We’ve had this conversation before on this website:
Should Your EDC Be A Throw-Away Gun?
The fact is, if you are involved in a self-defense shooting, say goodbye to your pistol.
The police are just doing their job, and one of their tasks is to collect evidence; ergo, your gun ends up in an evidence bag. Typically, the police will hold your firearm for a specified period until the investigation is completed.
If you are cleared and no charges have been filed, you can expect to get your gun back. Maybe. There is no set timeframe for returning your gun to you. Every state is different. But your gun will be logged as evidence.
Since I started to conceal carry—about the time Glock Gen3 pistols were introduced—I decided to be on the throw-away side of the fence. Both my EDC and pickup truck guns are throw-away guns.
Okay, I’ve thought about this issue a lot, and I think I disagree with Bob Sadowski on this one. Here’s why.
Let’s be honest: unless you live or travel in a high-crime area, the chances of you being involved in a self-defense shooting are fairly slim. That’s not to say it’s impossible, of course — none of us is going to sign on to that foolishness.
But for my part, I want to know if that situation does happen to me, that I can absolutely, positively depend on my gun, and that confidence may well be the thing that saves me from harm. I don’t want to feel any hesitation that when the hammer drops, there’ll be a boom and the bullet will go where intended.
To be fair, Sadowski is not recommending going with a cheap gun — let’s leave Saturday Night Specials to the criminal element, and let them deal with the consequences of a mag falling out of the gun, or a firing pin snapping, or all the other mishaps that El Cheapo guns are prone to.
But using my own situation as an example: my everyday carry gun is a Springfield 1911. It’s not a Nighthawk or an Ed Brown 1911, but it sure as hell isn’t a Jennings or Raven either. I’ve always been reluctant to spend the extra money necessary to climb up the flattening shallow slope of the quality curve; sorry, but “good enough” is fine for me, whether guns, cars, watches or even food. (That I don’t have the wallet to be able to afford the premium is neither here nor there — when I have had the wherewithal, I’ve never spent it.)
So if I do have to ventilate some scrote to protect me or mine, then yeah, my Springfield could end up rusting in some poxy evidence locker somewhere. That would be sad, believe me, but then again, it’s a sacrifice worth making because that means it worked as I expected it to do.
What I’ve done is make sure that my backup EDC is also a 1911, and should I lose the Springfield under the above circumstances then I’m going to have equal confidence in its replacement.
I’m not going to be held hostage by sentiment or some romantic notion of ownership. At the end of the day, as much as I love my Springfield, if it fulfills its intended purpose, then it’s a job well done and yeah: I can believe that it gave up its life for me. How’s that for romance?
But I’m not going to leave the Springfield at home and carry a Glock 21 (which I couldn’t care less about losing because I have little regard for the spongy-triggered Glock pistols, as any fule kno). Thanks, but no thanks.
As for a truck gun… well, that’s a whole different set of circumstances (assuming that we’re talking about a long gun like a shotgun or rifle). Here we’re talking about shall we say some crowd control instead of just one or two individuals. And under those circumstances, I really don’t care what happens to the piece if I’ve used it as intended.
What I’m more worried about is the possibility of theft (which is not an issue with a carry piece).
But I’ll tell you what: a truck / trunk gun should not be that M1 Garand National Match, no matter how much you trust it to take care of business. Honestly, one of those Mossberg 88 pump-action shotguns — preferably the second-hand one you picked up at that gun show for $90 all those years ago –should be the direction of your thinking.
Now, if you’re fairly sure you might be involved in some serious action… then you should stay home. Seriously. Only idiots go out looking for trouble. But if there’s no choice in the matter, then take the very best long gun you have — and I don’t mean that $15,000 A.H. Fox side-by-side, of course; I’m talking about an AK-47 or AR-15 because we’re talking about Last Resort / End Times / SHTF action, and you owe it to yourself (and to whomever else you’re protecting) to take the absolute best you can. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
But the chances of that happening are even less than being accosted by some scrote at a 7-11 when you popped out for an emergency pack of baby food. The Random Goblin Encounter is what your EDC is for; End Times will be a different situation altogether.
Pick your gun accordingly, and be careful (but prepared) out there.
