While I’m typically kitted out with a capable 9mm, on some occasions I’ve run errands with little more than a .38 snubbie in a jacket or coat pocket. And I used to carry one in the console of my car for my “extra” piece.
Not any more, and I’ll tell you why: it surely seems like a sole attacker today is the exception, not the rule.
All sensible arguments. I have to admit to subconsciously feeling the same way every time I run over to the booze store or 7-11 with only my S&W 637 on my hip, even though I have two speedloaders handy, and can reload reasonably quickly.
Admittedly, the above condition accounts for maybe 10% of my trips away from the house; for the rest, it’s the 1911 with two spare mags. But I’m thinking that “90%” should become “all the time”, because if I’m caught inside a store during a flash mob looting spree, even only eight shots of .45 ACP beats five rounds of .38+P, and reloading another eight is far quicker than reloading another five — not to mention the “New York reload” option of just drawing the backup 637 instead of reloading another mag into the 1911…
Choices, choices…
Corollary thought: unless you live in the boonies, the old Swiss K31 or Mosin carbine is not going to cut it as a trunk gun. During a situation of mob violence in a suburban / urban setting, it looks as though it’s SKS time…
I know you’re loath to move toward the 9mm europellet. And I’m wholly in the camp that my Kimber is a much better gun than the recent plethora of wondernines (trigger, accuracy, etc). But I invested in a Hellcat, and acquired a SIG, (and SWMBO picked up one of the latest S&W Shield+ guns) for the exact reasons you describe. As John from the Warrior Poet Society puts it, it’s nice to have ‘more party favors’ to spread around should someone start an impromptu soiree. And with the “nines”, and a spare 15-rd mag, I’ve got 27 or 28 rounds on hand, which would take carrying even more mags for the 1911. Is the .45 better? Yes, but it’s still not as good as a friend’s 10mm Colt…
Living in TX now, I understand that the ‘not summer’ season we’re in now increases the options for carrying full-size tools, but given the apparel choices for the rest of the year… compromises must be made. Believe me, the Hellcat is a YUUUGE upgrade over the Bodyguard .380 I had for t-shirt concealment before, and it would be great to live somewhere that afforded the option for a sweatshirt or light jacket in 2 of 4 seasons so I could go bigger. But based on SWMBO’s requirements regarding annual snowfall, I am where I am.
John from WPS is a maestro with language.
JQ
I have a little M&P Shield 9mm (7+1 or 8+1, according to magazine size), and the only reason I haven’t switched to the new 13+1 version is the $500 that I don’t want to spend.
On the other hand, my standard loadout is a full pistol plus two extra 8 round magazines… and if things start looking worse, the full-sized pistol with 16+1 is always available.
Colt Cobra was my concealed carry for a couple decades. I’ve recently replaced it with a Taurus G3C. 13 rounds in the weapon, another 15 in my pocket.
Time to relegate the S&W 442 to back up. I’m most likely moving to an M&P SHield with 7-8 cartridges of Euro-pellet because the 1911 tends to put my pants near my ankles and thus out of reach. I lost a lot of weight lately.
JQ
It only takes 2 of those 5 shots to turn back a mob.
And it lets you head home without any brass on the ground.
Really? It took Kyle rather more than merely two blasts, Mr. Biden. If only two was all it took, there would be no need for reloads or 3+ round guns.
Granted, I am known to vary a revolver sometimes too. But when I do, its a 6 shot revolver whose caliber starts with 4, and I have 25 more rounds on my belt. Carrying one now, matter of fact. A .44 Magnum, but I am prone to crrying a .45 Colt instead.
But if the mob is howling for my blood, a 5 shot .38 pocket rocket ain’t gonna cut it. I want a rifle and a deep magazine; barring that, I want either a pistol with a lot of bullets or a revolver with powerful and big bullets.
Kim – I love the old shooters (as you know), but as to the truck (or truck) gun, these days there is NO reason NOT to carry an AR-pattern rifle. They are reasonably inexpensive, reliable, and can be easily configured in pretty much your choice of round. And they carry the advantage of easily obtained parts and adaptability to your preferences or circumstances (hell, it can be assembled to your preferences literally on your kitchen table in a few hours), and large capacity. And because it’s not an old warhorse, like an AK or (gasp!) even a SKS, it can be easily replaced if necessary; it has no historical value or sentimental attachment.
And Kim, I know you’re not a fan of the 9mm. Ideally, I’d agree; I love the 1911, as you know. But it’s heavy, it can be temperamental, and lacks the capacity of a modern 9mm pistol. For the same size, and less weight, it’s easily possible to pack 14-16 rounds of 9mm. As has been noted in other contexts, quantity has a quality of its own, and modern 9mm ammunition is quite capable.
