Just a gentle observation. I noticed that a few of the gents here practice what can be described as a rotating handgun carry. There is even a running thread that showcases and encourages it. Very pretty guns, very pretty rigs.
We are all proud of our collections. There is nothing wrong with that. You should be. We're lucky to have that pleasure.
This is more of an enthusiasts' forum. I'm not here to ruffle any established feathers in the clubhouse. So I'll pose the observation more socraticly to those that wear one rig on a Monday morning, another Friday night, and yet another on Sunday afternoon ...
... a newer pocket subcompact one day, a shoulder harness full-size the next:
What is your reason for carrying what you carry on any given day? What is its purpose? Why are you changing it?
Have you contemplated -- and genuinely addressed -- the ramifications of changing that carry?
Is your carry selection for the day, this day, or the next, one you are reflexively familiar with?
Or is it one selected for the occasion, or the season? Or is it merely a fashion statement? Your old S&W that you wear to the field site bulges through your dinner jacket, but your new 365 doesn't. So you wear the latter that evening into town, to hide a bulge?
One question means so much more than the others. So much so that it should be dispositive.
Be honest about it, at least to yourself.
Very few ever face an actual threat encounter. Unlike a tactical event, you do not choose the time and place for a defensive one. They come with little or no warning. You will be shocked that your reaction will be far more reflexive than you ever imagined or prepared for. Sometimes barely time to think, let alone react. The instant burned sorting out in your mind if it's the pocket J-frame that day, or the cross-draw .40 with the safety, or that cool new Glock in the IWB, could leave you with a switchblade or bullet in your belly. And your attacker potentially armed with your weapon. Not a great outcome. Please don't discount that picture. It's often a blurred instant or two. Adrenaline may rule the moment, whether you like it or not. It will definitely drive your behavior once it's drawn. Things will happen reflexively, or they will not.
Reflexive familiarity. You better have it. With whatever you are carrying. And the fewer moving parts and variables to process, the better.
Perhaps it is different now. There was a reason years ago that agencies encouraged a uniform field issue, and it was not just to make the quartermaster's life easier. Familiarity breeds more than contempt. It takes a lot of time with a weapon to make it a reliably reflexive draw.
Just how familiar are you with that one you are carrying today? Why are you carrying it, or any firearm? And why are you really changing it from the one you wore yesterday, or last week? Even if you practice holster consistency, they all draw, handle, hold, bead and discharge a little differently.
I now enjoy carrying my pipe as much as anything else. I primarily lurk here. Unless something really excites me (like the guy with the .45 question a couple weeks ago), I leave the daily chatter to the others. But this particular practice rose me to comment. Rotating a carry. I'm not against it, per se. But be aware of what that demands. It demands a lot. If you're rotating, have you invested what it demands?
I know most here have a stable carry, day in and day out. This was for the others.
No lecture intended, no snark meant. In any event, I'm done. Back to lurking from the patio. My stogie and beer awaits.
It's just a passing thought to consider, before you sling that next pretty rig on for the day to show off to the guys on the Internet ...
We are all proud of our collections. There is nothing wrong with that. You should be. We're lucky to have that pleasure.
This is more of an enthusiasts' forum. I'm not here to ruffle any established feathers in the clubhouse. So I'll pose the observation more socraticly to those that wear one rig on a Monday morning, another Friday night, and yet another on Sunday afternoon ...
... a newer pocket subcompact one day, a shoulder harness full-size the next:
What is your reason for carrying what you carry on any given day? What is its purpose? Why are you changing it?
Have you contemplated -- and genuinely addressed -- the ramifications of changing that carry?
Is your carry selection for the day, this day, or the next, one you are reflexively familiar with?
Or is it one selected for the occasion, or the season? Or is it merely a fashion statement? Your old S&W that you wear to the field site bulges through your dinner jacket, but your new 365 doesn't. So you wear the latter that evening into town, to hide a bulge?
One question means so much more than the others. So much so that it should be dispositive.
Be honest about it, at least to yourself.
Very few ever face an actual threat encounter. Unlike a tactical event, you do not choose the time and place for a defensive one. They come with little or no warning. You will be shocked that your reaction will be far more reflexive than you ever imagined or prepared for. Sometimes barely time to think, let alone react. The instant burned sorting out in your mind if it's the pocket J-frame that day, or the cross-draw .40 with the safety, or that cool new Glock in the IWB, could leave you with a switchblade or bullet in your belly. And your attacker potentially armed with your weapon. Not a great outcome. Please don't discount that picture. It's often a blurred instant or two. Adrenaline may rule the moment, whether you like it or not. It will definitely drive your behavior once it's drawn. Things will happen reflexively, or they will not.
Reflexive familiarity. You better have it. With whatever you are carrying. And the fewer moving parts and variables to process, the better.
Perhaps it is different now. There was a reason years ago that agencies encouraged a uniform field issue, and it was not just to make the quartermaster's life easier. Familiarity breeds more than contempt. It takes a lot of time with a weapon to make it a reliably reflexive draw.
Just how familiar are you with that one you are carrying today? Why are you carrying it, or any firearm? And why are you really changing it from the one you wore yesterday, or last week? Even if you practice holster consistency, they all draw, handle, hold, bead and discharge a little differently.
I now enjoy carrying my pipe as much as anything else. I primarily lurk here. Unless something really excites me (like the guy with the .45 question a couple weeks ago), I leave the daily chatter to the others. But this particular practice rose me to comment. Rotating a carry. I'm not against it, per se. But be aware of what that demands. It demands a lot. If you're rotating, have you invested what it demands?
I know most here have a stable carry, day in and day out. This was for the others.
No lecture intended, no snark meant. In any event, I'm done. Back to lurking from the patio. My stogie and beer awaits.
It's just a passing thought to consider, before you sling that next pretty rig on for the day to show off to the guys on the Internet ...
