Those asking for advice on which handgun to carry or how to carry

[Old_Grouch]

Am I the only one here who is wondering why so many members lately are starting threads asking which of their handguns they should carry, or in what mode? I'm looking at join dates, and some of these folks have been on the forum for more than a minute.

We're not hanging around with the folks asking these questions, going to the range with them, training with them... We don't know their particular level of training, typical level of situational awareness, body type, level of fitness, capabilities, whatever... They aren't usually forthcoming with a lot of information about their backgrounds or how long they've been shooting or legally concealed carrying.

I got no idea what to tell someone I don't know, whose experience level I don't know, his shooting ability I don't know, when he asks if he should carry his S&W Shield/Ruger LCP Max/Taurus G3X/SIG P365/Glock 43X or his SIG P-320/Glock 19/S&W Model 66 snub/Kimber K6S/Ruger SP101, or whatever...

There's resources out there, people, there's quality training available throughout the country, talk to the folks at your gun club or range, make friends with some cops, I don't know, geez, but asking random people on the internet is not usually going to lead to good outcomes. Find someone to mentor you that you can trust. Take a training course. If you're totally new to the firearms scene, shooting and concealed carry arena, it's time to network, but in person.

Curmudgeon rant off.

From an Old Grouch to an Old Dog ................
In most cases I believe they are not actually seeking a definitive answer . They are seeking interaction and conversation. The question is just a doorway to the conversation.
There's certainly nothing wrong with that. I'd even argue that social interaction among like mined people is the primary reason the majority of us are here. The added benefit is that a person can learn a lot as well.

 

[crstrode]

Am I the only one here who is wondering why so many members lately are starting threads asking which of their handguns they should carry, or in what mode? I'm looking at join dates, and some of these folks have been on the forum for more than a minute.

We're not hanging around with the folks asking these questions, going to the range with them, training with them... We don't know their particular level of training, typical level of situational awareness, body type, level of fitness, capabilities, whatever... They aren't usually forthcoming with a lot of information about their backgrounds or how long they've been shooting or legally concealed carrying.

I got no idea what to tell someone I don't know, whose experience level I don't know, his shooting ability I don't know, when he asks if he should carry his S&W Shield/Ruger LCP Max/Taurus G3X/SIG P365/Glock 43X or his SIG P-320/Glock 19/S&W Model 66 snub/Kimber K6S/Ruger SP101, or whatever...

There's resources out there, people, there's quality training available throughout the country, talk to the folks at your gun club or range, make friends with some cops, I don't know, geez, but asking random people on the internet is not usually going to lead to good outcomes. Find someone to mentor you that you can trust. Take a training course. If you're totally new to the firearms scene, shooting and concealed carry arena, it's time to network, but in person.

Curmudgeon rant off.

A not-widely-known fact is that those that know next to nothing, have next to no knowledge of what they do not know.

Sincerely,
Another crumudgeon

 

[crstrode]

Similarly, it is often better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.

 

[luzyfuerza]

Find someone to mentor you that you can trust. Take a training course. If you're totally new to the firearms scene, shooting and concealed carry arena, it's time to network, but in person.

Quite a few friends and acquaintances know that I'm a shooting instructor (Rangemaster/Givens and NRA) and have my own ranges.

I've seen an uptick in in-person interest from friends who have never carried a gun before. Some want help choosing their first carry gun and holster. Others want help learning the presentation. And so on.

Its a lot more fun to coach one-on-one than to try to help others through this format.

 

[hutch51]

I've had questions asked.

Primary care doc said his wife was considering a handgun, where should I start. Told him a .22 revolver, and find a place that does rentals. First some instruction, see what fits her hand and her opinion will change at first, rent a couple and try them out.

I've thought about this in the past, deciding that keeping operation simple was important and a .22 is pretty light on the recoil and noise drama for a first time out. There are also "girls only" courses out there that would probably be a good investment. They're both doctors so costs would not be a problem. She's my dermatologist. Both Good People.

All came to naught. She had a baby and interests changed

 

[Old Dog]

Yet even they won’t have experience with every single firearm available and are subject to the same biases that we are.
Ive got 40yrs + shooting but there are a number of guns I have zero experience with nor does any of my friends/mentors. So why not ask the thousands of members here? Yeah I know every suggestion comes with a grain of salt.
i.e. I am interested in a Rohrbaugh but in all my years I only know of one person, that happens to be on this forum, that EDC's one. So it would be remiss if I didn't ask here.
That said I am more of a 1st hand experience type of person. Buy it, try it and sell it if it doesnt work out.

Very good points all, but I was more speaking to when members asked us to choose between multiple platforms or two disparate platforms, not so much inquiring about one specific handgun.

 

[balin]

The right gun and the best way to carry. Is like asking where to meet the right woman and where to take them for the best first date.

 

[tomrkba]

Am I the only one here who is wondering why so many members lately are starting threads asking which of their handguns they should carry, or in what mode? I'm looking at join dates, and some of these folks have been on the forum for more than a minute.

