How Do You Choose Which Gun To Carry

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Trunk Monkey

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I'm trying to ask a pretty specific question but I'm not sure how to get it right.

Given situation: you have two handguns that are identical in all respects except for caliber.

As an example a Glock 19 and a Glock23 (for my example capacity is equal on both)

Or a (brand of your choice) 1911 in .45ACP or 1911 in .38 Super.

Or a given revolver in .357 or .44.

So, essentially you have two guns that occupy the same space.

It's a normal day. Assuming it's legal you're going to take the kids to school, go to work, go grocery shopping and come home.

How do you decide which gun you're going to carry on that given day?

Flip a coin? Switch off every other day? Whichever is on the nightstand?

ETA: I own a Glock 19 and a 26 and a gazillion magazines for them and enough 9mm to start WWIII (It on took about 5 rounds to start WWI).

Every so often I get a bug up my but and I want a Glock 23.


My problem is if I buy a Glock 23 I'm one of those people that's going to get 19 magazines for it, three or four cases of ammunition for it, a half a case of Speer gold dots for it and a $120 Kramer holster for it (by which time SWMBO will have already thrown a conniption and relegated me to the couch FOREVER. )

And I know that either it or the Glock 19 (for which I've already bought all of the above) is going to end up a safe queen and SWMBO will be really twisted.

I'm trying to decide if the financial outlay is justifiable but based on the answers that I've gotten before I added this edit I don't think it's going to be.
 
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It's split between three factors for me.

1. How heavy bodied and difficult to penetrate is the potential threat? If a black bear or larger animal may be a threat, I choose the cartridge that has the best penetration characteristics. So in most cases that's the heavier bullet, but there are times I'll favor something faster as a way to increase penetration AND capacity. Example: 45 acp penetrates nicely, but 10mm can penetrate very deeply also and the extra capacity is only a bonus in the same size gun.

2. How many potential threats might I encounter in one incident, and how hard will they be to hit? As already stated, if I'm going to be around large singular and durable targets, say bears or moose, I tend to choose something hard hitting with a heavy bullet, but if you throw wolves, or potentially small groups of human attackers in the mix, I want more capacity. So that may push me into 38 Super, but again it will more likely take me down the 10mm road again. If light bodied animals or humans are the only real threat, then I'd probably go with a 9mm as maximizing capacity seems a good idea.

3. How great is my need for concealment, and how does that impact the balance I'm trying to strike up? I believe in concealing my gun if I'm around people as no one needs to know I'm armed. So I tend to have guns of different sizes. I know you said assume two guns of the same size roughly, but I can't. The same concepts as above apply, but depending again on the threat type, I have to strike up a balance between capacity, needed bullet weight, and how important it is to conceal. Every situation isn't the same in the concealability part.

This combo of factors has taken me down the typical gun owner road of owning multiple guns of different sizes in the same cartridge for different occasions. It's very nice having options, but it costs money, and space in your home. I'm actively reducing my number of guns right now as I overcompensated a bit.
 
I have a Glock 17 and a Glock 22.

I carry the 17 (with 2 more rounds) because I have the ability to pokes more holes with it. And in my testing and according to some well informed people, it pokes deep holes with Gold Dots.

I racked my brain for quite a while deciding what to carry but I'm confident in what I picked. Other than when I'm cleaning the 17, I can't think of a reason to carry the 22.
 
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First and foremost, I go with what I know I like. And I typically go for what Is more powerful. I'd rather carry a Glock .23 versus .19 for my own personal carry.
I also go off of what I prefer to reload. 9mm is fine, but not really enjoyable to reload for. .40 S&W is bigger and straight walled, so therefore easier to load for.
If I was going to bear country and had a choice between a Smith & Wesson 15 (.357 model right?) or a 69, I'd pick the 69. .44 magnum is most probably my favorite handgun cartridge.
.357 sig is by far my favorite Semi-auto cartridge (right after .45 ACP).
And I know .357 Sig was made to be like unto the .357 Magnum law enforcement rounds that were so commonly used by police in the revolver days. And since I tout so often that the main advantage revolvers have over semi-autos is that they're more powerful, .357 Sig is honestly the way to go for a Semi-auto. Don't understand why such advanced semi-auto cartridges aren't more common nor popular yet, though I know why militaries stick with 9mm.
Final reason is which caliber have I already put the most resources into reloading for? By far, .357 is definitely the single most caliber I spent the most money on just trying to reload for it right. All that investment has to pay off somehow, and so might as well stick with the caliber I spent so much learning and resources on.
And reading your posts and about your affinity for sub-compact Glocks just makes me wanna go out and buy a Glock 33 at the end of the day.
 