“But your gun will be logged as evidence.” That should really say “all your weapons will be logged as evidence” … the one you used in anger and your backup if you have one and your favorite Jethro Gibbs ZT folder if you have it in your hip pocket. Also your grandpa’s Case trapper if it’s on you and your nail clippers too, probably. As a general rule, don’t be carrying anything that you would hesitate, even for a second, to toss into the nearest storm drain if the circumstances required it. (Note: I’m not talking about getting rid of evidence in a shooting incident. In that case you shouldn’t throw it away, obviously.)
I love the scenes in action movies where guys will casually toss a gun into a trash can because they don’t want it on them or because they need to go somewhere where they can’t have it or just because they don’t need it anymore. It’s a tool, not a sentimental object. You can get another one.
> Note: I’m not talking about getting rid of evidence in a
> shooting incident. In that case you shouldn’t throw it away, obviously.
This, obviously, depends on the jurisdiction, and how much trouble you’re going to be in just for having the gun in the first place.
If you’re in San Francisco and have to used your firearm to defend yourself, you have a fighting chance in the courts.
If you’re down in Managua, you might be better off ditching it. Then again you’re probably ditching something locally sourced and not tied to you with paperwork.
Good point, but why would I ever want to be in San Francisco, let alone Managua?
And in Amsterdam, you’d be the one up on murder charges for defending yourself, the gun would just be another piece of evidence (the hole in the perp you shot would be enough to convict you) and you’d lose your freedom as well as your firearms license and permits, and all your weapons (if you’d even had gone to the trouble of going through the years of paperwork to get more than one) which all end up destroyed.
I have plenty of guns of every size and shape and this is just not an issue for me.
When it comes time to kill to save my life I will do so with no regrets.
And if they drag their dicks getting my gun back to me I’ll be their worst pain in the ass.
There’s quite a few pistols that are in the “good but cheap” range.
I like Walther pistols. The full-sized “low end” Walthers have great triggers, fit my hand nicely, have enough bullets, and are at least as accurate as I am – and you can often pick up some models for $400 or so new.
This is something I’ve thought for a very long time. My EDC is a S&W M&P Shield. It is 100% reliable and can be replaced quite easily. It’s not cheap, but it’s not expensive either. And I’ve got no sentimentality over it other than I appreciate that it works every time and I can easily put rounds on target with it.
My Antique Colt 1911 is now a safe queen and range toy. My Python likewise. I’ve got a couple of budget 1911’s but haven’t played enough to trust them 100%. Either way, make sure it works and make sure you can replace it if you have to.
I think the original author was trying to make a valid point, but exercised poor word choice.
You should carry a “duty quality” sidearm for self defense, but it should not be “heirloom quality”.
I am one of those who finds Glocks perfect adequate for that role, and I have 3 of them. If any one of them winds up in a police locker I’m not going to lose sleep over it, and after 5 years of legal crap, it’ll probably be just as good when I get it back as it was when it went in.
I also carry (in some situation) a HK-P7. Same thing, except it probably WILL be a rust brick after a couple years in evidence.
And in some cases I carry a Ruger LCP. That’s the gun I’d take to Managua. I don’t even *like* it that much. I’d throw it down a drain with barely a second thought if need be.
Like Don Curton my EDC is a S&W M&P Shield, I have 2, My EDC has an apex trigger, green laser and tritium sights, my backup Shield is a performance center model. If they are down my Beretta PX4 compact is loaded and ready to serve. I’m big enough to carry full size pistols if it comes to that. I only have a couple of guns that I’m not confident that they are 100% reliable, that leaves about a dozen centerfire pistols I’d carry with confidence. Do you have any opinions about pistol caliber carbines for home defense?
I have two throw away guns, both inherited. One is a Raven 9mm and the other is a Bryco 380. Both are good for one shot as they will stovepipe or jam on the next round. I have been waiting on a police buy back to unload these pieces of crap.
As far as carry guns it varies. I am in rural SE Georgia. Every farm truck has at least one gun in it and my truck is no exception with a 357 in the dash box. I carry a 22mag pocket revolver unless it is winter time. Then it is a full size Glock 10mm.
