How expensive is your carry gun?

How expensive is your carry gun?

  • <$100

    Votes: 4 0.9%

  • $100-200

    Votes: 9 2.0%

  • $200-300

    Votes: 40 8.8%

  • $300-400

    Votes: 76 16.7%

  • $400-500

    Votes: 107 23.5%

  • $500-600

    Votes: 100 22.0%

  • $600-700

    Votes: 45 9.9%

  • $700-800

    Votes: 30 6.6%

  • $800-900

    Votes: 15 3.3%

  • $900-1000

    Votes: 13 2.9%

  • >$1000

    Votes: 49 10.8%
  • Total voters
    455
  • Poll closed .
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Probably the least expensive pistol I regularly carry off-duty these days (aside from the SIG P-938 back-up) is the SIG P-229R Legion ... when the 1911s are on duty, let's just say, quite a bit more ... with the least expensive holsters I use being Kramer Belt Scabbards, which are a bit north of $120 a pop; the Milt Sparks, Mitch Rosen and Alessi's even spendier, so with the belts (Beltman, Crossbreed or Galco) plus mag pouches, my typical carry ensemble is usually well over a couple grand altogether.

But, kids are through college and disposable income is a bit more these days, so I'm a lot more into using better quality equipment now than I could afford when I was younger.
 
I use to carry more expensive guns, typically some variation of a Colt 1911 (usually a Combat Commander), or else a less expensive variation of a S&W J frame (usually a Model 36). Finally I have pretty much settled on a Kahr CM9 and a S&W Model 638 as my primary carry guns. When I want something yet a bit smaller and lighter I go with a SIG P238 or a KelTec P3AT.
 
My most often carried guns are some of my less expensive. That really has nothing to do with the price and more to do with their weight and design of use.

My fns40c cost me $450. I carry that most days.
If it's jacket weather, I'll pocket carry a 642. That set me back about $400. My summer concealment piece is an M&P Bodyguard. 380. That was around $300.

My more expensive guns are simply too large for me to lug around.
 
Stock Shield 9 for $309 new. I can't think of anything that could touch it for the price.
 
My most often carried guns are some of my less expensive. That really has nothing to do with the price and more to do with their weight and design of use.
Click to expand...

That's me while I have no issue carrying my $1500 STI VIP, most of the time it's a Ruger LCP,LCR,LC9s or PPS in my pocket and they're all under 400
 
Fairly inexpensive in relations to most. A Keltec P3AT in the summer for pocket carry and a Kahr PM9 for colder months.

I do have a Colt Defender that I've carried from time to time, but it's not my go to ccw.
 
My 24/7 carry gun is a Sig P238 in .380 - cost $600+. I carry it in my right front pocket in a leather pocket holster. I tear it down, inspect it and wipe it down, every Sunday.
 
My main carry gun is a KAHR PM45, I have sent it to Cylinder & Slide and had some work done because I had a good bit of extra money and I wanted it. I also had it Magna Ported, because, well I wanted that to.

Long story short I easily have 1500+ in it, but I still treat it like a $350 gun. In the unlikely event I have to use it and then lose it, I think I'll much more important things to worry about. I don't even figure that in the equation because it's so unlikely to begin with and so irrelevant (cost of the gun) if it does happen.
 
Yeah, real easy to jack up the cost of the base model. Got a G26 with CT Grips, & NS - dang, I didn't do the math correctly. That's a heck of a lot more than the FIE Titan II 25 ACP that I started with back in the 80's!
 
The gun seeing the most carry happens to be a Kimber Ultra CDP II which came as a pretty good deal at $700 for gun, holster, extra mags and magazine holder. Never use the magazine holder but it was part of the deal.

Kimber%201.png

Really, I never give cost much thought but care strictly about reliability. Recently got a good deal on a S&W Model 10 2" and with the right holster would use it for carry in a heartbeat and it was a $500 gun. As long as a gun proves reliable I figure it is suitable to consider for carry.