I have a Glock 17 and a Glock 22.

I carry the 17 (with 2 more rounds) because I have the ability to pokes more holes with it. And in my testing and according to some well informed people, it pokes deep holes with Gold Dots.

I racked my brain for quite a while deciding what to carry but I'm confident in what I picked. Other than when I'm cleaning the 17, I can't think of a reason to carry the 22.

That's pretty much the situation I'm in. I have a Glock 19 and every so often I get a bug up my butt and I want a Glock 23.

My problem is if I buy a Glock 23 I'm one of those people that's going to get 19 magazines for it, three or four cases of ammunition for it, a half a case of Speer gold dots for it and a $120 Kramer holster for it (by which time SWMBO will have already thrown a conniption and relegated me to the couch FOREVER. )

And I know that either it or the Glock 19 (for which I've already bought all of the above) is going to end up a safe queen and SWMBO will be really twisted.

So, no matter how bad I want it I just can't justify it.
 
I pick one and stick with it. If the threat evaluation is the same every day, so to speak, then I don’t want to have to think as I’m drawing my gun about which gun it actually is. I will have trained/conditioned myself to be thinking about/reacting to the situation with the characteristics of the particular gun and the loads it’s carrying in mind. And yes, this means that it’s always going to be loaded with the same cartridge. I firmly believe in eliminating unnecessary variables in crisis situations.
 

It's split between three factors for me.

1. How heavy bodied and difficult to penetrate is the potential threat? If a black bear or larger animal may be a threat, I choose the cartridge that has the best penetration characteristics. So in most cases that's the heavier bullet, but there are times I'll favor something faster as a way to increase penetration AND capacity. Example: 45 acp penetrates nicely, but 10mm can penetrate very deeply also and the extra capacity is only a bonus in the same size gun.

No bear country. Nothing more dangerous than Walmart
 
I only have one gun so the choice is made for me already.


Well, not exactly. I have other guns, but I only have one that fills the self-defense role even though some of the others could. It is my concealed carry gun, my open carry gun (if I were to ever do that), home defense gun, yard work gun, car gun, etc.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of swapping different guns around like they're fashion accessories or something. "Honey, what do you think? Does the blued with Walnut grips or the stainless with Rosewood go better with this suit?" "Honey, have you seen the polished nickel with Ivory? I'm meeting with an important client today and I want to look my best."


But what I really can't wrap my head around is the notion some people have of up or downsizing based on ______? The "Oh, I'm only going to the store for some milk, so I'll just throw the .22 derringer in my pocket" crowd. What? If you have a longer grocery list, you need a bigger gun? Is that how it works?

The fashion accessory concept makes way more sense.

If someone was to try and kill me, I'll be just as dead in my front yard as in a back alley, just as dead with only a loaf of bread as with a whole shopping cart.


One gun. One holster. One manual of arms. Simple. Less decisions to make. More efficient use of my limited training resources.

If you do the same thing the same way every time, it greatly reduces your chances of making mistakes.
 
EDC is Shield9 no choice, ordered an M&P9 compact for church gun but will consider it as EDC after I carry a bit.

after 10 years of CC I’ve learned that just walking around with a gun is different than a typical day of shopping where there’s a lot of climbing in and out of Jeep.

That said the Shield is a perfect size and weight for a more vigorous day but not so much for a rigorous day of training, thus the need for a heavier gun and trying to adapt that as an EDC.
 
I have no problem making a decision about what to carry. I carry the same gun all year round. I do that because I adopted the military police of assigning a primary weapon. That means a were you come to know so well that you get very good with it from maintenance and clearing to shooting accurately and quickly. I have my Walther PPS M2 on er near me 24/7. It is loaded (7+ 1 or 8+1)with 9mm Underwood Extreme Defender ammo. I feel secure with it.
 
That's pretty much the situation I'm in. I have a Glock 19 and every so often I get a bug up my butt and I want a Glock 23.

My problem is if I buy a Glock 23 I'm one of those people that's going to get 19 magazines for it, three or four cases of ammunition for it, a half a case of Speer gold dots for it and a $120 Kramer holster for it (by which time SWMBO will have already thrown a conniption and relegated me to the couch FOREVER. )

And I know that either it or the Glock 19 (for which I've already bought all of the above) is going to end up a safe queen and SWMBO will be really twisted.

So, no matter how bad I want it I just can't justify it.

I think you should get the 23 as a back up in case you have to send the 19 in for repair and you would be even more prepared for an ammo shortage. Your G19 holster should work so no expense there.
 
