the Hammer down. I prefer a Thumb break, versus a retention strap. As always take a class or two. Break your holster in, and practice. Ensure you have a lock box or safe to store it when not in use. Learn situational awareness, know the difference between Concealment and Cover. ALWAYS TREAT THE FIREARM AS BEING LOADED, do not become complacent. I wish you the best of luck.

Biggfoot44 · Jun 18, 2018

(Speaking now about personal preferences)

Likewise, I prefer OWB , specifically dead cows and Pancakes , 99% of time IWB is a torture device to me .

And I prefer thumb breaks , if only for my above #3 . I've had guns tumble on floors and sidewalks , and bounce out of belt slide and rattle around the floorboards of 4x4 .

If you start out learning with a thumb break or similar , it will become natural to you , and just as quick .

sports89man7 · Jun 18, 2018

just don't be that guy....
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2018/06/04/fbi-agent-shooting-nightclub/

Blaster229 · Jun 18, 2018

I'll chime in again and I'm sure Bigfoot will chime in after me to refute with his wealth of experience.

There is only one safe comfort level, that's carrying hot.
We don't dictate how the gun rides with us. The gun dictates how we should carry the gun.

You need to be able to shoot your self defense pistol with 1 hand. If someone gets the close quarters physical drop on you, and you need your support hand to parry a punch, grab, etc... You're not charging your unloaded pistol. They will disarm you and kill you with your own weapon.
If you carry un hot, you're a loser right from the start.

Biggfoot44 · Jun 18, 2018

The ever so humble Blaster is spot on with above post .

Alea Jacta Est · Jun 19, 2018

This is a great point TEXDEFENDER... Indeed it’s the crux of the OP’s question.

It all comes down to two things...confidence and competence. Don’t do what you’re not confident about. Do persist in improving your competence. Competence breeds confidence.

The one other thing that we may have not called out is risk. You carry to mitigate external risk. At the same time, how you carry may mitigate or exaggerate the risk of employing and bringing your weapon to bear when it is needed. If you decide that you are going to carry to reduce risk, that’s one thing. That decision should be informed by law and your conscience AND your personal skill/knowledge/ability. If you decide to carry sans “one in the pipe”...e.g. not in a “ready” condition, then you are accepting a greater degree of risk should you need to produce and employ that weapon to protect yourself.

These are decisions. They need to be cognitive, informed decisions. They certainly involve risk trade offs. Only you can make these decisions.

Back to the ever eloquent Blaster. “Know weapon, know peace. No weapon, no peace.” This is squarely on you. Nobody else to blame. If I lacked competence/confidence in my weapon, I would NOT carry it. Frankly, confidence/competence with your weapon is nothing more than competence/confidence in yourself.

Advice is easy to seek. It is also easy to give. Sift through and decide what’s best for you. Then train, train and train some more. Training is money.

Speaking of training, feeling good about your knowledge of and skill with (manipulating the controls) your gun is IMO a small part of your obligation to be ready. There’s lots of courses out there that get to the legal aspects of using your weapon, should it become necessary. This training (I like Ayoob’s MAG40 for example), should (again IMO) be a personal mandate just as soon as it is next available. I see it as a moral obligation. YMMV

davsco · Jun 19, 2018

yep you carry for worst-case scenarios, and one of those might have your weak hand defending yourself, moving a loved one behind you, etc, so can't count on having that hand free to help you rack in a round.

my standard advice is to do a bunch of idpa matches. excellent way to see how you, and your gun, work under a little pressure.

Biggfoot44 · Jun 19, 2018

For picky semantics , gain Confidence that is realistically commensurate with Competence .

At the risk of seeming to sound like Blaster's position instead of my usual viewpoint , basic accuracy needed for basic SD ( made up, but illiustrative statistic) 75% of SD situations would only require 7yd groups the size of a 12 pack of beverages .

Basic administrative handling - very important
Knowing WHEN to whip out your trusty pistola - critical
Ability to make your 12pack sized shot, from your holster(s) with reasonable alacrity - very important

jep3242 · Jun 22, 2018

Do what's comfortable for you. One in the chamber or not, I'd rather have my roscoe on me than not having it at all...that's my opinion.

