Those That Carry Two Guns, do you........

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Reinz

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...do you position both guns for strong side carry or one for each hand to draw?

I’m not talking about drawing and shooting with a gun in each hand. But in case your strong hand is busy; like holding something when your are attacked or approached, then you can draw with your weak hand.

I used to carry my BUG for strong side carry. About 15 years ago someone on another forum convinced me of the solid reasons to prepare for both, right And left hand draw. I’ve been carrying and training this way ever since and I’m quite confident and comfortable doing so.

How about you? What are your thoughts?
 
I don't carry two guns myself, but I've got a buddy who's a retired cop who regularly carries a Glock 17 and a CAT TQ strong side and a Glock 26, two G17 mags and another CAT support side. Wears a fishing vest type thing as cover garment. Bit much for me but it works for him.
 
When I carry two handguns one will be strong side and another weak side pocket.

One time when I almost always carry two guns is when breaking in a new holster or getting experience with a new handgun. With a new handgun I try to carry beginning with the safest possible condition until I am sure it will meet my safety concerns. For example if the new handgun requires a safety I will carry it empty or with an empty chamber until I am confident there will be no examples of switching to fire mode given the holster I plan on using for it. If it's a new holster I will also carry my gun either unloaded or with an empty chamber until I have built up confidence that the holster will hold the gun securely and safely.
 
I seldom carry a secondary weapon to my primary weapon nowadays, but when I do, I carry it so my strong-side (dominant) hand can have access to it.

Why?

Because in close quarter physical contact situations over the years I've found that it's my off-side hand that's been needed and preoccupied with trying to defend against, and stave off, an attack or the actions of someone on whom I've been forced to use physical force. I don't want to compromise the role of my off-side hand/arm.

I've also invested many years of range work, while serving as a LE firearms instructor, drawing and using a secondary weapon when doing my own range work. Lots of opportunity to develop practical unconscious competence, including reaching and accessing that other handgun from both pants and jacket pockets.

Also, while I train to use my off-side hand for both martial arts strikes and shooting, it's arguably my strong-side/dominant hand that's the most practiced with both hand blows and shooting a gun.

Which hand would I prefer to have to stake my life upon for grasping and shooting a weapon in some dynamic and chaotic up-close situation? My dominant hand, given my druthers.

Now, there have certainly been advocates and trainers who opined that having access to a secondary weapon using your off-side hand is important.

Choose where you wish to compromise your efforts, and hopefully make an informed decision.
 
I do it backwards, I guess. I carry a compact 9mm off-body in a shoulder bag and a .380 micro-pistol in my right front pants pocket. In winter, the 9mm sometimes moves to my coat pocket.

I don't know why, but I've never been very comfortable with belt carry, whether IWB or OWB.
 
Hard enough to always carry, let alone carrying two. Not an easy thing picking up a piece when ever you head out the door.
 
I don't carry two guns often, but this is where being ambidextrous is a plus.

I usually carry my primary gun on my strong side. My back up goes in my weak back pocket. I figure I can fire both equally well and can draw based on the need.
 
When I carry two it is an identical gun and it is more as a reload. They are J frames in each pocket. Nothing exotic.
 
It has been a few years since I have carried 2 guns. Normally the BUG was holstered on the inside ankle of my left leg. My thought process is if I have to resort to my second firearm, all hell has broken loose. So I figure an ankle holster was the easiest way to have it accessible from either hand.
 
I only did it for about 8 months when my family and I were threatened by a family member. Threat ended with him going to jail. 357 on my hip and another in boot carry.
 
...do you position both guns for strong side carry or one for each hand to draw?

I’m not talking about drawing and shooting with a gun in each hand. But in case your strong hand is busy; like holding something when your are attacked or approached, then you can draw with your weak hand.

I used to carry my BUG for strong side carry. About 15 years ago someone on another forum convinced me of the solid reasons to prepare for both, right And left hand draw. I’ve been carrying and training this way ever since and I’m quite confident and comfortable doing so.

How about you? What are your thoughts?
Strong side CZ left ankle J frame if I carry two.
 
I carry cross. So, if I carry a second I usually carry it cross on my off side. Seems to work well, but tends to weigh a bit.
 
Hard enough to always carry, let alone carrying two. Not an easy thing picking up a piece when ever you head out the door.

I understand. However, when you are committed it becomes a lifestyle, whether it’s one or two guns.

