An observation on CCW or Open Carry.

[contender]

"What are the odds you'll need to use your gun?"

Good question Dave.

In the last 31 years,, I've had (2) cases where I almost used my gun. Only my good judgement kept me from killing 2 different guys.
Once, asleep in my motel room in the Fl Keys, I had accidentally left my motel door unlocked. A guy came into my room about 12:30 am, drunk. Only my screaming demands followed by his retreat kept him alive. Two more steps forward, I'd pulled the trigger.

The other time, just a few years ago.
Meeting my wife & others at a restaurant for a FoNRA meeting. I parked beside my wife. She was still in her car & I in my truck. Driver door to driver door. (I'd backed in.) Only (2) vehicles around. A guy came out of the bushes, went between our vehicles, & tried to get into my wifes car. Luckily her door was still locked, and only my loud demands, after (4) times, he turned & said; "Oh, you got a gun" before he moved away. I didn't see a weapon, but I had pulled mine and had it pointed downward, but held in the center of my chest.

And there have been a few other times I've felt things were not quite "right" & quietly pulled my gun to be closer to the ready position BEFORE things got ugly. Beggars approaching me & my vehicle, druggie trying to sell drugs to neighbors, come to mind.

So, to answer your question. "You never know." As a life long Boy Scout & BSA Leader, I've lived by the motto; "Be Prepared."
I always say; "It's better to have it & never need it,, than to need it & not have it."

 

[Colonialgirl]

OH MY !!!!
Here we are on the RUGER Forum and everybody is carrying something OTHER THAN a Ruger of any size .
I confess, I have a permit and carry concealed and my carry weapon is the SR-9 Compact because as an old lady it is easy to wear in an IWB holster( note I wear jeans 99.9% of the time) and my Ruger is easy to use.
I pray that I NEVER have to display it or pull it out, let alone fire it at a bad guy.
Am I the ONLY person to CC a Ruger ?

 

[mr.deerstalker]

Nope night watchman compact here in 45acp. good point on the other then ruger gun thing. but a gun forum is a gun forum. sometimes is go's astray. not a bad thing most the time. when it starts allowing jewelry and lady's underwear. ill speak up. its bad enough I see that at today's gun shows. keep out of here..FNC

 

[GunnyGene]

I started carrying this 44 Special Three Screw around 2006 or so in this Bob Mernickle holster:



Age sort of caught up with me and I could no longer lift the gun high enough for a certain grasp/draw. I had Doc Barranti make me his No.1 Shuck, but use the band, or cuff as from his Ethan Edwards holster. I liked that so well I had him make me another but basket stamped. This holster was made for a 2 1/2" gun belt, but I modified it for my 1 1/2" trousers belt:



This has been my favorite holster for over a year now. I usually wear it with a sport coat, jacket, or vest. And, yes, I'm very confident with a Single Action .45 Colt.

Bob Wright

Tsk, tsk. Exposed trigger, non-retention holster, no red dot, only 6 rounds. Some people would have fit over that . I like it.

 

[vito]

OH MY !!!!
Here we are on the RUGER Forum and everybody is carrying something OTHER THAN a Ruger of any size .
I confess, I have a permit and carry concealed and my carry weapon is the SR-9 Compact because as an old lady it is easy to wear in an IWB holster( note I wear jeans 99.9% of the time) and my Ruger is easy to use.
I pray that I NEVER have to display it or pull it out, let alone fire it at a bad guy.
Am I the ONLY person to CC a Ruger ?

My EDC is a Ruger LC9s. Very compact and easy to conceal. Outstanding trigger, 7+1 capacity.

 

[daveag.]

I started carrying this 44 Special Three Screw around 2006 or so in this Bob Mernickle holster:



Age sort of caught up with me and I could no longer lift the gun high enough for a certain grasp/draw. I had Doc Barranti make me his No.1 Shuck, but use the band, or cuff as from his Ethan Edwards holster. I liked that so well I had him make me another but basket stamped. This holster was made for a 2 1/2" gun belt, but I modified it for my 1 1/2" trousers belt:



This has been my favorite holster for over a year now. I usually wear it with a sport coat, jacket, or vest. And, yes, I'm very confident with a Single Action .45 Colt.

Bob Wright

Great choice Bob! I carry 4 5/8" Blackhawks. Sometimes I slip a .22 Bearcat in my pocket. Then maybe short barrel Security Six. If I carry a Vaquero.. it's in a Ruger flap holster. Left side, butt forward. I carry every where in the city. I refuse to be a victim.

 

[Ligase]

When I lived in Ohio I mostly carried IWB a 3" SP101. I'm in CA now where its more challenging to get the CCW permit, but I'm trying to navigate the process. Once successful it will be the SP101 again.

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

IMHO, I think the term "too heavy" is often used in error, when the problem is more a problem of proper balance / weight distribution for the shooter. Everyone's finger, hand, and wrist muscles are of a different combination of strengths, and the weight / balance has to be of the same combination. If the fingers have the least strength of the combo, too much weight forward will be an issue ( Not too mention trigger pull). Even if the fingers are strong, too much forward weight will affect the wrist. A weaker hand- even with decent finger and wrist strength- will affect grip.

If a weapon - ANY type of hand weapon weapon - is balanced for the hand of the user, usually the weight won't be an issue. Weight WILL be an issue in regard to the combination on wrist and forearm strength. The same applies to hatchets, clubs, jo, hanbo, long knives, morningstars, and others

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

It just a personal assessment of risk.

Just for street use some might think its stupid to carry more than a revolver since most scenarios develop up close and are resolved with a few shots.

