I used to definitely do the whole "If it's Tuesday, I must be carrying the Luger" thing. And I understand the desire, even if you're carrying concealed, to have something cool-looking or pretty on, whether anyone else can see it or not. If people weren't like that, they'd sell nothing but tighty-whities and granny panties in stores and Joe Boxer and Vickie's Secret would be long out of business.
I just don't do the CCW as fashion statement anymore. I haven't for a while. I change carry guns only marginally more frequently than the country changes presidential administrations. I sometimes miss the "Whatcha carryin' today?" easy conversation starter among fellow gun nuts ("Same gun I've been carrying since you've known me, why?") but maybe the time savings from not having to select a gun and holster in the morning is worth it.
I was reflecting on something similar regarding pocket knives in a recent conversation with Marko. I've got... well, dozens, at least, of pocket knives, ranging from fairly pedestrian CRKTs up through a Walter Brend/White Wolf auto that has appreciated to the point where I don't really want to carry it, and yet every day for months now has found me carrying the same Spyderco Delica with the "wave" opener
. It's light, handy, has the handy "wave" opener, and I don't spend the time trying to figure out what's going in my pocket this morning: The same thing as yesterday, that's what.I think it's time to admit to myself that I'm just a creature of habit. I may have all kinds of rationalizations for driving the same car for thirteen years, but maybe I just like knowing where the corners are.
25 comments:
I still do the pocket knife fashion show, still I can look at old photos of myself and tell how I'm dressed what I'm carrying.
I never liked the idea that I might draw my gun and have to think for a second what it is, and how it shoots.
If it ain't broke.....
BGM
There are only a few disadvantages; my pants all wear in the pattern of my knife, and the crescent wrench I carry in the same pocket.
Nothing wrong with both. I wear the same gun every day, and that's good because it's the one I'm most likely to shoot something with on any given day. But sometimes if I'm dressing up to spend an evening at somebody's house I like to play dress-up. Then it's "Does this holster go with these jeans?" That's fun too.
Word. This. I have a kind-of-premade email for the many times I have people who want to tote multiple somethings 'special'. I try to confer the difference between
'objets d'art' and 'tools'. The latter are for use, i.e., they get knocked, rubbed, linty/dusty etc. I've used your term, 'disposable plastic wheel chock' more than once...
I can totally see changing up the sidearm if working as an MoD, showing off the wares, as it were.
As for pocket knives, I change up that all the time, because I'm constantly losing the blasted things. Any pocket knife that costs over $25 is probably something of a dresser drawer queen. Especially the really nice ones Mrs. Drang buys me from time to time, like the William Henry Damascus folder she got for me for Christmas on the Alaska Cruise last year.
I have a rut, it's not a dirty, muddy rut full of worm ends and spiders. It's a warm comfortable rut. Polished and smooth. I like my rut and I'll thank you kindly if you leave me to it.
Change isn't always (even usually) good, more often than not, it's just change.
Been carrying the same sidearm for 14 years now. Haven't broken it, but do have a spare incase I wear it out. Same holster, hasn't worn out either. It is comfortable and fits my needs and lifestyle just right. Only thing that changes is if it needs to be concealed deeper than usual. Pocket knife stays the same.
I do switch up what I carry, but it's actually based on size, not fashion. As modified by how deep the concealment needs to be in the setting I'm going to be in.
I have outfits where I can easily conceal a 1911 and typical situations where printing (or even full on exposure) isn't an issue, and others where it's a small pocket gun or nothing, because I'm not willing to risk printing at all.
And, there is the occaisional weird case where I'm intentionally carrying a specific pistol for a specific reason - such as carrying a revolver when I know I'm going to have to clear it, lock it up, and then reload it in the parking lot because of laws or policies. (Such as visiting my daughter's school or attending a gun show. Yes, in this state I can carry in my car on school grounds, but the piece has to be cleared and secured in the car if I get out of the car.)
Or if I am planning on shooting "X" and only "X", and don't want to carry (and secure, like if I go out to eat afterwards) a second gun. I just wear "X" that day.
But I don't swap guns around because I just have a hankering to switch guns.