Occam · Jun 22, 2018

I'm still working on the training side, here. Having gone most of my life without any ability to legally carry out in the world (well, in this state, anyway), and being old enough to truly appreciate the consequences of an ND or a rash decision to shoot, I've got it bad: longtime Marylander with BGOS and enough wisdom to not want to get ahead of my own high-adrenaline handling skills. So no: I'm not sufficiently ready for quick-draw-from-concealed-carry defensive shooting. Yet.

Most of the time for now, my piece is in a sling bag. YES, I KNOW - that rules it out as a way to save my bacon in a number of scenarios. It also provides me an option I've gone most of my life without, here in MD, which is to have a gun in my hand in seconds as opposed to having a gun in my hand NEVER. If I'm pulling up into the bank parking lot to use the ATM, or using a gas station in the middle of the night, or arriving at an unknown construction site to do some business, I change how I'm carrying. But for now, most of the time, I'm in full belt-and-suspenders mode until I can satisfy myself through training that I'm going to be able to reliably pull a hot gun from an IWB holster like I mean it.

In the meantime, carrying in a less volatile way still does excellent things to sharpen your situational awareness, train you to remember things like Post Offices, and to slowly let the truly serious gravity of carrying become part of your psyche. Yes, I accept the fact that fumbling a more complex draw introduces its own sorts of risks. Which is why though I own quality no-safety striker guns that may very well become my carry choice, for now it's something with a safety. All of my muscle memory from many years of pistol shooting formed with safety-equipped guns, so I don't feel too much of a disadvantage, there. We all have our own calculus about these things.

tomrkba · Jun 22, 2018

Justinteacher said:
Opinions, please...IWB without one chambered or OWB chambered in a Safariland with thumb lever. I'm not looking for opinions about open carry, but my real question is: open with one in the hole or concealed without one in the hole. Ignore if it's a stupid question. I'm not yet comfortable with one in the hole unless I have some type of active retention like the thumb lever. Thanks.

IWB or OWB with a round chambered.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVPiic-ELoM

tomrkba · Jun 22, 2018

You can alleviate your anxiety in several ways:

1) Learn about the internal safety features of the gun. Understand how the firing pin is blocked from striking the primer until the trigger is pulled.
2) Carry the gun with a Snap Cap in it around the house for a week. Did it go off by itself?
3) If you are still nervous, look at a gun with a hammer but a double action pull. The HK P30, P30SK, and P30L all have a LITE LEM trigger option. This is a great trigger on a hammer fired gun. Place your thumb over the hammer as you holster. You will feel the hammer move if something gets into the trigger guard. You could always try a 1911 since it has two external safeties (again, know your gun).
4) You should attend training. The very best starting point for an inexperienced carry permit holder is Mas Ayoob’s MAG-40 class. It contains the shooting, legal and tactical education that you need. Spend the money and just get it done. https://youtu.be/t24t6vEbTZA

kenpo333 · Jun 22, 2018

tomrkba said:
IWB or OWB with a round chambered.

I agree with this. I use both depending on the way I dress. Actually three ways. an Alabama inside the pocket would be the way to go

To do it my way you have to practice a lot to get the feel for each. I always carry a firearm with no external safety so each holster must be over the trigger guard. I've always said that after you start to carry you will change holsters, the way you dress, and even the firearm.

I also like holster that can be carried on the side most of the time and then if I am driving having the ability to move it to appendix or middle left side. Should also consider the holster's ablity and your knowledge of how you are going to use public restrooms.

daggo66 · Jun 25, 2018

Justinteacher said:
Solid advice. Just uber paranoid about NDs now that I have a kid, and maybe a level 2 holster gives me a false sense of safety.

An NDS cannot occur without pulling the trigger. Retention is not the issue, training is. As far as IWB or OC, while both are legal in MD with a wear and carry permit, OC is just not practical in this state in public.

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