How Do You Choose Which Gun To Carry

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I have 5 m&p’s in different configurations; 3 different barrel lengths (3.5-5”) , caliber conversions (9mm, .40, 357sig) , different grip textures, sight, and weapon lights.
To choose between them each day my considerations are:
  • What season/ weather/ hours of daylight
  • How am I dressed
  • How active am I going to be / I’m what positions
The answers to these tells me what holster, barrel length, and carry position would be best. ( I always carry somewhere between 1-3:00 and vary height of the holster so it doesn’t dig into my leg when seated. ). These considerations would land me somewhere on the spectrum of December ( a 5” heavily stippled and fitted with a tlr-1 carried owb @ 2:30 on an hsgi belt,). To July ( 3.5” compact, no stippling, IWB 1:00 on a slim belt). In general though I carry the biggest one I can reasonably conceal.

As to the other topic of this thread: good luck trying to convince @Trunk Monkey to have a midlife crisis. :)
 
When I did patrol work I would wear my Glock 23 because it was light and 13 round capacity but when I did DOT inspections I would wear my Colt Combat Commander .45 because of the 230 grain bullet and the possibility of being under the tractor during an inspection and having to shoot through possibly the cab of a tractor. Just my 2 cents.
 
shootstraight57 said:
When I did patrol work I would wear my Glock 23 because it was light and 13 round capacity but when I did DOT inspections I would wear my Colt Combat Commander .45 because of the 230 grain bullet and the possibility of being under the tractor during an inspection and having to shoot through possibly the cab of a tractor. Just my 2 cents.
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Interesting.

In my own experience (limited), 45acp not as good at that kind of barrier.
 
I completely choose based on my outfit. Tshirt/shorts weather I almost exclusively carry the P238 either iwb or in my front pocket. Any weather cold enough for layering clothing, UC 1911 owb.
 
I've never owned a G-23 or any other Glock for that matter. A G-23 did mess me up on my XD though. A neighbor & I shot at the same target & compared groups. I outshot his 23 with the XD-40 I had then. Then he let me shoot the 23 & I outshot the XD I had a couple thousand rounds through with the Glock I had never shot before. It ruined the XD for me. Now I carry the S&W version of the 23. A M&P 2.0 Compact. If you have the extra cash & want one I don't see an issue. How much ammunition & how many mags you stock for it is completely up to you. Or don't you'll be fine either way. Right now I pretty much carry either the M&P or a Kahr CM-9. I find myself wanting a G-26 sized subcompact 9mm. I don't need one but I keep coming back to wanting one. So far I've resisted. I may have to pick up some other gun stuff I've been wanting that is less expensive to keep myself away from it for now. Now isn't the time for me but I'm sure sooner or later I will wind up scratching that itch.
 
Trunk Monkey said:
Is there a matrix? Is there a decision tree? Is there a threat assessment?
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That's kind of an interesting way to put it.

I like variety, but honestly my gun selection was very much common placed guns and cartridges, until I started reloading my own. Once I did that my willingness to start shooting different cartridges expanded. Having that variety provides me three benefits as I see it.

1. It gives me variety in the event of any particular cartridge being hard to find due to panics of various types, be they political, environmental, or virus related. (Seriously I can't believe the panic going on right now.
2. It took me down a road of expanding a hobby into something I do really enjoy. When I'm loading, I'm not really worrying about anything but what I'm doing, because you need to focus.
3. It allows me to just have a better optimization of gun and cartridge choice for a given situation. Evidence points to 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 acp all performing very similarly. But other juiced up cartridges offer enhanced performance.

So the answer in my mind on that, is yes, where ever I'm going the quick decision tree I go through in my mind is:
1: What is the potential threat and the associated difficulty of stopping that threat. (Cartridge)
2: How many of that threat am I likely to encounter. (Capacity)
3. Will I be around people? (Concealability)

Typically those decisions get blurred into one quick analysis. Then I grab a gun and go. The potential chance of a bad encounter doesn't enter into it for me. I rather assume it will occur, and then I bring enough gun to give me an advantage. Whether or not I am bringing enough gun is up for debate.