Where I live, a single-stack with 8+1 is light and easily carriable EVERYWHERE I go. My risk environment is quite low, and I don’t feel the need to carry a rifle in the vehicle routinely. Were I in a large city, a larger capacity would be called for. That could change, of course, if things to tits-up. If called for, the Sig with 19 in the stack and an AR are ready to go.
More serious gear is reserved for more serious circumstances. The weapon is the warrior, not the guns. For a person practiced and ready, a Garand is still a capable battle rifle. I’d take it, if the circumstances called for same, and not feel undergunned. There is an advantage to the “f*ck you and your cover” capability of good old 30-06.
GMC70,
I agree with you however I have a few issues.
The overlords here behind enemy lines have made normal sized magazines verboten. 10 cartridges in the mag are acceptable (for now), but the 11th and subsequent cartridges give the oberfuhrers a dastardly case of the vapors. Also, the AR pattern rifle is pretty much banned in this part of occupied America.
What options do I have left? aside from leaving this leftist wasteland, a handgun with less than 10 cartridges in the mag and a non difficult to obtain rifle or shotgun.
JQ
You have a list of options:
1. Move out of the commie shithole to (relatively) Free America. Better for your safety and your sanity, even setting aside gun freedoms.
2. Conform. 10 rounds is nothing to sneeze at, and there are capable options; reloading is quick, if with practice. Consider alternative long gun options, even if not as preferable as modern AR platforms. The aforementioned SKS is getting more and more expensive (a local Cabela’s wanted $1200 for one!) but it has one advantage: potent rifle firepower – 10 rounds of 7.62×39 – without attracting undue attention like an AR platform; it doesn’t have those “evil” features like a flashhider or pistol grip. It’s stripper-clip to reload, and that can be done quickly, with practice. A Ruger Mini-14 (or Mini-30, if you prefer the soviet round) may serve the same purpose – essentially an AR, but without the evil features that draw the attention of the overbearing state. While it does not take STANAGs, Ruger makes 30 rounders, and check around – it may be adaptable to STANAGs. Look around; there are other options. A good shotgun may serve the same purpose; 00 buck is quite the deterrent. Just remember – you have to aim a shotgun, just like a rifle; it is not a “scattergun.”
A lever gun is another alternative for serious firepower without drawing the attention of the uberlords; say, a Marlin in 30-30.
So too may be a pistol caliber carbine; a Ruger PCC or a KelTec Sub-2000 have the advantage of taking Glock mags, for easy reloading and the ability to find larger capacity mags, if your willingness to risk will permit. See below.
3. Liberty begins with a single word; that word is NO. Evaluate your threat level, your risk level, and your willingness to- yes, I’ll say it – ignore the law. A law is only as good as our willingness to abide by it. And all of us – and I say this as an attorney, doing criminal work – have a line we will not cross. In the firearms arena, I know where mine is; if/when they require registration of firearms, I’ll be a felon. Period. Assess your situation, and where your line is, and act accordingly.
4. This is in addition to, not alternative to the above: Do everything you can to change the law. Write letters to the editors, take friends and relatives to the range and educate them about liberty, organize, contribute, knock on doors, and VOTE.
And remember – YOU are the warrior; the gun is just a tool. Your own determination, training, and willingness to fight, if necessary, are the most important things. Without those, the best tools in the world are worthless. With them, the most basic tools are doubly effective.
Here’s a good reason to revolver:
https://www.saintlukeskc.org/health-library/understanding-carpometacarpal-osteoarthritis
If your hands are afflicted with this, you will find that ALL the thumb motions associated with autoloaders are painful: activating the mag release, the safety, pressing cartridges into the mag, and gripping the slide to reciprocate it.
A student of the gun improvises, adapts, and overcomes.
When I lived in the People’s Republik of Kakafuckistan, and they decided to limit my options to 10-rds, I decided that if that was the rule, I’d make sure I could meet it with the biggest possible response.
I bought an EAA Poly-Witness 45 – a CZ-75 pattern semi holding 10+1, in polymer with a 5″ bbl. Though I’ve graduated here in the semi-free state of NV to Para’s, both in full size 14+1, and the Warthog compact 10+1, that EAA still serves as something to go under a jacket in a shoulder rig.
In 2021 there’s no reason NOT to run a proper MSR. ARs are cheap, a knockaround for a truck gun is now a thing. Or an AK. Prices have risen on those, but I’ve ran a beater underfolder for the past 10 ish years. Only used it on woodchucks and coons thus far.
Beretta 92FS with 1 17rd mag in the gun, another on the holster, 2 more on the other side of the belt. 4×17=68 Hope I don’t have to use it.