I’ve been carrying for over 40 years and not a day goes by that I leave the house empty handed.
 
I always carry when legal, which is almost all the time. I occasionally carry a second gun offhand pocket. If not, I carry an assisted open blade in the same position. This to provide another weapon if my dominant arm is disabled/injured or suddenly occupied fighting for control of my primary in close quarters.

The only exception is in Grizzly country where I will carry a 44 Redhawk strong side, and a glock 30 in a shoulder holster or crossdraw. I can draw the G30 with both hands from either holster.
 
During my career in LE, I carried a BUG in a small leather holster I put together that sat between the front and rear body armor panels of my vest, on my strong side, for a weak hand draw. It was under my shirt. It wore holes in my shirts since it rubbed against my duty pistol on my right side. Now retired, I only occasionally carry two, usually it's one IWB strong side, with a small BUG in a weak hand position that varies depending on clothing and time of year.
 
If you're going to carry two guns, whether two similar sized or a primary and BUG, it stands to reason having one available to either hand would make more sense than delegating them both to one hand....

....IF you're competent with both hands.
 
I've been carrying two for quite a while. Most of the time, it has been a compact nine strong-side belt, and a micro.32 in the same-side front pocket. A cell phone holster worn weak-side belt limits access to the weak-side pocket.

Recently, I have been making the switch to two belt guns, one worn on each side. The .32 has been largely replaced with a .380 because the latter fits the holster better. The primary reason for the switch is to indeed have a gun accessible to either hand.

I'm ex-LE, and wore an ankle gun on the job back then. It was also positioned more for weak-hand access.
 
The only time I "carried" two guns was when I was occasionally driving a cab in NYC in the early 70's for a few extra bucks to suppliment my LE salary.

NYC being what it was at that time, with cab drivers getting killed on a regular basis, I rode with one gun on the seat under my strong hand thigh, and one in a holster clipped to the outside top of my boot, with the pants leg tucked in, exposing the gun. There was a supposedly bulletproof partition of lexan above the front seats, but I knew the seat back itself wasn't bulletproof, and that was one of my worries.

I didn't discriminate as to whom I picked up, or where they wanted to go, as many drivers did, and that led to a few pucker moments. I didn't get shot, and I never shot anybody, so I guess you could say it all worked out OK in the end.
 
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I always carry a NAA Black Widow in my left pocket. I don’t live in a high crime area but the smaller weapon has been used more often than anything else. Not for two legged folks but for four.
 
I carry a "2nd option" pistol in my weak hand front pocket.
Option to put my hand on it without revealing I'm carrying, which I can't do with primary that is IWB. (Handy if approached by someone "shady")
If my dominant hand was "unavailable" for whatever reason I can still quickly draw with my weak hand.
I practice with the 2nd option pistol one hand weak hand, as it would be used.
 
My default “primary” carry position has long been at or near 0300, and I tend to position the second weapon for reasonable left-hand accessibility, if not actually on the left side. Sometimes, the weapon at 0300 is smaller than the second weapon, or, at least, has a shorter barrel, depending upon clothing and conditions. This is especially true now that I am retired from LEO-ing, and, have a gimpy right shoulder, that has less range of motion, that is getting worse.

For an extended period of time, in the past, I tended to position the second weapon at “appendix,” a short distance in front of the primary weapon. This allowed reasonable left-hand access, while allowing my right hand and forearm to cover both weapons at the same time.

I tended to use ankle rigs much more often, in the past, than in more recent years. I am seriously considering revisiting the use of a high-quality ankle rig, especially if I decide to return to daily use of a J-Frame. Part of getting older, is the increasing likelihood of ending up on the ground, and being less able to quickly get back onto one’s feet.

Background: I am a natural left-hander, but am naturally right armed, meaning I write lefty and throw righty. I grew up in a household without guns, and Texas did not have legal handgun carry for the general population, at that time, so I had not yet established a “strong side” for handguns, before starting a police academy, in 1983. I decided to be ambidextrous, when learning to shoot the then-mandated DA revolvers. Drawing a heavy L-Frame from the then-mandated, low-slung duty rig was more of an arm thing, than a hand thing, so it felt more natural to draw from, and carry at 0300, in spite of being left-handed. The right hip is more accessible when driving most vehicles, which is another reason I decided to make 0300 my primary carry position.
 
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