Trunk Monkey said:
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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This is not a simple answer for many people because mental attitude and in some ways philosophy come into play, but the question gets at the heart of one of the principals of carrying at all. I've heard many times, if you know you are walking into trouble, bringing a gun isn't the answer. Avoiding the situation is the answer.

However, at times legal requirements take some city folk in to places they'd rather not go. I can see in those situations a person wanting more capacity than not.

I have an inherent draw to the natural world, I always have. I need to visit the forest on a regular basis, or I get very depressed. I chose a career that takes me to the woods regularly and causes me to live in a forested location. While most days you go to the woods or any natural environment, and nothing particularly exciting happens, other days you go and you are encountering animals, or weird people. Sometimes you see fantastic scenery, and other days you are getting beat up by hail. I remember being in dangerous lightening storms, on foot, and being really scared. I remember listening to thunder all afternoon and thinking "no biggie". Then a funnel cloud went sailing by and it was time to get out of there. I've been bit and chased by animals, had a gun pulled on me, and watched dead trees crumble and fall where I had been standing not 5 minutes prior.

Call me a low level adrenaline junkie, but that bit of risk and excitement makes me feel alive. I regret none of those experiences. I look at that early part of my career and realize those were the good years. When you really enjoy the natural world like that, folks tend to want to experience the variety out there and are willing to go where large and sometimes dangerous animals live for recreation. I can't control the environmental factors of course, other than watching the forecast. Defending against a potential large animal encounter is the one part I can control, though a gun is the final means to do so. Give them space.

So for someone like me, the need to carry a more powerful gun at times is just a part of life as I'm not willing to stop doing what I do for fun as it's needed for my mental health. A 9mm will not cover all the scenarios I choose to put myself in. That attitude may get me killed some day, but I widow no one. So I buy different guns, and I hike.
 
While I may have a number of options, I carry the same gun, the same way, in the same place every time. Boring maybe, but when the poo hits the fan I want mussel memory, instinct, dedicated training, and any other 0.001% advantage that I can get. So for me i don't make a choice between 2 handguns, I make a choice of one and stay there.
 
Heir Kommt Die Sonne said:
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.
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I ended up getting rid of my G33. It was brutal to shoot. That said, I am a big fan of .357 Sig and have P229 and P239 in it. Working on a P226 in it now.
 
When I decided to own guns for defense I started with a gun that felt good in my hands, held plenty of rounds, was inexpensive to reload (started reloading), shot steel matches to become proficient, and liked the new Glock 17 (Gen2) at the time. That's what I bought for home defense and it remains in that role with many trouble free rounds through it and I completely trust it.

So when it came to being able to carry a handgun I chose a similar platform that I was comfortable with and it made sense to have the same caliber and being able to have a common magazine platform was also a plus. I bought an early model G26 and that remains my carry gun today. Both with night sights.
 
Trunk Monkey said:
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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Choice is based upon:

1) Perceived reliability based upon round count, maintenance and recent performance.
2) Availability of ammunition. Sometimes I run low due to training or proofing a new gun.
3) Magazines. My EDC's have many mags, but a new gun may have only two or three.

There is no reason for you to go to 40 S&W unless it's mandated by your employer or you're already invested in 40 S&W. The Glock 19 and 26 combination should cover 95% of your day to day carry needs. A much better purchase would be another Glock 19 or a "Glock 19"-Class 9mm pistol (striker fired, similar dimensions, capacity 14-17, etc). The reason you'll want a second G19 is that it's a lower round count backup. Your first can go down with a problem and you can put the backup in your holster. The trick is to setup both guns identically. Do the same with the G26.
 
I do not think the "carry rotation" philosophy to be prudent.

"Same gun, same place, same holster every day" would be the best approach,

....but for considerations imposed by needs for different dress.

For me, it's something different.

Same 9MM compact, same holster, when I can.

But I have a bone spur on my left elbow, and every now again, something causes tendons to impact it and swell.

That can make racking a slide difficult or almost impossible.

Then, a 6-shot .38 revolver takes the place of the 9, for the duration.
 
I have my grandfather's M1911A1 from World War II and the Korean War. I also have my grandmother's S&W J-frame 38. But, for every-day carry, I found a Taurus PT111Gen2 with a Lakeline aftermarket recoil spring system to be reliable enough that I am willing to bet my life on it.
 