So really a high capacity semi is an unrealistic, unreasonable, and unnecessary choice of the self inflated.

Now, if you are the type of dummie to pull off for gas on one of Americas's MLK Blvd, maybe carry something to get you back on the highway.

I always carry a hammerless stainless Bulldog and add to it as needed. I NEVER carry open cept in the woods. I ALWAYS carry front waist band in a double loop bootlace holster. One loop around the belt, one for the nose of the firearm.

The first rule of a gunfight is to close the distance to point blank and do the do.

 

[DGW1949]

I've carried either a BHP or full sized 1911A-1 for years...both are easier to hide than a 6-shot K-Frame and both work fine with a proper holster and clothing....As far as "weight" goes, I've pistol-whipped way more people than I've ever had to shoot so no, I've got no use for a plastic gun. Besides that, heavy guns allow for faster follow up shots, so then there's that.

 

[dhains1963]

I see it's time for this short instructional video again.

That's ridiculous. By the time she gets to any of those guns she would be an unconscious heap on the ground. The best defense against an attack is ones mind. Know when hand to hand trumps a gun. If a person gets within arms reach or less one's gun will be pretty much useless.

Cross draw is perhaps the worst of all ccw carry positions. As one goes to draw all the assailant has to do is pin the drawing arm against the body. Defender cannot drawl at that point.

Situational awareness and choosing the right defense saves lives. My question to people who train in gun self-defense is this, "what if your gun ceases to be part of you self-defense, then what?"

The gun jams and attacker is on you and you can't clear the jam. You are disarmed, or you drop it while drawing in panic mode. The attacker takes your gun with one in the chamber.

These are legitimate questions one needs to address, train for and think about. Some days everything goes wrong. It would be foolish not to train for those days.

 

[GunnyGene]

That's ridiculous. By the time she gets to any of those guns she would be an unconscious heap on the ground. The best defense against an attack is ones mind. Know when hand to hand trumps a gun. If a person gets within arms reach or less one's gun will be pretty much useless.

Cross draw is perhaps the worst of all ccw carry positions. As one goes to draw all the assailant has to do is pin the drawing arm against the body. Defender cannot drawl at that point.

Situational awareness and choosing the right defense saves lives. My question to people who train in gun self-defense is this, "what if your gun ceases to be part of you self-defense, then what?"

The gun jams and attacker is on you and you can't clear the jam. You are disarmed, or you drop it while drawing in panic mode. The attacker takes your gun with one in the chamber.

These are legitimate questions one needs to address, train for and think about. Some days everything goes wrong. It would be foolish not to train for those days.

Of course it is from that perspective. She is selling a product specifically aimed at the avg woman who is far more concerned about her personal appearance than about personal defense.

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

People need to remember bad guys have methods of already being in your personal space. Don't let it happen !

 

[contender]

Joe's post offers a good thought process concerning my OP.

"IMHO, I think the term "too heavy" is often used in error, when the problem is more a problem of proper balance / weight distribution for the shooter. Everyone's finger, hand, and wrist muscles are of a different combination of strengths, and the weight / balance has to be of the same combination. I the fingers have the least strength of the combo, too much weight forward will be an issue ( Not too mention trigger pull). Even if the fingers are strong, too much forward weight will affect the wrist. A weaker hand- even with decent finger and wrist strength- will affect grip.

If a weapon - ANY type of hand weapon weapon - is balanced for the hand of the user, usually the weight won't be an issue. Weight WILL be an issue in regard to the combination on wrist and forearm strength. The same applies to hatchets, clubs, jo, hanbo, long knives, morningstars, and others"

 

[pawncop]

When I was working patrol, I carried my S&W 4506. When I was assigned to CID, plain clothes, I discovered my 4506 was constantly pulling my pants askew. I changed to a lighter sidearm as it looked unprofessional, it was out of position, and pulling my pants up was a distraction.

Ended up with my S&W M&P in 45 ACP.

One needs to consider a number of factors in selecting a sidearm.

Good discussion here, I hope you find this helpful.

 

[willicd76]

Im carrying a whole arsenal of extra weight around my waist. One more gun shouldnt bother me.

 

[nekvermont]

I don't have hips or a bulbous azz to keep a gun belt above my knees, suspenders are my friend.

 

[Jeepnik]

I love it when internet experts pontificate on facets of a subject not based on facts but rather their opinions. For instance, a type of carry or what manner one must react to. A young fit large male has more options than a older stove in one.

Every person has to develop their response plan tailored to their particular circumstances. I can, for instance, tell you I prefer OWB cross draw. Because that works "best" for me. It's not "best" for everyone else. Heck maybe not anyone else.

The same goes for any other endeavor in life.

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

After over 300 combat missions and street encounters all over the world, my handgun is under my navel where I can best protect it and get to it. And 9 out of 10 of my scenarios I was holding onto the opponent because I work better in a closed space. And my fixed blade serrated knife with large hand guard is right beside it.

These street thugs bounce right into your space and you better develop a method to deal with it

 

[bowzette]

OH MY !!!!
Here we are on the RUGER Forum and everybody is carrying something OTHER THAN a Ruger of any size .
I confess, I have a permit and carry concealed and my carry weapon is the SR-9 Compact because as an old lady it is easy to wear in an IWB holster( note I wear jeans 99.9% of the time) and my Ruger is easy to use.
I pray that I NEVER have to display it or pull it out, let alone fire it at a bad guy.
Am I the ONLY person to CC a Ruger ?

Original LCP Custom but I train with it often. The gun I carry when I'm not carrying a gun which is often.