How much is too much for a CCW?

[HM2PAC]

Nugilum wrote:

Now the Question:
Do I get a different, lower cost CCW or do I just suck it up and live with my SA 1911?

I would recommend purchasing a duplicate of your carry gun. This way if something ever happens to it, you have a duplicate and your ability to defend yourself changes very little.

 

[Cosmoline]

Money wise, don't worry about it. Yes it probably will be taken if you have to use it, but even ten grand or a hundred grand is a small price to pay for a pulse.

The key is to have RELIABLE iron you CAN carry that you WILL carry and be able to draw it QUICKLY if the need arises. If the full size 1911 works for you, go with it! Personally I found that the Colt DS was ideal, and I haven't hesitated putting or even wasting money getting it customized to make it even better.

I would recommend purchasing a duplicate of your carry gun.

That's excellent advice. It allows effortless swapping if one should develop a mechanical problem or be out for further upgrades.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Call your local funeral home and ask what they charge for a funeral.

Any gun that costs less than that is a bargain.

 

[Nugilum]

OK, I'm getting the answers I was expecting... I was wondering if there was a different platform out there that I hadn't heard of (been out of the trade for several years).

It's that I'm not afraid to use it (I have a couple of times actually), I'm afraid to loose it. I've had it for five years, and I'm becoming sentimentally attached to this "tool". Since All I read in THR is "how much?" or "what's the cheapest..." I figured a majority here would not understand sentimental value (that might have been a mistake :banghead. When is it no longer a tool and becomes a treasured possession? I'm still around right now because of my CCW. It's worth more to me than it's weight in gold.

This is my dilemma...

 

[Hoth206]

and the new guy chimes in...

Look at it this way...

I drive a chevrolet truck
I carry a Ruger SR9 (recently upgraded from a beloved P89)

Neither of these are "high end" by any stretch of the imagination.

Some folks:

Drive a Mercedes
Carry a Kimber/Sig/ $2000 Ubertactical Death Ray

Would I prefer to drive a mercedes over a chevy...sure
Would I prefer the trigger of a tuned 1911 over a <$500 SR9...sure

But like Clint said..."a man's gotta know his limitations". I like paying bills, having $$ for practice ammo (hence the 9mm), take my wife out to dinner, buy her photography stuff (getting to be as expensive as guns), keeping the lights on, etc.

I bought (and tested enough to verify) a CCW tool that's accurate (enough) totally reliable, and isn't bad looking (subjective). It'll work just fine. Anything in addition to this is bells and whistles. If you've got money for, and want to spend it on bells and whistles...that's wonderful, I'd do the same if I were in your shoes! (ain't capitalism beautiful).

What it boils down to is this...
Chances are (given a quality, proven, firearm stoked with quality, proven ammo) that the weapon's not going to fail you. If there's going to be a failure in a high stress situation...it's probably going to be your (my) fault...not the gun's.

 

[MCgunner]

Buy what you like. What I carry, well, many don't like.

If you're on a budget, reliable, accurate revolvers can generally be had for less than similar autos and take less knowledge and care.

My criteria in a carry is whether it's comfy in pocket carry and beyond that, 100 percent reliability, adequate caliber (more adequate the better), and accurate (more accurate the better). You can get a good $300 Taurus M85 in .38 special that fits the criteria on a budget. I mean, there is no shortage of choices. Hey, that's not a bad thing.

 

[Mandirigma]

photography stuff (getting to be as expensive as guns)

Wait until you get the the "high end" side of photography equipment, `twas a hobby I had to drop so I could keep other hobbies.

I by no means am wealthy. But I do budget in money for my hobbies. I put aside roughly $25-50 a week for "tools". If there's a particular gun or knife I want I put aside more. I saved for over 6 months on the purchase of my Nighthawk (it would have been longer, but I got a good bonus and had no pressing bills, surprisingly).

One thing that helps me out, is I own both my vehicles outright, I don't have a monthly 150-500+ car note.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

My advice to my kids (and to younger friends) has always been, "If you want something, figure out the monthly payment -- and put that amount in a savings account until you can afford to pay cash."

Over a lifetime, you'll save big bucks that way.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Vern, that's good advice. I got the same advice from a rich old guy when I was 20 and have been following it ever since. Funny how the new car or trinket loses its appeal after you've saved for so long and built a large sum.

Speaking of rich guys: John DuPont, heir to the DuPont fortune and Olympic Pentathlete, carried a 38 revolver that he used to murder David Schultz. DuPont had enough money and firearms savvy to be able to own any fancy piece of hardware on earth and employ it in whatever manner his schizophrenic mis-wired brain compelled.

So, more expensive isn't always better.

I understand the idea of sentimentality. But, you have to realize that at some point the weapon has a purpose for you. And, that's to protect your life. Everything else is gravy.
So, if it has to go to the evidence room and then to the destruction bin, so be it. If you're around to feel the contempt that compels, then count yourself lucky that the gun did its job and then replace it with one as good.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Funny how the new car or trinket loses its appeal after you've saved for so long and built a large sum.

That's what you don't tell them -- you let them learn it for themselves.

If you allow yourself to cool off, many things you thought were essential for happiness start to look less desirable. So you keep the money.

 

[ravencon]

If you're involved in a questionable shooting, the cost of the gun will be trivial compared to you legal costs. If the shooting is justifiable then the cost of using the best available gun will seem trivial in retrospect.

 

[Spieler]

To each his/her own, but my general rule of thumb is not to spend more than $500 for a handgun. That is not to say that I do not value my life less than the next person, but the price of a piece of equipment is not always necessarily indicative of it's capability, quality or value. Some may have more or less monetary resources or lower or higher tastes in handguns than others that allow them to make different choices than the next person.

Do I want the best gun in hand that I can afford when the SHTF? Of course I do, but I must also realistically weigh the probability of becoming engaged in a gun battle. Handgun selection, like most everything else in life, is at best a compromise.

Like Clint Smith says if you know that you are going to become engaged in an armed confrontation the best course of action is not to show up! If that can't be avoided show up with a rifle!

Handgun selection is a highly personal choice and what suits one may not be best for another. You can spend too little and you can spend too much, it's just a matter of perspective.

 

[Ala Dan]

Greeting's Ungilum My Friend-

What do you think of us folks here at THR that carry "high end" pistols?
Some carry Kimbers that are well over $1K, some carry Les Baer's that
run between $1500-2000, some carry Wilson's or Browns that run close
to $2500; and I even know one friend you carries a "Larry Vickers Special"
Nighthawk that cost right at $3K~!

You are right in saying that if you use your firearm too defend your life
or the life of a loved one; chances are good that your weapon will be
confiscated [and not taken care of] for a very long time. Whether or
not you get it back, will be up to the "Ole Judge.

Sure, I can do the same thing with a less expensive firearm such as a
Smith & Wesson model 642 .38 Special; and be out a lot less money;
but its something 'bout the mystique of carrying a better firearm than
the perp himself may have~! So on occassion, I can be found carrying
my Les Baer Thunder Ranch 1911- for one reason. I know beyond a
doubt that it is going to work~!

 

[NWdude83]

Kahr CW9 $375-$400

 

[sdj]

Revolver.... A nice change. ;-)

 

[SoCalShooter]

Well I plan to carry either my G20 or my Kimber TLE/IIRL and the glock was cheap the kimber not so cheap but mostly I will pay for a reliable handgun...and for my own personal peace of mind price is not really an object.