My feeling has always been to carry something I don’t mind losing forever. Too many PDs will resist returning your firearm and if one does get returned after months to years in a property room it is in such bad shape it is usually cheaper to replace rather than repair anyways. The horror stories are just too ubiquitous to to be ignored. So, for me, a carry pistol is something inexpensive and reliable. Lots of manufacturers make them. I tends toward the Ruger nines myself.
Been there. Done that. It took two years to get it back. It was a rusted hunk because of the chemicals used in processing evidence.
Consider it all sunk cost. Like collision or casualty insurance – the cost of protecting against catastrophic loss.
Can’t add much other than my personal choice. Tactical Tupperware to the rescue, specifically Canik. Should it ever wind up in jail, there are other perfectly dependable horses in the stable.
As I’ve state here before in other posts, I switched from carrying my Browning Hi Power to a Glock 17 for just this reason. The Glock has been reliable for me and since I never bothered to remove the Magazine Disconnect from my BHP, the Glock trigger is nothing that bothers me by comparison.
Although if needed I will not hesitate to use it, I would prefer not to lose it to an evidence locker when there adequate substitutes.
My BIL retired as Chief of Police from a medium sized (>25K people) town last year after 30 years. They have guns in their “evidence inventory” that were there when he started as a rookie cop. As someone said above, you have to be a real pain in the ass to get your gun back.
My Union Switch and Signal 1911 never leaves the safe, so it’s not at risk. Any of my other carry choices are Same Day replaceable from my personal inventory.
If the gun is special, you shouldn’t carry it or defend oneself with it. My 92fs is heavy, big, and my late wife bought it for me. Thought about another 92, but there are a lot of lower costs, lighter options.
There is such a thing as too cheap, but I like 9mm and I like hammers. That led me to the Bersa TPR9C. I have 2 of them now, and if I need another just like it they’re not outrageous. Helps they almost qualify as IPSC BUGs, while packing 13+1 of 9mm…
I never understood the rationale behind taking your junk gun and leaving your “good” gun behind. Why carry if you aren’t carrying with what you train with?
We’re not suggesting taking a “junk gun”. My Shield is hardly junk. Neither are the Glocks that others have chosen. We’re discussing carrying an “appliance” firearm that has zero sentimental value but still does the 100% reliable and combat accuracy thing. There are plenty to choose from and they are way more replaceable than the war trophy 1911 your grandpappy brought home from Europe.
Secondly, you should be training with your appliance firearm. Repeatedly. Play with the range toys, train with what you carry.
I carry a Wilson Combat SFX9 or a highly smithed Kimber CDP. Of course, I have a snubby for the quick trip for gas and a half gallon of milk. Both my regular carry guns are well over two large these days (the Kimber as smithed, is irreplaceable).
I carry them because I enjoy practicing with them, I’ll shoot many thousands of rounds through them before I need to shoot that one (or three) most needed. As has been acknowledged the chances of being involved in a defensive shooting are vanishingly small, although at least an order of magnitude higher than they were before the Maobama/Xiden regime. I’m not going to carry a gun I don’t enjoy practicing with them when the odds of my using them defensively are lower than my winning a 6-figure lottery payout.
I frankly don’t care and don’t have the time to even think on it too much. Of course, YMMV, but seems a silly thing to waste time agonizing over. Carry what you want. I’ll carry my nice guns. Yeah, I could lose them after a shooting. And I could total my car tomorrow (did that once), my house could burn down, or burglars could break in while I’m out and steal my cigar collection. Oh noes! Who cares?
This is a perennial topic on gun forums and I just don’t get it. Why all the emotional energy spent worrying over something that is much less likely to happen than hundreds of other bad things that can happen in life. I don’t get it.
Now if you’re carrying your grandpappy’s WWII bring home German Luger … well, you’re just stupid, can’t fix that. But otherwise, I think it’s a silly thing to waste time thinking about.
But that’s just me.
I would hazard that a top end 1911 (or other model) will build your confidence in your performance by keeping all your shots in a nice tight group. Now in a DGU a less exotic firearm will suffice as long as you hit the target, a 3-4 inch group is just as good as a 1-2 inch one on a bad guy, factor in adrenalin and the fact the target is likely moving and this is more than acceptable.