Would you carry a customized gun for CCW

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So on the Charter arms website I found they have a special revolver made to commemorate the DC V Heller case. This got me thinking about all the custom engraved 1911's, the glocks with the barrels with the writing on the end and other such things. Would you carry one of these?

For me I guess I dont have any major objections to carrying it but feel that it would suck even more while your gun gets held in evidence if you ever have to use and it hopefully you get it back in the same shape.

Also the one gun that I have seen that was used in an SD shooting was scratched to hell because it slid partway across the highway after the shooting.
 
I can't help but modify everything I own, so it doesn't matter what i'm carrying, it's 'custom.'

However my main carry piece is a 1911 commander that i've definitely put a lot of work in to. But, it's the gun I shoot the best, and that's why I carry it.
 
I carry a customized 9mm S&W 360 because I had it done to meet my wants/needs in a carry gun. All of the work is functional, no writing or engraving.
 
For me I guess I dont have any major objections to carrying it but feel that it would suck even more while your gun gets held in evidence if you ever have to use and it hopefully you get it back in the same shape.
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Ideally, you are using a quality gun for self defense. Therefore, this argument would apply to any such firearm used for self defense.

However my main carry piece is a 1911 commander that i've definitely put a lot of work in to. But, it's the gun I shoot the best, and that's why I carry it.
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Right, if you shoot the gun well or best, why would you carry something that maybe you don't shoot as well? What is more important, self defense of your life or worrying about the finish on the custom (or non-custom for that matter) gun you may use to protect your life after it is used for that purpose?

Being realistic, there is much more risk to damaging a gun during carrying than there is from what might happen should you ever be in a self defense shooting after the gun is confiscated. Of all the guns being carried or owned legally by citizens, just how many actually get confiscated because of self defense shootings? Yes, no doubt it happens dozens of times every day and no doubt that is at a rate that is just a fraction of the daily new guns sold to citizen consumers. Every day, the fraction of guns confiscated in self defense shooting declines relative to the number of people carrying guns and the number of guns being sold for self defense.

If you are worried about what might happen to your gun after a self defense shooting, then leave the gun in the safe where it belongs. That risk is so far down the list of potential bad things that could happen to the carried gun that it is silly to use it as a reason to justify not carrying it for self defense.
 
I would perfer not to carry a custom piece while carrying, either open or concealed.

Knowing my luck, I would end up in a SD/HD situation where I would have to pull and because I have a "customized" weapon somehow it would be twisted into something that it's not.

It's more about "CYA" when the legal stuff happens after you end up with no other choice but to put down a bad guy.




Kris
 
LOL, wut?

Any gun that saves my life in a self defense shooting has paid for itself. Who cares if it gets impounded for a while. Get another.

I'm not going to carry a pointed stick around because it's cheaper and I won't mind it being held as evidence.

Would I pay $2000 for a gun that would eventually save my life and my famillys, but would then be rendered useless. Yes. Its a small price to pay. Guns cost what they cost, get the one that works best for yourself no matter what it costs to buy/customize.

Choose the best tool for yourself. Regardless of cost, whether it gets stolen by the judge after the fact or whatever.

A customized gun is, for some, the best tool for the job. Every decent 1911 I've carried was custom right out of the box. I carry Glocks, but the Glockworks Fulcrum trigger really makes them shoot alot better. Throw a properly tuned recoil spring and stainless rod and the Glock improves substatially in performance and reliability. (For me) Also keep in mind that alot of guns would be too expensive to sell if they had all the good stuff installed. Who would actully buy the custom Glock I carry for $900! Its not too hard to improve a gun that is limited to cheap parts like plastic triggers, recoil rods, stamped connectors that aren't chromed or polished, etc.

Every gun I count on is slightly customized to fit me and to improve its reliability. My 1911, Glock, Ar-15, and p-90 are each a little customized. Not carried away or blinged out. Just a little extra detail that was needed. Only my tiny ccw's, like my Keltec p32, are stock.

I'd just avoid "smile for flash", punisher logos, and "semper pocca para marshmello of death" markings. Leave that to the comic book heros. I wouldn't put goofy stuff on a carry piece. Probally going to look crazy in court if I had to explain defending my self with a pink "hello kitty" ar-15. Guns are allready evil in thier minds. But if its a good shoot, it really deosn't matter if you changed out a trigger spring, or whatnot.
 
I would say it depends on what the "custom" features are. If they are related to function (ie, night sights, grips, mag mods, etc), then have at it.

If you are talking about engraving "Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out" on the slide, that probably wouldn't be the best idea. :evil:
 
Firearms trainer Clint Smith has been known to bang expensive custom 1911s against fence posts, drag them through dirt, etc. while demonstrating alternative slide racking, reloading and stoppage clearance drills.
 
I would venture to say that Clint Smith does not buy his own guns. If he does, I doubt he pays retail. I may be totally wrong, but I would bet that Smith and Wesson (who makes a Thunder Ranch revolver) and others give him firearms just for the perk of being able to claim Clint uses them.