Same thing with knives. I have my usual knife, that I wear 90% of the time, and the smaller, flatter knife that doesn't make a huge bulge in a pair of suit pants.
Hell, I have multiple key rings, from the one that contains a copy of EVERYTHING (the "usual" one), to the one that just holds a car key and house key for times where I simply don't have pocket space.
I really can't get down to a "one size fits all" solution for very many things.
Change, like excitement is overrated and only of interest to the young.
I just carry .38 Airweight and my Benchmade folder. But I know that 80% of the males in the 32250 are totin' better than me.
There is a lot to be said for carrying the same kind of gun always. You don't have to think about how it works because that becomes second nature.
You can take this idea farther and decide that if you carry different guns you will choose guns that work the same. If your small gun is a .38 snub your big one is a .38 or .357 service revolver; or, if your big gun is a Glock your smart choice for a small hideout gun is a mini-Glock.
I don't want a lot to think about if I ever need to shoot for my life. My approach also saves money on training and, obviously, guns.
I've been toting a Benchmade 812 since '94, but the carry gun changed fairly frequently until just a few years ago. I use the knife several times a day, the gun gets touched twice, on and off.
Knife is always a Smith & Wesson folder from NAPA Auto, with a flat LED keychain flashlight stuck to it. Gun is very nearly always the Beretta 92 Compact in the same IWB holster. Extreme heat has prompted a switch to a Colt steel Mustang II in a home-made pocket holster for the inner pocket of the Columbia shorts. Consistency just might be my new best friend.
I think I may just go to A CZ83 and a Spiderco and say to heck with the rest of this stuff.
+1 on BGM, although I will admit I do carry different pistols depending on how I'm dressed...
Oh, c'mon, you know you want a BBQ gun, maybe a polished stainless S&W wheelgun with tasteful grips for a special occasion...
When the habit you're maintaining and protecting happens to be your life I figure it's ok to be a creature of habit.
A very middle-aged discussion. Yep.
And I've had the same breed of dog since 1986. Yep.
A very middle-aged discussion. Yep.
And I owned the same breed of dog since 1986. Yep.
"And I understand the desire, even if you're carrying concealed, to have something cool-looking or pretty on, whether anyone else can see it or not. If people weren't like that, they'd sell nothing but tighty-whities and granny panties in stores and Joe Boxer and Vickie's Secret would be long out of business."
I did understand that, but then I grew up. People concerned with such things as frilly knickers have not, IMO, done so. The fact that overpriced pretty underwear is a successfull business model tells me there are quite a lot of over-aged adolescents out there who can't think of anything better to do with their money.
"Change isn't always (even usually) good, more often than not, it's just change."
I think the young of the species is hardwired to like change. Trial and Error will teach them what works.... and what does not. Older folks have learned that uncertainty is usually a costly thing.
-jimbob86
Spyderco does pocketknives right. Currently carrying a miniscule FRN Dragonfly that is so light sometimes I forget it's in my pocket until after I've walked through the metal detector at the courthouse. No worries though, the metal detector is blissfully unaware as well.
30+ years my Walther PPKS and same brand of knife, every day. KISS methodology.
Don't carry firearm.. MA
Do carry a Victronix in the bag
and a Case Leather hunter 6.25" fixed blade (under 3" blade) in
the pocket. Had the Case on
me or close for about 35 years.
Its been used for hunting and fishing and cutting ropes.
Eck!
We've also settled to the same old, same old. It's just two guns for each of us, and that is because we are just smaller people than most of y'all. We just have a harder time carrying.
The wife and I have two guns each that we'll carry at any given time. The choice of which is largely a matter of what is slightly more convenient given the activity and the clothing of the moment.
I like the G26 but often have to go slimmer with the P938. She likes the P238 but finds a lighter LCP better for the little black dress/garter thigh holster combo.
We don't have issues with "manual of arms" - note that we each carry radically different models. We have never been confused about how to operate our guns.
We both wish we had "the one and only" we could carry. We've looked, and built up a collection of carry-gun safe queens as a result. She doesn't even like the LCP, but it fits under her dress better than any other (she is tiny and the P238 is the solid stainless heavy version), so she sees it as, "any gun better than none."
YMMV.
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