Ron
 
Do not carry any gun that would upset you if you never got it back .
My Daughter's was taken as evidence after she was forced to shoot an armed robber after he commanded her and coworkers to face the wall and knell down...." he could take the money but I wasn't going to be executed ". She never got her gun back. After trail and many appeals, this took 5 years , the evidence somehow got "lost".
True story , not made up. I know what happened, the gun was very nice and some one walked away with it. Two guys , working in the evidence room , were selling guns and drugs and no one was watching them . They eventually got caught but her gun was long gone.
Gary
 
It depends on which one I'm carrying. For me, the price is less important than what I'm getting for it. I concern myself first with keeping myself safe, and second with what happens to my firearm after the fact.

With that said, there's not a whole lot you're going to gain once you get past about $800, unless you want an expensive brand like HK or you have a 1911. Most of what you pay for in those more expensive pistols is related to competition and are less important or even counter-productive for a carry gun (things like ported barrels, bull barrels, cut slides, etc).

Unless you're talking accessories you want to put on your firearm, such as sights (especially on something like a M&P CORE), a $400 pistol will serve you well, $600 is probably the sweet spot, $800 is where you start to hit serious diminishing returns for your money.
 
"Skribs" stated
$800 is where you start to hit serious diminishing returns for your money.
Click to expand...
Here we go again. Care to attempt an explanation for that supposition? Because, frankly, I think you'll find disagreement with this one:
Most of what you pay for in those more expensive pistols is related to competition and are less important or even counter-productive for a carry gun (things like ported barrels, bull barrels, cut slides, etc).
Click to expand...
for this is not really true -- not many folks carry handguns have ported barrels, while bull barrels and "cut slides" aren't geared toward competition shooting. Fact is, most enhancements on higher priced guns are proven to improve ergonomics, weight, how the weapon points, accuracy, functioning and reliability, which most here would deem as important for a defensive carry gun as a competition piece.
 
I had to go with the top one... Bottom one?

My open-carry is a Det-1 Kimber.

I don't know what Sig 230SLs go for now but that's generally my CCW gun.

However:

My personal curve can really get skewed when I carry my beat-ta-hell CA .44 or "sporterized" Victory-Lend-lease .38.

So there's that!


Todd.
 
a $400 pistol will serve you well, $600 is probably the sweet spot, $800 is where you start to hit serious diminishing returns for your money
Click to expand...

Yet a Hi Point will do the same at a fraction of those costs. Your perceived price points are tied directly to your wallet and nothing more.
 
There's no right or wrong answer. I feel very confident with my $1400 Officer 1911 on my hip just as I feel well-armed with my $400 PPS or $330 S&W 642. That being said, I would not want any of the $500 1911 Officers on my hip.
 
Most of what you pay for in those more expensive pistols is related to competition and are less important or even counter-productive for a carry gun (things like ported barrels, bull barrels, cut slides, etc).
Click to expand...

Couldn't disagree more. None of my custom guns have any of those, but they do have lots of expensive man-hours put into fit, reliability and accurizing. Also lots of expensive forged top end parts.

Would this help with SD? Dunno, but to me, they fit my hands and shoot better that any of my Glocks, Beretta, HKs, even my Sig.
 
My typical carry is a S&W 642 in a Crossbreed Supertuck or a Desantis Nemesis, and it was all on the high side of $300.
 
Most of what you pay for in those more expensive pistols is related to competition and are less important or even counter-productive for a carry gun (things like ported barrels, bull barrels, cut slides, etc).
Click to expand...
Couldn't disagree more. None of my custom guns have any of those, but they do have lots of expensive man-hours put into fit, reliability and accurizing. Also lots of expensive forged top end parts.
Click to expand...

+1

Not sure he even knows what he is talking about....
Course 5" bull barrels are illegal in USPSA-Single Stack and IDPA-CDP and other organizations.
I'll even add that my wife carries a factory ported gun and it was only 500 bucks NIB.

What exactly is counter-productive to producing faster splits on target? (Follow up shots)
 
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