That said, I wouldn't carry an expensive full house custom 1911. Mostly because I wouldn't be able to stand the dings, dents, holster wear, etc that comes with daily carry. My parents drilled in taking care of things too much for that. In addition, I don't want any extra liability from a "hair trigger" or other custom doodads.

I guess you could say my Glock CCW is customized since I swapped the sights. I wetwith the glock so that I would have a reliable handgun hat I wouldn't mind shooting the crap out of. Dings, scratches, etc don't bother me because I can afford to replace it. It's identical to what thousands of police trust to defend their (and our) lives, so it would be easily defendable in court. Same for ammo. As a side benefit, I shoot my Glock better for some reason than all but the most high end 1911's. I'd rather spend the difference on ammo anyway.
 
I love my Colt 1911's. But I carried a SA Mil-Spec for a long time. I now have a Norinco that is being groomed to carry.

I would rather give the Norc than my Colts, but if I needed to carry my favorite Colt and it was taken in a SD shooting, so be it.

Any handgun can be replaced.
 
I can't comment on Clint Smith or where/how he hets his guns.

I will say that some people have an "honest wear" aesthetic and don't mind patina/scatches/dings that really bug others.

Years ago I was in the market for a particular black-finished stainless steel wrist watch. I went into a jewelry store to look at them and the salesperson actively tried to steer me away from it... "I had one of those, the black wears through and it looks horrible." I didn't buy from him but I did buy one...and the black did wear through, but to me it was/is great looking. It shows honest wear from going on 15 years of banging around through all sorts of nastiness... including a few cases where it has dragged across rock or banged hard against concrete.

Guns, including custom guns, can wear the same way. The trick is that they've got to start as good guns (a pot metal POS just wears out) and they must come by the wear honestly (playing street hockey with your 1911 isn't the same as using it for 10 years is rough conditions).

To the original question: Of course... but my idea of customization is very utility driven. I'm more likely to pay for a lack of engraving for example.
 
I customize every carry gun I have to one degree or another. I don't worry about if it gets held in evidence because the odds are I will never be involved in a shooting. If you are confident you will be then you need to change your environment and lifestyle.

This is what I am carrying currently.
KimberProRaptorII.gif
 
"Any gun that saves my life in a self defense shooting has paid for itself. Who cares if it gets impounded for a while. Get another."

Exactly.
 
No. I won't carry garbage, but I won't carry a custom or expensive piece of history or commemorative memorabilia. I carry a stock Walther P99 with night sights. It's a nice gun and I trust it completely. But if it gets dinged up over years of carry, I don't really mind. And if I lose it to a police evidence locker, it's just a stock gun, just like the replacement I'll get. If you're into autoloaders, a standard Glock, just like most police use will be a great choice. Or a standard 1911, no frills if you prefer all steel. Something reliable and not too costly. Dependable but expendable.
 
Short answer: no. Not unless you're independently wealthy and don't care how much it may cost to replace something.
 
i think the only gun i have ever carried that hadn't been customise...i prefer optimised...to some extent has been a H&K P-7.

i'm not wealthy, but think it would be alot more costly to come in 2nd in a gunfight
 
Mine is customized, but not with any of that "looks" junk from RockYourGlock or anything like that. I've got a Robar frame, Heinie sights, a N.Y trigger, and an extended floorplate. Function over form for carry.

With anything else, however... ;)
 
I have.
I would.

Commander size 1911, in 9x23, with gold bead front sight.
Ivory stocks are not just for BBQ, Divorce celebration, Dawg having a litter of pups...
Ivory affords a good grip when hands are bloody.

Model 29, with 5" barrel, gold bead front sight Ivory Stocks.

Model 24. (.44 spl), engraved, gold bead front sight...

Some others...
Other stocks as well...
 
Guns are tools. I customize mine to make them more effective tools.

If I feel like expressing myself, it won't involve a gun. If I want to customize a gun just for the sake of doing so, I won't carry it, because it has become something more than a functional tool.

This all goes out the window at a BBQ. :)
 
Again it depends on the gun and the customization, no? I have a friend who carries compact 1911A1's, and his were customized for reliability, with the accuracy being fine from the factory. He had three done the same way. His theory...,that was what he trained with at the range, that was what he shot the best, and if he had to use it, it would be impounded. Not to worry, two more identical pieces were at home, so he'd go get another out of the vault, and be fine until they released the first. If something happened in the meantime..., he had a third at home.

Here in the People's Republic of Maryland, I would have reliability done first, and accuracy if it needed it. I would not as the man pointed out, have cosmetics done to it (or bought as such) similar to that in the photo posted by TIMC (he's in Texas; God bless him), nor would I have it engraved with something like what mgkdrgn mentioned Kill 'em all; Let God sort them out, or Yea thou I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I shall fear no evil, as I am the baddest dude in the valley, etc.

I have found a Glock 22 works out of the box for me. I like a mag well funnel, a flat mainspring housing, trigger job, a beavertail, an ambi-safety, ramped barrel, and good fixed sights on a Commander style 1911A1.

Maybe I'm old and old fashioned, but do you really get that much more when ya go from an $800 1911A1 style handgun, to a $2500 gun when it comes to SD? I'm sincere in my question.., maybe I should take mine in for some upgrades??

LD
 
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