We're not hanging around with the folks asking these questions, going to the range with them, training with them... We don't know their particular level of training, typical level of situational awareness, body type, level of fitness, capabilities, whatever... They aren't usually forthcoming with a lot of information about their backgrounds or how long they've been shooting or legally concealed carrying.

I got no idea what to tell someone I don't know, whose experience level I don't know, his shooting ability I don't know, when he asks if he should carry his S&W Shield/Ruger LCP Max/Taurus G3X/SIG P365/Glock 43X or his SIG P-320/Glock 19/S&W Model 66 snub/Kimber K6S/Ruger SP101, or whatever...

There's resources out there, people, there's quality training available throughout the country, talk to the folks at your gun club or range, make friends with some cops, I don't know, geez, but asking random people on the internet is not usually going to lead to good outcomes. Find someone to mentor you that you can trust. Take a training course. If you're totally new to the firearms scene, shooting and concealed carry arena, it's time to network, but in person.

Curmudgeon rant off.

Bah, don't be short with them.

I find this rather simple to deal with: Tell them what we learn in class:

1) Carry your most reliable gun that you can shoot reasonably well
2) Carry it fully loaded
3) Use a good holster (list the attributes of one)
4) Carry at least one full reload
5) Buy a good gun belt from Kore Essentials or similar.
6) Learn how to safely and properly dry fire
7) Attend a training class

If they want advice on buying a gun, then you tell them:

Semiauto: Glock 19
Revolver: Ruger GP100 4"

These are both great guns that they can learn on and if they decide they dislike it, they can always sell them easily.

 

[wgp]

We're being hard on people with honest questions. Someone who has no or little experience with guns will of course ask questions, without knowing which questions to ask. It's good that they ask. I try to encourage a new shooter as best I can by asking for more information about their intentions. When I think I have that I try to give them several possibilities and tell them to go to a good LGS or a gun show to handle several and try to pick one that feels good to their hand. When we say "How would I now what you need?" we don't accomplish much.

 

[Tallball]

Over the years, board members have given me lots of good information and also changed my opinions about various things.

I pay attention to well-informed answers and have learned a lot.

 

[Howland937]

Some folks are just seeking affirmation.
Some may just need reassuring. Sometimes I'll have my boss double check my diagnostics just to be certain I'm not missing anything, but without telling him my actual diagnosis. Due diligence is never a bad idea.

Now, in the vein of wanting someone else to make the decision on one's behalf, there's only one answer. If you're not sure what to carry, how, or why, just don't. Often is also the correct answer when someone inquires which firearm they should get for somebody else.

 

[Old_Grouch]

A not-widely-known fast is that those that know next to nothing, have next to no knowledge of what they do not know.

Sincerely,
Another crumudgeon

Very true.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills.

www.psychologytoday.com

 

[crstrode]

Very true.

Dunning-Kruger Effect

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills.

www.psychologytoday.com

I often refer to this condition as the "Please elect me to Congress" effect.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

For me I dont see a need to ask questions about carry guns because I already have a good base of what I know a good carry gun to be. Carry whatever is reliable, you shoot well, you can conceal it well, and in a holster setup that allows you to conceal it well and draw from it.
Beyond that I believe carry whatever you want or feel like you may need.
The most we can do is verify if a certain handgun is a good brand or is reliable or not.

I believe most of it is they just want conversation. In such cases I think it would be more interesting if they took their chosen carry gun, dissemble it, and dissemble another random one and just post pics for comparison.

 

[JohnKSa]

Yup, THR is a discussion forum focused on firearms. People like to buy stuff, people like to talk about the stuff they have bought and the stuff they want to buy. Which means that on THR, it's likely that some people will choose to talk about firearms they want to buy...

 

[Bill_in_TR]

Well if someone managed to eliminate all the various categories of threads that people complain about then we would probably cut participation here by a huge amount.

 

[Armored farmer]

Over the years, board members have given me lots of good information and also changed my opinions about various things.

I pay attention to well-informed answers and have learned a lot.

I agree.
I was pretty much born with a gun in my hand.
I came to this forum knowing it all. I soon found out there are others that know more. Some of my beliefs about things have been proven wrong as I got older and wiser.
There is Is much gold here but you need to dig through the sand to find it.

 

[KevininPa]

I may pose a question about a particular firearm if I'm interested in purchasing it. Or I may offer info on something that I own if there is a query about it. Or I might just crack a wise acre comment(that I might consider humorous, but careful of people's feelings). Otherwise, I just read and learn, or search and learn. My round count of messages reflects this.
Over the years, my interests went from steel revolvers to all steel semi-autos to those new fangled plastic fantastics(yep, got some now!). Lately, my interest is in the threads concerning old Arthur, carpal, wrist and shoulder pains and how people are coping. Funny, a lot of the people that I talked with years ago are striking up these posts. Only goes to show, even people who've been around awhile may need an opinion on something.