I don't worry overmuch about caliber for carry, there are some advantages and disadvantages between the two.

Between the 19 and 23 (I had both), I shot the 19 notably better, both faster and with tighter groups at speed, so I decided to move on from the 23 and stick with the 19 and 9mm.

Luckily holsters will work for both, so it's just a pile of mags to buy.

I also have a thing, almost OCD, where I prefer to mostly only shoot my EDC or very similar during my range sessions, so most of my guns just sit in the safe. In the OP case a very similar gun in a different caliber is close enough that I would still shoot both at the range.

As for how I actually decide what to carry, I pick the favorite of what I have been shooting lately and carry that.
 
Wardrobe, and threat level, determine what size and type of pistol that I'll carry. So in this case for the OP and myself, that's a compact Glock.

My choices are G19/23/32/38. I want the most horsepower possible, that I can shoot well in that size of pistol. A 19 is too easy to shoot. A 23 is harder to shoot, but I shoot it just as well, and the stopwatch can hardly tell the difference. 32 is nice as well, but a bit loud, and a bit biased towards barrier pen. G38 is fine, but a bit lower in capacity. Top shelf defensive ammo is harder to find for .357 and .45gap.

So the winner is the G23.4 for me. I might get a 19x or G45 or whatever, for IDPA, ssp class. A fullsize grip and short barrel draws quick, and IDPA is notoriously weak on range right now. 15 yards, pffff, whatever. I'll never carry a 19. Because the 23 is better. Now my G34.4 is a fine tuned laser hose, so maybe........

But I avoid carrying 9mm unless I see a specific need for capacity.

You can setup your 23 for daytime with a front fiberoptic sight and plain rear, then setup you 19 for nighttime with a front night sight, plain black rear. Warren Tactical has what you need. Then it won't be a waste. This is why I have two G23's. But the daytime one, still works fine at night.

Buuuut, I think you should get a G35.4, Warren Tac Comp sights, and a Agency Arms slim magwell. That'll solve your .40 bug, give you a good idea how sweet Glocks can be, and you'll be in perfect shape for any type of competition.

PS: Ya'll don't need to stock pile ammo and mags for everything. Pick 1 or 2. I only stockpile 9mm and 5.56 (cause cheapest). Only so I have enough on hand for training to continue. Soon I'll only stockpile .40 and 5.56. Dumping 9mm, or only keeping 1000 on hand. If I run out of .45 , gee darn, I'm out of .45. Big deal. I only have two mags of 5.7mm.

My carry pistols have only 3 mags tops. My comp pistols have 5.
 
Zerodefect said:
Wardrobe, and threat level, determine what size and type of pistol that I'll carry.
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I cannot see how any prudent civilian would put "threat level" into the criteria for this decision.

Zerodefect said:
But I avoid carrying 9mm unless I see a specific need for capacity.
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For concealed carry, how would one determine a "specific need for capacity"?
 
Kleanbore said:
I cannot see how any prudent civilian would put "threat level" into the criteria for this decision.

For concealed carry, how would one determine a "specific need for capacity"?
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Detroit requires a decent ccw. North Dakota? Not so much. I might go lazy, and carry a jframe instead.

Big cities have weird mobs, more and more often, lately. I might reconsider a 9mm over a .45, but likely not.
 
Kleanbore said:
I cannot see how any prudent civilian would put "threat level" into the criteria for this decision.
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If threat level is meant to mean threat type, as in large aggressive animal (bear, moose, large wild hogs even) vs a human threat, that could change the cartridge chosen by someone. Cartridge choice may make choosing a larger or heavier gun meant to mitigate recoil of that cartridge a good idea. So size and type of gun could be directly linked to "threat level" in that context.

If "threat level" is meant to indicate number of potential hostile humans or human sized animals, then I see why an argument can be made that you do not know when, or how many attackers will come at you, and therefore having as high of capacity as you can practically carry is the only logical response. However, If I am being charged by a grizzly bear or a moose, which is certainly possible in the places I go, I am more concerned about carrying a cartridge that has better potential to stop the threat before it can inflict serious bodily harm on me. That means something more potent than a 9mm, assuming we are accepting 9mm as an adequate cartridge to stop a human sized threat efficiently.
 
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