I own a Shield 9 and a Shield 45. The differences: (1) The Shield 45 has about an inch of extra barrel; (2) the Shield 9 carries one more round (8+1 vs. 7+1); (3) very minor differences in dimensions. So they are very, very close. The Shield 45 is still suffering some growing pains, but let's assume those get worked out for your example. If it's reasonably feasible to carry either of the two, I'll carry the Shield 45. All other things being equal (which they almost never are), bigger holes beat smaller holes.
 
For self defense carry, I like something idiot proof that requires little thought and no unnecessary steps to make it go bang, other than pulling the trigger. No, safeties, no decockers, etc. I want to be able to draw and shoot.

For me, I do, as of now, have two that I swap for carry, but have adhered to the above for years. Right now it’s a Glock and a kahr. Their operation is essentially the same.

As for caliber, I don’t carry anything larger than I can comfortably draw and put three rounds into a target at 7 yards in 3 seconds with. What this wound up being for me is 9mm for glocks and either 9mm or .40 for the kahrs.
 
I think you should get the 23 as a back up in case you have to send the 19 in for repair and you would be even more prepared for an ammo shortage. Your G19 holster should work so no expense there.

The only problem with that is that I have a Glock 26 for a backup. So I still really can't justify it.

As for the ammo panic, I've been buying 9mm every time there was a sale on it for several years. At my current rate of consumption I think I could stop buying and I would not run out of ammunition for 7 years
 
I own a Shield 9 and a Shield 45. The differences: (1) The Shield 45 has about an inch of extra barrel; (2) the Shield 9 carries one more round (8+1 vs. 7+1); (3) very minor differences in dimensions. So they are very, very close. The Shield 45 is still suffering some growing pains, but let's assume those get worked out for your example. If it's reasonably feasible to carry either of the two, I'll carry the Shield 45. All other things being equal (which they almost never are), bigger holes beat smaller holes.

This again!?!?!?!? Don't you know trauma surgeons can't...………. I'm just playin.:D I think there is no wrong answer to this one.
 
I own a Shield 9 and a Shield 45. The differences: (1) The Shield 45 has about an inch of extra barrel; (2) the Shield 9 carries one more round (8+1 vs. 7+1); (3) very minor differences in dimensions. So they are very, very close. The Shield 45 is still suffering some growing pains, but let's assume those get worked out for your example. If it's reasonably feasible to carry either of the two, I'll carry the Shield 45. All other things being equal (which they almost never are), bigger holes beat smaller holes.

So basically one or the other (in your case the. 45) becomes the primary and the other really doesn't get used?

See I think that's where I'd end up and I really think I could put the money to better use. If nothing else I could spend all the money that I'd spend on a Glock 23 on 9 mm ammunition for the Glock 19 and a Glock 26 I'd already have.
 
Another G19 is not a bad thing either.

Got one.

I don't know why but .40 S&W has always appealed to me. If it was just me that's probably what I would have. I very like we never would have bought a Glock 19 I would have got a glock 23 and a Glock 27.

But my wife has arthritis and she just can't do the recoil. So a couple years back when we decided to consolidate down to 1 caliber we didn't really have a choice it had to be 9mm.
 
This again!?!?!?!? Don't you know trauma surgeons can't...………. I'm just playin.:D I think there is no wrong answer to this one.
Yeah, this again. I can be a little obsessive from time to time. I won't transition to the Shield 45 until I'm sure it's going to feed properly. It's not doing that yet, but I'm hoping a few hundred more rounds will cure that. Or I can figure out if it's a specific magazine, etc.
So basically one or the other (in your case the. 45) becomes the primary and the other really doesn't get used?
I'd probably keep the Shield 9 for use when I need IWB. For EDC, I prefer an OWB leather pancake, but there are times when I need more concealment that it offers.

See I think that's where I'd end up and I really think I could put the money to better use. If nothing else I could spend all the money that I'd spend on a Glock 23 on 9 mm ammunition for the Glock 19 and a Glock 26 I'd already have.
You know that we're a horribly effective bunch of enablers here at THR, but .... The following leads me to believe that perhaps you should just stick with the G19.
The only problem with that is that I have a Glock 26 for a backup. So I still really can't justify it.

As for the ammo panic, I've been buying 9mm every time there was a sale on it for several years. At my current rate of consumption I think I could stop buying and I would not run out of ammunition for 7 years
If you just want a G23, more power to you. Goodness knows my switch to the Shield 45 probably isn't the most logical move I could make. That said, though, if you've got a G19 (or two), a G26 as backup, and 7 years worth of ammo, all buying the G23 will really do for you is ensure that your heirs inherit a bigger pile of 9mm when you die. (I honestly mean that in the nicest possible way.)
 
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