 

[Pat Riot]

One thing that I always keep in mind when I see a question by someone that has been around a while is this: They may have experience in other firearms or type of shooting but they may not know much about certain types of guns.

Take me, for example, a few years back I was curious about Skeet and Trap shooting. My only knowledge of shotguns was tactical and cowboy action. Neither one of those is a basis for Trap or Skeet shooting.
I asked about shotguns in the shotgun forum and I said “I am new to this, but not new to shooting.”
In the end I decided Trap and Skeet just wasn’t for me, but it was nice getting feedback and information from people that know.

Just because someone has been around a while it doesn’t mean they know the particulars on every type of gun and every type of shooting discipline.

 

[someguy2800]

It’s a bit like asking the internet what size of shoe is best

 

[film495]

since I started carrying - around 5 years ago, I've never really stopped just trying to get better at it, or make it easier - more convenient. for the most part, this year I kind of got my methods down, and I'll probably just do what I do now, but it takes a lot of research and churn, and trying things that you have to spend a good bit of money on, to find out doesn't work for you.

 

[Otto]

Am I the only one here who is wondering why so many members lately are starting threads asking which of their handguns they should carry, or in what mode? I'm looking at join dates, and some of these folks have been on the forum for more than a minute.

We're not hanging around with the folks asking these questions, going to the range with them, training with them... We don't know their particular level of training, typical level of situational awareness, body type, level of fitness, capabilities, whatever... They aren't usually forthcoming with a lot of information about their backgrounds or how long they've been shooting or legally concealed carrying.

I got no idea what to tell someone I don't know, whose experience level I don't know, his shooting ability I don't know, when he asks if he should carry his S&W Shield/Ruger LCP Max/Taurus G3X/SIG P365/Glock 43X or his SIG P-320/Glock 19/S&W Model 66 snub/Kimber K6S/Ruger SP101, or whatever...

There's resources out there, people, there's quality training available throughout the country, talk to the folks at your gun club or range, make friends with some cops, I don't know, geez, but asking random people on the internet is not usually going to lead to good outcomes. Find someone to mentor you that you can trust. Take a training course. If you're totally new to the firearms scene, shooting and concealed carry arena, it's time to network, but in person.

Curmudgeon rant off.

And if you do make a recommendation, they usually want to start an argument about it.

 

[Pat Riot]

And if you do make a recommendation, they usually want to start an argument about it.

Oh Yeah? Well let me tell you something…


Jus’ kiddin’

 

[Reloadron]

Those asking for advice on which handgun to carry or how to carry?​

Carry what you are comfortable carrying! I know what I am comfortable with but that's just me. When choosing a carry gun I want concealability and comfort but I want reliability above and beyond all else. How to carry? Carry in a way or position you find comfortable for you. My comfort and your comfort are likely not the same.

Here in the forums I generally avoid this sort of question and conversation like the plague along with what gun should I buy next or what gun to get my wife. You get the idea.

Ron

 

[chaim]

This is a discussion forum, so I think it is often done just to start a discussion. It can also be to refine one's own thinking. I know when I read and participate in such threads, I often see a perspective I didn't necessarily consider before.

..........same goes for all those posts about "which gun should I get next?". Again, not newbies, not folks with little to no knowledge of firearms, because most of them post a half log page of info about each particular model they are interested in. Sometimes I think it's just vanity. Hey everybody.....I'm getting a new gun! Otherwise I just don't know why folks need to be convinced by others, that their choice is the best for them, even if it's by complete strangers.

For folks with little to no knowledge of firearms and new to the shooting sports, I get it. But for those that buy a gun every other week and still have to ask?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I am someone who doesn't really have any "needs" when it comes to handguns at this point, and I will often post a "which should I get next" thread. I know my thinking, and if I've posted, obviously I haven't yet made a decision. So, similar to above, it can be helpful to see what other people are thinking when deciding which "want" gets priority.

I have a tendency to over-think things (so say some people), and I look at every angle before make a purchase over $150 or so. Also, since all my "needs" are served, it isn't as simple as prioritizing my needs. Recently, I almost posted because I've been trying to decide on my next gun for nearly a month... the contenders, totally different: 2" S&W M10, 4" Taurus 66, 3 or 4 inch S&W 686 (this and the Taurus 66 are the only really similar guns), S&W 351C, Beretta Tomcat, Beretta 92... you get the idea. None fill a niche I don't have filled, so it isn't about prioritizing needs, it is just which will scratch the current "I want..." itch (I went with the Taurus 66 BTW). Sometimes hearing other people's thoughts can help narrow things down.

That said, I do try to take into account someone's apparent experience before participating in a "which gun" thread. People love to add their own selection instead of sticking with the options the thread starter inquires about. I think that can be fine with a newbie since they may not have done much research yet. While, with an experienced shooter, I usually assume they are like me and trying to get ideas to help narrow things down, but have some well developed ideas about what suits them and what doesn't.