How Do You Choose Which Gun To Carry

I don’t get it. What has deciding between carrying either your 19 or 26 got to do with buying a 23?

Trunk Monkey said:

I never said I thought a .40 would make a difference.

And I've had quite a bit of training I've even been in the **** a couple times for real.

I've just always had a thing for Glock 23s.

Rule of thumb, if you have no idea what you're talking about you probably shouldn't

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What's "a thing" ?

Just tell yourself that you'll get a G23 when Glock comes out with the Gen 5. That's my plan...

Get the 23 and a reputable 9mm conversion barrel for it. Sell the G19 and be done with it. Best of both worlds and no safe queens. Heck, throw a 357 Sig barrel in there for good measure. At least with the next ammo shortage you'll be able to carry the same gun with the same trigger and sights but in 40.

Trunk Monkey said:

Or I can carry the same gun I'm carrying (literally) right now but in 9mm.

I have plenty of 9mm on hand and I'm not concerned in the slightest about the next ammo shortage. I'm about 3 years ahead on Gold Dots and I intend to keep right on buying.

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Then keep the 19 and don't get the 40. Simple... Seems like when someone argues against getting the 40, you put up a defense. Then when someone argues that you should get both or get one and a conversion barrel, you argue that you should just keep the G19. Not sure what to tell ya...

Trunk Monkey said:

If you go through the whole discussion that's pretty much what I decided to do

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Cool... Gen 3 & 4 G23s can be had pretty cheap in the $300 range being that 40s&w isn't very popular. If it's a safe queens that will only be carried or shot sporadically, no need to buy a bunch of mags. The three it comes with is enough. You only live once. If you like it, just buy it. No need to over analyze everything.

Trunk Monkey said:

The question was deciding what to carry between a 19 and a 23. If there's any post in here that says the decision was between a 19 and a 26 it was a typo.

But that brings up another point one of the things that I like about having a 19 & a 26 is magazine compatibility which I would lose for the 23 and a 26

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Carry the 26 with a -19 magazine and a sleeve...same grip dimension as -19..essentially a little bit lighter, 'stubbie' -19..my EDC...

Do NOT want to start a 'caliber war'...seen that get weird on another forum..and NOT endorsing this as etched in stone, coming down from the mountain top but it IS interesting..

https://sofrep.com/gear/the-best-handgun-caliber-a-real-world-study/

Trunk Monkey said:

The question was deciding what to carry between a 19 and a 23. If there's any post in here that says the decision was between a 19 and a 26 it was a typo.

But that brings up another point one of the things that I like about having a 19 & a 26 is magazine compatibility which I would lose for the 23 and a 26

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Got it.

Outside a SHTF scenario, magazine compatibility is only an issue if you carry both at the same time and you’re an LEO or a Mexican Cartel member.

Keep the 19 and 26 as your SHTF guns, and get the 23 as your CCW gun.

Trunk Monkey said:

Magazine compatibility is an issue because it's the most efficient use of my resources.

And I'm sorry but I really am that pragmatic about it. That's one of the reasons I can't bring myself to piss away that money on a gun I'm not going to use

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The 40 will still be calling your name softly...……… (swirly eyes)

When you have lunch today, when you fall asleep tonight, when your wife is telling you about her day...… 40 is all you hear. You are not in control.

The 40 will be calling until you buy it.




That's how it is for a lot of people anyway. Maybe you can hold out though.

Trunk Monkey said:

Magazine compatibility is an issue because it's the most efficient use of my resources.

And I'm sorry but I really am that pragmatic about it. That's one of the reasons I can't bring myself to piss away that money on a gun I'm not going to use

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Eh? If you think the 23 is a waste of money because you're not going to use it, why are you asking the forum if you should buy it?

I'm not in the habit of pissing away my time, and you just did ...

That's the problem with having many different types of guns and calibers, it becomes a chore selecting which to use. Every time I go to the range I go through the tedious process of selecting which guns I want to shoot on that day. The problem is that I want to shoot all of them but then I think of having to clean a bunch of guns after I'm finished & I narrow things down to three or four at most.
I only have one gun that is suitable for CC so if that's what that particular day calls for I don't have much choice but to reach for that one gun & I'm OK with that (for now).

I think you should get a G23 Gen4. And here's why:

From what I've gathered on this forum, you condensed your handguns down to a bare minimum for very practical reasons. Assuming you can afford it, live a little. The practical side of you says "9 is fine. It'll get the job done, it's cheap and available ammo, you don't need more options to confuse you", etc, etc. All very logical. And honestly, some of your posts are part of the reason I decided to focus on one platform in a single caliber and streamline my defensive firearms.

But you obviously want a .40S&W. You know the platform. Your holsters will work. You can convert it to 9mm if you want and still use your current mags (Glock mags are pretty cheap anyway). You can convert it to .357 Sig and experiment with that cartridge. Try it out. See how you like it. See how your shooting with .40 compares to your shooting with 9mm. Use it as a range gun for a while and just have some fun with it. Carry decisions can be made down the road when you know if you really like it or not.

Only you can give yourself permission to buy a firearm just for the fun of it. (We'll, maybe your wife has a say too.)

Trunk Monkey said:

Like I said, there is no decision for me to make and I was wondering how those of you who get to decide do it. Is there a matrix? Is there a decision tree? Is there a threat assessment? And if you do a threat assessment and you decide the threat is such that you need to up armor why are you going there?

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For myself it's really more of a "hedge your bet" proposition. I live in a threat condition green world where I on rare occasion visit a blue area.
I can't carry at work and my 3.5 mile drive consists of leaving a very safe neighborhood on the north end of a small town driving thru 2 miles of open fields to a plant that butts up to a USAF base. So I feel just having a gun and failing any victim selection process has me way ahead of the curve.
However and also I'm a gun guy and love the different designs and mechanisms AND I'm situated in life where I have enough disposable income that I can easily afford a few 9mms some 40s and 45s plus mags and holsters (of course not all at once I've been doing it a while)
I have often suggested for someone who's just concerned with SD to just get a 9mm, I'm just not that guy.
So I had 4 pocket guns that all got carried fairly regular a LCP, LCR, LC9s and a Walther PPS40 (the LC9 has been replaced by a Hellcat)
The LCP rarely gets out and usually only in t shirt weather not to say I'd run back and swap guns if I'm walking out the door to run to store and it's a little cold.
The LCR gets the most carry due to weight I will usually switch to one of the autos when convenient or when I go into the city (still usually only blue it's Wichita )
I made a point to take the PPS when I went pig hunting.
The Hellcat will probably get more carry than the LC9 did and I've switched to a heavier load in the PPS as I think it'll be more delegated to "woods" carry.

Trunk Monkey said:

there's Always a need to buy a bunch of magazines. Those of us who lived through the assault weapons ban of 1994 know the rule, get them today they may not be available tomorrow.

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So if given the choice between owning the 23 with just 3 mags that it comes with vs not owning one at all because you don't want to have to buy a bunch of extra mags, you rather not own one at all? You say you'd barely ever would carry or shoot it, so why would you need dozens of mags for a safe queen that you'd only carry or shoot every once in a while... You're right about "get them today they may not be available tomorrow." That same logic can be applied to being able to purchase a G23 especially at the prices they've been selling for, but do as you wish.


My head is starting to heart lol...

this is kinda like "I have a Toyota carola oven in white... I kinda want one in black"

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OP, do what you want, my dude.

your comment about getting a different holster is kinda wacky but hey, it's your cash.

I don't think you can justify the purchase in your own mind, but you want it, so buy it.