Concealed Carry Corner: Switching Your Carry Gun Too Often
Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last time we talked about my top 5 favorite summer carry guns. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to give it a read. This week, I wanted to talk about another important aspect when it comes to carrying concealed which is rotating between too many guns. This isn’t typically a problem for beginners who are just getting into guns but will more than likely impact those of us who have a number of options to carry on a given day. Let’s take a closer look at switching your carry gun too often.
Concealed Carry Corner @ TFB:
Consistency is King
The number one rule when carrying a concealed handgun is to keep things consistent. Whether it’s gun choice, position, and holster selection all make a massive difference when you’re developing a uniform draw every time. Some carry based on what they are wearing and go from there. Whether it’s pocket carry, carrying in a shoulder rig, or just in a small tuckable inside the waistband holster, all need their own special draw. Switching between multiple carry methods and carrying different firearms complicates things in a stressful situation. Having the same firearm on your body and practicing with the same handgun 1-2 times a week will drastically improve your draw speed as well as how smoothly you can execute your draw stroke.
Certain positions like pocket carry can take a longer time to develop a smooth draw stroke just due to the complexity of fighting layers of clothing. Pockets have a way of grabbing your gun with excess material and this creates a struggle to free the handgun from your pocket. Inside the waistband holsters have their own learning curve where you have to spend extra time either weekly or monthly just practicing drawing your concealed handgun from its holster and presenting it properly. Another big mistake I see is people carrying a revolver one day, then a single stack 1911 before switching to a small striker-fired gun.
All three of these guns have drastically different manuals of arms and in the case of the 1911, an external safety you have to work around to fire the handgun. This may seem like a fairly simple process, but in a stressful situation where you are just trying to get your gun out of the holster and fire, simple things like turning safeties can be forgotten if you don’t put the proper practice in at home. The biggest takeaway here is to try and pick just one firearm to carry consistently rather than switching styles and carry locations.
Upgrading to A New Carry Gun
Another trend I see people do is selling their old carry gun for a newer model and treating their new carry gun just like it’s their old one. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people trade in their carry guns after years, pick up their new carry gun, and not only put the old self-defense ammo into the new gun but snag a cheap store holster and walk out with the new gun strapped to their hip. When you decide to make the switch to a new carry gun, it’s always best to give it a proper shakedown before trusting your life to the firearm.
Things like the layout of controls, recoil impulse, and trigger break will all be different so it will take time to find a good rhythm and understand how the gun will act while firing. I’ve stopped a few people to ask why they immediately carry a handgun they’ve never personally fired before and the typical answer is always “Oh it works I’m not worried about it.” I understand some get excited about a new gun and want to carry it no matter what, but it is important to hit the range and practice before trying to carry it as your daily carry pistol.
Guns Aren’t Fashion
While it can be fun to carry an expensive handgun at a gun-friendly barbeque, people will carry underpowered or inadequate firearms because they are classy or interesting to the carrier. The fact is most of those classy firearms lack capacity, and power and typically are challenging to shoot effectively. The best thing to do in this situation is to carry the same Glock 43x or 48 that you normally do because it’s consistent. If I’m going to an event you’ll usually find me with the same micro-carry pistol that I would be carrying in just a shirt and shorts hours before. Having the same setup will allow you to know exactly what to expect if you have to reach for your firearm in a dangerous situation.
Overall Thoughts
Carrying a concealed firearm can be a truly rewarding experience but sometimes we can lose sight of why it’s so important. I’ve seen people do some incredibly interesting things and switch between different guns every day of the week because they can. Although it’s certainly possible, sticking to one firearm and consistently training with dry and live fire is the best method to becoming faster out of the holster and on target. What do you guys think about switching out carry guns on a regular basis? Does it make the process more confusing or do you enjoy the change up? Let me know in the comments below. If you have a question about carrying concealed or firearms in general feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.
TFB’s Concealed Carry Corner is brought to you by GLOCK
I'm an avid shooter and love educating whether it's at my job or in the shooting community. I'm an average joe that really loves talking with other people about firearms and other passions.I'm active on Instagram on @fridgeoperator.
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I rotate between three 1911's, two
in .45 and one in 10mm. I also include an FNX .45 and a Glock 19. I have had a Glock 19 since 1991, but only recently (4 years) got into 1911s. The FNX I have had for years. It shoots like a dream in single action and is very reliable, as are the other guns. The FNX is my SHTF gun, because of the 15 round capacity. If weight becomes an issue it will be the Glock that I take with me!
I carried the same Model 66 on duty and Model 60 off duty for 8 years, then a P226 on and off duty for another 10, and the same M60 for the 30 years since I retired. I own other guns, but I have alway thought (and taught) to be consistent about carrying. The Marines had us stick with the one that you trained with, and I figured they knew what they were doing.
Ask Ayoob or the other old timers how they feel about it. I guarantee you will get similar answers. We are all past the "boyz with toyz" stage.